Around Maryland

A unanimous Maryland Supreme Court has ruled against Montgomery Park in its effort to reopen the bidding for the Maryland Insurance Administration’s lease, a contract the Pigtown office building was the front-runner to win until the state renewed MIA’s lease in downtown Baltimore for 10 years and about $17 million in 2020. In a 7-0 decision, the high court said Friday that the Department of General Services – the state’s leasing agency – validly withdrew its request for bids on MIA’s lease after Montgomery Park had made its offer.

The American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore came in second place in USA TODAY’s contest for the “Best Art Museum” in the country, with the top honor going to the Detroit Institute of Arts. A panel of experts nominated museums for the contest, which were narrowed down to 10 by the USA TODAY 10Best editors and voted upon by readers. Readers were able cast one vote per category each day. “Located next to downtown Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) is America’s official national museum and education center for self-taught and intuitive artistry. Created with materials from roots to toothpicks, farmers, homemakers, people without housing, and others have donated their art to this museum, transforming dreams and loss into works of art,” the 10Best editors wrote.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore adopted a new family member Friday – a fluffy mixed-breed rescue puppy, the Maryland SPCA in Hampden said. Moore tweeted a series of photos Friday evening of him and his children with their new furry friend. The governor also shared the pup’s full name, a nod to Charm City: Tucker Balti Moore. “Tonight @DawnFlytheMoore, Mia, James, and I welcome a new member of our family: Tucker Balti Moore! Thank you to @MDSPCA for helping us adopt our new energetic family member. We can’t wait to run through Government House and the streets of Annapolis with Tucker!” Moore tweeted.

The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration launched “Operation Clean Sweep Maryland” Friday — aiming to increase litter removal along roadways throughout the state. As part of the effort, the state will double how frequently crews pick up litter and mow along Maryland roads. Maryland will also hire more state employees to help with litter pickup. Operation Clean Sweep Maryland is beginning in the D.C. and Baltimore areas. “Maryland’s highways connect us to friends, family, schools, jobs and recreation, and serve as the welcome mat for visitors to our state,” Acting Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said in a news release.

The Anne Arundel County Council refined a new bill Tuesday to relax existing laws around creating accessory dwelling units. The legislation, sponsored by Democratic Council members Lisa Rodvien, of Annapolis, Allison Pickard, of Glen Burnie, and Julie Hummer, of Laurel, would make it easier for homeowners to create spaces, commonly referred to as secondary suites, accessory apartments and “granny” flats, on the property of a single-family home where another person could live independently.

The Baltimore County Police Department said its constantly reallocating resources based on crime trends, including a recent spate of violence in Towson. As the investigation into the fatal shooting of a teenager Monday night continues, police are adjusting patrols. Using data, county police said they determine the most appropriate strategy to handle any uptick in crime.