Around Maryland

It's been a long, hot summer in many respects for Hagerstown. But on the last day temperatures broke 90, a storm was brewing — and not just from the remnants of Hurricane Debby. For weeks, tensions had been growing over a rash of shootings — two of them fatal — and continuing struggles with behaviors associated with opioid addiction within the city.

Former county police Chief Marcus Jones, now the newly minted chief of security and compliance for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), released a letter Monday to the school district’s families that clarifies his role and goals, and shares that he looks forward to “supporting our new superintendent’s vision for a safer MCPS.”

The Maryland Board of Public Works has approved $11 million in Bay Restoration Funding for qualifying wastewater treatment plants across the state, including more than $545,000 for facilities in Frederick County and its municipalities. Under the Bay Restoration Fund law of 2004, a portion of the funds collected by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) from wastewater treatment plant users can be allocated to local facilities that meet the state’s threshold for removal of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus from treated effluent.

All it takes is gas and a spark. Fire safety experts say the aftermath of an explosion in Harford County shows the magnitude of what gas leaks can do: A Bel Air residence was leveled, killing both the homeowner and a Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. contractor. The blast also spread debris throughout Arthurs Woods Drive and rendered 16 homes uninhabitable.

The National Aquarium opened its 10,000-square-foot Harbor Wetlands exhibit this week, creating a first-of-its-kind hybrid experience where native animals can flourish in a free, outdoor, hands-on classroom and park setting. “It is the product of about 14 years of work that the National Aquarium has done,” said Charmaine Dahlenburg, the director of field conservation at the Aquarium.

A day after the remnants of Hurricane Debby blew through the Baltimore region, businesses began reopening, neighborhoods cleaned up storm debris and some awaited the restoration of electrical power. Less than 300 customers remained without power Saturday afternoon, Baltimore Gas and Electric reported at 5:50 p.m.

With schools set to start in a couple weeks, most parents of kindergartners are working to make sure to get required vaccinations for their children before sending them off to school. But not all parents. Over the last decade, more parents have opted their children out of vaccination requirements through the use of nonmedical religious exemption – especially in recent years following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Electric bills in Baltimore have been especially high this summer after weeks of scorching temperatures. But it’s not just the heat that’s driving up the cost. Another factor, some elected officials and environmental and consumer groups argue, is regional grid operator PJM Interconnection’s failure to plan for the future. That has set utility customers up to pay more. The star of this drama is the coal-fired Brandon Shores power plant that sits against the backdrop of the Inner Harbor.