Nearly 1,000 Marylanders have ended up in the emergency room for heat-related illnesses so far this summer and 14 people have died, as brutal temperatures lead to dangerous heat exhaustion, heat stroke and death. The hospitalizations are the highest since the Maryland Department of Health began publishing that data in 2019, and come with two months left in the “heat season” that runs from May through September.

The Frederick County community donated thousands of school supplies to the 16th annual Stuff the Bus campaign, which began collecting donations June 17. Distribution of the supplies this year will take place in individual schools instead of a central distribution location, a contrast with how the campaign previously took place.

Baltimore native and 23-time Olympic gold medal swimmer Michael Phelps always looks cool in the pool. But this week at the Summer Olympics in Paris, the former competitive swimmer — a legend in his own right — got an extra dash of splash when NBC host and rap legend Snoop Dogg joined him. The duo went toe to toe in a pool that appeared to be quite a bit smaller than Phelps’ usual Olympic-sized water playground.

 

Brian Foreman’s Ford F-150 isn’t your average pickup truck. It’s more like a personal power plant. “One of the reasons we bought it was because we don’t have a backup generator for our house and we live in an area with a lot of exposed powerlines. So, we are always worried whenever a storm comes through and the trees start swinging that we are going to lose power,” Foreman told 11 News. “When we saw that this truck was available, the electric vehicle, and could power your house in case of a backup, we knew we were all in.”

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.

 

The Maryland State Education Association is under new management. Beginning Thursday, the powerful teachers’ union has a new president, Paul Lemle, and a new vice president, Nikki Woodward. They replace Cheryl Bost, who had been union president for the past six years, and Theresa Mitchell Dudley, whom Lemle defeated in a statewide vote for the presidency earlier this year.

The project that could become Maryland’s first offshore wind farm would have few “major” environmental impacts, according to an impact statement made available this week. If the offshore wind farm is approved, it could generate between 1,100 and 2,200 megawatts of renewable energy, enough to power up to 770,000 homes on the Delmarva Peninsula, according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

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.