Around Maryland

The Maryland Transit Administration announced Thursday that it was indefinitely suspending light rail service on its north-south line starting Friday, citing recent mechanical issues that necessitate inspection of the entire fleet of 53 rail cars. The agency will begin shuttle bus service at all light rail stations starting Friday, pulling about 30 buses off their regular routes to fill the gap. MTA Administrator Holly Arnold acknowledged at an emergency news conference Thursday evening that this could have a ripple effect on service levels for other bus lines, and she said members of her team are doing everything they can to fix the light rail fleet quickly.

Peake ReLeaf Executive Vice President Tracey Lancaster Miller and Founder and CEO of Standard Wellness Maryland Christina Betancourt Johnson joined Good Day DC to explore the question, are edibles actually good for sleep?

The Board of Education of Anne Arundel County elected Robert Silkworth for a one-year term as its president and Corine Frank as vice president for the upcoming year. Silkworth, of Olde Mill, has served as the eight-member board’s vice president for the past two years and represents District 2. He and Frank, of Pasadena and representing District 3, both were elected to four-year terms on the board in November 2020.

For decades, Maryland hospitals have sued patients with unpaid bills, amassing hundreds of millions of dollars in judgments since 2000. But this year, something curious happened. The judgments virtually stopped, according to an analysis of court data by The Baltimore Banner. Why is not entirely clear. Bad publicity could be a factor — hospitals have scaled back legal action in the past when under scrutiny for suing some of their poorest patients. There’s also a new state law requiring hospitals to offer payment plans patients can afford before they sue.

Harford’s annual “SOCKtober” event, held throughout October, collected more than 3,000 pairs of socks, mittens, gloves and scarves and hats, according to a county news release. These items were donated to local nonprofits serving families, veterans and individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The SOCKtober collection was organized by Harford County government in partnership with Harford County Public Library and We Cancerve Movement, LLC. Harford senior center groups contributed hand-crocheted and knitted items for the cause.

Carroll County’s Bureau of Roads Operations is preparing now for the possibility of snowy weather this winter. The bureau, housed in the Department of Public Works, began preparations last month, bringing together officials from various municipalities and public safety experts to discuss preparations in the event of inclement weather this winter, a county news release stated.

One female counselor in the 1990s would enter a specific girl’s cell in a juvenile detention center in Maryland when she knew her roommate was away, then sexually abuse her, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday. The counselor would threaten the girl with solitary confinement, blocking her release and a loss of phone call privileges if she tried to stop the abuse or told anyone about it, the lawsuit alleges.

Parents, teachers and administrators of six Baltimore County schools selected a map of reconfigured school zones Wednesday to send to the Board of Education for final approval. Committee members narrowed down over a dozen maps covering the county’s northwest area over a three-month process before settling on one Wednesday.

Money for Interstate 81 was in the plans of multiple governors, the Washington County delegation to the Maryland General Assembly said thanks, and the state’s new transportation secretary acknowledged both the “partnership” with local officials and their safety concerns. Yet millions of dollars, $68 million to be exact, has been scheduled by the state Department of Transportation to be reduced on the project, designed to widen a 3.5 mile stretch of the highway.