Around Maryland

Imagine being able to swab the inside of your mouth, place it in a device and quickly know whether you’re infected with COVID-19. Johns Hopkins University researchers say they have developed a simple sensor that could quickly and accurately detect the virus that causes COVID-19 in saliva. The sensor isn’t on the market yet, but soon could revolutionize testing, the researchers say. It could be stationed at the entrances of hospitals, airports and schools, and potentially be put into handheld and even wearable devices.

Jeff Woolley of Towson decided to spend Tuesday, his 60th birthday, observing what he called a “once-in-a-lifetime situation happening close to home.” Like dozens of others on a 34-degree afternoon, Woolley and his wife, Mary Louise, traveled to a beach at Downs Park to get a glimpse of efforts to free the Ever Forward, a 1,095-foot cargo ship that has been stuck for more than two weeks. Beginning at noon, five tugboats spent more than five hours pushing and pulling the ship, the largest to ever run aground in the Chesapeake Bay.

A seasonal seal colony potentially over a decade old off the coast of Lewes could be from where the latest uptick of rescued seal pups is originating. Louis Armstrong, a 35-pound grey seal pup rescued from Assateague Island National Seashore on Feb. 26, is the latest to join the National Aquarium for rehabilitation. He was found stranded and dehydrated with wounds of unknown origin to his face and left flipper.

The search for Carroll County Public Schools’ next superintendent is on schedule for a June completion, according to school board president Kenneth Kiler. Last December, the school board approved a contract with the Maryland Association of Boards of Education to conduct the search, after current Superintendent Steven Lockard announced he would not seek another term when his contract ends in June.

It’s been more than three weeks since over 150 residents were displaced by the massive blast and fire at the Friendly Garden Apartments in Silver Spring, Maryland. Now the next steps are finding affordable housing for many of them. “It’s a process of rebuilding — rebuilding their life — and so it’s gonna take a while and take time. But it’s really been gratifying to see the community coming together,” Robert Goldman, president of the Montgomery Housing Partnership, told WTOP.

Howard County Public School System Superintendent Michael Martirano has announced that school system staff would no longer be required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination or undergo weekly testing. The requirement was put in place Aug. 12, when Martirano said that all HCPSS employees would be required to provide proof of full vaccination or undergo regular COVID-19 testing for the 2021-2022 school year.

Crews will try to refloat a container ship that has been stranded in the Chesapeake Bay for more than two weeks, the U.S. Coast Guard said Monday. The Coast Guard, Maryland Department of the Environment and Evergreen Marine Corp. will make an initial attempt to refloat the Ever Forward at noon Tuesday, according to a news release issued Monday. A salvage company began dredging around the more than 1,000-foot (305-meter) container ship March 20 and weather last week delayed operations slightly, officials said.

Maryland’s highest court on Monday issued orders announcing the end of the COVID-19 health emergency period in the Maryland judiciary, effective April 4. “This is the final step in resuming complete Judicial operations, but we recognize that we still have more work to do,” said Chief Judge Joseph Getty. “We would not be in this position without the collaboration and commitment of our current and previous leadership.”

Three Harford County students — Bethany Davies, Chamiere Roberts and Nina Grafton — were named 2022 Women of Tomorrow at the 12th annual Women of Tomorrow Awards on March 24 at the Richlin Catering and Event Center in Edgewood. The Women of Tomorrow Awards, a program of the Harford County Community Services and Commission for Women, celebrates young women from the seventh to the 12th grade who stand out for their academic achievements and contributions to their communities.