Around Maryland

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.

The town council elected a temporary vice president last week to serve during the current vice president’s absence. The Berlin Town Council last week voted unanimously to elect Councilwoman Shaneka Nichols as vice president pro tempore. The decision came after Councilman Dean Burrell, the vice president of the council, announced he’d be on medical leave for close to two months.

Anne Arundel County Public Schools is testing a new “bus badge” program for students who attend half a dozen schools. School officials said the pilot program will officially kick off next Wednesday, Nov. 8, for students in the Crofton cluster of schools. The school district wants to place electronic chips in new student-issued identification cards. Students will use the cards when they board and get off their buses.

Dozens of people gathered to call for the release of hostages in Gaza and pray for peace during the Jewish Day of Rest, Shabbat. A long row of tables lined the front of the Har Sinai-Oheb Shalom Congregation. Pictures were attached to the backs of chairs representing more than 200 men, women and children being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.

Wednesday marked the start of open enrollment for Marylanders looking for different health insurance coverage options. To help spread awareness of the 74-day enrollment period, the Maryland Health Benefits Exchange arranged a free fitness bootcamp class, pilates instruction and a yoga stretch session Wednesday evening overlooking Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

The British artist Sarah Biffin was born in 1784 without hands or feet. Fiercely independent, she wouldn’t allow her parents to carry her into church but instead rolled down the aisle to the family pew. She was so determined not to be held back by her physical disability that she became a skilled seamstress, knotting thread with her tongue.