Around Maryland

Maryland State Police are actively conducting a wire fraud investigation connected to the city of Frederick’s plans to build a new police headquarters, with a preliminary investigation finding the incident involved $280,527.30, according to officials. “This crime was perpetrated by an unknown actor or actors outside the City, in connection with the new FPD headquarters project.

Allegany County officials said Thursday they will pursue the creation of a board to study ways to invest nearly $1 million received so far from Maryland’s opioid settlement. Maryland was awarded $400 million as a result of a class action lawsuit litigated in 2022 against several pharmaceutical companies stemming from the opioid crisis. The funding is being distributed to counties across Maryland for use in battling the crisis.

While the Montgomery County school system in Maryland deals with internal issues surrounding an Inspector General’s report and tensions between the superintendent and the Board of Education, the county council gets set to ask questions about school operations. On Feb. 8, the council’s Audit and Education and Culture Committees will hold a joint hearing.

In an effort to close the digital divide and increase digital literacy in Washington County, Washington County Free Library (WCFL) is distributing no-cost Chromebooks for Washington County households, through a grant provided by Washington County government via the Maryland State Department of Housing and Community Development.

Mount St. Mary’s University’s incoming president Gerard “Jerry” Joyce wants to further the Emmitsburg institution’s investments in science and health care as the school prepares to complete two major construction projects. Joyce, who will take over for the retiring Tim Trainor in July, spoke with the Baltimore Business Journal earlier this month about his ideas for the university’s future.

With a four-day-old snowfall covering the ground outside, Genae Carney sits at a conference room table in West Baltimore with a computer in front of her and an iPhone at her ear, but it is hard to hear the woman on the other end of the call. “Do you have earphones on?” Carney asks. The woman fumbles with something, and asks if Carney can hear her better. “You still kinda sound distant, but I can work with it,” Carney says.

Frederick County’s data center work group is considering recommending changes to the current critical digital infrastructure ordinance, setting noise limits and incentives to encourage sustainable practices among data centers. The work group, created by Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater, met Thursday to discuss potential recommendations from its three subcommittees.

Infrastructure in Maryland will get a big boost thanks to $80 million in funding from President Joe Biden’s “Investing in America” agenda. Biden and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday announced the funding through two major discretionary grant programs, the National Infrastructure Project Assistance (Mega) grant program and the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant program.