Around Maryland

Washington County’s new comprehensive plan emphasizes redevelopment of previously developed areas as a means of meeting growth needs while preserving rural areas. But giving new life to older properties can be an expensive proposition. So county planners are exploring expanded options to help property owners afford it. “You’re talking about different kinds of costs” for redevelopment,” said Washington County Planning Director Jill Baker, particularly when you’re “trying to reclaim some of these areas that have not been very well taken care of.”

The Baltimore City School Board voted Tuesday night to scale back virtual learning by eliminating the elementary grades of Charm City Virtual, despite significant parent pressure to keep it going. The board did vote to create a new virtual school that will serve grades six through 12 by merging the middle grades of Charm City Virtual and the high school program at Port Virtual. The creation of a new virtual school would have to be approved by the Maryland State Department of Education. Only one other school system in the state — Anne Arundel County — has created a virtual school.

While traffic fatalities have been trending in the wrong direction across Maryland and much of the country, the Baltimore region has fared slightly better than the rest of the state, according to figures presented by the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board Tuesday morning. Over a five-year period, traffic fatalities rose statewide by just over 11%, from 512 deaths in 2018 to 566 in 2022.

Baltimore’s new city solicitor is planning to continue pursuing cases and issues that defined her work as deputy and acting city solicitor, including implementing blockchain technology to address the city’s vacant housing issues. The Baltimore City Council confirmed Ebony Thompson as Baltimore’s city solicitor on Monday, making her the first woman and first openly LGBTQ city solicitor to hold the role. The council confirmed Thompson as Baltimore City’s next city solicitor in a 6-0 vote, with one councilmember absent from the meeting.

Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Monifa McKnight said in a statement Monday she was asked by school board members last week to “step away” from her post. McKnight said the board didn’t give a justification for its request and hadn’t communicated concern about her performance — and she said she would fight the attempt to oust her.

Baltimore County’s landfill has a new lease on life. Officials had expected it to be played out in three years. But now they have come up with a plan they believe will keep the trash coming to the landfill in White Marsh until at least 2060. “Finding new landfill capacity is very difficult,” said Nick Rodricks, the chief of Baltimore County’s Bureau of Solid Waste Management.

Resort planners last week got a better understanding of tourism data as they look to update Ocean City’s comprehensive plan. Last Wednesday, the Ocean City Planning and Zoning Commission invited Tourism and Business Development Director Tom Perlozzo to participate in a work session for the comprehensive plan update. City Planner Bill Neville said Perlozzo’s knowledge of tourism data would assist commission members as they begin to update the planning document.

The Graduate School at Hood College is launching a new doctoral program in counselor education and supervision beginning this fall, the first-ever doctoral program offered at Hood. The program, which is based on guidelines set by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), will train counselors, supervisors and counselor educators at the highest level.