James Crudup has vivid memories of traveling to Seagull Beach in Charles County during his teenage years. “I remember that water being just as clear as if we were in Florida … that’s the way it was back then,” Crudup said. “Now you cannot see. Now the water is so dark and dirty and is really filthy.” For Crudup, this type of degradation hasn’t just been visible at Seagull Beach.
The first step of investigating an illegal dump in Baltimore City is to deliver a soft kick with the toe of your shoe to any item worth inspecting up close. David McGinnis says this gives any rats taking shelter underneath a chance to scurry out. On a mild November Wednesday, at the tip of a secluded, hilly crest tucked away in a residential neighborhood on the city’s west side, McGinnis spends a few minutes softly kicking his way around the dumping ground.
In this final column on 2023, a look ahead to 17 things I’d like to know, see, do or hear in the coming year, plus one thing I will definitely not be doing: Things I’d like to see: Huge television production vans parked in Camden Yards for the World Series. Continued progress against gun violence in Baltimore. Significantly fewer lives were lost in 2023 after eight dreary years of 300-plus homicides each, and the trend is not merely organic.
They’re everywhere — in our water, farms, food, clothing, cosmetics, and countless everyday products. The per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as “forever chemicals,” are a group of nearly indestructible compounds used in manufacturing that have infiltrated our soil, water and air, presenting a host of health risks for everyone exposed to them.
An Edgewater resident and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, filed earlier this month to run next year for the District 7 seat on the Anne Arundel County Board of Education. Jeremy York, who is originally from southern California and works for an education technology company, will seek the seat held by Michelle Corkadel, who has not yet announced whether she is running for reelection.
The big astronomical event in 2024 is a Great North American Eclipse in April. In Maryland, the moon won’t cover the sun during the eclipse, but it will come close. Read on for viewing tips, as well as other skywatching highlights and key astronomical dates for the next 12 months. For most events, the best viewing will be from rural areas with less lighting, and during clear weather. But some can be seen despite city lights.
About an hour after the morning bell at Northwood Elementary School in North Baltimore, a boy came to the health suite looking for a mask. A few more kids streamed in with minor needs, like bandages. A second grader with butterflies pinned in her hair wanted someone to yank a wiggly baby tooth. “I gave her some ice and wrote a note home to mom,” said said Brianna Gibson, a registered nurse who says she sees about eight kids a day.
Picture this: You’re a student at Morgan State University, cramming for exams in the library during finals week. You’re starving, but you hardly have time to grab a bite. You could order food online from an off-campus restaurant, but that might take awhile and it’s probably not covered under your meal plan. At Morgan, along with a growing number of colleges across the country, there’s another option: Log in to the campus food provider’s app on your phone, choose an option from the menu and select delivery.
BYD said Monday it produced more than 3 million new energy vehicles in 2023, putting the Chinese electric car giant on track to surpass Tesla
’s production for a second straight year. The U.S. electric car company had yet to release full-year figures as of Tuesday in Asia. Tesla said it produced 1.35 million cars during the first three quarters of 2023.
New laws taking effect the first day of 2024 will bump Maryland’s minimum wage to $15 an hour for most employers, broaden insurance coverage, extend the list of counties with plastic bag bans, and attempt to rein in telemarketers. Here’s a list of what’s coming in the new year.