Around Maryland

The latest version of the COVID-19 vaccine is expected to hit Baltimore pharmacies as early as this weekend, as hospitalizations from the virus continue to rise across the region. Unlike the last booster shot, which was approved around this time last year and protected people against two strains of the virus, the new mRNA vaccine only targets one strain — the omicron variant, XBB.1.5.

The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) hosted community events in Silver Spring on Sept. 6 and Wheaton on Tuesday to discuss its proposed “Drone as First Responder” (DFR) Program. The program will use drones to “fly to a call for service and arrive prior to, or in conjunction with, first responders on the ground,” and would be used to “evaluate the scene and circumstances before officers arrive and while an event is ongoing,” police said in their presentation on Sept. 6.

Transportation officials say they are exploring seasonal pay increases to attract drivers and conductors ahead of the 2024 season. On Tuesday, officials provided members of the Ocean City Transportation Committee with an update on seasonal recruitment. As preparations for the 2024 season commence, Transit Manager Rob Shearman said staff are exploring a 3% pay increase for new and turning seasonal bus and tram employees.

Metro officials said Thursday they will move more slowly to automate portions of the rail system in the coming months to ensure each step meets safety standards and has approval from Metro’s regulatory agency. Transit leaders plan to start the conversion to automatic train operations (ATO) this fall by reinstalling an automatic rail car door system, which would be activated when trains stop at stations.

An effort to destigmatize the use of overdose reversal drugs that started as a pilot in two West Virginia counties has expanded to all 13 states in Appalachia this year. The first-ever “Appalachian Save a Life Day” comes Thursday, on the heels of the approval of Narcan as drug that can be purchased over the counter for nonprescription use — a long-awaited victory towards normalizing and improving access to the decades-old, live-saving medication.

A bipartisan group of Maryland prosecutors doubled down this week on claims that a new law requiring that underage defendants consult with an attorney about their rights before police can interrogate them is making the public less safe. As it is now, Baltimore Police and other agencies across the state are not adhering to the law, known as the Child Interrogation Act, which is designed to reduce the number of false and coerced confessions by young people, The Baltimore Sun reported in an article published Sept. 5.

Growing up in a Puerto Rican law enforcement family in New York City, Michael A. Cortes III always knew he wanted to be a police officer. He said his late father, a retired New York Police Department Highway Patrolman, was a “huge influence” on him, and he was raised among a tight-knit community of police families. “Seeing him on the motorcycle, seeing him in his patrol car, going to the Highway Patrol Unit for Christmas and seeing Santa come down in a police helicopter was the coolest thing,” Cortes said in an interview this week.