Around Maryland

Baltimore City Public School students inside Claremont Middle and High School gathered on Friday to learn the fundamentals of computer coding. High school senior Felicia Mosely-Putman stood in the hallway of Claremont with green and purple tiles from Sphero Kits. “It’s fun and I hope we keep doing it,” said Mosely-Putman. She worked together with seniors Jason Ford, Tashauna Fisher, and Ciera Luck on the project during computer science education week where students dedicate one hour each day to learn computer coding. Ford chimed in, “It’s fun, we enjoy coding and working with different people.” National non-profit Code.org awarded $10,000 each to Claremont and Maree G. Farring Elementary and Middle School for teachers to purchase new technology and develop computer science courses.

The Maryland Court of Special Appeals on Monday scheduled oral argument for Feb. 2 to consider an appeal from the family of Hae Min Lee seeking a redo of a hearing at which a judge threw out the conviction of Adnan Syed for her killing — a case that received worldwide attention in the podcast “Serial.” Steve Kelly, an attorney representing Young Lee, Hae Min Lee’s brother, contends that his client neither received adequate notice nor an opportunity to meaningfully participate in the hearing — in violation of his rights as a victim of crime in Maryland.

An annual audit of Baltimore’s finances found instances of serious fault with how well the city adheres to rules governing federal contracts. City Comptroller Bill Henry noted Monday that a company that contracts with the city to review city finances had found four “significant deficiencies” concerning contracts with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development during fiscal year 2021.

The family of a man whose body was found hours after a building fire is seeking answers as to why Baltimore firefighters failed to find and rescue him. Firefighters on Dec. 3 responded about 11:30 p.m. to the 2500 block of West Lexington Street in West Baltimore for a two-story, commercial building fire with heavy fire and smoke, according to officials.

Student Strong, a new student designed app offering mental health and crisis resources, is on the way to Montgomery County Public Schools students. The app includes safe reporting options for students who experienced sexual assault and harassment. The idea for the app was brought up by three students who graduated from Montgomery Blair High School and were passionate about supporting victims returning to in-person learning in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Three voters who filed a lawsuit seeking to block the Baltimore Police Department from signing an agreement with the Johns Hopkins University that’s necessary for the school to develop its own private, armed police force have dropped the legal action. Donald Gresham, Kushan Ratnayake and Joan Floyd on Dec. 7 voluntarily moved in Baltimore Circuit Court to dismiss the case. They live near where the Johns Hopkins Police Department would have jurisdiction to patrol certain areas and make arrests for some crimes.

A federal judge has handed a victory to a group of journalists and advocates who argued that Maryland’s ban on broadcasting legally obtained recordings of court hearings violated the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Senior U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett granted summary judgment in favor of the group late last week and ruled that the Maryland ban failed to pass strict scrutiny. “The State of Maryland remains free to prohibit live broadcasting from the courtroom, and to regulate the release of shielded records and video recordings under the Maryland Rules,” Bennett wrote in his 48-page opinion.