Around Maryland

The Montgomery County, Maryland, native nominated to be the county’s new health officer has practiced medicine in the county where she was born and raised; her family goes back multiple generations. “When I think about medical practice, it is about the patient that is sitting in front of you, but it is also about the community that surrounds you — because really, they are all your patients,” said Dr. Kisha Davis.

A proposed update to the way public participation works at Carroll County Board of Education meetings was considered earlier this month by the board, but the issue was tabled Oct. 12 after a mostly negative public response. Carroll County Public Schools staff presented an update to the rules that would limit the maximum number of speakers at each meeting to 15. Members of the public would apply to speak on the day before the board meeting, and would be notified by noon on the day of the meeting if they were chosen to speak.

As Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott works to implement an ambitious plan for curbing the city’s rampant gun violence, his strategy has caught the attention of a national organization dedicated to promoting a public health approach to anti-violence work. Cities United chose Baltimore as the site of its ninth annual conference focused on reimagining public safety that organizers said will draw more than 450 attendees, including local government leaders and community-based, philanthropic, public safety and faith-based organizations from more than 75 cities.

The state Board of Public Works voted Wednesday to approve a $50,000 settlement, to be matched with Baltimore County funds and total $100,000, for a federal lawsuit alleging First Amendment violations by county prosecutors and police — which one board member said “shouldn’t have occurred.” The settlement approval brings to a close the yearslong court battle over how county officials responded to a woman’s alleged 2017 sexual assault.

Beginning this week, water customers in Baltimore City will see a 25% break on their bills for September, Mayor Brandon Scott said Tuesday. The discount will apply to Baltimore residents’ September monthly bills, excluding the $5 Bay Restoration Fund fee. That fee funds wastewater treatment improvements that prevent pollution from leaking into the Chesapeake Bay. Scott first announced the discount in early September, after E. coli bacteria were detected in Baltimore’s water and a boil water advisory was issued Labor Day for a large swath of West Baltimore and part of Baltimore County. When the advisory was lifted, city officials advised residents to flush their pipes and water-using appliances as a precaution.

Children with physical disabilities often require special, and sometimes expensive, bicycle features in order to ride. At a recent event in Westminster, nine volunteers worked to bring the joy of cycling to five Carroll County kids by creating specialized bikes for them. The crew working with Volunteers for Medical Engineering crafted the custom bikes Friday at TownMall of Westminster. “We bring people together as a team so they can use their skills in order to help people with disabilities,” Volunteers for Medical Engineering Program Director Angela Tyler said. Bicycle modifications include flattened pedals, easy-grip handlebars and seat modifications such as harnesses and seat belts. Children in need of adaptive bikes are evaluated and measured by occupational and physical therapists so each bike can be fully customized to their needs.

Grammy nominated pianist and composer Marc-André Hamelin will perform Saturday at UMBC as part of the Candlelight Concert Society’s 50th concert season. Hamelin, nominated for 11 Grammy awards, has been called “a performer of near-superhuman technical prowess” by The New York Times. “He is, without a doubt, one of the most brilliant pianists of today,” Irina Kaplan Lande, Candlelight’s artistic director, said. “It is an incredible opportunity to see him perform live.” Hamelin will perform Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat Major, commonly known as the “Hammerklavier Sonata.” Other works Hamelin will present include selections by Gabriel Fauré and the Maryland premiere of a composition by Hamelin. The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. at UMBC’s Linehan Hall.