Northwest Hospital in Baltimore County is getting a significant facelift to ensure emergency department patients can access care quickly. LifeBridge Health, the owner of Northwest Hospital, broke ground on the initial part of a $10.7 million renovation Wednesday morning. Hospital president Craig Carmichael said the first phase of renovations will use $6 million in state money to improve the emergency department with a new entrance to make it easier for physicians to see patients and more private exam rooms.

Hundreds of new apartments, redesigned streetscapes and improved pedestrian and bus access are among the sweeping changes proposed for a nearly 26-acre area surrounding the Reisterstown Plaza Metro Station, according to a conceptual state plan released this week. State planners envision transforming a large, underused parking lot into six apartment buildings, a parking garage and more than 50,000 square feet of retail space.

On July 1, several key health measures will take effect. Vaping was added to the Clean Indoor Air Act and new rules around students and telehealth visits will
be created. MedChi monitors all health-related legislation every year. MedChi CEO, Gene Ransom, explained that “MedChi is always working to protect patients, physicians, and the public health of Maryland as policy is developed.”

A Virginia commission’s decision to strike down a ban on the winter dredge harvesting of blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay drew sharp criticism from Maryland officials and regional environmentalists, who say it will further jeopardize the crab population and undermine efforts to protect the bay’s ecosystem. The Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC), a state agency responsible for the commonwealth’s marine life, voted 5-4 Tuesday to repeal the prohibition on winter crab dredging in Virginia waters and to explore the establishment of a year-round crab fishery.

After settling a lawsuit in 2022 over an ineffective unemployment insurance system and agreeing to reform the state’s overwhelmed claims process, the Maryland Department of Labor is still failing to make timely payments to thousands of people who are out of work and awaiting their benefits. Claimants and attorneys who sued the state in 2021 have blamed then-Labor Secretary Tiffany Robinson, who was in the role during former Republican Gov.

JetBlue Airways Corp. said Wednesday it is seeking to add a second daily nonstop flight between Regan National Airport and Luis Muñoz Marín International in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The low-cost carrier said it will apply to the Department of Transportation for the additional route. President Joe Biden in May signed a bill reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration. It included a measure to add five additional round-trip flights beyond DCA’s longstanding 1,250-mile perimeter rule.

Tired of potato chip wrappers and other single-use plastic waste clogging streams, littering public spaces and creating air pollution when burned, the city of Baltimore has gone to court to ask for relief. City officials and their lawyers claim global beverage giants PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, along with six other companies, used deceptive business practices and created a public nuisance, while causing harm to people’s health and the environment, according to a lawsuit they filed late last week.

The idea of adding two members to the Baltimore County Council could be on the ballot in November, though its success hinges upon a “fragile” coalition, according to Council Chair Izzy Patoka. Patoka, a Pikesville Democrat, introduced legislation June 3 that would allow voters to approve two new council districts and council members to what is currently a seven-person legislative body.

 

Last summer, Gov. Wes Moore (D) made the bold decision to revive the Baltimore Red Line project. Serious questions remain, including which transit mode to pursue, how to pass through downtown, East Baltimore and approach Bayview. Answering these questions will largely depend on costs. Aside from whatever the state and local partners can ultimately contribute, access to federal funding is key to completing this project.

Wednesday marked three months since the container ship Dali lost power in the early hours of March 26 and ran into a support pier of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, knocking down the structure. The collapse killed six construction workers, partially blocked Baltimore’s shipping channel until June and eliminated one of three harbor crossings in the city, slowing vehicular traffic.