If you've been feeling dejected with the home assessments received earlier this year, this space might have something for you to still smile about. Conventional wisdom holds that sales slow down during the colder season. But when we talk about trends and slow-downs, are we talking about number of residential sales dipping by 50 percent from summer months? 25 percent? What about sale prices? Do winter months mean sale prices dip too? The Daily List looked at data from the State Department of Assessments and Taxation to find out for ourselves. For District 4, which is the region of interest to …

The Budget - The county has a budget gap of at least $35 million, even if furloughs are kept in place. This means that there are many programs at risk for reduced funding, including the public school system. "Everyone is going to be feeling the pain in the budget," District 4 Councilman Jamie Benoit said. Comprehensive Rezoning - It's not a fun process, but the county is several years behind in doing it. While there have been some calls for the county to do it all at once, it appears they will do it in segments, with the area around Odenton, Fort Meade and BWI Airport getting the first look. …

It's a busy week on the sports front for the Arundel High Wildcats, with most teams in action. Let's take a look at what's on tap. Track County Championships – Tuesday. Dominique Davis and Alexandra Dystant have been among the top runners and jumpers for Arundel. See how they do against the county’s best at the Prince George’s Sports and Learning Center. Basketball vs. Chesapeake – Wednesday. Nothing has come easy for the Arundel girls, but the Arundel boys have been on a roll. Both teams should have an easy time against the Cougars. Basketball at Southern – Friday. The Arundel boys have just…

If you're looking to get the latest forecasts for snow in the area, or just want to know whether you need to wear your winter coat on a certain morning, there are many sources of information out there. We'll openly admit that Odenton Patch is not the ideal go-to place for this information, as our weather reporting generally consists of sticking our head out the window.  For reliable forecasts, we turn to a number of different online sources. Here are five of our favorite weather websites.  Weather.com – Ok, this one seems kind of obvious. But the Weather Channel’s official site does have all …

Last week, we spoke to Joseph V. Glorioso at the Anne Arundel County office of Department of Assessments and Taxation. Tax assessments often are a source of confusion for a number of homeowners. We had a few additional follow up questions to ask Glorioso and he was gracious to answer them for our readers.Patch: A reader reported that the "taxable" component on her property's assessment had gone up since the 2008 figures. How is this possible?Glorioso: Say, in 2010, the property was assessed as being $400,000 with the taxable component being $300,000.For 2011, the homeowner got a notice saying…

Today's snow may have given students a short reprieve, but it’s still exam week at Anne Arundel County Public Schools as students wrap up the second marking period. Many students will experience additional fun by taking the SATs on Saturday. For today’s Daily List, we decided to offer five of our favorite things about exams. Multiple Choice Questions – The good news is that Regis Philbin is not there to ask whether it’s your “final answer.” The bad news is that you have no lifelines. You have a one in five chance of guessing the correct answer, and those aren’t great odds. Analogies – Barack …

It was another solid week for the Arundel High sports teams, as boys basketball went 2-0, the girls split a pair and several Wildcat wrestlers had strong performances. Here are five Arundel athletes worthy of special mention. Tyler Goodwin – the Arundel wrestler pinned all six of his opponents at the Cavalier Duals at Archbishop Spalding High over the weekend. Only one of his bouts went into the second round. Ryan Hill – the sophomore forward for the Wildcats came off the bench to score 14 points in a 54-39 win over North County. He also grabbed 10 rebounds as he took advantage of an …

This week we offered a broad look at the how the arrival of thousands of new workers to Fort Meade and the surrounding area will impact West Anne Arundel County. Here's a quick rundown of some of the positives and negatives of the pending growth. PROS: Good for Business – The growth of these federal agencies will be a boost to any contractor that they do business with. Moreover, all of these new, well-paid workers are going to be looking for places to eat, places to shop and places to have fun. That’s good news for the businesses that are already here, and it means more retailers and …

Looking for something to fill the time over the next few days? And yes, we were tempted to simply write "Watch the Ravens trounce the Steelers, watch the Steelers cry, and dance around proudly while wearing purple." But we offer a few other suggestions as well.  Thursday Bingo! At the West County Area Library – Get the weekend fun started early with some family fun. Action starts at 7 p.m. and there will be prizes. Friday Arundel Basketball at South River – After great wins over North County on Wednesday night, the girls and boys teams travel to Edgewater for key games against the Seahawks. …

In the first week of 2011, many property owners in Maryland received their assessment notices. According to a press release from the State of Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation, assessments were sent to 739,764 property owners and "reflect the largest decrease in real estate values for residential properties in the history of the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation."This week the Daily List spoke with Joseph V. Glorioso in the Anne Arundel Assessment Office. Glorioso is the supervisor of assessments for the county. He gave Odenton Patch a rundown of facts for the …

