Around Maryland

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.

EPA officials want to spend about $45 million to clean up a section of Baltimore County’s Bear Creek that was contaminated by Bethlehem Steel. A 61-acre portion of the creek, located to the west of the Sparrows Point peninsula, officially became a “Superfund” site in 2022, joining a national list of other badly polluted hazardous waste sites eligible for federal cleanup aid. The creek’s sediment is laden with cancer-causing PCBs, arsenic, heavy metals and grease. The Superfund area sits at the foot of the Tin Mill Canal, where wastewater from steelmaking was dumped.

The Maryland Department of Human Services will now fully reimburse stolen food and cash assistance. The department made this change after a Baltimore Banner investigation last year found that the Maryland Department of Human Services has been failing not only to fully reimburse many theft victims, but also to properly inform them of their rights. This new policy applies to any thefts since January 1, 2021, including previously denied claims that are now eligible for reimbursement under the new guidelines, according to a DHS memo released yesterday. In addition, the department will start reimbursing for stolen Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) Program.

People in the south end of Worcester County face a significant journey of approximately 45 minutes to Ocean City, the sole early voting location in the county. It is why County Commissioner Caryn Abbott is advocating for a change. Residents in Pocomoke City express their enthusiasm for the prospect of a more conveniently located early voting center. Jessmin Duryea, a Pocomoke resident, highlights the importance of convenience.

Some homeless shelters on Maryland’s Eastern Shore are voicing concern over a proposed bill in Annapolis. If passed, House Bill 577 would mandate that all Maryland homeless shelters accept government funding, and thus follow state rules and regulations. Anthony Dickerson, Director of the Christian Shelter in Salisbury says if this passes, The Christian Shelter could no longer offer its teachings of Christianity.