Around Maryland

When Patricia learned that her son was one of 28 people injured in a horrific shooting at the annual Brooklyn Day block party in South Baltimore, her first reaction was disbelief.“Boy, you’re lying,” she told her teenage son when he called her from the hospital. In the dead of night, Patricia raced to MedStar Harbor Hospital, where many of the victims were treated. On arrival, she was crying and desperate for information but couldn’t find her son.

Officials of the Maryland Food Bank say inflation is leading more people to seek help feeding their families U.S. Census data analyzed by the food bank finds 45% of Maryland adults say their children were skipping meals because of rising food costs and 36% have trouble meeting expenses. Maryland Food Bank president and CEO Carmen Del Guercio tells WBAL NewsRadio recent cuts in government benefits offered during the COVID-19 pandemic are also leading more people to turn to the soup kitchens and food pantries that are supported by the food bank.

There’s been a lot of progress to accommodate people with disabilities in Maryland, but there is still more room for improvement — including what to do about the nationwide shortage of service dogs. Disability advocacy groups from across the state held a meeting Monday afternoon about the important and essential animals that help those with disabilities. The forum, in honor of Disability Pride Month, aimed to educate the public about the growing use of service animals in the state.

Richie Moriarty, cast member of the CBS show Ghosts, should be in Montreal this month beginning the filming of the third season of the show. Instead, production has been delayed as the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers failed to reach a resolution with writers and actors on strike the past two months. Moriarty, 43, a Thomas S. Wootton High School graduate, is part of that strike, which he says comes at a critical time for those in the acting profession.

Students in Frederick County who are uninsured or have insurance that does not cover the cost of immunizations can access free vaccines at the county health department's clinics next month, the department announced Monday. The department will hold free back-to-school vaccination clinics on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from Aug. 1 to Sept. 11.

Niara Mollett found out about the shooting that killed her 16-year-old cousin on Instagram. Ray Mason keeps the funeral program for his 19-year-old sister in his car. Da’Quane Gilliam doesn’t like to go outside. All of them are under 21 and each understands the devastating toll gun violence takes on Baltimore’s young people. “You don’t really see how bad it is until it actually hits you,” Mollett, 16, said.

The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Accountability and Implementation Board recommends that local health and social service agencies share names and contact information with local school systems for families with children who could be eligible to enroll in free prekindergarten. However, to be eligible under terms of the Blueprint plan, a family needs to apply for “economic services” and a child must turn 3 or 4 years old by Sept.1.

The hundreds gathered in Randallstown on Friday to remember a slain 20-year-old were not there for a funeral, the Rev. Pett Allen Jr. told Kylis Fagbemi’s grieving family and friends. “I didn’t come to a funeral. I came to a celebration!” Allen told mourners in the March Life Tribute Center’s sanctuary during Friday’s service for the quiet, hardworking young man who was shot just as he was beginning his adult life.