Around Maryland

The Johns Hopkins University’s proposal for a doctoral physical therapy program hangs in limbo as the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore and the University of Maryland, Baltimore claim the prospective degree is duplicative of their own programs and would cause them harm. In the coming days, the Maryland Higher Education Commission, which oversees all of the state’s colleges and universities, will share a letter containing its decision on whether to approve the Hopkins program, according to Commission Chair Cassie Motz at a Thursday hearing on the subject.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved the latest round of COVID-19 boosters, as public health officials brace for another cold and flu season. An advisory panel at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is scheduled to vote on recommendations Tuesday, the final step in the process before people will be able to get the shots.

An investigation of a middle school principal who allegedly bullied and harassed dozens of teachers “raises significant issues about the vetting and promotion of personnel within MCPS,” the Montgomery County Board of Education said in a statement Friday after the law firm hired to examine the matter filed its first report.

Construction will begin soon to convert the former golf clubhouse at Wakefield Valley Park in Westminster to public use spaces that can be rented by community members and organizations. Once renovated, the building will offer four areas that can be rented for events, meetings and business retreats, accommodating up to 200 people. An outdoor open-air pavilion will be available for free public use and can be reserved in advance.

Police in Montgomery County, Maryland, say they are continuing to work with public school officials to keep students safe, after a football game between rival high school teams last week led to a brawl and multiple incidents of school property. Jordan Satinsky, captain in the Community Engagement Division with Montgomery County police, told WTOP the department is still following a model set in place last year by Montgomery County Public Schools after a similar incident.

It’s been 20 years since the Human Genome Project produced humanity’s genetic instruction manual and opened the door to a new kind of medicine that can precisely identify diseases and treatments. Today, while not yet widespread in general practice, genetic medicine is on the rise, and one of its main objectives is the prevention of disease.

Blood loss is a leading cause of death for people critically injured, yet most emergency responders to the scene of a car crash or other trauma can do little more than try and stem the flow of blood and rush to a hospital. State Medevac helicopters recently began carrying whole blood for transfusions in the field, and Howard County Department of Fire & Rescue Services announced Thursday that it has become the first local jurisdiction in the state to carry whole blood on some of its emergency trucks, hoping to improve more people’s chances of survival.