Baltimorean John Barnes enjoys the Alibi Breakfast at Laurel Park, which included a souvenir Preakness edition tin of Old Bay seasoning. (Photo: Angie Kozlowski) The pleasant sounds of live music floated from the Club House entrance into the parking lot. The smooth jazz was welcoming, as people began arriving before 9 am for a cherished Preakness week tradition—the Alibi Breakfast. Begun in the 1930s, the breakfast is held on the Thursday before Preakness; it started as a roa

Photo: Angie Kozlowski Jockeys count on him to get everything just right. He is the one who knows which saddle out of a number of differently weighted choices to use for each jockey and what position it needs to be in for each jockey for each ride. He makes sure the saddle is fitted properly and is completely safe for the jockey. He takes in the temperament of each horse and lets the jockey know if it is out of sorts in any way. Daniel Orellana has been keeping his jockeys sa

International reporters Emanuel Aguilar M. (Chile) and Frank Pineda (Peru) pose with photographer Juan Gamboa (Peru) in the media room at Laurel Park for the 151st Preakness. (Photo: Angie Kozlowski) Spanish-speaking horse racing fans made up much of the worldwide audience for the 151st Preakness, turning to social media and other outlets for live updates. In the media room at Laurel Park, members of the international press worked alongside American counterparts from print an

(From left): Mike Muscato, a clerk from Saratoga, handled bets in the rooftop Press Room. Laurel resident Lori Caraway, clerking in the grandstand. Philadelphia-based Gail Valdes has worked every Preakness since 1992. Dominic and Ron have worked together as clerks on major stakes races for almost 40 years. (Photos: Angie Kozlowski) Times have changed. Jobs once entrusted only to smart, quick-thinking, honest, and friendly humans have been delegated to machines and now, even c

Local news covering the North Laurel, Savage, and Scaggsville areas The new memorial to veterans and their loved ones (Photo: Howard County Veterans Foundation) HoCo Updates Neighboring Community on Status of Route 1 Housing Plan Approximately eight acres of property along Route 1 from Whiskey Bottom Road northward could be the future site of condominiums and an apartment community. A status report on the plan was provided to area residents by Howard County Housing Commission

Local news covering the North Laurel, Savage, and Scaggsville areas Howard County Executive Calvin Ball holds a press conference to announce plans for mixed-income houses in North Laurel. (Photo: Manny Locke Jr./WMAR) Photo: Team USA North Laurel is Home to Olympic Bobsledder Bryan Sosoo, a Laurel native, made his Olympic debut at the 2026 Winter Games in Italy as a push athlete in four-man bobsled. A 2014 graduate of Reservoir High School, Sosoo was a track standout at Monmo

Site Will Host Significantly Scaled-Down Preakness in May Photo: Richard Friend Hold on to your fancy hats and mind your bets, horse racing fans, big changes are again expected to impact Laurel Park. Following the ups and downs of the fate of Laurel’s storied racetrack has become like a ride on a merry-go-round: up with the news of much needed renovations to both historic race tracks; down with the news of Laurel Park’s closing and demolition; up with the news of the 151st ru

Photos: Angie Latham Kozlowski Ireatha Leona Woods, the owner of Leona’s Sewing Studio in Savage Mill, has been sewing nearly her entire life. She has also been drawn to learn about Africa for just as long. Her interest in Africa and African fabrics began when she was a preteen, thanks to her many visits to a bookmobile. She was also a budding seamstress in those years. She recalled that as a young girl, “I used to study Ethiopia a lot, and then the first person that I met to

“Any effort to educate our fellow-man should invite favor and support. Nothing is lost to him who helps to better the condition of the unfortunate and helpless.” — The Afro-American Ledger (October 12, 1901) Praise and the promise of support from notable local and national public figures filled the full-page appeal for public financial support for the establishment of the Maryland Industrial and Agricultural Institute for Colored Youths in the Afro-American Ledger . However,

Local news covering the North Laurel, Savage, and Scaggsville areas Kechy Pizza Co., a Baltimore-based restaurant chain, is planning to open in Savage on the former site of Ma’s Kettle. It will be the chain’s third location—a second is in Westminster. (Photo: Instagram/kechypizzaco) New Route 1 Corridor Campus Will Benefit Families in North Laurel, Savage, and entire county In late September 2025, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball and Community Action Council of Howard Coun

An original artwork of the preamble to the Constitution, created for the We Are America march by artist Lucy Larkin, displayed at Laurel Presbyterian Church on September 17. Marchers and supporters were invited to sign the canvas artwork. (Photo: Diane Mezzanotte) The nationwide protests that made headlines throughout 2025 might have brought back memories from the 1960s and 70s for many Laurel residents—some of whom brushed off their sign-making skills from 60 years ago and t

Local news covering the North Laurel, Savage, and Scaggsville areas Esen Paradiso’s winning design for a new Howard County flag (center)...

A statue of Billy Barton has graced Laurel Park since 1952, the first such statue at a Maryland race track. Photo: Jim Fleenor/Flickr...

Local news covering the North Laurel and Scaggsville areas The Boyd Cru wine tasting room at Savage Mill. (Photo: Brenda Zeigler-Riley)...

Over 200 people lined Talbott Avenue near the Laurel Branch Library in a local rally coordinated by LaurelResist (Photo: Diane...

Journalism Wins! (Photo: Angie Kozlowski) Horse racing fans were treated to a fabulous final running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico,...

Local news covering the North Laurel and Scaggsville areas A roof rises over the North Laurel Community Pool as construction continues....

Once Secret Coded Messages and War-time Artifacts Reveal Keys to America’s Victorious Past (Photo: Courtesy of National Cryptologic...

The Winner's Circle and Old Clubhouse lined with Black-Eyed Susans on Preakness Day, May 20, 2023. (Photo: Joe Schilp) The countdown has...

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