Around Maryland

Recognizing growing community concerns about safety and discipline, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is considering new security and safety tools such as vape and weapons detection systems and mandatory student and staff IDs, according to a community letter from interim Superintendent Monique Felder.

Officials at the helm of salvage and recovery operations at the site of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse have called the process a massive undertaking, which is now being highlighted from the perspective of a marine construction and diving company. The owner of Eastern Marine Services, Phil DePalo, has been in business for more than two decades.

A third channel will open this month at Baltimore’s port after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse two weeks ago, and Maryland’s congressional delegation will sponsor legislation seeking federal aid to pay 100% of the cost of a new bridge, Sen. Ben Cardin said Tuesday. Cardin gave the update after meeting with the state congressional delegation and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Capitol Hill in Washington.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office has launched an app to provide another way to inform community members and to receive tips in situations that aren’t immediate emergencies, said Sgt. Carly Hose, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office. “It does not replace calling 911,” Hose said. Such an app would have been useful in late March when the sheriff’s office put out a description for a homicide suspect authorities were looking for, Hose said.

Artificial intelligence is the future of technology, but the capabilities, and a lack of trust when it comes to Big Tech companies and their goals, means lots of people are wary. Will it take away our jobs? Will it be designed in ways that benefit people? Will it even consider the human impact? But with a recognition that the technology is moving ahead, and has the capacity for good, the University of Maryland has announced its new Artificial Intelligence Interdisciplinary Institute at Maryland (AIM).

The city of Frederick in a filing Tuesday asked a court to allow it to put a long-vacant building on North Market Street into receivership, turning the building over to a real estate company to sell to a new owner. The city has filed a petition in Frederick County District Court to start the receivership process for the building at 123-125 N. Market St., the former site of the Asiana restaurant, Mayor Michael O’Connor announced Tuesday.

Speakers overwhelmingly urged the Montgomery County Council on Tuesday to fully fund the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) proposed budget during a public hearing in Rockville on Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich’s (D) proposed $7.1 billion fiscal year 2025 operating budget. “Let’s not shy away from acknowledging the lost ground and the low test scores and the interruptions to the social emotional and behavioral development of our students,” said Cathy Stocker, vice president of educational issues for the Montgomery County Council of PTAs, referring to the pandemic.

High housing prices in the D.C. area and across the country are making it difficult for some homeowners and renters to cover the costs of their homes, and many are planning to sacrifice some necessities and luxuries to make ends meet. That’s according to a new survey from Redfin, which found that 1 in 3 Americans who are struggling to pay for housing will take no or very few vacations in order to afford their home.

When she was asked to serve on the Maryland Port Commission last year, Karenthia Barber knew it would be her chance to better promote all the opportunities that the port industry provides. After all, her father worked as a longshoreman for 40 years. Barber said she has been “honored” to have the opportunity with her colleagues to expand the economic impact of the port and the maritime industry.