Around Maryland

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky surprised graduates at Johns Hopkins University’s commencement on Thursday, speaking to them in a live stream about his country’s fight to restore freedom and the students’ own futures. “I will not be too long,” said Zelensky, telling the crowd that time is of the essence, more valuable than even oil, uranium and lithium.

The Howard County Council added a competitive bidding process to access state funds for a new lakefront library in Columbia, a project for which the Howard Hughes Corp. had been selected. County officials revealed plans for the new library in March and said they expected it to become the community’s crown jewel. At 100,000 square feet, the library will cost around $144 million and will include other amenities such as an auditorium, a literacy classroom and a digital lab, officials said.

Children and teens gathering in Baltimore during nighttime hours this summer could be ordered to vacate or be transported to what officials are calling a Youth Connection Center, according to a memo from the Baltimore Police commissioner. The police document outlines how officers who encounter a crowd of 10 or more school-aged residents should instruct them to disperse in three successive announcements, before members of the group could be relocated by a Youth Connection Center employee.

Local political and civil rights leaders gathered in Severn Wednesday morning to condemn the young man whose neighborhood walks with a semiautomatic rifle have garnered national attention this past week. Together, they called for the armed demonstrations to stop, saying they’re inciting fear in the community, and suggested his actions may inspire further gun control regulation next year.

There's been a big effort to repair roads across Baltimore City. Mayor Brandon Scott's 'Build-Better-B- More' initiative was launched in June with the goal to repair 9,000 potholes and resurface miles of city roads over the next 90 days.

You can’t afford not to buy the hottest newly listed property in Anne Arundel County. Meade Senior High School, at 1100 Clark Road in Fort Meade, was listed on Zillow — as a prank — for $42,069. The listing boasts about the school’s “nice spacious kitchen and dining room” and “private basketball court” and “private study!!”

Everybody loves the Blue Angels, right? It’s a great show. Parents let their kids play hooky to see it. Thousands of boats fill up the Severn River. If you plan to view the show, which gets underway at 2 p.m. Wednesday, one thing you want is a great memory. The other thing is a photo. Not just any photo, but a picture showing the power and audacity of the Navy’s Flight Demonstration Team.

Representatives of the Berlin Fire Company told town leaders the funding the municipality is proposing would not get the agency through the year. “We can’t operate on inadequate funds the entire year,” attorney Joe Moore said. Moore and David Fitzgerald, president of the Berlin Fire Company and Berlin Emergency Medical Services, met with Mayor Zack Tyndall and the town council on Monday during a work session.