Increasingly, Americans of all generations are suffering from climate anxiety. There are, of course, a growing number of people who are directly impacted by climate disasters — severe weather, extreme heat, wildfires, even sunny-day flooding. But there are also an increasing number of people who are simply prone to worry — and in some cases, outright panic — over the freakish images and disturbing forecasts about the long-term impact of climate change that are now unavoidable.

The Frederick County government is asking the public to weigh in on priorities for the upcoming budget year, which begins on July 1, 2024. On Dec. 4, County Executive Jessica Fitzwater plans to host the first public hearing on the county’s operating and capital budgets for the upcoming budget year and the county’s Capital Improvement Program for fiscal years 2025-2030.

The first public hearing on Howard County Executive Calvin Ball’s proposed fiscal 2025 budget is set for Dec. 11. The hearing, intended to allow residents to comment on what county services and institutions should receive funding, will be held online at 6 p.m., Dec. 11. It can be watched live from the Howard County Council’s website. The link for the hearing will be listed under Upcoming Events.

Rockville, in partnership with VisArts, a non-profit visual arts hub based in the city, was awarded $25,000 in November to develop an arts-based pedestrian safety project. The initiative aims to improve street safety and revitalize public space – bringing color and character to Beall Avenue with a mural, according to a VisArts press release.

Maryland politicians were gleeful when the federal government announced plans to build a new headquarters for the FBI in the Prince George’s County town of Greenbelt. The decision was the result of a process that stretched more than a decade and pitted Maryland against Virginia for the high-dollar, high-profile project.

Oak View Group (OVG), the company that redeveloped CFG Bank Arena and has a 30-year lease on the property, considered building a new arena before committing to renovating Baltimore’s existing Downtown arena. OVG CEO Tim Leiweke was a guest on Weller Development’s ‘From The Ground Up’ podcast and detailed the different opportunities the organization considered in the years leading up to the CFG Bank Arena renovation.

Frederick County Public Schools last week announced a new position: executive director of systemwide operations. Daniel Lippy, currently the district’s director of school management and charter schools, will take over the role on Jan. 1, FCPS wrote in a news release. Lippy has worked for FCPS since 1995, the release said, serving as a social studies teacher, assistant principal and principal.

 

Green Street Housing and TM Associates Development, two of Maryland’s largest affordable rental housing developers, hosted a groundbreaking ceremony Monday for Sligo Apartments, a 98-unit apartment community in Silver Spring. Sligo Apartments, at 715 Sligo Ave., is a new construction residential development that is 100% affordable with restricted rents.

When Erek L. Barron, U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland, premiered a 60-second video that seeks to show how gun violence devastates families, he said his goal was to create an innovative public service announcement that would help “turn around violent crime and improve safety in our neighborhoods.” Titled “Goodbye,” the video PSA starts with a high school girl, Tasha, getting a surprise visit from the ghost of her brother, “T,” who tells his sister that he won’t be home and that she is now in charge.

Canby Drug & Gifts, a pharmacy in rural Minnesota, is a paradox. It does good business, yet it is always on the verge of shutting down. “I’m one bad contract from closing,” says owner Mark Whittier. His drugstore, one of a few in his county of more than 9,000 people, exemplifies the struggle many independent pharmacies face. The store is a lifeline for customers, most of whom are either on Medicaid or the state’s health-insurance program. Yet profitability is now near-impossible because of the preposterous way the United States distributes pharmaceutical drugs.