Sunday, December 22, 2024 | Baltimore, MD
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Around Maryland

Captured in a metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia primary school, this photograph depicts a typical classroom scene, where an audience of school children were seated on the floor before a teacher at the front of the room, who was reading an illustrated storybook, during one of the scheduled classroom sessions. Assisting the instructor were two female students to her left, and a male student on her right, who was holding up the book, while the seated classmates were raising their hands to answer questions related to the story just read.
Teachers union reaches contract agreement with Baltimore County Public Schools following yearslong negotiations

After years of negotiating over a new pay scale, the Teachers Association of Baltimore County and the public school system have agreed upon a tentative contract for the upcoming school year. Although union representatives have already voted on the agreement, members of the union, known as TABCO, still have to vote on the contract before it’s ratified.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Maryland gas tax will go up to 47 cents per gallon in July

Maryland motorists will have to dig a little deeper at the gas pump starting July 1. The state tax rate of a gallon of gas will increase to 47 cents per gallon, an increase of more than 10% compared to the current rate. Over the last two years, the rate has increased by 30% due to inflation and surging fuel prices. Owners of diesel-powered vehicles will experience a similar increase with the state gas tax increasing from nearly 43.5 cents per gallon to nearly 47.8 cents per gallon on July 1.

Sixteen new lieutenants in Carroll’s Fire and EMS department to be inducted this week

Carroll County will induct 16 lieutenants into the new Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services Thursday during a commissioning ceremony that county officials are calling historic. The induction comes three years after the county created its first combination fire and EMS department. “It’s extremely important,” District 5 Commissioner Ed Rothstein said.

Will new process change how Baltimore County officers fare when contesting use-of-force violations?

A Baltimore County Police trial board found last week that an officer used reasonable force when, according to a county attorney prosecuting the case, he struck an unruly suspect in the head 15 to 20 times while the man was on the floor in 2020. Earlier last week, the same county attorney dismissed a separate use-of-force allegation against the same police officer, David J. Folderauer Jr., who struck a man in the head with a flashlight during an incident in 2021, according to the officer’s defense lawyer.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Frederick County Public Libraries’ Summer Challenge returns

Frederick County Public Libraries welcomes back readers and explorers of all ages for its annual summer reading program, being held June 1 to Aug. 15. As in years past, this summer, FCPL is challenging you to read books and visit community destinations. Read for at least 20 days this summer, and you’ll not only build a healthy new habit, you will earn rewards.

 

Executive director of long-troubled Purple Line is out

The long-troubled Purple Line development is undergoing more change, as two key leaders, Executive Director Matthew Pollack and Communications Director David Abrams, are out at the Purple Line, a state transportation spokeswoman announced Friday. The 16-mile light-rail line will extend from Bethesda to New Carrollton in Prince George’s County. The line is owned by the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA).

 

Read More: MOCO360
As blue catfish overwhelm the Chesapeake Bay, barriers remain to weeding them out

Jose Argueta ran his knife along the spine of a Northern snakehead, pulling the meat from the body of one of the Chesapeake Bay’s most threatening invasive fish. An inspector stood over his shoulder in a white lab coat, embroidered with the letters “USDA.” But she paid little mind to the snakehead on the table, inside the kitchen-sized slicing room at BSA Seafood in Queen Anne’s County’s Grasonville.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Records reveal mounting problems at a city-backed apartment complex in West Baltimore

Nearly two decades ago, Baltimore officials made an ambitious promise to the residents of Poppleton, a predominantly Black neighborhood west of downtown. The city would spend millions of dollars buying property, moving residents and razing structures to clear 14 acres of land that would be given exclusively to one developer. In return, that developer would create a new, diverse, vibrant mini-city with room for them to return.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Montgomery County schools consider a financial literacy graduation requirement

The Montgomery County school board is considering requiring a financial literacy course to graduate, joining a growing number of school systems intent on providing students with skills to make better money decisions later in life. The school system currently offers the lessons in elective courses including personal finance and financial mathematics.

Long-range plan contemplates nearly $4 billion for Baltimore region transit corridors

A reimagining of the long-awaited Red Line transportation system could connect Howard County to eastern Baltimore County. The proposed expansion is part of a 25-year regional transportation plan released by the Baltimore Metropolitan Council. The plan also includes a multibillion transit corridor connecting Towson to Baltimore City.

 

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