Around Maryland

Commuters expressed their frustrations Wednesday with the shuttle service in place of the suspended Light Rail. “They’re very unorganized,” commuter Ernestine Jones said. Jones is one of many Marylanders forced to ride the shuttles while the Light Rail remains shut down. Service has been suspended for nearly two weeks while the Maryland Transit Administration inspects and repairs cars.

In coming months, the staff of Comptroller Bill Henry will be trained to “flex their rapport,” “ignite their preferences” and “cultivate culture through the language of grace.” Henry, who touts himself as the city’s financial watchdog, signed the contract in the name of employee happiness and, hopefully, increased productivity, says Celeste Amato, Henry’s chief of staff. “Our goal is to maximize team effort because it seems like a good idea when we all want to work better together,” she told The Brew.

Officials say they continue to monitor offshore wind projects off the coast of Ocean City. On Monday, City Manager Terry McGean presented the Mayor and Council with a quarterly update on offshore wind activities near Ocean City. As the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) reviews public comments on US Wind’s offshore project, to be located off the coast of the resort, officials say the town would continue to advocate for a “no-build” alternative.

Thurmont has been awarded $50,000 from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development to continue funding its Main Street facade funding program. Two parts of the program — the Main Street interior facade grant program and Main Street community exterior facade improvement program — were each awarded $25,000 through different state revitalization programs for fiscal year 2024.

After their friend’s brother recently died of an overdose, a group of Watkins Mill High School students decided to create a video PSA about the dangers of fentanyl and submit it to the Speak Up, Save a Life student video contest. The students, Jabea Ewane, Thomas Pettit and Steven Santiago, secured first place in the contest and were awarded a $1,000 prize for their PSA titled, “Dangers of Fentanyl – Forever 16.”

Baltimore’s Board of Estimates voted to approve a $16 million extension of the city’s contract for speed cameras Wednesday, including two on Interstate 83. The extension, which will cover the cost of the 160 cameras through May 2024, was approved by the board over the objections of Council President Nick Mosby, one of the spending board’s five members. Mosby argued the city should maintain the speed cameras along the interstate in-house with Department of Transportation employees.

Howard County is out with a report card that’s published every two years, showing some good signs about the declining use of tobacco products. The county’s report showed an almost 40% reduction in smoking among adults over that time period. The study also looked at other health indicators, like cancer. While the rate of newly diagnosed cases are stable, the county says cancer deaths are lower, although cancer and heart diseases are still the two most common causes of death in general.

Baltimore County has made it easier to find food distribution sites for residents struggling with food insecurity. The county on Tuesday launched its Food Pantry Locator, a new online tool that displays community partner food distribution sites across Baltimore County. The locator tool includes detailed information about community food access locations. Residents may enter an address or press “Use my location,” adjust the distance slider to view food pantries near them, and select a pantry’s entry in the list to view more information, including contact information, hours of operation, and special instructions.

The state that often leads the pack in areas like median household income and quality of schools is nearly failing when it comes to transportation, a local advocacy organization says. The Central Maryland Transportation Alliance just released its latest report card for the state, giving it a D+ overall, with failing grades in affordability and connectivity to jobs via transit. The policy analyst and advocacy organization dished out five C’s — the state’s highest grade this year — across 12 different areas.