Around Maryland

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.

Baltimore Police began a new traffic enforcement Friday initiative that will run through mid-August as part of an effort to reduce accidents and fatalities across the city. The initiative is focused on areas where the department has seen the highest concentration of accidents resulting in injuries and fatalities over the last three years, according to a news release.

Tuesday, April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day. In light of that, we visited two programs on Maryland's Eastern Shore that work directly with special needs students and adults. At the Cedar Chapel Special School in Snow Hill, technology plays a huge role in building critical communication skills. "Because of the communication gaps, sometimes students are trying to tell us the best way they know how, in whatever they're trying to share with us," said Principal Belinda Gulyas.

Incumbent Middletown Commissioner Chris Goodman and former Commissioner Larry Bussard captured the two seats available in the town’s election Monday. Burgess John Miller ran unopposed for a sixth term, after three terms as one of the town’s commissioners, and finished with 325 votes out of 350 ballots filed. Monday’s race had three candidates vying for two seats on the town’s five-member Board of Commissioners.