Advisory committees created to help assess subject areas in Blueprint education plan

As work continues to implement a multi-billion-dollar education reform plan, some educators, public school administrators and students are meeting to offer suggestions on it. They are organized into four advisory committees to provide expertise for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Accountability and Implementation Board. Each committee met virtually Wednesday to address four particular subjects: early childhood education, high-quality and diverse teachers and leaders, college and career readiness and more resources for students to be successful.

U.S. Justice Department awards nearly $5.5 million to violence intervention groups in Baltimore

Three community-based organizations in Baltimore have been awarded nearly $5.5 million in federal grants for violence intervention efforts. The Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs on Thursday announced grant awards totaling $100 million to help communities across the U.S. reduce gun crime and other serious violence. Department officials made the announcement during a visit to Baltimore. Amy L. Solomon, the office’s principal deputy assistant attorney general, announced local awards during a roundtable hosted by Roca Baltimore, one of recipients. The Black Mental Health Alliance for Education and Consultation and the Living Classrooms Foundation in Baltimore were also awarded.

Cheeseburgers, ‘emoji fries’ and fruit: Inside Baltimore City’s school lunch program

It’s 10:30 a.m. and the pre-K students at Curtis Bay Elementary School were lining up for lunch. Across a metal counter that rises to their shoulders, they cautiously slid compostable trays, staring wide-eyed at the staff who place cheeseburgers and smiley-faced “emoji fries” on their plates. “How can you not love ‘em?” asked cafeteria manager Patricia Newman, a 27-year veteran of the school system who attended this school as a child. As the kids teetered toward their lunch tables, trying not to spill, Newman made a note on a clipboard to ensure that every student grabbed a piece of fruit or a vegetable, as required by federal guidelines.

AAA hopes expanded ‘Move Over’ law makes Maryland roads safer

A new Maryland law takes effect this weekend that requires motorists to move over when any vehicle is on the side of the road displaying hazards or flares. The state’s newly expanded “Move Over” law takes effect Saturday, and officials with AAA said it will save lives. “We certainly hope so,” AAA Mid-Atlantic spokeswoman Ragina Ali said, “Unfortunately, studies have shown that most people do not know that there’s a slow-down/move-over law. And if they do, they’re not abiding by it.”

Family of Hae Min Lee to appeal Baltimore judge’s decision to free Adnan Syed

The brother of Hae Min Lee submitted notice to the Maryland courts that he intends to appeal the decision last week to overturn the murder conviction of Adnan Syed, the subject of the hit podcast “Serial.” Steven Kelly, the attorney for Young Lee, filed notice Wednesday of his intent to appeal the decision to the Maryland Court of Special Appeals. The Baltimore Banner obtained the notice.

Report details alarming levels of toxins being dumped in Md. waterways

Industrial facilities dumped at least 94,000 pounds of toxic chemicals, including PFAS, into Maryland’s waterways in 2020, according to a report released Wednesday by the Maryland PIRG Foundation. The startling and sobering report, “Wasting Our Waterways,” takes statistics from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxics Release Inventory for 2020 and puts the health of Maryland’s waterways in the context of broader national environmental trends. “Our children deserve a safe and healthy future,” said Maryland PIRG State Director Emily Scarr.

New Md. area code ‘227’ may premiere in 2023

Maryland telephone users may have to grapple with the area code “227” as early as next year because available numbers with familiar area codes such as “301” and “240” are running out, officials said Wednesday. In a statement, the Maryland Public Service Commission said “227” will serve the same geographic area as “301” and “240” after it approved a request from the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) last month.

Baltimore City teachers, prospects say the district’s hiring and certification processes make it difficult to get hired

Some Baltimore City teachers say the process of getting hired and certified for a teaching job is slow and frustrating, forcing some candidates to turn away from the city system and accept jobs in neighboring counties. While part of the difficulty is the pace of processing applications through the district’s Human Capital Office, teachers say Maryland state certification rules also make getting the necessary credentials too complicated. The complaints come at one of the worst possible times for the school system. This spring and summer the system went on a hiring spree to replace hundreds of teachers who had left and to fill some 600 new positions that were created when tens of millions of dollars in new federal and state funds flowed into school system coffers.

Let’s dish: Wings for the Ravens vs. Bills, vegan eatery moving and changes at Columbia lakefront

Welcome back to “Let’s dish.” This week, I’ll recommend an Ellicott City spot for soup dumplings and give you the rundown on a Black-owned vegan restaurant planning to merge with a bookstore in Waverly, as well as a new seafood restaurant preparing to fill the hole left by Clyde’s in Columbia. But first, let’s prep for Ravens game day. Chicken wings are required eating for any football game in my book, but especially when the Ravens are playing the Buffalo Bills. Ahead of this Sunday’s matchup, I went on Twitter to ask readers where to eat wings near M&T Bank Stadium.

BOPA’s leader pledged to ‘dim the lights’ on Baltimore’s outdoor arts festivals. Now the city feels left in the dark.

The head of the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts once pledged publicly to “dim the lights a little” on Baltimore’s beloved outdoor arts festivals. City residents will find out next month what that means for Artscape, a supersized extravaganza that has been the centerpiece of the city’s festival season for four decades. When Donna Drew Sawyer, BOPA’s chief executive director, unveils the details of the 2023 Artscape at an Oct. 20 news conference, it will cap an at-times intense battle over the future of the festivals that has been fought in government offices, at public meetings and behind the scenes for the past six months.