Around Maryland

A federal grand jury indicted Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins, 66, of Thurmont, and Robert Justin Krop, 36, of Frederick on Wednesday on charges of conspiring and making false statements to illegally acquire machine guns. The Frederick News-Post consulted a firearms attorney and reviewed firearms laws to more closely examine the charges against Jenkins and Krop.

For 50 years, the Worcester County Developmental Center (WCDC) has helped local people with intellectual disabilities find meaningful employment, gain independence, and increase their self-worth. WCDC’s headquarters is in Newark, and the center also operates seven group homes in Ocean Pines. Executive Director Jack Ferry is an Ocean Pines homeowner. Ferry said the center first opened in September 1973.

Reading the long-awaited report detailing 80 years of child sexual abuse throughout the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore, as well as the impending news cycle, can bring mixed, complex feelings to victims reliving their trauma. But with preparation, the catharsis can outweigh the pain, victims’ advocates and survivors say.The report released Wednesday is nearly 500 pages long and tells how 158 clergy sexually abused and tortured more than 600 children and young adults, as  well as how the church covered it up and protected abusers.

A Harford County teacher is not disqualified from serving on the County Council because of his teaching job.  The Maryland Supreme Court, in a four-page order, overturned a lower court decision and ordered the Harford County Circuit Court to enter a judgment that will allow Jacob Bennett to serve on the council while also employed as a teacher in the Harford County Public Schools system.

The federal COVID emergency ends on May 11 after over three years, though it may end sooner if President Joe Biden signs a bill passed by the House and Senate. So what will that look like for you and how will local health departments respond moving forward? “For a lot of people, they may not notice a significant change,” said deputy chief for public health services, Sean O’Donnell with the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services.

A code amendment defining non-accessory employee housing will advance to the Mayor and Council for discussion. On Tuesday, Planning and Community Development Director Bill Neville presented the Ocean City Planning and Zoning Commission with a draft code amendment allowing non-accessory employee housing. Neville said the changes would be presented to the Mayor and Council next week before it advancing to a public hearing in May.

The familiar rumble of Baltimore City’s diesel school buses will soon give way to quieter electric vehicles transporting about 350 students beginning next year. The city school system has entered into a public-private partnership with Massachusetts-based Highland Electric Fleets, which plans to install 25 chargers to fuel 20 electric school buses during the 2023-24 academic year, the company announced Tuesday. Funded through a combination of federal and state grants and tax credits, the 12-year contract is similar to Highland’s partnership with Montgomery County school system, which is operating more than 300 electric school buses.