Around Maryland

Police arrested a teenager Tuesday morning suspected of stealing a car during a ride-along with Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. in Baltimore City, according to county police spokesperson Joy Stewart. Members of the Regional Auto Theft Task Force were investigating a 2016 Hyundai Sonata sedan whose owner reported it stolen from Baltimore County when the two people in the car fled the vehicle, Stewart said.

The discovery that “forever chemicals,” or PFAS, were used at the site of the new Public Safety Training Center in Westminster is forcing site plan modifications for stormwater management that will cost the county an additional $166,600. During the design process, PFAS were found to have been used in the foam product designed to cool and suppress fire, and as a result, design and site plan modifications need to be made to the stormwater management plan.

Officials at school districts across Maryland are in the process of raising teacher salaries and kickstarting a new pay structure, changes required by the state’s landmark education reform plan. But some teachers’ unions have said there is unclear guidance from state education officials on the specifics of the payment structure, called a career ladder, and whether districts can offer their current pay structure as one of multiple ways to earn a raise.

Majorities of both Republicans and Democrats in Western Maryland would support federal proposals to provide more treatment for people with substance use disorders and train police to divert people into treatment rather than prison, according to a recent poll.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball and Department of Recreation & Parks Director Nick Mooneyhan Monday announced the purchase of the 16.5-acre East Columbia Library Park property located adjacent to Howard County Library System’s East Columbia branch on Cradlerock Way in Columbia to move forward with plans to enhance and expand the existing park.

Just hours before he was killed last week, a Maryland judge known for being fair and even-keeled calmly explained his ruling in a divorce case following hours of emotional testimony. On the losing end of the ruling was the man suspected of fatally shooting Washington County Circuit Court Judge Andrew Wilkinson later that day in the driveway outside his home. For Wilkinson’s family, friends and colleagues, it’s an unfathomable end to an exceptional life.

SMU DataArts, the National Center for Arts Research, released its annual Arts Vibrancy Index on Oct. 26, which identifies Frederick-Gaithersburg-Rockville as No. 7 in the list of 20 large communities in the U.S. through an analysis of the level of supply, demand and government support for the arts in more than 900 communities across the country.

Health care workers are facing increased mental health struggles that can lead to burnout or workers thinking of finding another job, according to survey results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC urged health care employers to take care of their worker’s mental health and foster a healthy work environment.