Around Maryland

Erica Brooks, a graduating senior at Overlea High School in Baltimore County, had a tough high school experience. She lost her dad as a freshman and she was forced to learn virtually her sophomore year because of the pandemic. But with the help of an academic resource center, she not only bounced back but finished her classes early. She’ll walk across the stage with her peers on Wednesday.

After a lengthy negotiation process to settle on a bill that would raise the debt ceiling in order for the U.S. government to avoid default, the bill now expands the age range in which a person needs to be employed, or in a work training program, in order to receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits.

Nate Fleming had pulled up at a gas station in Northeast Washington on his way home when the red minivan appeared out of the corner of his eye. The van sped up and screeched to a halt next to his dark 2014 BMW sedan. Two people — masked and dressed in all black — flung open the doors of the van and jumped out. One pointed a gun at Fleming, who threw his keys and ran, while the other got into the BMW. Both cars then sped away.

In Maryland, it’s easy to forget that the Chesapeake Bay is more than just the wide, glittering body of water that cleaves the state roughly in half. The bay watershed is in fact a complicated network of land and waterways spread over six states and the District of Columbia, through a variety of topography, taking in different cultures, economies and political dynamics.

A large group of Muslim and Christian protesters gathered outside Montgomery County Public School headquarters in Rockville on Tuesday morning carrying banners stating “religious freedom” as they chanted, “Protect our children!” On the other side of the street, a smaller group of counter-protesters waved rainbow flags and danced to Lady Gaga songs playing over a boombox as they chanted back, “Protect all children!”

The Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) awarded a five-year contract to transportation company Zum to provide 250 carbon-neutral buses for the district’s fleet. Zum will provide HCPSS with 250 new school buses and the most advanced technology solution geared toward student safety. Through the Zum app, HCPSS parents will be able to view the complete profile of their child’s driver, along with real-time tracking and notifications about their school bus location and their child’s pickup or dropoff status.