Around Maryland

As Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates announced charges Wednesday against juveniles involved in a carjacking and robbery spree last fall, he also cited the need to hold parents criminally and financially accountable in cases where parents know of their child’s crimes. Baltimore prosecutors accused 20 young people of a series of armed carjackings and robberies throughout the city in October and November.

Washington County’s fatal overdoses dropped nearly 22% in one year’s time based on recent data shared from the state of Maryland — something to celebrate, according to the Washington County Health Department. “Obviously a cautious celebration, but one nonetheless, since we’ve focused so many efforts on ending overdoses and working closely to help those with substance use disorders here in our area,” said Vicki Sterling, director of behavioral health services for the health department.

After several aldermen said that some of the programs are not what they had asked the city’s staff to provide, Frederick will take more time to consider more than $2 million in proposals to fund affordable housing projects and initiatives to help people in danger of losing their homes.

Some Marylanders reported feeling an earthquake Friday morning that was centered in New Jersey. The U.S. Geological Survey reported a 4.8 magnitude earthquake was recorded around 10:23 a.m. near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, about 45 miles west of New York City and 50 miles north of Philadelphia. The quake even paused business at the United Nations in New York City.

W.F. Delauter & Son, a construction company in Emmitsburg, is closing after nearly 70 years, owner and operator Kirby Delauter said Thursday. “You get to a point in life where you want to slow down,” Delauter, a former Frederick County commissioner and councilman, said in an interview on Thursday. He said he’s retiring. More than 80 employees were laid off, Delauter said, but some have received offers to work elsewhere. “They’re all great people,” he said.

There are 11 cargo ships trapped in the Port of Baltimore behind the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge — including four that are supposed to be able to set sail at a moment’s notice to support the overseas deployment of U.S. military forces. The four ships, the SS Antares, SS Denebola, Gary I. Gordon and Cape Washington, are part of the U.S. Maritime Administration’s Ready Reserve Force, a fleet established in 1976 to quickly supply American troops around the world. Two of them — the Antares and the Denebola — are capable of sailing from the East Coast to Europe in six days, making them among the fastest cargo ships in the world, according to a 2020 Facebook post by the Maritime Administration.

Grab your tote bags and get ready for spring produce. There are farmers markets almost every day of the week in the Baltimore area. Below is our guide to markets from Howard, Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties as well as in Charm City proper. Many stands accept the Farmers Market Nutrition Program as well as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.