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Winter 2025 Edition
New & Noteworthy

Staff Writers
What’s New With The Laurel History Boys
Voices of Laurel volunteer staffmembers (from left to right) Caitlin Lewis, Jeff Krulik, Diane Mezzanotte, Pete Lewnes, Kevin Leonard,...
Neighborhood News


Caitlin Lewis
Oldtown
Local news covering the Oldtown area Mike Mondy hosted the second annual Blessing Baskets event for Thanksgiving, where residents and...


Angela Latham Kozlowski
North Laurel
Local news covering the North Laurel and Scaggsville areas Kathy Bittinger, owner of the Novel Refuge, along with some of the current...


Diane Mezzanotte
South Laurel
Local news covering Laurel Lakes, Victoria Falls, Oakcrest, Montpelier, and the Route 197 corridor Zeny and Milo Punsalan on their...


Brenda Zeigler-Riley
Russett/Maryland City
Local news covering the Russett and Maryland City areas Two recent additions to the neighborhood that have attracted a lot of positive...


Virginia May Geis
West Laurel
Local news covering the West Laurel and Burtonsville areas (Photo: West Laurel Civic Association) Winter offers opportunities to enjoy a...
Community


Brenda Zeigler-Riley
Mural is Centerpiece of Bacontown Basketball Court Renewal Project
Local officials, business partners, and Ma Bacon descendants at the ribbon cutting for the refurbished Bacontown basketball courts....


Diane Mezzanotte
“She Always Carried Joy With Her”
The Laurel community mourns a warrior Photos courtesy of Martin Mitchell For anyone following (or reporting on) the local rent...

Mark J. Stout, Ph.D.
The Doughoregan Manor Account Book
Courtesy of Howard County Historical Society Doughoregan Manor is a former plantation in central Howard County that was home to the last...


Staff Writers
Nominees Sought for 2025 Laurel Light Award
(Photo courtesy of SAILS) Beginning this year, Voices of Laurel will present an annual Laurel Light Award to an individual, business, or...


Adrian Simmons
Laurel: A Community of Communities
Photo: John Floyd/Laurel History Boys Collection Each of us starts life in a “community” called family. And as we grow, we naturally...


Shane Walker
Additional Duties as Assigned
Photo: Homes.com The best part of my school day must be bus duty. I know a lot of other educators have bemoaned this “additional duty as...
History


Angela Latham Kozlowski


Kevin Leonard

Mark Opsasnick
The Laurel Chronicles


Kevin Leonard
Wallace Folder Rekindles Memories
Newspaper clippings after the May 15, 1972 assassination attempt on Alabama Governor George Wallace at Laurel Shopping Center from...
Growing up in Laurel

Richard Friend
Within Walking Distance
My granddad and I had a lot in common, including an uncanny proximity to famous race tracks Photos courtesy of Richard Friend Some of my...


Jim Clash
My U-2 Flight to the Heavens
(Photos courtesy of Jim Clash) It’s extremely rare for a civilian to score an edge-of-space ride in the backseat of a U-2 spy plane....
Profiles

Kevin Leonard
Sex, Drugs, and Rock ‘n Roll— Literally
New Autobiography by Laurel’s Marty Friedman Pulls No Punches A young Marty Friedman rehearses with his band, Deuce, on Supplee Lane in...


Richard Friend
A Long Time Ago in a Classroom Far Far Away...
Herb Desind was one of those teachers that you never forget Herb Desind in his classroom at Eisenhower Junior High circa 1979. Students...
Laurel Archaeology

Pete Lewnes
First Responders


Mike Sellner
Laurel Volunteer Fire Department Awards
A 1932 view of the fire station then located at 817 Montgomery Street. (Laurel History Boys collection) On October 12, 2024, the Laurel...


Rick McGill
“We had a guy...”
Tales From the Laurel Police Department Winter 2025 This installment of “We Had a Guy” is dedicated to Lt. Mike Bleything, who passed...
Obituaries


Staff Writers
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