Around Maryland

In the once-segregated learning space known as the Historic Sykesville Colored Schoolhouse, a group of nine students have been preparing this week to educate others about significant figures in Black history. The students, members of the Homework Club at the Historic Sykesville Colored Schoolhouse will share what they’ve learned Sunday at 11 a.m., during a special Black History Month event at the White Rock Independent Methodist Episcopal Church, 6300 White Rock Road in Sykesville.

As former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) was heading out the door a few weeks ago, his administration attempted to push through changes to the state’s vehicle emissions inspection (VEIP) program — over the objections of environmentalists and a legislative panel that examines proposed state regulations. But now the new regulation — and an accompanying procurement process designed to execute the Hogan administration’s plan to scale back emissions inspections — has been put on hold.

Two more whale strandings reported in recent weeks, including one in New Jersey and one near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, had federal lawmakers again calling for a moratorium on offshore wind energy development projects. Over the span of a couple of weeks last month, deceased whales of various sizes and species stranded on the beaches across the mid-Atlantic, largely in New Jersey and New York, but also on Assateague. There, a nearly 34-foot humpback washed up on the beach in the over-sand vehicle (OSV) area.

The selection process for a new suburban FBI headquarters campus appears to be in its final stretch, and Virginia and Maryland lawmakers are making their final pitches for the massive project. As required by the federal 2023 omnibus spending bill, the General Services Administration will hold “separate and detailed consultations” with representatives from both states in late February and early March as it determines the best location for a new consolidated FBI headquarters, a multibillion-dollar development that could house as many as 7,500 employees. This could be the final set of reviews before the feds make a decision on what promises to be a titanic economic development win.

A Harford County Circuit Court judge ruled Wednesday morning that County Council member Jacob Bennett may not serve on the council while employed as a Harford County Public Schools teacher. Judge Richard Bernhardt delivered the ruling following a Tuesday hearing in which he stated a quick decision was needed on the matter. Before delivering the ruling, Bernhardt said no matter the outcome, “No doubt, there’ll be future review.”

Four infants have died in Baltimore County in the past two months due to unsafe sleeping conditions, according to the county health officer, who called on health care providers to step up safe-sleep education efforts for new parents and other caregivers. “Over the last two months, we have seen four preliminary findings of sleep-related deaths in infants. While one such death is cause for sounding an alarm, four is what we normally see over the course of an entire year,” said Dr. Gregory Wm. Branch, the health officer, in a statement.

Officials in Montgomery County, Maryland, are handing out 10,000 more free laptops to low-income county residents over the next three months. The laptops will be handed out, while supplies last, at distribution events hosted by the county. The next event is Feb. 16 at the Executive Office Building cafeteria in Rockville from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The county has already handed out more than 40,000 free laptops, mostly to low-income households, officials said.