Harford’s annual “SOCKtober” event, held throughout October, collected more than 3,000 pairs of socks, mittens, gloves and scarves and hats, according to a county news release. These items were donated to local nonprofits serving families, veterans and individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The SOCKtober collection was organized by Harford County government in partnership with Harford County Public Library and We Cancerve Movement, LLC. Harford senior center groups contributed hand-crocheted and knitted items for the cause.

Carroll County’s Bureau of Roads Operations is preparing now for the possibility of snowy weather this winter. The bureau, housed in the Department of Public Works, began preparations last month, bringing together officials from various municipalities and public safety experts to discuss preparations in the event of inclement weather this winter, a county news release stated.

With the Maryland Department of the Environment set to release a final recommendation in a matter of days on what the state needs to do to meet its ambitious climate goals, a coalition of environmental organizations, advocacy groups and community leaders has written to Gov. Wes Moore (D), urging his administration to adopt the most aggressive strategy possible.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore gave a sobering warning about the state’s finances Thursday night to a room full of local government leaders already reeling from massive proposed cuts to highway and transit projects. “Trust demands transparency and trust demands truth, even when it’s hard,” Moore told hundreds of county officials gathered at a conference. “And this evening I want to try to offer both – both to you and to the people of this state.”

One female counselor in the 1990s would enter a specific girl’s cell in a juvenile detention center in Maryland when she knew her roommate was away, then sexually abuse her, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday. The counselor would threaten the girl with solitary confinement, blocking her release and a loss of phone call privileges if she tried to stop the abuse or told anyone about it, the lawsuit alleges.

While Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said Tuesday that the state’s plan to tackle a projected shortfall of $3.3 billion over six years doesn’t favor certain parts of the state, an influential state senator from Baltimore contended that proposed cuts would undermine the city’s economy for years. Lawmakers on Monday, including several who play key roles in shaping transportation policy, were also hesitant to accept the proposal.

On behalf of the more than 5,000 UFCW and SEATU represented employees working at three of Maryland’s casinos — Rocky Gap Casino & Hotel, Hollywood Casino, and Live! Casino & Hotel — and approximately 16,000 gaming industry workers who live in the Free State, we take issue with the Lottery Commission’s recent report to the General Assembly on iGaming — or “internet gaming” which would bring slot machines and poker games to your cell phones for unlimited gambling.

For nearly six years, Mirian Librado González has been trying to reverse a decision that, at the time, she didn’t understand she was making. After her son, Jaser, finished kindergarten in Baltimore County Public Schools, Librado González met with his teachers to talk about a plan for his education. She knew that Jaser would require accommodations. He had been diagnosed with autism and struggled to communicate verbally.

Parents, teachers and administrators of six Baltimore County schools selected a map of reconfigured school zones Wednesday to send to the Board of Education for final approval. Committee members narrowed down over a dozen maps covering the county’s northwest area over a three-month process before settling on one Wednesday.

Money for Interstate 81 was in the plans of multiple governors, the Washington County delegation to the Maryland General Assembly said thanks, and the state’s new transportation secretary acknowledged both the “partnership” with local officials and their safety concerns. Yet millions of dollars, $68 million to be exact, has been scheduled by the state Department of Transportation to be reduced on the project, designed to widen a 3.5 mile stretch of the highway.