Firearms retailers in Montgomery County will be required to distribute suicide prevention literature to customers under new legislation passed by the Montgomery County Council on Tuesday. “I introduced [the bill] to raise awareness about suicide prevention and to urge Montgomery County to do more than simply express our thoughts and prayers every time we see a tragedy occur,” said councilmember Evan Glass (D-At-large), lead sponsor of the Suicide Awareness and Firearm Education (SAFE) Act, before the vote.

In fiery exchanges with Baltimore City and County’s inspectors general and a fellow councilman Tuesday evening, council Chair Julian Jones defended his proposal for an inspector general oversight board and weakened subpoena power. A slew of speakers, including a member of the county’s inspector general reform commission, a former county employee and several residents, turned out to the Baltimore County Council work session to oppose amendments requested by Jones, which would require the Office of the Inspector General to disclose investigations of county fraud, waste and abuse to an advisory board.

Worcester County will boost its reserves following an increase in fund balance. The Worcester County Commissioners last week voted unanimously to move forward with adjusting the county’s reserve fund from 12% of budgeted general fund expenditures to 15%. The jump was made possible with a $9.6 million increase in fund balance in FY 2023.

The house at 1113 North Carrollton Ave. is like many you see traveling the veins of the city and moving away from the spine of Jones Falls, and it tells a story of Baltimore. The two-story brick rowhouse in Sandtown-Winchester is a few blocks away from the Billie Holiday Statue on Pennsylvania Avenue, once a thriving entertainment district for African American people, dubbed the “Harlem of Baltimore.”

Harvard economists Raj Chetty and Nathaniel Hendren released in 2018 their groundbreaking research on the role that geography plays in shaping a child’s chances of future success. They collected a list of the 100 largest counties in America, and Baltimore ranked last in the nation for the social mobility of poor children.

Less than six months after being hired, the Allegany County health officer has resigned. County officials in July announced the hire of Dr. Junie Delizo. It was the first time in nearly nine years that the Allegany County’s health officer had a medical degree. On Tuesday, Allegany County Administrator Jason Bennett said state officials had provided information on the status of the health officer position.

Zum, the company contracted to operate school buses for the Howard County Public School System, said Tuesday evening that drivers have chosen to continue to work without union representation. “Today, Zum’s drivers and attendants elected to work directly with Zum,” a company spokesperson said. “We are grateful to our drivers and attendants, who are at the heart of what we do.

Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott and the lead developer answered public questions about the planned Harborplace revitalization. Scott and MCB Real Estate developer David Bramble said public input was taken into account right off the bat. “We told our designers and planners that we really wanted them to be listening, to have their ears and eyes open and incorporate things that made sense,” Bramble said.

A lawsuit challenging the voting rights of student members of the Howard County Board of Education continued Friday, with oral arguments beginning in the United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit in Richmond, Virginia. Both sides of the issue debated in court Friday whether Howard’s school board is in violation of the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause and the First Amendment’s free exercise clause in granting a student member voting rights.

It’s a familiar sight in Baltimore — a motorist approaches a traffic signal turning yellow or red and tries to scoot through. But running red lights, of course, remains illegal. Baltimore’s Department of Transportation is trying to crack down on the impatient drivers with new red-light cameras at certain intersections.