Around Maryland

Baltimore County School Board is fighting to ensure that Chief Auditor Andrea Barr’s last day remains June 30. The school board filed a motion for dissolution of the temporary restraining order that currently requires the board to renew Barr’s contract. Barr originally filed a lawsuit claiming her contract was terminated unlawfully by the school board, which voted 6-0 to renew her contract on May 17.

A local nonprofit filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Baltimore City Law Department, alleging the department is conspiring with the Baltimore Police Department to obstruct access to public records of police misconduct. The Baltimore Action Legal Team, also known as BALT, is a civil rights-focused nonprofit that provides legal support. The organization is representing three plaintiffs: Open Justice Baltimore, a nongovernmental organization; Alissa Figueroa, a journalist in residence at Morgan State University; and reporter Brandon Soderberg.

Montgomery County Public Schools’ new social studies framework will expose fourth- and fifth-graders to more American history — particularly Black history — at a younger age. The new curriculum will incorporate anti-bias and anti-racist content and local history about Montgomery County, according to Tracy Oliver-Gary, the district’s social studies supervisor. It was presented to the county school board this week and received unanimous approval.

Three law enforcement agencies in Maryland and Baltimore City Police have entered into an agreement to provide concurrent jurisdiction over Interstate 83 and Route 295 into Baltimore City. The Maryland State Police, the Maryland Transportation Authority and Maryland Capitol Police will extend patrol responsibilities beginning at midnight Friday, according to a state police news release.

In-person Independence Day celebrations, with explosive fireworks displays, are coming back to many places after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the cancellation of live events — especially those with large crowds. But while some cities will welcome throngs of people looking for anything to do outside of the house, others are running into surprising obstacles with supply, labor and pricing. Some cities, including College Park and Ocean City, have canceled their fireworks shows or had to come up with alternative plans.

Every day, Maryland schools lock up students for misbehaving, often keeping them in closet-sized, padded rooms monitored by an adult watching through a small window or by video camera. Sometimes they lock up children as little as kindergarteners. And sometimes, those children, desperate and scared, try to harm themselves inside. This long-standing practice of seclusion will be banned in the state’s public schools when a new state law takes effect on Friday.

An abortion rights advocates protest rally was held Wednesday afternoon in Bel Air. The rally began around 5 p.m. at Harford County Government Center on Main Street and ended in front of the courthouse. About 150 people were involved, organized by three Harford County women who posted the rally on the Harford County Social Justice Facebook group page.

Nearly a million Marylanders are expected to travel for the July 4 weekend, including nearly 880,000 who will travel by car, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic. Friday is expected to be the busiest travel day of the period, with the heaviest travel times predicted to be noon to 9 p.m., according to a AAA Mid-Atlantic press release.

Annapolis City Council ratified contracts for four union bargaining units Monday, but not before expressing frustration with the negotiation process and pledging to make changes. The move came in the middle of an almost four-hour meeting that also found the council deputizing the mayor’s boat, and appointing a new city manager. According to City Code, negotiations with unions representing police officers, firefighters and support staff were to be completed by March.