Around Maryland

Officials on Wednesday are expected to approve the nearly $9 million purchase of a rural resort in the state’s westernmost county, but a legislator representing the area said the state has left residents in the dark about its plans. Area residents who have felt that the resort, which opened in 1999, has inhibited their hunting spots or state park access may feel especially strong about what the state has in store for the land.

A few dozen electric vehicle charging stations are coming into disadvantaged communities in Maryland and Virginia, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments announced. The initiative is being funded using nearly $4 million in grant funding that the COG received from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration.

A West Baltimore clinic that treats and tests thousands of people for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections stopped seeing patients sometime in August. City health officials can’t say when it will reopen. The Druid Sexual Health Clinic is in disrepair, and the staff can only send patients off with an appointment at a clinic across town and a voucher to help pay for transportation. Treatment used to be free to everyone and now comes at a cost.

The Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works has been working to minimize disruptions to garbage and recycling collection while the employees of one of its independent contractors remain on strike. The contracted workers from Ecology Services Inc. have been on strike for seven days after contract negotiations fell apart. The workers, represented by Teamsters Local 150, are demanding better pay and working conditions.

The youth curfew ordinance in Cambridge, initially enacted in February 2023, was extended by the Cambridge City Council ahead of its October 1 expiration date. The youth curfew ordinance is designed to reduce juvenile crime and gun violence in Cambridge. The extension of the curfew aims to continue fostering a safer environment for Cambridge's youth and the broader community in the coming year.

Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski announced his choice for Baltimore County's next fire chief in 30-year veteran Joseph Dixon. If approved, he would become Baltimore County's first Black fire chief and would replace Interim Chief Scott Ebbert who served in that role since July. Ebbert will continue with the Baltimore County Fire Department at his previous Assistant Fire Chief position.

The Maryland Supreme Court on Tuesday is set to hear oral argument about the constitutionality of a state law eliminating the statute of limitations for survivors of child sexual abuse to file lawsuits and making it easier for them to sue institutions that enabled their victimization. The justices are set to consider the issue at 10 a.m. in the Robert C. Murphy Courts of Appeal Building in Annapolis. The state’s highest court will issue a decision at a later date.

One of North America’s biggest trash companies has accused Baltimore County of cutting it out of the bidding process and granting its rival a pricey contract to transport trash. The Baltimore County Council approved a $1.2 billion contract in April for Republic Services to haul commercial garbage from the county’s three trash facilities and dispose of it in landfills in Little Plymouth and Richmond, Virginia. The contract began July 1 and can run for up to 20 years, according to fiscal notes.