Around Maryland

The Maryland State Department of Education will invest more than $35 million into prekindergarten through three grant programs, the department announced Wednesday. The investment adds to historic funding for prekindergarten programming as part of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, which aims to expand full-day prekindergarten options as one of its main priorities. Earlier this month, Gov. Wes Moore announced $11.5 million in capital funding to 67 child care facilities in the state.

When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August of 2021, six families fled and ended up in Washington County. Now, a coalition of faith leaders and volunteers have teamed up to help these refugees adjust to life in the United States. More than 20 volunteers banded together to form the Refugee Welcome Network in January to provide resources to get the refugees back on their feet.

Calls to Maryland’s crisis hotline have increased 38% since the number was shortened last year from 10 digits to the easier-to-remember 988. States were required to adopt the three-digit suicide and crisis lifeline last July in an effort to make it easier for people nationwide to access lifesaving help and services. Across the country, people can call or text the hotline and be connected with a mental health counselor in their area, who will listen, provide emotional support and, if needed, share resources for longer-term help.

The start of the school year is a little more than one month away in Harford County and schools are in dire need of bus drivers. Cathy Bendis, with the Harford County Department of Transportation, spoke with WBAL’s Phil Yacuboski while at a job fair in Bel Air. She said there is a national shortage. “There’s a national shortage across the country. So, we are having some challenges,” Bendis said.

On a mild mid-May earlier this year, officials from an unusual assortment of public and private organizations and businesses – including two energy companies, Loyola University Maryland, Howard County and St. Mary’s Coptic Church – gathered at the church’s property in Cooksville to break ground on a long-anticipated project. That project is the so-called Catherine Community Solar project, which will provide solar power to a variety of beneficiaries and is being touted by those involved as a valuable step in helping Maryland reach its goal of 50% renewable energy production by 2030.

Carroll County agencies tested their abilities to respond to violent threats in schools Tuesday during an active assailant training exercise at two Westminster area schools — Cranberry Station Elementary and Winters Mill High. A Maryland State Police helicopter takes off above emergency personnel from Westminster Fire Department in a field near Winters Mill High School during a training exercise by Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and other emergency organizations on Tuesday, July 25, 2023.

At least 15 miles of trails will be constructed or revitalized in communities spanning Prince George’s County, Montgomery County and D.C. with help from a $25 million federal grant that local leaders highlighted on Monday. The investment — part of a competitive Department of Transportation program that targets projects with national or regional impact — will advance more than $70 million in efforts to enhance recreational and economic opportunities, local leaders said, improving trail access for nearly 300,000 residents.

Baltimore County will begin using a controversial gunshot detection system in portions of two precincts starting Wednesday, part of a two-year pilot program paid for with federal pandemic relief money. ShotSpotter has been contentious in many communities, scrutinized for years by constitutional rights activists and jettisoned by jurisdictions over its efficacy.