Around Maryland

An annual burn ban went into effect June 1 in Frederick County and will last until Aug. 31. The Frederick County Health Department implements the burn ban every summer due to air quality regulations from the state, said Laura Pfeiffer, an environmental health specialist at the Health Department. Things like brush, yard debris and tree limbs that are 6 inches or less cannot be burned during the 90 days, said Fire Marshal Battalion Chief Troy Grossnickle.

Covid-19 vaccination shots for the youngest Americans could begin as soon as June 21, the White House said on Thursday. The vaccination program for children younger than 5 would come more than two years after vaccines were first approved for adults. Dr. Ashish Jha, White House coronavirus response coordinator, laid out a timeline for authorization of vaccines for children younger than 5 at an afternoon news briefing. The US Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine advisers will review data submitted by Pfizer and Moderna during a meeting on June 14-15, and the agency will then decide whether to authorize the vaccines for emergency use.

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.”