Around Maryland

Attention has swirled this year around the number of young people falling victim to or perpetrating gun violence in Baltimore, amid tragedies such as the Brooklyn Homes mass shooting and the fatal shooting across from Edmondson-Westside High School in January. But, Vincent Schiraldi, the state Department of Juvenile Services secretary, said it’s vital to put those instances in proper context.

The Johns Hopkins University’s proposal for a doctoral physical therapy program hangs in limbo as the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore and the University of Maryland, Baltimore claim the prospective degree is duplicative of their own programs and would cause them harm. In the coming days, the Maryland Higher Education Commission, which oversees all of the state’s colleges and universities, will share a letter containing its decision on whether to approve the Hopkins program, according to Commission Chair Cassie Motz at a Thursday hearing on the subject.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved the latest round of COVID-19 boosters, as public health officials brace for another cold and flu season. An advisory panel at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is scheduled to vote on recommendations Tuesday, the final step in the process before people will be able to get the shots.

An investigation of a middle school principal who allegedly bullied and harassed dozens of teachers “raises significant issues about the vetting and promotion of personnel within MCPS,” the Montgomery County Board of Education said in a statement Friday after the law firm hired to examine the matter filed its first report.

Construction will begin soon to convert the former golf clubhouse at Wakefield Valley Park in Westminster to public use spaces that can be rented by community members and organizations. Once renovated, the building will offer four areas that can be rented for events, meetings and business retreats, accommodating up to 200 people. An outdoor open-air pavilion will be available for free public use and can be reserved in advance.

Police in Montgomery County, Maryland, say they are continuing to work with public school officials to keep students safe, after a football game between rival high school teams last week led to a brawl and multiple incidents of school property. Jordan Satinsky, captain in the Community Engagement Division with Montgomery County police, told WTOP the department is still following a model set in place last year by Montgomery County Public Schools after a similar incident.