Around Maryland

A fuel tanker crash and explosion that killed the truck’s driver and damaged six homes on Saturday probably will require a cleanup of contaminated soil at the site along Route 15 in Frederick County, Maryland Department of the Environment officials said Sunday. Five units of the department and a contractor with vacuum trucks responded to the emergency, which was reported after noon Saturday, recovering materials from the remains of the tanker as well as overseeing the removal of fuel and flushing of the area’s storm drain system, the agency said.

A new survey by the Maryland Department of Health shows a decrease in substance abuse issues among the state’s youth between 2021 and 2022 while. At the same time, there was also an increase in mental health challenges due to the pandemic. The Maryland Youth Risk Behavior Survey and Youth Tobacco Survey, conducted in the fall of 2021, involved close to 60,000 students in 366 public middle and high schools. It also looked at COVID-19 screen time, mental health status and other “adverse childhood” experiences.

Hundreds of thousands of Marylanders are experiencing a significant cut to their federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits this week. During the pandemic, the food assistance program issued extra funds to low-income households, called emergency allotments, to help weather the national emergency. And now, amid record high inflation and benefits theft, emergency allotments are coming to an end. “There’s no making up for this,” said Maryland Hunger Solutions Director Michael J. Wilson. “This is going to be devastating.”

If money were no object, where would you move? Baltimore was a top choice, according to a recent national poll. Fourteen percent of respondents who moved last year said Baltimore was among the five cities where they’d want to relocate. The poll, in which people shared their motivations, experiences and disappointments with moving, was conducted by Home Bay, a real estate advice website, and was featured in The New York Times.

Starting next week, drivers heading to the Eastern Shore over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge will encounter a new automatic lane closure system during two-way traffic on the westbound span of the bridge. The system will roll out March 6 on the Western Shore near U.S. 50/U.S. 301, the Maryland Transportation Authority announced. This system is aimed at improving safety for motorists and road crews by using overhead signals and automatic gates to close lanes, instead of barrels.

Dozens of upset Eldersburg residents packed the South Carroll Senior Center on Tuesday night, speaking out against a four- or five-story storage facility proposed for their neighborhood. Carroll County Sheriff’s Office deputies parked outside the senior center in Eldersburg as the meeting inside at times became contentious and heated. Carroll County Commissioners’ President Ed Rothstein, who represents District 5, which includes Eldersburg, and storage facility developer representative Mike Castellitto were peppered with questions and concerns from angry residents.