Around Maryland

Maryland leaders are launching investigations into school systems statewide amid confusion over state funding. Millions of dollars are being sent from the state government to nearly two dozen schools under the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. A new report by the Maryland Office of the Inspector General found a serious lack of oversight for how the funds are being used, leaving millions unspent or even sent back to the state.

Rockville-based health system Kaiser Permanente announced Monday a call for grant proposals for up to four $50,000 grants to be awarded to community organizations and nonprofits in the Maryland, Washington and northern Virginia areas. The grants will be used to improve community health and promote health equity in the region.

When Mark and Monika Bauman became lab partners at Anne Arundel Community College in 1987, the pre-nursing program was tough, and they were focused on making the grade. She was fresh out of high school. He was working on a second career. “He came up and he just said, ‘I’m Mark. Do you happen to have a partner yet?’” she said. “I said, ‘No, I don’t. Have a seat.’ And we just connected very well.”

Allegany and Garrett counties have partnered to launch a marketing campaign to help in attracting lifestyle manufacturing companies to Western Maryland. The regional business and workforce attraction initiative, announced in a joint press release this week, is titled “Make it. In the Mountains.” The effort includes a newly created website, MakeItInTheMountains.com. Officials in the tourism departments of both counties have been pursuing plans that would capitalize on the outdoor features in Western Maryland, which include mountain vistas, numerous trails, state parks, lakes and rivers offering year-round outdoor activities.

Johns Hopkins researchers say they’re getting closer to developing a blood test that would identify changes in the brain associated with psychiatric and neurological disorders — an advancement that could enable doctors to detect the early signs of mental health emergencies. In a study published last month in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Molecular Psychiatry, researchers focused on the potential of particles called extracellular vesicles to provide a window into what’s happening inside a person’s brain.

On a small dealership lot northeast of downtown Baltimore, dozens of used cars await new owners. Just around the corner, a banner on the side of a building promotes “VIRGINIA TAGS” and lists a phone number. This sign isn’t the only one making such an offer. The promotion for “Virginia tags” can be found on signs around the city and on social media posts, with some even offering delivery.

Washington County is apparently getting wealthier — but there’s a catch. The county’s rising wealth is calculated into the amount of money its public school system receives from the state. And for Washington County Public Schools, that means nearly $3 million less in state funding than was anticipated for the new fiscal year that begins July 1. “As it turns out, wealth is growing in Washington County, which is good news for our community,” WCPS Superintendent David Sovine told the Washington County Commissioners Tuesday.

One of the six officers charged after the death of Freddie Gray in 2015 has been tapped to oversee the Public Integrity Bureau of the Baltimore Police Department. Capt. Alicia White will move from the department’s Anti-Crime Section/Gun Violence Unit effective Sunday, the department said in a news release. White will oversee probes of complaints filed by the public against Baltimore Police officers.

The trash incinerator that towers over I-95 as motorists drive in or out of Baltimore has a reputation for spoiling the air and spewing out toxic chemicals and had been identified as the largest single source of pollution in the city. But upgrades made to the incinerator, now operated by the company WIN Waste Innovations, could challenge that reputation. Last summer the company completed $45 million worth of upgrades that will better control emissions, according to trade publication Waste Dive.