Around Maryland

Commuters exiting the Jones Falls Expressway are bound to notice a dramatic change in traffic patterns after crews last week added turn lanes at 28th Street and are funneling traffic into one lane heading east. The change is the first of many as the Baltimore Department of Transportation begins a project along 28th Street between Sisson Street and Maryland Avenue aimed at addressing safety concerns for pedestrians and excessive speeds along the thoroughfare that runs through the Remington neighborhood.

CLLCTIVLY, a social change organization committed to supporting Black-led organizations, raised $1,125,707 in 24 hours during its fifth annual day of giving, CLLCTIVGIVE. The program launched during Black Philanthropy Month on Aug. 4. It included a fundraising platform connecting donors and Black-led groups, a speaker series, an awards ceremony and the launch of the Solidarity Awards in conjunction with the Elbow Fund.

Marylanders are among hundreds of volunteers on the mainland who are headed to Hawaii to assist with relief efforts after wildfires. American Red Cross officials told 11 News it's an all-hands-on-deck situation, but they're not estimating yet how long they’ll be on the ground for in Maui and across the islands, saying they'll be there as long as they're needed. "Our sympathies go out to everyone in Hawaii who are affected by one of the deadliest U.S. wildfires in 100 years," said Stephanie Babyak, with the American Red Cross National Capital and Chesapeake Region.

For 90 seconds that must have felt like an eternity, a young woman implored a 911 dispatcher to rush an ambulance to Brooklyn Homes. “Somebody was shooting, there was like 60 shots let off,” she pleaded as the dispatcher implored her to give a specific street address. “I need an ambulance right now. Can you please hurry up?” That’s when another volley of shots — it seems like dozens more — can be heard.

There is a special kind of stress in finding and paying for day care for your children. Then there is the terror of leaving your child for the first time. But what’s the emotion when you’re told the center you’ve come to rely on shuts its doors? Shock, frustration and sadness, said parents picking up their children on July 28 from the Baltimore Montessori preschool in Locust Point, after they were notified by state education officials that the center’s license was suspended.

A Montgomery County, Maryland, high school principal is reportedly on extended leave over complaints of bullying and sexual harassment from a number of people, including teachers. The Washington Post reported Joel Beidleman, who had been promoted to run Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville in June, was placed on leave after the Post submitted questions to the school system about his reported harassment. According to the Post, Beidleman is the subject of at least 18 verbal or written reports submitted to the school district over the past seven years.

Tori, 12, and Lauren, 11, are 2,000 feet in the air somewhere east of downtown, or so they’re told to imagine. The co-captains are seated in front of Redbird control panels — a blinking mess of knobs and buttons — as their instructor points out a landmark in front of them. “See that funny-looking building? Aim to fly over there,” the instructor says. The young pilots aren’t actually in the air but in a flight simulator — at least for now.

On Sunday, the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services held an event promoting maternal health and programs to help at-risk Black women who are pregnant, or have recently given birth. The event, held at White Oak Community Recreation Center in Silver Spring, offered seminars highlighting challenges for pregnant women, and county programs to support them.