Around Maryland

On a small dealership lot northeast of downtown Baltimore, dozens of used cars await new owners. Just around the corner, a banner on the side of a building promotes “VIRGINIA TAGS” and lists a phone number. This sign isn’t the only one making such an offer. The promotion for “Virginia tags” can be found on signs around the city and on social media posts, with some even offering delivery.

Washington County is apparently getting wealthier — but there's a catch. The county's rising wealth is calculated into the amount of money its public school system receives from the state. And for Washington County Public Schools, that means nearly $3 million less in state funding than was anticipated for the new fiscal year that begins July 1. "As it turns out, wealth is growing in Washington County, which is good news for our community," WCPS Superintendent David Sovine told the Washington County Commissioners Tuesday.

One of the six officers charged after the death of Freddie Gray in 2015 has been tapped to oversee the Public Integrity Bureau of the Baltimore Police Department. Capt. Alicia White will move from the department’s Anti-Crime Section/Gun Violence Unit effective Sunday, the department said in a news release. White will oversee probes of complaints filed by the public against Baltimore Police officers.

The trash incinerator that towers over I-95 as motorists drive in or out of Baltimore has a reputation for spoiling the air and spewing out toxic chemicals and had been identified as the largest single source of pollution in the city. But upgrades made to the incinerator, now operated by the company WIN Waste Innovations, could challenge that reputation. Last summer the company completed $45 million worth of upgrades that will better control emissions, according to trade publication Waste Dive.

When Oakland Mills High School teachers showed up for work Monday morning, they were greeted by the sounds of rushing water. Water leaked from the ceiling, covering the floors of classrooms and hallways and soaking the staffers’ shoes. Ceiling tiles fell and broke into pieces on the floor. School was quickly closed.

In recent months, Frederick County Animal Control has seen many more owners giving up their dogs, forcing the agency to schedule those surrenders weeks in advance. As of Friday, for almost every weekday in February — when the shelter is open — there are appointments for owners to come in and drop off their animals. That includes 10 dogs, seven guinea pigs and about 30 cats, according to Animal Control Director David Luckenbaugh.

Montgomery County leaders will meet with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials by the end of the month to discuss how local law enforcement can better partner with federal immigration officials, especially regarding detainers, according to the county’s Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Earl Stoddard.

The Environmental Protection Agency plans to clean up the Bear Creek Superfund site in eastern Baltimore County over the next three years. But residents who live nearby as well as environmentalists are concerned the cleanup project might not work — and could even cause damage. For decades, dangerous chemicals, including cancer-causing PCBs, were dumped into Bear Creek from Bethlehem Steel, which for a time was the largest steel producer in the world.