Friday, March 29, 2024 | Baltimore, MD
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With Baltimore homicides dropping below 300, who gets to take credit?

Baltimore will record fewer than 300 homicides in a year for the first time since Freddie Gray’s death, a grim benchmark city leaders have sought to sink below for the better part of a decade. This year’s decrease comes as cities across the country see similar declines in killings. Detroit, St. Louis, Philadelphia and New Orleans are all seeing significant drops compared to a year ago. Even with the reduction — Baltimore will record its lowest homicide total since there were 211 in 2014 — the city’s murder rate remains among the highest in the nation and is similar to what it was in the 1990s, the last time killings consistently topped 300 a year.

Maryland Report Card: 12 of Howard’s 75 schools scored 5 stars in state rating system

The number of five-star rated schools in the Howard County Public School System has fallen, according to new state data. In Howard, 16% of schools earned a 5-star rating for 2022-2023; 43% were given four stars, while 37% earned three stars. Seventeen Howard schools fell from a five-star rating in 2021-2022 to a four-star rating in 2022-2023. River Hill was the only high school to score five stars in 2022-2023.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
‘Terrible’: Commuters call shuttle service in place of Light Rail ‘a mess’

Commuters expressed their frustrations Wednesday with the shuttle service in place of the suspended Light Rail. “They’re very unorganized,” commuter Ernestine Jones said. Jones is one of many Marylanders forced to ride the shuttles while the Light Rail remains shut down. Service has been suspended for nearly two weeks while the Maryland Transit Administration inspects and repairs cars.

Comptroller Bill Henry hires a $99,999 life coach to foster workplace harmony

In coming months, the staff of Comptroller Bill Henry will be trained to “flex their rapport,” “ignite their preferences” and “cultivate culture through the language of grace.” Henry, who touts himself as the city’s financial watchdog, signed the contract in the name of employee happiness and, hopefully, increased productivity, says Celeste Amato, Henry’s chief of staff. “Our goal is to maximize team effort because it seems like a good idea when we all want to work better together,” she told The Brew.

 

Read More: Baltimore Brew
City Manager Updates Council On Offshore Wind Projects

Officials say they continue to monitor offshore wind projects off the coast of Ocean City. On Monday, City Manager Terry McGean presented the Mayor and Council with a quarterly update on offshore wind activities near Ocean City. As the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) reviews public comments on US Wind’s offshore project, to be located off the coast of the resort, officials say the town would continue to advocate for a “no-build” alternative.

 

Thurmont receives $50,000 from state to fund facade improvements in Main Street area

Thurmont has been awarded $50,000 from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development to continue funding its Main Street facade funding program. Two parts of the program — the Main Street interior facade grant program and Main Street community exterior facade improvement program — were each awarded $25,000 through different state revitalization programs for fiscal year 2024.

Fentanyl, opioid awareness video contest shows impact of the drug epidemic on county youth

After their friend’s brother recently died of an overdose, a group of Watkins Mill High School students decided to create a video PSA about the dangers of fentanyl and submit it to the Speak Up, Save a Life student video contest. The students, Jabea Ewane, Thomas Pettit and Steven Santiago, secured first place in the contest and were awarded a $1,000 prize for their PSA titled, “Dangers of Fentanyl – Forever 16.”

Read More: MOCO360
Baltimore approves renewal of contract for I-83 speed cameras following decrease in crashes

Baltimore’s Board of Estimates voted to approve a $16 million extension of the city’s contract for speed cameras Wednesday, including two on Interstate 83. The extension, which will cover the cost of the 160 cameras through May 2024, was approved by the board over the objections of Council President Nick Mosby, one of the spending board’s five members. Mosby argued the city should maintain the speed cameras along the interstate in-house with Department of Transportation employees.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Report: Adult smoking drops nearly 40% in Howard County

Howard County is out with a report card that’s published every two years, showing some good signs about the declining use of tobacco products. The county’s report showed an almost 40% reduction in smoking among adults over that time period. The study also looked at other health indicators, like cancer. While the rate of newly diagnosed cases are stable, the county says cancer deaths are lower, although cancer and heart diseases are still the two most common causes of death in general.

 

State reviewing Quantum Loophole’s new environmental management plan

Quantum Loophole submitted a new environmental management plan on Nov. 29 for its planned data center campus and is awaiting the Maryland Department of the Environment’s approval, which will allow the company to continue working on the project site. The plan outlines guidelines related to sewer pump construction on the former Alcoa Eastalco aluminum smelting plant property. Quantum Loophole also included specific procedures it will follow to protect people’s health related to potential environmental concerns related to the land.

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