Around Maryland

Public transportation across the state will be free on Friday, Sept. 22 through Sunday, Sept. 24, according to the Maryland Transit Administration. The free rides, offered in celebration of World Car Free Day, will include local buses, the light rail, the metro subway, MARC trains, commuter buses and mobility services. The free transit weekends will come during the Artscape street festival, a Ravens home game against the Indianapolis Colts and the Baltimore premiere of “The Wiz” at the Hippodrome Theatre.

During Mountain Maryland for ALICE, an event hosted by the United Way of Frederick County on Thursday, United Ways in Maryland came together to discuss issues that financially struggling households face and how community organizations can help with those struggles. The event, which featured keynote presentations on the 2023 ALICE Report and two panels, focused on ALICE Report statistics in Garrett, Frederick, Allegany and Washington counties.

California and Florida have become the first states to require later public school start times, a response to reams of research showing significant advantages for high school students who can get more sleep by beginning their day at 8:30 a.m. or later. But such changes come with difficult ripple effects — upended bus schedules, later starts for extracurriculars and new schedules for teachers and staff — making many other states and localities hesitant to change.

The invasive spotted lanternflies are popping up all over Maryland, and one expert says the issue is only going to get worse. After hatching in May, the bugs are now fully grown, hungry, mating and on the move, making them more noticeable. University of Maryland entomologist Michael Raupp, AKA “The Bug Guy,” knows this all too well.

The latest version of the COVID-19 vaccine is expected to hit Baltimore pharmacies as early as this weekend, as hospitalizations from the virus continue to rise across the region. Unlike the last booster shot, which was approved around this time last year and protected people against two strains of the virus, the new mRNA vaccine only targets one strain — the omicron variant, XBB.1.5.

The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) hosted community events in Silver Spring on Sept. 6 and Wheaton on Tuesday to discuss its proposed “Drone as First Responder” (DFR) Program. The program will use drones to “fly to a call for service and arrive prior to, or in conjunction with, first responders on the ground,” and would be used to “evaluate the scene and circumstances before officers arrive and while an event is ongoing,” police said in their presentation on Sept. 6.

Transportation officials say they are exploring seasonal pay increases to attract drivers and conductors ahead of the 2024 season. On Tuesday, officials provided members of the Ocean City Transportation Committee with an update on seasonal recruitment. As preparations for the 2024 season commence, Transit Manager Rob Shearman said staff are exploring a 3% pay increase for new and turning seasonal bus and tram employees.

Metro officials said Thursday they will move more slowly to automate portions of the rail system in the coming months to ensure each step meets safety standards and has approval from Metro’s regulatory agency. Transit leaders plan to start the conversion to automatic train operations (ATO) this fall by reinstalling an automatic rail car door system, which would be activated when trains stop at stations.