If your 2024 was anything like ours, you were hustling to keep up with the headlines.

The year was a particularly big one for Howard County, where voters approved a new government watchdog, the school system got a new superintendent and American Girl set the backstory for its latest doll.

If you missed a few things, don’t fret. Here’s a roundup of top headlines about Howard County in 2024:

Hanukkah lights

It would be too simple to characterize the dispute over a River Hill home’s Hanukkah lights as a neighborhood squabble. Its roots, as told by the Howard County residents involved, suggested something deeper was going on. The argument touched on the contentious Israel-Hamas war and the recent presidential election.

Turmoil at Howard Community College

What do Lego, abrupt board resignations, an all-black leather outfit and Howard Community College have in common? HCC President Daria Willis.

When Willis arrived on the Columbia college’s campus in January 2022, faculty and staff were buzzing with excitement about her hire. Nearly three years into her tenure, that excitement has fizzled. Instead, some say Willis, whose big personality is splashed all over campus and on her social media accounts, is disassembling the college.

Recent events at HCC have caught the attention of Howard County’s state senators, who recommend appointees to the college’s board of trustees. In the upcoming legislative session, they have a bill to increase the board from seven to nine members. Although many want Willis out of HCC, she is standing her ground, maintaining she isn’t going anywhere.

Jessup food poisoning

When you’re confronted with your office’s next potluck, consider this cautionary tale.

Dozens of workers at a Jessup seafood distributor were taken to the hospital in October after eating a noodle dish that had been prepared off-site by a coworker. As luck would have it, representatives of the food distributor said it had a huge food safety staff and protocols in place for just such an event.

Still, the distributor put a new policy in place as a result of the incident, banning employees from trading food and other products on the premises.

Changing Columbia

The diversity of Columbia was on full display during Independence Day celebrations this summer. Residents enjoyed holiday hallmarks such as fireworks and ice cream — as well as entertainment that celebrated the cultural contributions of immigrants in Howard County.

The intention, organizers said, was to “curate a sense of belonging for our Spanish-speaking friends and neighbors.”

Students on book bans

When Moms for Liberty targeted more than three dozen titles in Howard County schools, some students pushed back. Hundreds of people signed a petition asking the Howard County Board of Education not to give in to the conservative parent-rights group.

Some teens even testified at school board meetings in favor of keeping the titles available to students. The debate, they said, was personal.

Howard Hughes Corp. ordered to pay $17 million

A jury in April sided with a local company, IMH Columbia LLC, an entity of Columbia-based Costello Construction, in a civil case against the Texas-based developer that owns much of downtown Columbia.

Howard Hughes Corp. was ordered to pay nearly $17 million IMH for blocking its plans to redevelop Columbia’s lakefront. County leaders are still deciding how to move forward in 2025 with redevelopment plans.