Around Maryland

A third of Maryland fifth and eighth graders scored “proficient” on standardized tests in science this spring, according to data released this week. About 30% of fifth graders and 35% of eighth graders passed the standardized test known as the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program, which was administered in the spring.

Before voting to approve a $60,000 settlement with a man the Gun Trace Task Force arrested in 2016, Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby asked whether members of the corrupt plainclothes unit who robbed citizens and planted guns on people were still eligible to collect their pensions. Deputy City Solicitor Ebony Thompson said she was not sure.

Federal authorities issued their final environmental approval Thursday for Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s project to widen the Beltway and Interstate 270, delivering a major milestone for an infrastructure project estimated to cost about $5 billion. The step is a requirement for the project to receive federal funds, and it opens the way for Maryland to sign a 50-year contract to build and manage toll lanes along the congested highways. It also begins a five-month clock for opponents of the project to file legal challenges.

In the summer evenings, after the air has cooled down, Alivia Blum, 18, walks her goats up the hill behind her family’s home in rural Baltimore County and back again. Afterward, she sits in their pen and feeds them hay and, as a treat, Cheez-Its. Trixie and Kitty are picky eaters, but they absolutely love Cheez-Its.

Students in Howard County head back to school on Monday while the school system continues to hire for some open teaching positions. Howard County Schools Superintendent Michael Martirano told C4 and Bryan Nehman on Thursday that the school system has done well when it comes to hiring for open teacher positions.

The Annapolis Planning Commission sent the developers of an affordable housing community back to the drawing board last week after requesting a near complete overhaul of the project. The board’s wide-ranging but at times vague criticisms frustrated the developers as well as area housing advocates, who worry that further delays could jeopardize the project and discourage other developers from building income-restricted housing in Annapolis.

The Johns Hopkins University police force is moving to the fore again. The Baltimore university pledged in 2020 to halt the hotly-contested creation of a private police force following the police killing of George Floyd and the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests that ensued. Hopkins came under fire a year later when it announced the hiring of Branville Bard Jr. to lead the department. The announcement came at a time when most students were not on campus.

As the start of the school year approaches, Anne Arundel County Public Schools is short 300 teachers, 67 bus drivers, 222 food service workers, 81 custodians and 57 crossing guards. School staff provided an update to the Board of Education on Wednesday afternoon, saying the system will serve 84,000 children across 125 school facilities when classes start Monday.