Around Maryland

Several residents evacuated an Annapolis retirement home early Monday morning after a fifth-floor unit caught fire, causing $300,000 worth of damage, according to the Annapolis Fire Department. Fire crews responded to Baywoods of Annapolis at about 3:05 a.m. and were met with heavy smoke conditions when they reached the fifth floor to extinguish a fire affecting one unit at the continuing care facility, according to a news release from the department.

The aftermath of the tornado that struck Smith Island is still visible two months after it carved a destructive path through the sparsely populated Chesapeake Bay archipelago. The EF1 tornado began as a waterspout that continued on land, damaged a number of piers and homes despite not seriously injuring any residents. With winds of 73-112 mph, the most severe damage was to power lines; the home of elderly resident Doris Lee Bradshaw, who was injured while she slept inside; and a bed-and-breakfast, which lost its entire third floor. For Pastor Everett Landon, growing up on the island meant dealing with swift and possibly dangerous inclement weather. He can still see the rubble of the Bradshaw house that has yet to be removed or rebuilt.

As the coronavirus pandemic was upending daily life across the globe in early 2020, government officials challenged scientists to swiftly develop accurate and easy-to-use tests for COVID-19. It was a break in the traditional slog from idea to marketable medical tool. The effort, which included funding and support, proved so successful that it’s now a format for a new initiative funded by the National Institutes of Health. This time, it’s focused on tests and treatments for neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases and migraines. NIH chose the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and Howard University in Washington to lead a new incubator where scientific innovators can receive funding and mentoring from a diverse set of expert scientists and engineers for ideas that are at such an early stage that the government wouldn’t normally take the risk.

Marylanders ages 5 and older are now eligible to receive the updated COVID-19 booster shot, the Maryland Department of Health announced on Thursday. The updated booster shot, also called the bivalent shot, protects people against the original strain of the virus, as well as Omicron BA.4 and BA.5. Children between 5 and 11 years old who have gotten their last COVID-19 primary vaccine or booster shot at least two months ago can now receive an updated booster dose, according to a news release from the state health department on Thursday. “We urge all Marylanders 5 years old and older to get the bivalent booster shot as soon as they can to be COVIDReady and together safely enjoy the colder months and upcoming holidays,” Dennis Schrader, secretary of the state health department, said in the news release.

Rosie Dinh, a nurse practitioner at University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health, recalled a father of a family she saw regularly having a strong family history of breast cancer. He tested positive for colon cancer. The man also tested positive for the BRCA2 genetic mutation, which is a common cause of hereditary breast cancer. So, Dinh, who runs UMUCH’s High-Risk Breast Cancer Clinic, encouraged the man to have his two daughters tested for the mutation, one of whom in her early 30′s tested positive for breast cancer. If it wasn’t for the high-risk clinic,” Dinh said, “this would have been missed, and her diagnosis would be a later stage where it would be harder to treat.” The High-Risk Breast Cancer Clinic is a resource for individuals with an increased risk for developing breast cancer and focuses on its prevention and early detection.

Last week I had the incredible opportunity to tour the B&O Railroad Museum’s new exhibition that examines the historic railroad’s part in the Underground Railroad network of the early-to-mid-1800s.  The Underground Railroad: Freedom Seekers on the B&O Railroad is a new permanent exhibition at the Southwest Baltimore museum and opened late last month. It is located within the museum’s historic Mt. Clare Station that for many years served as a storage space before being given this new purpose. I won’t give too much away because I highly recommend checking it out for yourself, but the three-room exhibit has interactive features for kids, a replica ticket window and a multi-wall video and audio projection experience. The latter tells the stories of two freedom seekers who passed through Baltimore on their way from slavery to freedom.

Harford County has awarded $1 million to eight recipients in the first year of its African American Heritage Grant program, which is dedicated to preserving African American history, according to a county news release. The awards were announced by Harford County Executive Barry Glassman at a reception Wednesday at Liriodendron Mansion in Bel Air. “The people and places that came before us helped shape Harford County,” Glassman said, according to the release. “African Americans are integral to our story and this program will raise up this heritage for future generations.”