Around Maryland

As law enforcement agencies across the country struggle to recruit officers and strengthen community trust, the Baltimore Police Department has announced an internship program in partnership with two historically Black universities in Baltimore. A group of eight students and recent graduates of Coppin State and Morgan State universities, who have started their summer internships with the department, attended a news conference Tuesday at Coppin State. The pilot program, which could become a nationwide initiative by next year, focuses on exposing participants to all aspects of police work, including its inherent complexities and ongoing reform efforts.

As inflation soars and Maryland legislators debate whether to suspend state gas taxes for a second time this year, an anticipated bump in fare price for Baltimore’s public transit services will start Sunday. The cost to ride city buses, light rails and metro subways will cost 10 cents more in the Baltimore metropolitan area. The Maryland Department of Transportation’s transit administration is required by law to increase fares for core services by at least 10 cents every two years.

Dozens of people attended the Baltimore Pride Parade Saturday, marking a joyous reunion for the queer community after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While attendees danced and cheered as the parade marched by, some expressed concern over the future of gay rights given recent opinions from the Supreme Court. People from all walks of life, many dressed in pride colors and carrying pride flags lined the sidewalks at North Charles Street between 33rd and 23rd Streets to watch the parade. They shouted, “Happy Pride!” as revelers walked by.

On the first Sunday following the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the Rev. James Boric addressed a congregation at the Baltimore Basilica. “Heaven has to be the lens through which we see and do everything,” he said to a small early morning gathering. He would address a larger group later in the morning. The service came two days after the nation’s highest court, by a 6-3 vote, overturned the landmark 1973 ruling that had provided constitutional protections for abortion access. Boric mentioned the decision Sunday, joining Catholic leaders across the country who have reacted to the ruling.

Several schools within the University System of Maryland are looking to expand their degree options by offering health- and technology-based programs. The USM board of regents voted June 17 to allow five of its institutions to adopt new degree programs, with the majority of the programs being related to the tech and health industries. The 12 new programs were introduced to the regents by Coppin State University, Towson University, Salisbury University, Frostburg State University and Bowie State University. Each university introduced its own programs.

Baltimore’s water system, which serves 1.8 million homes and businesses in the city and Baltimore County, contains measurable levels of so-called “forever chemicals” that the EPA said last week pose health risks even at minute levels. The chemicals known as PFAS, used in firefighting foams and in consumer products for their nonstick and stain-resistant properties, were found in the system at a concentration of 4.93 parts per trillion, according to a city Department of Public Works report.

The Maryland State Fair is trying to please all kinds of tastes with a concert lineup that spans decades and genres of musical performers. The annual "12 Best Days of Summer" at the Maryland State Fairgrounds will feature rapper Nelly, country music stars Niko Moon and Lauren Alaina, and legendary rockers, Styx during the fair's last weekend, Sept. 9-11. Nelly plays Sept. 9, Niko Moon and Laura Alaina on Sept. 10 and Styx closes out the fair on Sept. 11. Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m.

Some pet owners are struggling to keep up with costs as high inflation is hitting their wallets hard, and some of them are having to give up their pets.  Animal shelters across the country are seeing more pets being given up because some people now cannot afford to keep them. “We’re seeing more people that need help,” said Bailey Deacon, the Director of Community Engagement at the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter or BARCS.