Around Maryland

Whether it’s a textbook or a library book, it won’t be allowed in Carroll County Public Schools if deemed sexually explicit by school officials. That’s thanks to a new policy passed unanimously by its school board Wednesday. The vote came after a monthslong campaign by the conservative parent group Moms for Liberty, whose members challenged dozens of school library books they say are inappropriate for students.

City officials this week approved the return of Ocean City Jeep Fest. On Tuesday, the council voted 6-0, with Councilwoman Carol Proctor absent, to approve the return of Ocean City Jeep Fest Aug. 22-25. Live Wire Media’s Brad Hoffman told officials the event was a great fit for the resort. “Last year, we ran a very successful event,” he said. “The vendors we have, the participants we have, enjoy the event. It fits very well the end of summer, the weekend before Labor Day, and I’m excited to once again bring a great event to Ocean City. It’s well-run, it’s safe and it’s significant in its economic impact to the Town of Ocean City.”

Hagerstown Mayor Tekesha Martinez opened her remarks Tuesday at at a joint meeting with the Washington County Commissioners by recounting a list of projects she said would not have been possible without the collaboration of the county government. They included everything from the construction of the new parking deck on Antietam Street and the new field house project on the former site of Municipal Stadium to the Hagerstown Police Department’s “groundbreaking” drone program.

If you are looking for places to visit this year, you might not have to look far, according to an influential travel list released on Tuesday. Baltimore made the New York Times’ annual “52 Places to Go” list for 2024. The list encompasses places across the globe, from major cities like Paris to more remote areas such as Ladakh, India.

Shavani Greene was making her 27-mile morning commute when her mom texted that all Prince George’s County Public Schools would be closing early Tuesday because of inclement weather. The 30-year-old accountant typically drives an hour from her home in Laurel, Md., to her office in Rockville. When she got the notification from her mom, she began planning a conversation with her boss to leave early so she could pick up her son from school.

Brandon Gruszczynski, who manages the LGBTQ Baltimore Eagle Bar & Nightclub in Old Goucher, fondly remembers a once-vibrant gay scene in Baltimore. It was during the ’90s and early 2000s when patrons could hop from bar to bar for hours on any given night or attend other activities, such as house parties, drag bingo or game and trivia nights throughout the week.

Baltimore County agreed last week to move detainees under 18 charged as adults to a Baltimore City juvenile jail when space allows, months after the Office of the Maryland Public Defender criticized conditions for minors at the Towson jail. The Youth Detention Center on Greenmount Avenue, a facility operated by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services that houses Baltimore City minors charged as adults, can now hold county youth awaiting trial, according to a Jan. 1 memorandum of understanding.

Officials say they are in the process of hiring staff for the town’s new parking division. Transit Manager Rob Shearman told members of the Ocean City Transportation Committee Tuesday that the formation of a new parking division was well underway. With the council’s approval, officials have created new job descriptions and pay grading and have started the process of seeking a parking manager to oversee operations.

Harford County Public Schools Superintendent Sean Bulson proposed a $660.9 million operating budget for fiscal 2025 on Monday with a boost in funding for special education. The operating budget, which would run from July 1 to June 30, 2025, would increase spending by $47.3 million from fiscal 2024. The plan includes a request of $356.5 million from the county and $294.7 million from the state.