Around Maryland

Fifteen years ago, Dr. Esa Davis encountered a situation that millions of Black women in hospitals and birthing centers had faced before her: She was sick, and her doctors wouldn’t listen to her. Davis, a family physician who now serves the University of Maryland, Baltimore as its inaugural associate vice president for community health, had experienced a relatively uneventful pregnancy before delivering her firstborn child. But about two or three days after her cesarean section, she couldn’t walk without being short of breath and had swelling from her feet to her waist.

Various projects aimed at increasing pedestrian safety highlight the town’s annual transportation priority list. On Monday, the town council approved a letter that will be sent to the Worcester County Commissioners outlining the projects municipal officials would like to see as transportation priorities. Officials are requesting sidewalks on Route 346, crosswalks in various locations and a pedestrian bridge over Route 113.

The Montgomery County government could be doing more to support its transgender residents, a Jan. 16 report found, recommending that officials consider creating a resource center and lobbying the state to require cultural competency training for medical providers. Council Vice President Kate Stewart (D-Dist. 4) commissioned the 57-page report created by the Montgomery County Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) in early 2023. Stewart has taken on the lack of resources for LGBTQ+ residents in the county as a key part of her work as a councilmember.

Washington County's new comprehensive plan emphasizes redevelopment of previously developed areas as a means of meeting growth needs while preserving rural areas. But giving new life to older properties can be an expensive proposition. So county planners are exploring expanded options to help property owners afford it. "You're talking about different kinds of costs" for redevelopment," said Washington County Planning Director Jill Baker, particularly when you're "trying to reclaim some of these areas that have not been very well taken care of."

The Baltimore City School Board voted Tuesday night to scale back virtual learning by eliminating the elementary grades of Charm City Virtual, despite significant parent pressure to keep it going. The board did vote to create a new virtual school that will serve grades six through 12 by merging the middle grades of Charm City Virtual and the high school program at Port Virtual. The creation of a new virtual school would have to be approved by the Maryland State Department of Education. Only one other school system in the state — Anne Arundel County — has created a virtual school.

While traffic fatalities have been trending in the wrong direction across Maryland and much of the country, the Baltimore region has fared slightly better than the rest of the state, according to figures presented by the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board Tuesday morning. Over a five-year period, traffic fatalities rose statewide by just over 11%, from 512 deaths in 2018 to 566 in 2022.

Baltimore’s new city solicitor is planning to continue pursuing cases and issues that defined her work as deputy and acting city solicitor, including implementing blockchain technology to address the city’s vacant housing issues. The Baltimore City Council confirmed Ebony Thompson as Baltimore’s city solicitor on Monday, making her the first woman and first openly LGBTQ city solicitor to hold the role. The council confirmed Thompson as Baltimore City’s next city solicitor in a 6-0 vote, with one councilmember absent from the meeting.

Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Monifa McKnight said in a statement Monday she was asked by school board members last week to “step away” from her post. McKnight said the board didn’t give a justification for its request and hadn’t communicated concern about her performance — and she said she would fight the attempt to oust her.