Around Maryland

The University System of Maryland Board of Regents voted unanimously Wednesday afternoon to update Title IX policies to reflect new federal language and requirements that take effect Thursday. Katherine Bainbridge, chief of the Higher Education Division at the Maryland Office of the Attorney General, explained before the vote that the changes restore some protections pulled back in 2020, add protections for pregnant students and outline new procedures for students filing sexual misconduct complaints.

August is here — a time for kids to enjoy a few more weeks of summer before they must return to the classroom. It’s also a time to have some fun at the Howard County Fair, which starts Saturday and runs through Friday, Aug. 9. The 78th annual Howard County Fair celebrates agriculture and its impact on the county. Community members can learn more about where their meat, milk and wool come from, as well as showcase their green thumbs in farm crop competitions.

Hygea Healthcare celebrated the grand opening of a state-of-the-art rehabilitation center in Middle River with Gov. Wes Moore and many other state officials on Monday. Doors opened to Hygea Middle River, the cutting-edge, 50-bed, 30,000 square-foot substance abuse treatment center located at 1210 Middle River Road. The facility’s goal is to disrupt the traditional approach to treating people with addiction.

The “summer hunger gap” is a challenge throughout the state, as low-income families who rely on schools to help feed their kids during the academic year lose access to those meals during summer break. But it can be an even greater challenge in rural counties, where miles can separate families from the food they need and transportation options are limited.

Halfway through her 12-week maternity leave last summer, Sarah Haddaway didn’t expect the trouble that would accompany her search for child care. After unexpected rejections from one fully booked child care facility after another, the lifelong Western Maryland resident began calling every provider she could find. Almost 11 months later, Haddaway’s son Brooks — who just turned 1 — is on at least seven providers’ waitlists.

A team of archeologists is digging up clues of the past at the historic Hammond-Harwood House in downtown Annapolis to learn more about the life of the residents from 200 years ago. The Hammond-Harwood House on Maryland Avenue was built in 1774 and commissioned by wealthy planter and politician Mathias Hammond. It was purchased in the early 1800s by another wealthy Annapolis family whose descendants lived there for the next 100 years.

Yolanda Gales waited in a hospital ambulance bay last week, watching a 70-year-old woman in handcuffs. The woman had been detained by police and brought to the hospital as part of an emergency petition — a court order mandating she receive an urgent mental health evaluation. Six and a half hours later, the woman still hadn’t received medical attention. And by the time Gales finally left the hospital close to midnight, the woman still sat there, hands cuffed.

Scam artists keep getting more sophisticated, and the sheer number of them and the amount of money they’ve taken continues to spike compared to a year ago. That has Prince George’s County police reminding people about what to watch for, while revealing more about how scammers target victims.In June, a county resident called police embarrassed to admit she had fallen prey to what’s considered a tech scam.