Around Maryland

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.

Howard County government officials are directing more money toward homeownership and renovation programs designed to provide relief to buyers and residents in a challenging real estate economy. County Executive Calvin Ball unveiled changes to two existing county initiatives Wednesday, one that provides low-interest down payment assistance to eligible buyers and another that offers rehabilitation loans for homeowners seeking to make repairs.

The Maryland Department of Agriculture's Mosquito Control Program is urging residents to act now to reduce mosquito populations by reducing standing water on their properties. Officials say mosquitoes can carry a number of diseases that are harmful to humans and animals, including West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis. “Now is the time to be proactive about protecting yourself and your family from mosquito-borne diseases by eliminating places they may breed,” said Maryland Department of Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks.

Officials in Montgomery County, Maryland, held a news conference Wednesday on their efforts to cut crime in downtown Silver Spring, emphasizing that progress is being made despite challenges that include police department staffing levels. Noting that crime for the first quarter of the current year seems to be trending downward, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said the county has seen just one homicide so far this year in comparison to an average of “seven per quarter over the last three years.”

It’s been a week since the stunning and sudden collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. In the days immediately following the disaster, social media was awash with myths and conspiracies that were widely shared and sadly, remain part of the discussion about one of the most significant events in the city’s history. Here are a few of the false narratives and claims that have sprouted in the wake of the tragedy. (Photo Credit: Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun Staff)

Maryland gained two more “million-dollar” cities in the past year — areas where the typical home is worth $1 million or more — according to a research report released Tuesday by Zillow, the tech real estate marketplace company. The state now has 10 cities with typical real estate prices of $1 million or more in data collected in February, compared to eight in February 2023.

A second temporary passage was cleared Tuesday for commercial and essential ships in the Patapsco River following the collapse of the Key Bridge. The 14-foot channel along the south of the disaster site will allow marine vessels access to the Port of Baltimore. An 11-foot channel, 264-feet wide, opened on Monday on the northeast side.