Around Maryland

Muslim residents in Montgomery County, Maryland, who seek to opt their children out of LGBTQ+ inclusive literary curriculum are pointing to a memo from elementary school principals to support their argument. Muslim civil and religious rights groups held a news conference Tuesday to make a memo from November public that they said shows leaders of a union of principals telling school leaders their concerns about the content of some of the LGBTQ story books, possible religious bias in teacher discussion guides and a lack of teacher training.

The family of Henrietta Lacks agreed Monday to settle a lawsuit against Thermo Fisher Scientific, a Massachusetts-based biotechnology company that sold products derived from the Baltimore County resident’s cells, according to civil rights attorney Ben Crump. The terms of the settlement are confidential, Crump said in a statement shortly before midnight Monday.

A state grant will allow some Frederick County Public Schools cafeterias to serve more food from local growers this fall. The district received a $95,000 award from the Maryland State Department of Education through its Local Food for Schools program. FCPS will use the funds to procure fresh fruits and vegetables, coordinate engagement programs and hire a new specialist, said Robert Kelly, the system’s director of food and nutrition services.

Prince George’s County’s Drew-Freeman Middle School looks a lot different these days: Students will have a new attitude when they see the new building this fall. County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and Prince George’s County Public Schools Superintendent Millard House II toured the new school on Monday. “We had to push through because getting to this day took a lot of hard work even in the face of obstacles, like a global pandemic,” Alsobrooks said.

The volume of Montgomery County families asking to opt their elementary students out of classroom discussions on LGBTQ+ inclusive content became too overwhelming for schools to manage, the district alleged in legal documents. But MCPS cannot determine how many families are opting out, a district official told MoCo360 last week. Some pro-opt-out advocates say that MCPS officials have told them a different story in private meetings.

Several elevated ramps will be temporarily closed on the Baltimore Beltway and the “Triple Bridges” interchange on I-70 in Woodlawn for four separate nights in August and September for inspections. The first closure is Wednesday from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration advises drivers on I-70 and I-695 and near the interchange to plan for extra travel time and detours. All ramp closure and detour dates are weather-permitting, MDOT SHA said.

Poe Baltimore, with the support of La Cite Development, Monday announced it has received a major investment from Wells Fargo Bank to support the Annual International Edgar Allan Poe Festival & Awards, taking place Oct. 7-8. The commitment of $300,000 over a three-year period will provide for the Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum’s largest program, keeping the festival a free community event and premier tourist destination for Poe-lovers from all over the world.

Baltimore Homecoming, an organization mobilizing a network of accomplished Baltimoreans based worldwide to spark new collaborations and drive new investments in the city’s future, Monday announced a search for new leadership following the forthcoming departure of its executive director. Robbin Lee, the organization’s executive director who joined as the organization’s first deputy director and founding team member in late 2017, announced she was leaving the group in December.

The Maryland State Fair will return for three weekends this summer with rides, games, food, animals and plenty of activities. The 142nd annual fair will be held from Aug. 24 through Sept. 10. The hours of operation are 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. the other days. “It’s been a family tradition,” Andy Cashman, general manager of the Maryland State Fair said. “I always say its the best family tradition in Maryland that folks can come to and enjoy themselves and a lot of kids come back to and they grow up here.”