Around Maryland

Catholic Charities of Baltimore will be opening up a center that will provide resources to those impacted by the Key Bridge collapse. In the five months since the collapse, so much has changed for so many people. For Bethany Cunningham, it means more traffic. “It took my commute from 13 minutes to now 45-50,” Cunningham said.

DaLawn Parrish recalled receiving a call during a football practice from John Kelley, the head coach of Quince Orchard High School in Montgomery County, Maryland. As they spoke, Kelley questioned Parrish, the coach for Dr. Henry Wise Jr. High School, on the late times for his practices. After explaining the late bell schedule and giving the players 20 minutes to change before practice, Parrish was surprised to hear his coaching rival was away from his players.

Air pollution in South Baltimore’s Curtis Bay — a residential area surrounded by industrial facilities — is on par with pollution near major highways and the city’s downtown area, according to a new study by the University of Maryland and other collaborators. The study, published last week in the Journal of the Air and Waste Management Association, focused on the prevalence of black carbon in Curtis Bay and other pollution hot spots in the region.

Montgomery County police and the Maryland school system’s new security chief say there will be more collaboration in the upcoming school year. During an online briefing, Marcus Jones, Montgomery County Public Schools’ new security chief, said “safety is a top priority” for the school system. Jones, who retired after nearly four decades with the Montgomery County Police Department, said that he’s in the process of talking to other school districts about their experiences with weapons detections systems.

Local officials shared their concern Tuesday after recently learning that continued state funding for designing the second phase of widening Interstate 81 would not be in the Maryland Department of Transportation’s draft six-year transportation plan. The construction money for the next widening phase was deferred last winter, but the planning and design money had remained in the state’s plan.

Testing recently conducted by the Maryland Department of the Environment found eight Frederick County Public Schools where levels of certain chemicals in drinking water exceeded new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency limits. In an email on Wednesday, FCPS spokesperson Brandon Oland confirmed that the students, staff and families at eight schools that tested with elevated levels in the district were notified late last week of the test results.

The Baltimore Police Department will launch a pilot program in January that provides 100 employees with a financial stipend to cover child care expenses to help boost the depleted agency’s recruitment and retention. The stipends, up to $250 per month and $3,000 annually, will be made available to 100 qualifying professional staff and sworn officers with children younger than 13 years old or who have special needs, according to the department.

Baltimore scored millions in a settlement with the popular e-cigarette brand Juul, officials said Wednesday, the latest addition to the city’s pile of cash after a summer of settlements with pharmaceutical companies. Juul Labs Inc. can pay Baltimore either $7.5 million by the end of 2024 or $8 million over three years, according to a news release.