Around Maryland

Maryland health officials have launched a dashboard to detail cases of monkeypox, and the latest numbers show the 461 cases are largely in Baltimore City and the suburbs of Washington. Infections are disproportionately affecting Black residents, with almost half of the cases, and they are largely younger adults. Almost half, 47.5%, are in their 30s and about a quarter are in their 20s. The dashboard was created by the Maryland Department of Health to better under.

As the school year began Monday, Anne Arundel County Public Schools is wrestling with a shortage of teachers, bus drivers, food service workers, custodians and more, as are other districts in the state and nation. In July, the system that serves more than 84,000 children reported 418 vacant classroom teaching positions. That number has dropped to 216 as of Aug. 29, schools spokesman Bob Mosier said.

On Wednesday, Carroll County will officially mark International Overdose Awareness Day with activities aimed at boosting awareness about lives lost and local residents affected by substance abuse. International Overdose Awareness Day was initiated in 2001 to expand awareness, honor individuals lost to overdose and acknowledge the grief of those left behind. It is an opportunity to grieve, and honor loved ones, according to the staff at the Carroll County Health Department.

When Baltimore-area children return to school Monday, some of them will have a new spot to read and socialize. The Baltimore Hunger Project, My New Book Inc. and the Towson Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks worked together to bring “My Cozy Corners” to life in Baltimore City and Baltimore County schools. The Towson Elks Lodge No. 469 covered most of the costs thanks to a grant from the National Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. The project fits the Baltimore Hunger Project’s mission statement of feeding not only the body but also the mind, and My New Book’s goal of making sure every child has a book.

Four Baltimore County Police officers opened fire on a motorist in Dundalk in April, shooting through the car’s front and rear windows as the driver tried to get away. Video from a nearby car’s dashboard camera shows a chaotic scene: A black sedan collides with an unmarked county police vehicle, then reverses and moves as if to leave. An officer fires at least one shot through the windshield, as others shout for the driver to get out. The sedan keeps moving, and an officer fires another shot at the car.

Maryland’s second-largest school district is facing roughly 900 vacancies among its 10,000 employees, which may force it to combine classes in the upcoming school year. Prince George’s County Public Schools CEO Monica Goldson wrote to the school system community in a back-to-school letter this week, detailing ongoing challenges in the school system, specifically staffing vacancies.