Coming out of the pandemic, students will have spent substantially more time on screens than usual — a predictor of poorer mental health and increased stress, making their teacher-student relationships more challenging. Meanwhile, teachers who are coming off of historically stressful school years will now face heightened expectations for student achievement, while still managing their own pandemic stressors. That means children will need more relational support from their teachers, who may have less energy to provide such support. Fortunately, new understandings about a fundamental building block of relationships have emerged.
Repairing relationships: Studies show considering perspectives of others benefits us all — especially in the classroom
Maryland sends task force to assist with Hurricane Fiona recovery in Puerto Rico
A Maryland task force made up of firefighters and civilians is set to leave Monday to assist with the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico. The Federal Emergency Management Agency requested the assistance of Maryland Task Force 1 on Saturday, but the departure of the 35 personnel was delayed twice over the weekend by problems finding a plane and weather on the island. The team is set to fly out Monday morning in a chartered plane from BWI Marshall Airport, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service Assistant Chief Daniel Ogren.
Proposed Baltimore police districts would lump more violent crime into the most violent districts, analysis shows
The Baltimore Police Department’s proposed new district boundaries, which officials say are necessary to modernize and streamline police operations, would shift areas of the city that have had more of the most violent crimes into larger, more violent Eastern and Western districts, a Baltimore Banner analysis has found. Those shifts have not gone unnoticed, sparking pushback from community associations and some city council members. But larger, more violent districts could actually be beneficial for Baltimore if police equitably realign resources, experts say.
What’s changed — and stayed the same — with the Maryland electorate since Goucher Poll survey in June
Eli Allen can’t remember whom he voted for in the Democratic gubernatorial primary — “everyone was frankly very similar” — but the Pikesville resident does know it wasn’t Wes Moore, who eked out a win in the crowded field. Nevertheless, Allen said he plans to vote for Moore in November, saying that Republican nominee Dan Cox’s extremism and association with former president Donald Trump is too off-putting. Many of the Cox signs I see are next to signs for Trump and Pence that have Pence’s name crossed out because of his reaction to the January 6th insurrection hearings,” the 41-year-old software engineer said.
Frederick community gathers to celebrate melting pot of Latino culture
Men waved their sombreros and women flapped their colorful skirts as they danced “Jarabe Tapatío,” or the Mexican hat dance, Sunday afternoon at the 14th Annual Latino Festival. “Jarabe Tapatío” is the national dance of Mexico, and at Frederick Community College, spectators were clapping, and some were dancing along as they watched the pairs weave through each other. “We would like to have everybody to join with us, not just the Latino community, but we want to invite everybody to be here all together and enjoy all the different things that this melting pot allows us to have,” Ana Maria Pinzon, an organizer, said.
SECU buys naming rights to University of Maryland football stadium for $11M
The State Employees’ Credit Union of Maryland is putting its name on the University of Maryland football stadium in a 10-year, $11 million deal that could net the athletics department an estimated $300,000 to $400,000 each year in additional revenue. SECU, the state’s largest credit union with more than $5 billion in assets, will pay Maryland Athletics a guaranteed $11 million for the naming rights to the Big Ten stadium, home of the Maryland Terrapins. The SECU Stadium name will be unveiled on Oct. 1 when the Terps take on Michigan State in the Terps’ home opener in College Park. SECU already has its name on SECU Arena, the home of the Towson Tigers basketball team. That $4.75 million deal, forged in 2013, ends in one year.
Montgomery Council launches probe of official who kept well-stocked bar in his office
The Montgomery County Council will conduct an inquiry of a top official, Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson, after he admitted keeping dozens of bottles of alcohol in his office. The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission’s Office of the Inspector General became aware last month that Anderson kept alcohol in the office when it received an anonymous tip via email. According to WJLA-TV (ABC-7), which first reported on the matter, the email alleged that Anderson would drink in his office, occasionally with colleagues, and that he “has over 32 bottles of hard liquor in his office where he routinely creates mixed drinks and distributes them on a significant scale.”
Md. adds 5,500 jobs in August, but unemployment rate climbs
Maryland added 5,500 jobs in August despite an unemployment rate that jumped to 4.3%, according to preliminary data released Friday by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). An additional 13,400 individuals, many of whom left the labor force during the pandemic, began looking for work again. The rise in individuals looking for work resulted in an increased unemployment rate—individuals are only considered unemployed if they do not have a job and are actively looking for work. Compared with August 2021, Maryland jobs are up by 72,400, an over-the-year increase of 2.7%.
Streeter: As books are banned around the country, I will make sure my son learns Black history
My son was sitting on our living room floor in front of the TV, playing with his Harriet Tubman finger puppet, part of a pair of notable Black historical figures (the other is James Baldwin) rendered in felt. It was a gift from his godmother. To explain who Tubman was, and why she’s important, I had to talk to him about how she led people out of slavery and then about how our ancestors had been enslaved. I also added that Ms. Tubman was born in Dorchester County, Maryland, less than three hours from the home where we were sitting, the modern beneficiaries of her bravery.
Poll: Moore holds commanding lead over Cox in Maryland governor’s race
Gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore and his fellow Maryland Democrats are well-positioned to sweep statewide offices in this fall’s election, according to new polling from Goucher College in partnership with The Baltimore Banner and WYPR. Moore holds a 53% to 31% advantage over Republican Dan Cox in the race for governor among 748 likely voters who were questioned about the race. Third-party candidates combined for 7% support, and just 9% of those polled were undecided. Nearly 70% of respondents said they were set in their choice.