The Anne Arundel County Board of Education tonight will hold a public hearing at Old Mill High School to review Superintendent Kevin Maxwell’s proposed budget for 2012.  The meeting begins at 7 p.m. and anyone wishing to testify may sign up beginning at 6 p.m. Testimony will be limited to three minutes per person.  There are a several items in the budget that should be of interest to people in Odenton and Gambrills. Here are five things to look at in the proposed budget.  Waugh Chapel Elementary School Gym – The proposed budget calls for $1.23 million to complete the construction of the gym …

Several student-athletes from Arundel High put up great performances last week. Here are five worth highlighting.  Breonna Pinkcett, Girls Basketball – While she struggled a bit at the free throw line, Pinkcett was a force inside in a 57-51 win over Annapolis Friday, scoring 11 points and pulling down 15 rebounds.  Tyler Washington, Boys Basketball – The big man helped secure a win for Arundel over Annapolis with a go-ahead free throw in the waning seconds Friday. He scored 16 points and recorded 10 rebounds on the night. Lisa Deklau, Swimming – The Arundel senior placed first in the 200 …

Anne Arundel County transportation officials said a new bus that would shuttle Piney Orchard residents to the MARC station could begin service by next month. Officials said the bus will have between 12 and 16 stops along Piney Orchard Parkway, Strawberry Lake Way and Waugh Chapel Road. They are actively seeking suggestions for stops.  In today's Daily List, we offer a few possibilities, based on our own knowledge of the area and conversations with residents. Feel free to chime in with your own suggestions in the comments section.  GORC Park – There is a high concentration of homes across …

Well, the first weekend after the New Year looks like it will be a slow one. It appears that most people are in post-holiday mode of keeping their event calendars pretty clear. Nevertheless, we found a handful of events that might be of interest to folks.  Friday Arundel Basketball vs. Annapolis – The girls and boys teams both take to the court for key in-county games. For the girls, it’s a chance to reclaim their county dominance. For the boys, a win over Annapolis would be the best of the year so far. Girls tip off at 5 p.m. Boys at 7 p.m. Games at Arundel High.   Arundel Wrestling at …

School is back in session, and that means another packed schedule of games for the sports teams at Arundel High. Let's take a look at what's on tap.  Basketball vs. Northeast - Tuesday. The girls and boys teams both get back into county play after appearing in holiday tournaments last week. The boys are feeling good after win over River Hill, while the girls hope to get back on track after losing two of three down in Waldorf. The Northeast girls have just one win while the boys have yet to secure a victory. Boys tip off at 5 p.m, while the girls tip off at 7 p.m. Wrestling at Chesapeake - …

It was a great year for teams and athletes at Arundel High, with many memorable moments. In the final tip list of 2010, we'll run down the best Wildcat victories.  Girls Basketball Wins State Title - The talented Wildcats overcame a nine-point halftime deficit to beat Gaithersburg, 53-40 in the Class 4A state championship game. After getting close to the title in 2008 and 2009, it was a great finish for Division I recruits Sherrone Vails (Louisville) and Talen Watson (UMass). Girls Basketball Beats Meade for Regional Championship - Meade was the top seed in the Class 4A East region, but its…

Many local establishments will have specials and entertainment on New Year's Eve. In today's tip list, we highlight a few options in town and offer some "out of town" suggestions. Perry's Restaurant – New Year's Eve festivities include live music from New South and special dinner and bar options. $35 gets you a choice of prime rib, crab cake or chicken parmesan, plus open bar from 6-8 p.m. If you're not hungry, pay just a $10 cover. There will be champagne at midnight and breakfast at 2 a.m. Kaufmann's Tavern – The popular Gambrills restaurant will offer special three-course meals with or …

The teams from Arundel High will fill their winter break with some intense competition, as they participate in some holiday tournaments. Here's what's on tap this week.  Boys Basketball – The Wildcats head to Baltimore for the Milford Mill Academy Holiday Mixer. Coach Jeff Starr's team plays Milford Mill tonight at 8 p.m., then follows Tuesday with a game against River Hill at 6:15 p.m. Girls Basketball – The Lady Wildcats try to get back on track in Waldorf, as they participate in a three-day tournament at North Point High School. The Waldorf Holiday Hoops Classic will include eight girls …

Looking over our past real estate columns, we realized we had been focusing on affordable homes. This week, we decided to turn our usual sensible thinking brains on their heads. Suppose we had endless resources, and wanted to live in Odenton and Gambrills only. What were the priciest homes we could buy? Granted, this wishful thinking has something to do with the holiday season, when old men in red suits and white beards go around doling out gifts. We can assure Odenton's Santa that we, at the Daily Tip List, have indeed been very good, and please can he take a look at some of these really …

We all have things we want this Christmas. Good health. World peace. An Amazon Kindle.  But if you're Odenton, what do you want for Christmas and in 2011? Here's a list of five items on our town's holiday list. Minimal Traffic Headaches – Workers at the Defense Information Systems Agency will begin arriving at Fort Meade in less than a month. By year's end, more than 5,000 will have arrived, and other workers will follow. The widening of Route 175 west of Odenton is expected to start in 2011 and the base is already working on gate improvements. Here's to hoping that all these new cars on the …