Around Maryland

At rush hour in Baltimore, downtown can feel like one big parking lot. Thousands of vehicles flow into the city center from Interstate 95 to the south and Interstate 83 to the north, leading to traffic jams along the roads near the Inner Harbor. So when developer P. David Bramble proposed reducing Pratt Street’s four travel lanes to two and eliminating the Light Street spur as part of his reimagining of Harborplace, many wondered: Where will the traffic go?

Spring break is here, and Baltimore City officials are taking steps to provide safe activities for students and their families. For the second year in a row, Spring Break Skate will offer a pop-up roller rink in downtown Baltimore. Downtown Partnerships president Shelonda Stokes said it promises to be a great time for all.

Hagerstown Regional Airport Fire Department Station 35 has acquired a 2004 Crimson Spartan Unit. This highly specialized vehicle features a wide array of on-board rescue tools and equipment. Known as "Unit 35," this truck is expected to enhance HGR’s ability to respond in a timely manner to on-airport fires and medical emergencies, aircraft incidents/accidents, airport area-motor vehicle accidents along with mass -casualty events affecting the local community.

The Allegany County Board of Commissioners on Thursday approved $345,000 for the Infill Development Incentive Program in collaboration with the city of Cumberland. The mayor and City Council on Tuesday discussed the agreement to sell several lots for $1 each to TeaBow Residential LLC, based in Washington, D.C., to increase housing stock in the municipality.

Patricia Bibes still has panic attacks every time she hears an ambulance siren or sees a white “typical contractor minivan,” she says, “and they are everywhere.” It’s been almost two years since Bibes’ 18-year-old son, Enzo Alvarenga, was killed on Old Georgetown Road in North Bethesda—mere blocks from her home—but her emotions remain raw, as if the tragedy happened yesterday.

The Maryland Transit Administration is considering major bus route changes that could impact people who commute from central Maryland to Washington, D.C. At a hearing Thursday night, riders shared their concerns with the proposal. "Cuts are reasonable, but not now and not to this level," commuter Jeff Schreier said.

There are traces of Andrea Kolbe all over her big sister, Kyra Vocci. A long chain with Kolbe’s wedding ring — an ornate silver band — hangs close to Vocci’s heart, beside a locket engraved with Kolbe’s photo and fingerprint. Tattooed on Vocci’s forearm is a rainbow and a quote Kolbe liked: “There is a rainbow of hope at the end of every storm.”