Around Maryland

Three respiratory illnesses flu, RSV and COVID-19 are all circulating right now among children. The so-called triple-demic is straining pediatric hospital capacity, and, in some areas, parents are noticing a shortage of over-the-counter ibuprofen and acetaminophen for kids. It’s a demand issue. Children are getting sick, parents are looking for relief for them, and so those medicines are flying off the shelf.

The Anne Arundel County Board of Education voted Wednesday to adopt a 2023-2024 school year calendar that starts before Labor Day. Under the calendar, which passed by a vote of 6-2, public schools will begin Aug. 28, 2023, and end June 13, 2024. This schedule was one of two options provided by the Calendar Committee. The other option had classes starting after Labor Day.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and community leaders on Monday announced the expansion of the Group Violence Reduction Strategy. Starting in 2023, the strategy will go beyond the western police district. It will be citywide by mid-2024. The strategy “engages directly with those most intimately involved in and affected by violence, leveraging an intentional collaboration between law enforcement, social services, and community members who collectively co-sign and deliver an anti-violence message to stop the shooting,” according to the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement.

While pregnant with her firstborn, Ana Rodney looked forward to a nine-month journey that culminated with a joyous return home from the hospital with her baby. Then reality hit, and Rodney found herself suffering alone. Rodney, 37, delivered Aiden, 7, under traumatic circumstances. He was born three months premature, weighed one pound, five ounces and spent six months in the neonatal intensive care unit at the University of Maryland Medical Center. All the while, she endured personal tragedy, unemployment and homelessness.

Juul Labs will pay Maryland $13 million under an agreement that resolves a multistate investigation into the e-cigarette company’s marketing and sales practices, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh announced Tuesday. Over the next five to nine years, Juul agreed to give $434.5 million to 33 states and territories, with the total settlement increasing to more than $476.6 million if the company takes the full nine years to pay. Frosh first announced the tentative agreement in September. The attorneys general said Juul targeted youth in its advertising campaigns, using launch parties, young models and social media posts as well as flavors that were appealing to underage customers, according to a news release.