Around Maryland

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced Wednesday the completion of the county’s draft Transit Development Plan (TDP) 2023, a short-term plan that serves as a guide for its local transit system development and funding requests that provides a roadmap for implementing service and organizational improvements, including potential service expansion, in the next five years.

Over the last 50 years, Montgomery County’s Ride On bus system has turned itself into the region’s second busiest bus network, only behind Metrobus in terms of ridership. Prior to the pandemic, Ride On carried 68,000 people over 81 routes every day, about 18% of regional bus ridership; currently, ridership is at 60,000 daily according to the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT). And while Ride On has grown dramatically over the past half-century, much of its routing has remained untouched.

The Frederick County Health Department will host two community meetings this month on how to improve the Black birthing experience in the county and gather input for its Black Maternal Health Strategic Plan. One session will be in person on Nov. 13 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the C. Burr Artz Public Library Programming Room at 110 E. Patrick St. in Frederick. The second session will be virtual on Nov. 18 from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

Education officials are working with law enforcement to evaluate school safety concerns, according to a joint statement released Tuesday. Worcester County State’s Attorney Kris Heiser, Sheriff Matt Crisafulli and three Worcester County Board of Education members issued a joint statement this week after meeting several times.

It’s all paws on deck as two animal welfare organizations are joining forces to educate the public and help eliminate animal cruelty while holding abusers accountable. Show Your Soft Side, Inc. (SYSS) is the public service campaign created to debunk the notion among young people that hurting animals makes one seem tough.

The operator of proposed high-speed rail linking Baltimore and Washington and the developer of a proposed waterfront community have reached a settlement over disputed vacant land in Westport.= Stonewall Capital, the owner of 43 acres planned for residential and commercial development, has agreed to grant an easement to Baltimore Washington Rapid Rail LLC that would allow for the continued planning of a $10 billion superconducting magnetic levitation rail system.

UPMC Western Maryland has been awarded an ‘A’ rating for hospital safety from the Leapfrog Group, a nationally recognized watchdog organization. UPMC Western Maryland is among 18 UPMC hospitals that received the ‘A’ rating, the highest achievable safety mark from Leapfrog. An independent organization, Leapfrog’s mission is to improve health care quality and safety for consumers and purchasers.

Citing “the sheer volume of sexually explicit discussions and situations,” Montgomery County Public Schools removed a book from high school libraries on Oct. 11, according to documents obtained by MoCo360 from a public records request. The book, “Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts),” is a fiction novel by Lev A.C. Rosen about a gay high schooler who writes an online sex column for other LGBTQ+ teens. As part of the libraries’ “free-choice reading” section, it is not part of specific class curriculums.