A sponsor of legislation that is now being considered by the Maryland General Assembly and designed to protect residents’ privacy online called the current data environment in the United States “almost like the Wild Wild West.” The bill, backed by state Sen. Arthur Ellis, D-Charles, and others, requires only personal data that is “reasonably necessary” be collected for a specific product or service as requested by a consumer. That “data” can sometimes be as personal as someone’s own fingerprint or face.

A few hours before the Maryland State House went on lockdown Thursday, after someone phoned in a threat to Annapolis police, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on legislation to create a Center for Firearm Violence Prevention and Intervention. Senate Bill 475 is part of a package released in January by Gov. Wes Moore (D) and led by the legislature’s presiding officers. The center, to be housed within the Maryland Department of Health, would focus on a data-driven public health approach to prevent gun violence and on collaboration between state and local government agencies, hospitals and community-based violence intervention programs.

 

Allison Ceballos says she could see a future making jewelry as a full-time business some day, but it’s just a hobby for now. She has some time to decide, since she’s only 10 years old. For now, she just loves making unique designs for her polymer clay jewelry, crafting earrings and necklaces, and seeing her customers’ reactions when they find an item they like. “I love meeting the people and knowing the unique style of which ones they pick,” she said.

Maryland’s courts on Monday will resume covering the cost of private home detention for people charged with crimes in the state who can’t afford the service — reviving a program just weeks after shutting it down when money ran out. A federal coronavirus pandemic grant helped pay the roughly $450 per month cost of GPS monitors. The grant was expected to last through the end of the year, but the courts abruptly ended the program last month.

Alef Aeronautics, a SpaceX-backed flying car firm, says it has reached 2,850 preorders for its futuristic electrical vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle. Alef Aeronautics, which is based in San Mateo, California, said preorder numbers recently hit a fresh record after previously reporting 2,500 preorders for its two-seater flying car, the Alef Model A. Customers can access preorders for the Model A online, and to preorder, you have to put down a $150 deposit for the vehicle. Customers can pull the deposit at any time if they want to, so they’re not locked in.

 

Allegany Museum has been named one of the country’s “Best Small Town Museums,” according to a USA Today 10Best poll. The pubication frequently conducts polls on “hidden gems” across America in a wide variety of categories. The USA Today recently released the top 10 list for small town museums, with Allegany Museum placing second behind the Museum of the Big Bend in Alpine, Texas.

The Washington County Health Department recently joined several downtown partnerships to expand essential health care services to Hagerstown city residents. Every second Tuesday each month, teams from the health department will offer HIV, Hep C and syphilis education and testing at the Community Care Network of Washington County’s event from 4 to 7 p.m. Walk in for these services at 122 N. Potomac St., Hagerstown.

A Frederick County work group’s final report to the County Council recommends changes to the current ordinance on data centers — including the creation of a floating zone — and establishing an upper limit on data center development. The work group, created in June by Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater, issued its final report on Friday with recommendations and considerations for regulating the data center industry, often referred to as critical digital infrastructure, or CDI.

Because of the extraordinary generosity of the late Richard W. Kanode, Frederick County has a rare and wonderful opportunity to create a new park near Thurmont to celebrate the agricultural community and create an equestrian park. But the county must be careful as it proceeds. The Frederick County Planning Commission has unanimously agreed that the preliminary master plan for the 183-acre Richard W. Kanode Farm Park is consistent with the county’s comprehensive plan.

Leaders in Maryland’s Democratic-held House and Senate are approaching critical votes to give faculty, staff and graduate workers at public colleges and universities the right to unionize. But, as is a common thread in state and national political discourse, this vote’s immediate impact stretches beyond four-year university workers and the “ivory tower.” This bill is among those with a long-term, sizable, and inescapable impact on every aspect of Maryland — perhaps even extending to our collective ability to survive in our shared environment.