Around Maryland

Baltimore Police Department leaders and the federal judge overseeing efforts to reform the agency met Thursday for a quarterly review of the city’s implementation of its 2016 consent decree. Baltimore Police entered the agreement following a federal report that found widespread violations of constitutional rights, excessive use of force and racially-biased enforcement.

Anne Arundel teachers’ union leaders are calling on the county school board to cancel contracts signed earlier this year to temporarily fill special education positions and to instead invest more in existing employees to support retention and recruitment. But school officials say the contracts are needed to fill important classroom roles as the school year nears. The first day of school is Aug. 29.

A pair of newly expanded federal programs will nearly double the number of electric buses on US roads in one grant cycle alone — if domestic manufacturers can keep up with the demand. On Tuesday, the Federal Transit Administration announced a record $2.2 billion in competitive grants under the Buses and Bus Facilities and the Low- and No-Emissions Vehicle Programs, which collectively received a staggering 600-percent boost when the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was signed.

COVID-19 continues to spread in Carroll County, with the BA.5 subvariant proving to be more transmissible than past versions of the virus. “The variant is everywhere,” Robert Wack, deputy health officer with the Carroll County Health Department, said in an interview Thursday. “It’s the dominant strain. It’s spreading pretty much unchecked. The good news is that hospital cases are steady. They’re not going up, but they’re not going down like we hope.”

A unique agreement Maryland made with federal regulators that affects how much everyone in the state pays for medical care, and how they get that care in the hospital or a doctor’s office, has been extended through 2026. The program aims not only to contain overall health care spending but also to improve health outcomes by ensuring patients’ chronic conditions are managed and they avoid unnecessary hospital stays.

The Baltimore City Council is now approving harsher punishments for drivers who take part in street racing. It comes as police try to crack down on the illegal drivers. Skid marks are still visible at Pratt and Market Place. Video posted online revealed someone doing donuts in the area. It is not the first time illegal street racing was captured on video, and that is why city leaders are moving forward with a measure to discourage them.

The Maryland Criminal Intelligence Network is expanding to add three new counties, Gov. Larry Hogan announced Thursday at the Maryland State Police barrack in Berlin. Worcester and Somerset counties will join Dorchester County in the Lower Shore Coalition, while Howard County will join the larger network, as well. Wicomico County was already active in the Maryland Criminal Intelligence Network.

Baltimore officials were not able to say when weekly recycling curbside pickup services will resume, citing low-staffed crews and growing amounts of recycling materials as obstacles at a Department of Public Works oversight hearing on Wednesday. In January, after widespread complaints of irregular and missed recycling services, DPW leaders shifted weekly pickups to every other week.

The Harford County Public Schools Parent Academy and the HCPS Safety and Security Office, in partnership with the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, presented a safety and security virtual town hall on Wednesday evening, focused on the importance of safety in local schools. Topics included mental health, bullying prevention and school safety and security.