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Once home to Howard County’s farm museum, 340 acres will host an agriculture office

In West Friendship Park, where the Howard County Living Farm Heritage Museum recently closed, the more than 340 acres of land will now be home to the county’s new Office of Agriculture, County Executive Calvin Ball said Tuesday at a press conference. This will be the county’s first agriculture office and the state’s third, and it will promote farming in the county. “The Office of Agriculture will create a physical space where all our agriculture-facing functions can collaborate toward a common goal of supporting farms and farmers,” Ball said.

 

Maryland connection is strong in new movie musical version of ‘The Color Purple’

An accidental phone call last March led Rashad Corey to what he calls the job of a lifetime. Corey, 35, was trying to get hired for four months for the highly anticipated “The Color Purple,” the new musical version of the screen classic. But he kept being forwarded to supervisors with no success. But that day, the husband of the project’s key costumer misdialed Corey’s number, which led to a conversation and subsequently an invitation to be hired as a costumer.

passenger plane, passenger jet, airplane
BWI-Marshall sees delays, cancellations as holiday travel begins

Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport already saw several delays and cancellations Monday as one of the busiest travel seasons of the year gets underway. “Our flight was at 12:55 p.m., then they changed it to 9:05 a.m., now they changed it back to 3:55 p.m.,” traveler Tammy Bowers said. Many of the delays and cancellations can likely be attributed to Sunday’s stormy weather in Maryland. As heavy rain and stronger winds hit New York, travel troubles piled up for passengers heading north.

 

Read More: WBALTV
School systems to receive more time to develop next Blueprint plan submissions

Maryland public school officials will receive more time to submit a second set of Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education reform documents, and it will be done in two phases. The original date to submit responses by March 15 remains, but local school officials will only have to answer questions and prompts on one page labeled “Systemwide Blueprint Implementation.” One of the prompts request school officials to address in their responses: “How your district is communicating its goals and plans with those implementing the Blueprint in the district, including principals and educators; soliciting feedback; and adapting its communication strategies to improve stakeholder understanding of the Blueprint’s purpose.”

 

New medical facility aimed at moms-to-be coming to Prince George’s Co.

Coming to Prince George’s County, Maryland: A medical facility doing more to keep moms-to-be and their babies alive, healthy and close to home. When it comes to having babies, many women in Prince George’s County have to go out of the county to get the medical care they need. “Eight out of 10 moms who live in the county deliver their babies outside of the county,” said Deneen Richmond, president of Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center in a news release.

 

Read More: WTOP
Tell us about your drug overdose story

It’s arguably Baltimore’s largest health crisis: Drug overdoses have taken the lives of 6,360 people in the city since 2010. An even larger number of deaths — more than 17,000— have involved drugs in some way. Reporters working for The Baltimore Banner and The New York Times are investigating the problem and we want to hear from people who have personal experience. We are especially interested in talking to older Black Baltimoreans, or their families, who have struggled with drug use.

Mark your calendars: Festival dates set for AFRAM, Artscape and Charm City Live

Baltimore’s 2024 summer season is going to be packed with music, diversity, fun and a lot of heat. Mayor Brandon Scott announced the official dates for the AFRAM, Artscape and Charm City Live festivals during a press conference Monday. AFRAM is a celebration of African American culture, honoring food, music, art and crafts that debuted in 1976. After celebrating the history of Baltimore club music at the 2023 festival, it will return on June 22 and 23 in 2024.

Affordable housing bill voted down at Anne Arundel County Council’s Monday meeting

A bill that would require most new residential buildings in Anne Arundel to include affordable units failed to pass the Anne Arundel County Council on Monday night. The bill, which was voted down by the three Republicans and council member Allison Pickard, a Glen Burnie Democrat, would have mandated developers to allocate 15% of units in each large-scale building project to be affordable for renters earning around $62,000 or less and buyers earning about $83,000 or less.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Researchers look at how to help more community college students gain four-year degrees

Community colleges and four-year universities can work together to improve the transfer student experience, a data report from the U.S. Department of Education suggests. The U.S. Department of Education released data about the institutions where transfer students have the highest graduation rates in each state, with New Jersey, New York, Illinois, Maryland and Virginia doing the best. At the other end were South Dakota, Delaware, Indiana, New Mexico and Louisiana.

Maryland choose firm to head State School Superintendent search

Maryland is looking for its next State Superintendent of Schools, and the Maryland State Board of Education has retained Hazard, Young, and Attea (HYA) Associates to conduct the nationwide search. HYA will work with the state board to lead recruitment, stakeholder engagement, vetting of candidates, and outreach to assist in the selection and appointment process. The firm has conducted more than 1,600 executive leadership searches across the nation, and more than 350 executive school leader searches since 2015.

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