Around Maryland

The American Lung Association in Maryland Tuesday announced the start of its 2025-2026 research awards and grants cycle, expanding its research opportunities with two new awards The new awards include a grant supporting research on the impact of indoor air quality on lung health, and a joint research award in partnership with the American Thoracic Society to commemorate the Lung Association’s 120th anniversary.

Free pre-K is on the table for every 4-year-old in Baltimore City, giving parents a reprieve as the price of child care soars — even if it sometimes means accepting an open spot outside of a family’s neighborhood school. Baltimore City Public Schools is ahead of the curve in offering what effectively amounts to universal prekindergarten for 4-year-olds, as the district has done for at least a decade.

Whether or not the replacement Francis Scott Key Bridge will be fully federally funded — or if the state of Maryland will need to chip in 10% of it — remains to be seen, but one sizable payment that will cover a portion of the rebuild has already landed. The Maryland Transportation Authority received a $350 million insurance payout this month from Chubb, the Key Bridge’s insurer.

Parents would be able to let their children advance to the fourth grade, even if they failed to meet reading standards that would otherwise lead to them being held back, under a proposed revision to the state’s controversial literacy program. The change, reviewed Tuesday by the state Board of Education, comes as parents and advocates have filed nearly 1,000 comments in response to the literacy plan unveiled last month, and its proposal to retain third graders who are not reading at level.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is investigating a housing discrimination complaint against Baltimore County government leaders after an Owings Mills business owner alleged being obstructed from a development opportunity based on her race and gender. Angela D. Coleman, the leader of an organization called Sisterhood Agenda Inc., filed the complaint with HUD in April and received notification in May that it had been accepted by the federal government for investigation, according to documents reviewed by The Baltimore Banner.

Since 2017, train cars from as far away as Alberta, Canada, have carried propane and butane to Underwood Energy’s rail yard in Sparrows Point. There, the company transfers the gas onto tractor trailers bound for customers throughout the region, who use it to cook, heat or resell. Owner Sean Underwood told The Baltimore Sun that more than 70% of the trucks used to head south from his facility, a route that took them over the Francis Scott Key Bridge, until March 26, when the massive cargo ship Dali toppled the span.

Gaithersburg’s Adventist HealthCare and Howard University Tuesday announced that Roger A. Mitchell Jr., MD will serve as the next president of Howard University Hospital, as part of the management service agreement between the two organizations as they continue discussions for long-term partnership. Mitchell will begin his leadership of the hospital after Howard University Hospital President Anita Jenkins steps away from the position on Sept. 13.