There is DNA evidence from at least 1,295 sexual assault cases sitting in a storage facility in Baltimore County. Every one of those slides of DNA represents a woman who walked into GBMC hospital, said she was raped, and endured evidence being taken from her body on what was likely the worst day of her life. These DNA slides date back to the 1970s.

It’s only natural for National Aquarium CEO John Racanelli to want a say on how Harborplace’s famed pavilions may be revived. The aquarium, still a magnet for tourists and locals alike, is next to the once bustling Baltimore retail center. The two harbor attractions have always been intertwined. What happens at Harborplace affects the aquarium and vice versa.

PNC is closing 30 branches nationwide, including nine branches in Maryland, in its next round of cuts, according to regulatory filings confirmed by the Pittsburgh-based bank. All nine branches that are closing in the state, eight of which are located in Montgomery County, are located in Giant Food grocery stores. The branch closures continue PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s (NYSE: PNC) shedding of branches in Maryland in 2023.

Frederick Health Hospital has eliminated 150 vacant positions this fiscal year and is “restructuring” roughly 40 current positions that are filled, according to President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Kleinhanzl. The Frederick area’s largest health care provider is also making additional cost-cutting measures by renegotiating purchasing agreements for hospital supplies.

 

On their 100th day in office on Friday, barrier-breaking Gov. Wes Moore (D) and Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller (D) will be where they have been a lot so far in their terms — on the road. Between the two of them, the Moore-Miller team has been to every county in the state at least once since their inauguration on Jan. 18 (and Miller will have personally been to all 24 jurisdictions herself by the end of the day Friday, her staff said).

In early March, Verónica del Cid Gaitán noticed a rash on her arms and suspected she’d had an allergic reaction. She’d been avoiding medical care — she didn’t have health insurance and couldn’t afford a large bill — but management at the restaurant where she worked insisted she get the rash checked out before returning.

2023 is proving to be a challenging year for Montgomery County food farmers. As recession fears take hold and the impact of inflation is felt by more and more people in our community, local farms that sell direct to consumers like us and often rely on a Community Support Agriculture (CSA) model are feeling the impact.

 

Baltimore County Public Schools is restarting the process to fill the open seat on its board, even though the governor’s office has still not explained why it didn’t pick a candidate the first time. The first of three virtual public input sessions will be held Monday to inform the public of the process. The meetings start at 7 p.m. on May 1, May 4 and May 9. The public can watch on Zoom or call in.

Ridership of the Towson Loop’s free-to-ride circulator buses is still well short of the quarter million annual passengers projected by a 2020 feasibility study. But growing usage of the bus system has heartened Baltimore County officials to explore expanding the service to other parts of the county. Towson Loop buses have logged more than 80,000 riders since the program launched a year and a half ago, said Baltimore County officials.

 

Democratic Sens. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Brian Schatz of Hawaii have reintroduced a bill to get rid of the national debt limit set by Congress. The Biden administration and congressional Democrats are in a face-off with GOP lawmakers over raising the debt limit. The United States government could hit the ceiling, meaning the Treasury Department would run out of funds and could no longer take on more debt, as early as June.