Around Maryland

Before school bells ring Monday morning in Montgomery County, Maryland, the public school system held its 5th annual Back-to-School Fair at Westfield Wheaton Mall on Saturday. A big section of the mall’s parking garage was used as space for the fun and games, immunizations and health checks. Meanwhile, row after row of tables bearing useful information were staffed by personnel ready to answer any questions by students and families.

A new summer nutrition program that one advocate called a “game-changer” reached 586,734 children this summer, 43,000 more than state officials had expected, according to recent numbers from the Maryland Department of Human Services. But officials said there is still time to sign up for the program, and were encouraging families to do so before the Aug. 31 deadline, in order to get $120 per child for grocery assistance.

The University of Maryland, College Park joined a new national program this year that allows colleges and universities to privately sponsor and resettle academically qualified refugee students. UMD is one of 17 higher education institutions across the country to enroll refugee students in Welcome Corps on Campus, which launched in July 2023. One such student will attend the school this year.

You, too, might be able to own a 596-foot-long, nuclear-powered floating time capsule that has been visited by a million and a half people, features a ballroom, bar and swimming pool, and once was a star attraction on Johnny Carson’s “Tonight” show. The Nuclear Ship (N.S.) Savannah — the first nuclear-powered ship ever built explicitly for peacetime purposes — has been moored in a quiet corner of the Canton Marine Terminal in Baltimore since 2008.

For the second time in a year and a half, Victor found himself in the hospital after one of his three kids woke up with excruciating pain. The first cockroach pulled from his 8-year-old’s ear was alive. Another one had died inside. Bugs were not the only problem that Victor, 33, said was plaguing his apartment in Brooklyn, a neighborhood in South Baltimore.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved an updated COVID-19 vaccine intended to address severe symptoms of the virus ahead of the cold and flu season. The new booster shots from Moderna and Pfizer follow a summer of increasing COVID-19 cases and are designed to better address the variants that are circulating now. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a written statement that vaccination “continues to be the cornerstone of COVID-19 prevention.”

Howard County is among the districts beginning school next week, and it will be the first year for the county's new school superintendent. Bill Barnes is overseeing the district following the retirement of Dr. Michael Martirano. 11 News spoke with Barnes about where the district stands heading into the school year, and his big priorities.

The Asian American Center of Frederick was one of several Maryland organizations to get money from the U.S. Department of Labor for new apprenticeship opportunities for underrepresented communities. AACF, a nonprofit community organization, was awarded nearly $4 million to establish more registered apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeship programs for immigrants, according to a news release from Gov. Wes Moore’s office on Tuesday.