Tuesday, April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day. In light of that, we visited two programs on Maryland’s Eastern Shore that work directly with special needs students and adults. At the Cedar Chapel Special School in Snow Hill, technology plays a huge role in building critical communication skills. “Because of the communication gaps, sometimes students are trying to tell us the best way they know how, in whatever they’re trying to share with us,” said Principal Belinda Gulyas.

Our region woke to a shock on the morning of March 26, 2024, with the news that the Francis Scott Key Bridge over Baltimore’s Patapsco River came tumbling down after being struck by a freighter. While first thoughts naturally went to the eight individuals who were on the bridge at the time and the families of the six whose lives were lost, concern has turned to the businesses and workers on the vast portion of the Baltimore Harbor that has been choked off from the shipping world by the bridge collapse.

A company that aims to personalize the hotel experience will take over a small group of rooms at a downtown Baltimore hotel this month. New York-based Roomza has a three-year agreement to occupy 30 rooms in the Lord Baltimore Hotel starting around mid-April. The company and its founders Curtis Crimmins and Samantha Spring want to bring a more personal touch to often bland hotel rooms by catering to guest preferences that range from satin pillowcases on the bed to a preferred religious text on the nightstand.

Incumbent Middletown Commissioner Chris Goodman and former Commissioner Larry Bussard captured the two seats available in the town’s election Monday. Burgess John Miller ran unopposed for a sixth term, after three terms as one of the town’s commissioners, and finished with 325 votes out of 350 ballots filed. Monday’s race had three candidates vying for two seats on the town’s five-member Board of Commissioners.

 

As expected, the DC Council unanimously passed the Monumental deal Tuesday evening. Prior to the vote, many council members voiced concerns about the terms of the deal they saw for the first time 24 hours before the scheduled vote. Councilmember At-Large Robert White said, “The Mayor dropped the ball. The only reason we have the teams back is because Virginia fumbled.”

The Baltimore County Council last night approved an eye-popping contract with BFI Waste Services. “$1.2 billion. . . billion?” Chairman Izzy Patoka exclaimed when the contract for hauling commercial garbage to a Virginia landfill was presented by Public Works Director D’Andrea Walker last week at a work session. “I think this is the biggest contract we’ve seen, at least during the time I’ve been here,” marveled the two-term Democrat.

 

Montgomery County Public Schools is on the hunt for a new superintendent. This comes after the recent departure of former Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight. WUSA9 has learned that McKnight will walk away from Montgomery County with $1.3 million as part of the district’s separation deal.

 

Mayor Brandon Scott is lauding efforts over the last three-plus years to reduce the number of vacant properties across Baltimore. During his State of the City address in March, Scott touted a 14 percent reduction in vacants, bringing the city’s estimated total from more than 16,000 to around 13,500 — which he said was a 20-year low.

Maryland lawmakers are moving swiftly to put together a series of programs to help workers and businesses affected by the disruptions at the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore following last week’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Senate President Bill Ferguson, along with lawmakers from Baltimore and Baltimore County, is shepherding emergency legislation through the General Assembly in the final few days that lawmakers are meeting in Annapolis.

The leading Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate on Tuesday pledged to aggressively address climate change and work to protect the Chesapeake Bay. Speaking separately at a candidate forum at Goucher College, Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) and U.S. Rep. David Trone (D-6th) largely agreed on prescriptions for combating the climate crisis — as well as for protecting eroding voting rights, democracy and policies to help students and recent college graduates.