Around Maryland

Sidewalk construction along Johnsville Road in Eldersburg is set to begin this month in an effort to safely connect pedestrians from area schools to residential neighborhoods and Route 32. Most of the design and construction costs — 80% — will be funded by the Safe Routes to School program administered by the Maryland Department of Transportation. The county is responsible for the remaining 20%. As a result, last week, Carroll County commissioners approved a transfer of $55,000 from unallocated public works funds to the project.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott on Wednesday announced a partnership between the city and rideshare service Lyft to get new employees to and from work. The “Let’s Ride to Work” partnership will help residents get their first paycheck with four weeks of free rides to and from their new job, the Mayor’s Office said. The $267,000 initiative is part of the city’s COVID-19 employment recovery strategy.

The mixed-use, mixed-income community will be the first of its kind in Havre de Grace. Havre de Grace held a groundbreaking on Monday for the long-awaited Village at Blenheim Run, an affordable apartment community that will have two buildings with 51 apartment units, along with retail and office space. Maryland Secretary of Housing and Community Development Kenneth Holt, Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot, and Maryland Municipal League President and Mayor of Salisbury Jacob Day joined city and county officials, the former owners of the property and representatives from the developers for the groundbreaking of the four-story complex on Pulaski Highway near the existing Swan Creek development.

Less than a month after a brawl at Havre de Grace High School that required local police intervention, Harford County Public Schools received with an updated security plan to mitigate the rise in campus violence. The new plan, presented during the Board of Education meeting last week, will expand staffing by adding safety liaisons. Board members said student discipline issues on and off campus in recent months have pushed them to step up their security efforts with more staffing and training.

Burlington Stores has donated $5,000 toward school supplies to Harford County Public Schools’ William Paca/Old Post Road Elementary School in Abingdon to celebrate its new store that opened recently at The Festival at Bel Air Shopping Center. The teachers will use the funds for new classroom items, Principal Ron Wooden said. “On behalf of Harford County Public Schools, I would like to welcome our new local Burlington store and thank them and AdoptAClassroom.org for their generous donation to our school,” Wooden said.

Three Anne Arundel County high school seniors have received scholarships from the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, according to county school staff. Shafa Alam of North County High School, Bianca Guffey of Southern High School, and Ana Hernandez Valcarcel of Broadneck High School each received Dell Foundation scholarships worth $20,000 along with a laptop computer and printer.

Carroll County residents can now take advantage of Walk Carroll, a free exercise program offered by the Department of Recreation and Parks. The county parks department provides a wide variety of recreational opportunities including miles of paved and natural surface trails. Walk Carroll is a long-term walking and exercise program that provides regular, accessible physical activity opportunities for anyone who lives, works, or plays in Carroll County.

Starting next school year, families who need bus service to and from public schools in Anne Arundel County will need to register in advance, a change being made as the system tries to become more efficient. Superintendent George Arlotto will present details on the change at the Board of Education’s next meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The board asked Arlotto to explore such a program last August.