As summer break draws near and temperatures are on the rise, pool season is upon us. But Baltimore is in need of more lifeguards, and the city’s Department of Recreation and Parks is actively recruiting lifeguards for public pools. The city has 23 indoor and outdoor pools that serve more than 27,000 individuals each year. Rec and Parks currently has 90 lifeguards, but they are looking to have a total of 120 for the summer.

 

A newly proposed construction schedule from Frederick County Public Schools would accelerate the timeline for replacing Brunswick High School — a move residents say is long overdue. Students and parents from Brunswick have showed up en masse to school board meetings in recent months, urging officials to take action on what they argue are unacceptable conditions in the building.

With Pride Month celebrations in full swing, the fate of Baltimore’s gay bars and nightspots remains uncertain just as the LGBTQ community faces a myriad of mounting concerns. Two of the city’s largest bars and venues — Central and The Manor — remain shuttered, with no indication that either will be open for Pride Week activities this month.

Following an informational campaign urging thousands of Marylanders to re-enroll in Medicaid, the Maryland Department of Health released data showing that more than 76,000 people were able to continue federal health care coverage, while 34,600 were disenrolled in the program, during a process referred to as “Medicaid unwinding.”

For more than fifty years, public policy has influenced the behavior of procurement programs in both the public and private sectors. Laws and regulations guide the behavior and ensure proper consideration of diversity, equity and accessibility with various contracting sources. Public policy is the foundation for business creation, growth and economic prosperity.

Gov. Wes Moore (D) announced appointments to the new Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority on Friday in keeping with legislation establishing the 13-member panel to develop a plan for ensuring the viability of horse racing in the state. In making the appointments, Moore drew upon a known talent pool in the thoroughbred racing industry, as well as political advisers close to him.

The root of the housing crisis is a lack of adequate housing supply. There simply aren’t enough homes for people to buy. Between 1990 and 2008, Maryland built an average of 23,000 units per year. Since 2008, Maryland builders have produced less than 15,000 units annually, while our population grows by 40,000 every year.

Nobody asked me, but if the Pepsi sign is going to continue to be a landmark on the Jones Falls Expressway, the Pepsi people should fix it. The sign is a tattered mess. While the billion-dollar business that once bottled Pepsi is long gone from below the curvaceous JFX corridor, Baltimoreans and traffic reporters still use the sign as a reference point.

The Frederick Classical Charter School is an educational conundrum for our community — but one definitely worth solving. Students at public charter school excel academically, consistently outperforming students at the county’s public schools. Families frequently praise the teachers at the school and curriculum. That is great.

Leading sports betting companies, eager to gain footholds in the growing Maryland market, asked the state to roll back rules intended to safeguard bettors from misleading promotional offers, according to documents obtained by The Baltimore Sun in a public records request. The state records show mobile sportsbooks, which began operating in Maryland just over six months ago, sought this spring to significantly enhance their ability to offer a variety of splashy inducements, such as free or discounted bets to lure new customers.