Around Maryland

Baltimore’s Inner Harbor hasn’t always been the public space we recognize today, but the city and its residents have always been connected to the water. Here’s how the harbor transformed from an industrial hub a century ago to the beloved attraction developers want to revitalize.

Hagerstown Police recently expanded the hours of its Watch Center, a downtown Hagerstown office in which civilian employees monitor surveillance cameras to assist residents and police officers. The topic of the Watch Center came up during the mayor and City Council's State of the City address on Tuesday at The Maryland Theatre. During the video presentation, it was noted that about 35% of calls for police service are handled by the Watch Center.

School buses are nothing new in Maryland. What is new, however, is a rapid rise in the use of electric school buses – a rise that is expected to continue. Increasingly, state authorities are concerned that the pollution from traditional buses is a danger, in particular to the 650,000 thousand children who ride to school on diesel-powered fuel every day that needs to be curtailed. Two years ago, the state set goals of trimming greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2031.

This Women's History Month, the Lillie Carroll Jackson Civil Rights Museum in Baltimore is in the national spotlight. Experts and USA Today readers voted and ranked the museum No. 4 among the 10 best free museums in the nation. It's a museum that celebrates the stories of several influential women, including the museum's namesake Lillie Carroll Jackson. "Oftentimes, we hear about what men have done," said Iris Leigh Barnes, the associate director and curator of the Lillie Carroll Jackson Civil Rights Museum.

Baltimore City forced people without housing out of a public park in the Homewood neighborhood last week. Signs up for around three weeks in the Wyman Park Dell indicated that the city would require people to move Wednesday morning, but bulldozers and tractors were on-site two days earlier, March 4. City Councilwoman Odette Ramos, who represents the area, said people first started moving into the park sometime during the coronavirus pandemic, which began in March 2020, and the encampment continued as a moratorium on evictions was lifted in April 2021.

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich says he is looking within the county police department for a candidate to replace retiring Chief Marcus Jones. Elrich announced his intentions in a letter sent Monday to the County Council, noting that he is considering internal candidates because he believes the department is “heading in the right direction,” though it is facing challenges, including with staffing and recruitment.

The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) today launched its “Climate Focused Funding Portal” for project proposals looking to reduce carbon emissions. The state will receive $94 million over five years, with $55 million available this year. The funds are authorized through the Federal Highway Administration’s Carbon Reduction Program established in President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Next month, there will be a series of three forums where Montgomery County, Maryland, parents and residents can discuss what they want to see from the next school superintendent. On Friday, the county’s Board of Education announced that it is beginning the formal “nationwide search” for a successor to former Superintendent Monifa McKnight, who stepped down in February with two years remaining on her contract.