Around Maryland

Dwayne Preston joined the Bowie, Maryland, police force in 2012 after leaving the Prince George’s County Police Department. After the job of Chief of Police opened in September, he began serving as the department’s acting head. Now, after a Tuesday night swearing-in ceremony in front of the city council dais, Preston holds the title of Chief of Police, without the “acting” prefix.

As people return home from holiday travel and spending time with loved ones over the past couple weeks, the Maryland Department of Health is urging clinicians to strengthen protective measures to reduce the spread of respiratory illnesses. The rate of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 and other viruses increased during the last week of 2023, and the state Department of Health is urging clinicians to implement “broad facility-wide” prevention measures such as masking and vaccination efforts to bring the hospitalization rate back down.

Rafiullah Yari was the first pro boxer to show up on this day at the Upton Boxing Center in West Baltimore, the same place where Gervonta “Tank” Davis showed up some 21 years ago. Now Davis’ likeness as a world champion hangs throughout — a living patron saint embossed on the heavy bags stationed to take daily beatings in this marvelously austere but deliriously red-painted center that aspires all to train — to train hard, to the breaking point.

Suicide deaths and the number of adverse childhood experiences people reported have increased over the last several years in Frederick County, according to new Frederick County Health Department data. From 2010 to 2022, suicide deaths in the county have risen, with 23 deaths in 2010 and 33 deaths in 2021. More adults in 2020 reported experiencing at least one adverse childhood experience compared to previous years. An adverse childhood experience is a potentially traumatic event that occurs when a person is young.

Wednesday was the start of the Washington Wizards winter reading challenge, a free-to-join challenge that aims to encourage early readers, children and teens to build reading habits and connect with local libraries. Montgomery County Public Libraries partnered with the D.C. basketball team to promote the challenge, which runs from Jan. 3 to March 20.

As part of an initiative to connect with a diverse community, Anne Arundel County Public Schools has launched Facebook pages specifically tailored for families fluent in Chinese, Korean, Urdu, and Vietnamese. “The creation of these additional Facebook pages is a tremendous step forward in fulfilling our commitment to ensure every student and every family in AACPS genuinely has a sense of belonging in their school,” said Joanna Bache Tobin, president of the Board of Education of Anne Arundel County.

Property values rose 46.1% in Worcester County, according to the state’s latest reassessment. The Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) announced the 2024 reassessment of nearly 800,000 “Group 3” properties last week. Statewide, the overall value for that group of properties was up 23.4% since the last reassessment three years ago.

The Maryland Energy Administration on Wednesday unveiled an ambitious plan to help K-12 public schools across the state reduce and eliminate carbon emissions. The Decarbonizing Public Schools Program will provide capital to help local education agencies more fully incorporate a wide range of clean energy and energy efficiency measures into Maryland’s public schools.