Around Maryland

Are you a Kia or Hyundai owner? You could be entitled to compensation. But not from a pending federal lawsuit against the South Korean automakers, at least not yet. Baltimore City residents can pick up a free steering wheel lock on Tuesday at Greater Paradise Christian Center as part of an ongoing response to the rise in thefts of Kia and Hyundai vehicles. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott posted about the giveaway on social media Friday, saying that the city is taking an “all of the above approach to reduce the risk of auto theft in our communities.”

On the first day of school in Howard County, thousands of kids at their bus stops waited eagerly. And waited. And waited some more. So many school buses showed up late, or didn’t show up at all, that Howard County schools Superintendent Michael Martirano apologized to families in a Monday morning email. “We are working to mitigate these challenges and will provide another update to families regarding information related to today’s dismissal shortly,” the email said.

Auditors keep a close eye on school district contracting in Maryland — and if you’re wondering why, just look at what happened in May in Montgomery County. After auditors raised suspicions, the district’s former assistant director of transportation pleaded guilty to stealing over $320,000 from the county’s school system over a span of at least five years by misusing district purchasing cards and mismanaging a contract for the purchase of school buses.

Free gun safety locks are now available at all 15 open public library branches in Anne Arundel County. The pilot program began in April when gun safety locks were made available to county residents at three public libraries. By June, the program grew to six libraries due to its popularity. County residents who are 18 years old and up can receive up to two gun safety locks per household, per day. No proof of residency is required. Listings for operating hours and directions can be found at library branches.

A proposal for a new joint training facility for Baltimore’s police and fire departments on the Coppin State University campus has come back with a whopping price tag of $330 million. A preliminary design report was posted to the Maryland Stadium Authority website Aug. 17, and it outlines two possible sites on the campus of the historically Black university in West Baltimore that would offer classroom and training space for the city’s two public safety agencies.

The Baltimore County Department of Public Works and Transportation failed to adequately supervise its grinder pump work crews, allowing a handful of employees to exaggerate the number of hours they worked while going days without completing necessary sewage work, according to a report published by the Office of Inspector General Kelly Madigan.

COVID cases are on the rise in the D.C. region, according to wastewater surveillance from BioBot Analytics. Meanwhile, a new variant — called BA.2.86 — is popping up around the world, catching the attention of public health officials and scientists. “This one just came on our radar screen,” said Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.