Community members came out in droves this week to share their comments regarding an offshore wind project near Ocean City. On Tuesday evening, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) hosted the first of two in-person public meetings regarding a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) on US Wind’s offshore wind project. Lorena Edenfield, environmental protection specialist for BOEM, said the federal agency will continue to collect comments through Nov. 20.

You know how at the end of “The Dark Knight,” Lt. Gordon (Gary Oldman) describes Batman as “the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now”? In the case of Baltimore, I believe that Jeremy Henry is both. In just a few moments of radio airtime, he cheerfully defended our beleaguered but beloved city to a national audience, bravely withstanding surprise and some good-natured light scoffing. Heroic, indeed.

State Treasurer Dereck E. Davis voted against an emergency contract Wednesday because the state labor department waived requirements that a portion of the contract is used to hire women- or minority-owned businesses. Despite Davis’ protest vote, his colleagues on the powerful state spending board, Gov. Wes Moore and Comptroller Brooke Lierman, approved the contract 2-1.

“Women to Watch” in The Baltimore Sun lifted my spirit as I read about the 25 women who were highlighted for outstanding performance in Baltimore this year. Almost half are African-American, and at least one each is Cuban American, Asian American and a native of India. Think of the diversity of backgrounds that each one brings: family traditions and values; education and personal achievements. The Baltimore area is enriched by their talents and experience.

Enrolling in a college degree program was attractive to Kyle Longerbeam only because of the extra time he’d get to spend outside his prison cell. The 37-year-old is originally from West Virginia but now resides in Anne Arundel County’s Jessup Correctional Institution, which houses nearly 2,000 men. He never took education seriously and didn’t intend to take Bowie State University’s program seriously, either.

Carroll County’s Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services has hired 28 new employees this month, adding staff to Reese, Sykesville, Taneytown, Mount Airy and Westminster fire stations. The hirings are part of the county’s efforts to build its first combination paid and volunteer fire and EMS service. “This will take the department up to 157 positions by late November, and we are now planning for the next budget year, where we anticipate the seven remaining stations to come on board with county staffing,” Michael Robinson, director and chief of the Department of Fire and EMS said.

The Maryland department that oversees the state’s 13 correctional facilities showcases “local reentry agreements” with nearly half the state’s counties, but an investigation into those memorandums show the overwhelming majority of state prisoners are staying put. The local detention centers, tasked in the agreements to facilitate a state inmate’s societal reentry, have only occasionally performed that function.

Lead found in drinking water more likely came from domestic pipes than a public source, according to the Maryland Department of the Environment. During a random test last month, elevated lead levels were found in six of 21 water samples taken from Lonaconing homes.MDE requires all public water systems to collect and analyze water samples for lead and copper in accordance with a monitoring schedule.

Education officials maintain that schools are safe and cite a “gross failure” in communication as the reason for the current discord between the school system and local law enforcement. Following a trio of closed session meetings to discuss concerns shared by Worcester County State’s Attorney Kris Heiser and Sheriff Matt Crisafulli, Worcester County Board of Education President Todd Ferrante this week responded to law enforcement.

 

Baltimore’s downtown Harborplace will welcome a handful of new temporary tenants in the coming weeks, even as MCB Real Estate plans to eventually tear down the two pavilions along the waterfront. On Wednesday, the Baltimore-based development company said an art showcase, tech incubation and youth engagement center, a pop-up store and an all-day breakfast spot will open in the Light Street Pavilion.