Around Maryland

At 275 years of age, Frederick County looks good, Maryland State Delegate Christopher Eric Bouchat said on Saturday. Bouchat was among several government and elected officials who spoke at a jubilee at Utica District Park, a festive celebration marking the county's 275th anniversary of June 10, 1748.

The Maryland Department of Health said nearly 25,000 Marylanders — or 21% of the 120,000 up for renewal in April — lost their Medicaid coverage as of June 1 as part of the massive redetermination process the state is undertaking due to the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency. These are the first enrollees to lose benefits as part of this effort.

Howard County’s school system held its first-ever “Pride Prom” Saturday at the Harriet Tubman Cultural Center in Columbia. The event was open to all high school students in the LGBTQIA+ community. Students were encouraged to dress in clothing that they found affirming to their gender and were encouraged to visit the Prom Closet Pop-Up if they didn’t have anything to wear.

The Westminster Veterans Memorial Park will soon add a sidewalk for better access to the planned memorial garden. The 33-acre park, on Crest Lane in Westminster, already includes a walking trail, playground, picnic pavilion and play area. Plans for a memorial garden honoring county veterans are underway. The memorial garden is intended to be a place for reflection and remembrance.

The air quality in the D.C. area shifted into Code Orange early Friday morning but is expected to remain unhealthy for some groups throughout the day. Here’s what you need to know. What is a Code Orange Air Quality Alert? While Code Red means some members of the public may experience health effects and some individuals in sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects, code orange is slightly better.

A process fraught with tense discussions and heated public debate ended Tuesday afternoon as the Montgomery County Board of Education took a final vote to adopt next year’s $3.1 billion school operating budget. “Today marks the completion of the annual operating budget development process,” announced Superintendent Monifa McKnight, who added she was proud the district was able to “get to a point we’re proud of.”

Canceled events, emergency messages and mask-clad pedestrians harked back on Thursday to the frenzy of uncertainty in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic as the Baltimore metropolitan area fell under a “code red” air quality alert for the second consecutive day. Federal, state and local government officials are advising the general public to stay indoors or mask up outside in response to plumes of smoke from Canadian wildfires that have wafted into the mid-Atlantic.