When I was diagnosed with stage three triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) that became metastatic within a year, I was given just two years to live. That was 11 years ago. Thanks to a second opinion, treatment with experimental drugs, and the support of my family and the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation, I am now a survivor and a thriver. I have since dedicated my life to ensuring Black women in Maryland and across the country who receive a similar diagnosis are given the best chance to do the same.

Frederick County career firefighters will see salary increases in the next fiscal year following an agreement between their union and the county that was announced on Wednesday. Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater and Stephen Jones, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 3666 president, signed a two-year contract on Wednesday on the agreement. It will take effect on July 1, a news release from the county said.

Years ago, Matt Thrasher and Paul Tinney, the co-owners of Rockwell Brewery, were just neighbors who would crack open a cold one on occasion. Then, they got into home brewing. Next thing they knew, they opened Rockwell Brewery on North East Drive in downtown Frederick in 2017. Now, they’re about to expand to a second location of Rockwell Brewery the first weekend of May, significantly boosting their operation.

 

A portion of a meeting between four Baltimore County councilmembers and the county’s corrections director about conditions for youth at the county jail was in violation of the Maryland Open Meetings Act, County Attorney James Benjamin said Thursday. During a virtual meeting on March 17, Director of Corrections Walt Pesterfield told Chairman Julian Jones Jr. of Woodstock and councilmembers Pat Young of Catonsville, Izzy Patoka of Pikesville, and Mike Ertel of Towson, all Democrats, that some allegations of squalid conditions for youth inmates at the Baltimore County Detention Center were false or only partially true, according to the councilmembers and Pesterfield.

Prince George’s County, Maryland, is beefing up a new program that hopes to convince churches to develop some of their land into affordable housing. The Faith-Based Development Initiative isn’t entirely new in and of itself, but it’s been expanded in Prince George’s County to help put a dent in the goal of building 26,000 new affordable housing units.

As soon as this summer, people will be able to purchase the opioid overdose reversal medication Narcan as easily as they can buy Tylenol and Benadryl, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved it this week to be sold over the counter. Doctors and substance use recovery advocates cheered the decision, which they say will make naloxone — the medication’s generic name — more accessible, including in places like Baltimore, where residents have been able to buy it at pharmacies without a prescription since 2015.

The House Judiciary Committee voted Wednesday evening to pass a hard-fought bill to remove the statute of limitations to file lawsuits against child sex abusers. The proposed legislation could hit the floor of the Maryland House of Delegates for debate as early as Thursday morning. “Are there further questions?” House Judiciary Committee Chair Luke Clippinger, a Baltimore City Democrat, asked ahead of the vote that moved the bill forward. Clippinger was choking back tears, apologizing as his voice cracked and his pitch heightened.

As president and CEO of the Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce, Brent Howard works with more than 450 member companies and a 23-member Board of Directors to promote, grow and sustain a diverse and healthy business community that will enrich the quality of life and enhance prosperity in the Baltimore region. Brent is also president of the Small Business Resource Center, where he works with its two business counselors to aid clients in establishing or growing their businesses in Baltimore County. The resource center is funded with a grant from the Baltimore County Department of Economic Development.

 

With less than two weeks until the Maryland legislative session ends, part of Attorney General Anthony Brown’s agenda is close to winning support it needs from the legislature. One of Brown’s top priorities — granting his office authority to enforce federal and state civil rights laws and bring class-action lawsuits — has been approved in the Senate.