Around Maryland

After a year, a federal lawsuit accusing Harford County’s Public Schools of discriminating against and demoting four Black female assistant principals without due process may be reaching a conclusion. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy J. Sullivan ordered a pretrial settlement conference to be held May 16. If the lawsuit is not resolved, the case will proceed to a jury trial, according to attorney Corlie McCormick, a civil rights lawyer based in Crofton, who is representing the former county schools employees.

Maryland watermen sold more than half a million bushels of wild oysters this winter, more than they have since 1987, according to preliminary state data. It’s a positive sign for a species known for dangerous population swings in recent decades. But it is not yet proof of a sustained recovery for Chesapeake Bay oysters, which suffered from massive overfishing for decades and, more recently, from diseases that for now remain at bay. That is likely to fuel continued debate over Maryland’s strategies to help oysters, including using sanctuaries, designated oyster reefs where watermen are prohibited from harvesting.

Salisbury leaders are aiming to tackle illegal, and often dangerous, dirt bike and all-terrain vehicles driving in the area. The issue isn’t unique to the Eastern Shore — officials in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., for example, have been wrestling with it for years. As part of an effort during the past year to crack down on off-road vehicles being ridden illegally on city streets in Hagerstown, Maryland, officers staked out a local gas station in late April based on a tip that riders are known to fuel up there.

A Maryland appeals court reversed the murder conviction of a man serving life in prison for allegedly fatally stabbing his girlfriend in 2018, finding a city judge and prosecutor violated his constitutional rights at trial. When a prosecutor told jurors that 72-year-old Michael Maurice Allen Sr.’s decision to stop answering a detective’s questions about his girlfriend’s death suggested he was guilty, that amounted to a violation of his right to remain silent, the Court of Special Appeals wrote in an opinion published Tuesday.

Only a handful of Carroll County residents have turned up at the four community sessions set aside for the public to learn and ask questions about the commissioners’ spending plan for fiscal 2023, which begins July 1. Last week, commissioners released their proposed $708.4 million budget, with one of the main goals being to address lagging compensation for Carroll County government employees. A little more than $7 million has been set aside to address the county’s ability to retain and attract government staff, according to documents prepared by the Department of Management and Budget.

Harford County Public Schools representatives delivered an update on the status of students’ mental health to the Harford County Council at its Tuesday meeting. During the 2021-2022 school year, HCPS has reported 826 suicidal ideation reports, or SIRs, as of April 13, according to Student Support Services Executive Director Bernard Hennigan and HCPS mental health specialist Christina Alton.

Several Frederick County Board of Education members on Wednesday committed to fully funding expanded special education resources and 7% employee raises across the school system — even as they prepare to make roughly $8 million in budget cuts. During a presentation to the board, Frederick County Public Schools Budget Officer Heather Clabaugh asked for guidance on where to trim as the staff prepares to balance the fiscal 2023 budget, which will take effect July 1.

Havre de Grace voters went to the polls Tuesday and elected the only three candidates in the field to the three open seats on the City Council in the first uncontested election in recent history, according to Stephen J. Gamatoria, the city’s director of administration. “This is the first time in anyone’s recollection that there has been a non-contested council race,” Mayor William Martin said. “Although I was surprised there were only three people running for three seats, I see that as a sign that Havre de Grace citizens generally approve of the direction the city is heading in.”