Around Maryland

The Carroll County school board voted Wednesday to develop a new policy on the use of political symbols, specifically flags, inside public school buildings. The decision came in reaction to some parental concern about rainbow pride flags that some teachers in Carroll County Public Schools have been displaying inside classrooms.

The end is nigh for Maryland’s gas tax holiday. For nearly a month, the state has foregone the collection of its 36-cent per gallon tax. That all ends around midnight Saturday when dealers reimpose the full tax and prices lower than the national average disappear, jarring motorists back to reality. Kirk McCauley, legislative director of the Washington-Maryland-Delaware Service Station and Auto Repair Association, said the temporary pause worked well for his 700-800 members.

Gas prices across Maryland have hovered about 35 to 40 cents below the national average for the past month because of a 30-day holiday on collection of the state fuel tax — but with the tax break in effect only through 11:59 p.m. Saturday, they are set to jump well above $4 a gallon Sunday. That will come as a shock to many drivers who have appreciated the savings as they struggle with rising pocketbook pressures. The tax holiday will end just days after an economic report confirmed that inflation is rising more sharply than it has since 1981, in large part because of the surging cost of fuel.