Around Maryland

Howard County, Maryland, is aiming to make a big investment in its schools: $105.9 million. That’s how much is in County Executive Calvin Ball’s proposed budget for school construction. It’s the most in at least the last 20 years, according to the county, and it would mean an additional 2,400 spaces for students by next year. “We are building facilities that will foster excellent environments for teaching and learning,” Ball said in a statement Tuesday.

When the insects first started appearing en masse near the docks of Weaver’s Marine Service in Essex around 2008, owner Sam Weaver wasn’t sure what they were. “We didn’t know. We were spraying in the air. People were spraying for mosquitoes and all kinds of things,” he said. In truth, the insects were midges — tiny aquatic flies that occur in their greatest densities in nutrient-rich bodies of water.

After wrapping up final amendment discussions Monday night, the Anne Arundel County Council voted 7-1 in favor of adopting the structure of the county’s Police Accountability Board. This new board, which each county is mandated to create under the Maryland Police Accountability Act approved by the General Assembly last year, will review outcomes of police disciplinary matters considered by charging committees, and require regular reports of the disciplinary process and make policy recommendations. By law, the boards are to be in place by July.

While the number of driving deaths decreased in Maryland last year, state officials said the number of crashes is far too high. Maryland transportation authorities said states across the country saw an increase in roadway deaths last year, but Maryland saw a decline of almost 3% — 519 fatalities in 2021 compared to 573 fatalities in 2020.

The Washington D.C. Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opened its doors to outsiders for the first time in 48 years on Monday, hosting Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and members of the media for a private tour of recently completed renovations. Top church officials led the tour of the 156,558-square-foot structure in Kensington, Maryland, the third-largest Mormon temple in the world. The officials said they expect thousands of people to come this month for the first public tours of the building since it opened in 1974.

Arthur Wang, 17, realized the severity of COVID-19 months before most of his classmates when he got updates about the then novel virus from his uncle, who is a doctor in China. It inspired the Columbia resident to come up with an effort to better support teachers and other workers in Howard County, where he is a junior at River Hill High School, and beyond.

Baltimore County prosecutors decided not to bring criminal charges against two police officers involved in civilian deaths in separate incidents last October — and questioned why it took so long for state investigators to complete their reports, according to declination letters obtained by The Baltimore Sun. Deputy State’s Attorney Robin Coffin found that Maryland Transportation Authority Police Officer Theodore Jeremenko acted appropriately in an Oct. 9 police pursuit that turned fatal and was “nowhere near” the 26-year-old man when he lost control of his vehicle, crashed and died.