Daniela Krahe likely will never know the tall gentleman’s name. He was dead when they met, so she didn’t get the chance to ask. She’ll never know where the man grew up or whether he had siblings. She won’t know what made him laugh, what movies he liked to watch or what meal his mother used to make him when he was sick.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in Frederick County notably increased at the start of December and have remained at about the same level coming into the new year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The overall rate of hospitalizations related to respiratory viruses across the state, including COVID-19, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), also rose after Thanksgiving and exceeded 10 hospitalizations per 100,000 residents throughout December.

Governor Wes Moore on Wednesday signed an executive order establishing the Longevity Ready Maryland Initiative, directing the Maryland Department of Aging to prioritize the well-being of older people, people living with disabilities, and caregivers across all of state government, proactively addressing the needs arising from a growing older adult population.

After a 20% drop in Baltimore homicides last year, Mayor Brandon Scott said Wednesday that his administration would carry 2023’s momentum forward and work on “sustained, long-term” reductions in violent crime. Flanked by more than a dozen city officials and community group leaders, Scott said last year’s decline in homicides and slight decline in nonfatal shootings is not cause for celebration, even if it is “meaningful progress.”

Vaccinations are available locally and are extremely important during the evolving season of respiratory illnesses currently in Washington County, and county health officials are urging residents to take advantage of them. “Vaccination rates against flu, COVID-19 and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) are all low, which alongside ongoing increases of respiratory illness activity globally is the perfect storm for more severe disease in our community,” Health Officer Earl Stoner of the Washington County Health Department said in a news release.

The Frederick County Council on Tuesday voted to adopt two measures concerning retirement plans for county government employees. The council voted unanimously to update the deferred retirement option plan (DROP) for career firefighters in Frederick County and to approve changes to the vesting schedule for non-uniformed county government employees.

Baltimore’s leaders are trying all sorts of tactics to reduce the city’s thousands of vacant properties. Attorneys with the Department of Housing and Community Development have been testing out a legal tool they think could soon bring hundreds of delinquent properties into the city’s control each year. One councilwoman wants to create a “land bank” to channel vacant properties into the hands of community-minded developers.

2024 has only just begun, but for young people already planning their summer job prospects, applications for Baltimore’s YouthWorks program opened Tuesday. The summer program is spearheaded by the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, Youth Services Division, providing a five-week job opportunity to the city’s youth aged 14 to 21 years of age (by July 5, 2024).

As a disability ally, when the initial rendering plans for the new Harborplace were announced, my first question was: “How are they planning to make it inclusive for disabled Baltimoreans?” After reading the masterplan and the most recently released community engagement report, I was left wondering if hearing the input of disabled Baltimore community members is a priority or if it will be an afterthought.

A Maryland law that requires minors in police custody to call an attorney before an interrogation has drawn criticism from some law enforcement officers, who say the added step stalls investigations and keeps them from questioning young suspects who may have knowledge of a crime. The state mandate, known as the Child Interrogation Protection Act, says minors in custody must consult with a lawyer, typically by phone, who can best explain their constitutional right not to incriminate themselves during police questioning.