Around Maryland

There is strong neighborhood reaction Thursday following the fires set on E. 31st Street in north Baltimore. Around the same time, a pride flag was set ablaze across the street. The ATF is involved in the investigation as well as Baltimore City fire and police. In an act of solidarity, neighbors wasted no time replacing the pride flags that burned in the fires. The consensus here is this fire and several other smaller fires nearby are all connected.

Downtown Westminster will host live entertainment, food vendors, food trucks, panel discussions and activities for children Saturday, to mark Carroll County’s first Juneteenth celebration. The event, aimed at being an annual celebration, will take place noon to 4 p.m., Saturday, at the Carroll County Arts Center, 91 W. Main St., and the surrounding area. Anyone may attend this celebration for free.

For a third straight year, the number of crabs in the Chesapeake Bay has dropped, this time to an all-time low. And even the scientists who worked on the most recent winter dredge survey, which measures the population, grow wistful when they consider the colorful crustacean so central to Baltimore and Maryland culture. “It’s something you do in summer. You pick crabs and spend an extended meal with wooden mallets and cold beer and tell jokes and reminisce,” said Thomas Miller, professor of fisheries science and director of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, who has been part of the survey team since its inception 33 years ago.

There is a continuing conversation about the future relationship between Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Darryl Williams and the school system. Days ago, county council members Cathy Bevins, Todd Crandell, Wade Kach, David Marks, and Tom Quirk said in a letter that Baltimore County Public Schools has been struggling with low teacher and student morale under the umbrella of Williams.

As the Howard County Public School System works to change school boundaries for the 2023-2024 school year, in preparation for the opening of High School 13 in Jessup, community members are being asked to participate in the process. High School 13 will be located near Mission Road and Washington Boulevard in Jessup, within the current Hammond High School attendance area. It will open in fall 2023 with ninth and 10th grade students only. According to the school system, communities near the eastern part of Howard County are most likely to be impacted by the redistricting process.

The Baltimore City Board of Estimates voted unanimously Wednesday in favor of the increasing water bills by 3.2% a year for the next three years. That means a household paying $118.46 now will pay $130.21 by fiscal year 2025. “It’s awful,” said city resident Andy Pollard. “We shouldn’t have to pay that much for water.” DPW said the increase will be used to cover rising costs and infrastructure improvements.

During the Board of Education of Harford County’s meeting on Monday, the board announced that the universal meal program will be coming to an end and security and safety department will be expanding in response to national and local violence related to schools. The board voted to approve amendments to the fiscal year 2023 unrestricted and restricted capital and food budgets. The unrestricted fund was approved for $579.4 million with amendments. The restricted fund was approved for $49.8 million with amendments.