Around Maryland

Baltimore City kicked off Pride Month in a big way with a couple of firsts – announcing a brand new office for LGBTQ+ affairs and its new director. Committing to making the city more LGBTQ-friendly, Mayor Brandon Scott introduced Londyn Smith-De Richelieu, the city’s very first Director of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs. “This month we celebrate the contributions of the community that has progressed leaps and bounds, and we continue to build on that progress to ensure that Baltimore remains a safe haven and inviting place for this community to thrive,” Scott said.

With hurricane season now underway, the Maryland Department of Emergency Management is reminding residents to “Know Your Zone” in the event of an evacuation order due to severe weather. The state has three zones — marked A, B and C — covering coastal areas along the Eastern and Western Shores of the Chesapeake Bay, the beach areas of Wicomico and Worcester counties, and southern counties on the Potomac River. According to the agency, 2020 set a record for named hurricanes on the Atlantic coast. Last September, the remnants of Hurricane Ida brought severe winds — including tornados — and flooding to Anne Arundel, Cecil and Montgomery counties.

Maryland has retained its AAA bond rating from the three major bond rating agencies, Maryland State Treasurer Dereck E. Davis said. Maryland is one of only 13 states to receive the highest possible rating from S&P Global Ratings, Moody’s Investors Service, and Fitch Ratings, Davis said. “Today is a proud day for Maryland. Our economy and our citizens continue to demonstrate resilience despite many challenges to our collective way of life. Through the pandemic, global unrest, and record inflation, we have managed to maintain the rating agencies’ confidence in our fiscal management,” he said.

The Anne Arundel County Council approved a resolution Wednesday urging the Board of Education to hold off on changing school start times until after this coming school year. The school board has been working to change the start times for the developmental benefit of students for years, but implementation has faced delays due to COVID-19. The new start times are set to begin this upcoming school year. All high schools will start at 8:30 a.m., elementary schools will open at 8 a.m. and middle schools will open at 9:15 a.m.

Maryland health officials announced the first heat-related death reported in the state this year on Wednesday. A 65-year-old man died in Baltimore County, the Maryland Department of Health said. “As this tragedy shows, heat-related illness, including heat exhaustion and heat stroke, can result in serious ailments and even death,” Deputy Secretary for Public Health Dr. Jinlene Chan said in a news release. “During hot weather, Marylanders are urged to take precautions to avoid overheating and check on friends and neighbors that may be susceptible to heat-related illness, especially older adults and people with chronic disease.”