Around Maryland

As the inaugural year of Gov. Wes Moore’s signature service year program comes to an end, participants and host organizations preparing for a commencement celebration at Camden Yards on Tuesday afternoon said the experience has been positive. “Working at Talisman has just been a life-changing experience for me,” Brad Krantz, a Maryland Corps member, said. “It’s given me the ability to serve others selflessly, which has really put me in touch with my true authentic self.”

The FBI is warning bank customers about a string of alarming, violent crimes across Maryland, including many in Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties. Organized groups are targeting people after they leave ATMs or banks and robbing them at gunpoint. It’s called “jugging.” The term comes from criminals targeting people with “jugs” or large amounts of cash after they leave ATMs.

When it comes to the history of the Revolutionary War, some people's knowledge may not go much beyond George Washington, the Declaration of Independence or the Boston Tea Party. But through July 23, anyone looking for more information about the everyday reality of the war that earned the 13 colonies independence from Great Britain can go to the C. Burr Artz Public Library in downtown Frederick.

In a first-of-its-kind decision, a Maryland judge tossed Baltimore’s climate suit against major oil companies on the grounds that it is not the role of the state courts to address a global issue such as climate change. Originally filed in 2018, the lawsuit is one of more than a dozen similar cases against oil companies including Chevron, Exxon and BP winding through courts across the nation.

There have been photos and renderings of what the rail cars on the new Purple Line light rail system will look like, but on Thursday, Maryland transportation officials gave a sneak peek of what commuters can look forward to when the much-awaited line that connects Montgomery and Prince George’s counties finally opens. The new rail car was unveiled in Prince George’s County. The 142-foot-long vehicle is currently the longest of its kind in the U.S. and holds 430 passengers.

The Frederick County Board of Education on Wednesday voted 4-3 to create a work group to explore options to modify school start times, which may include the possibility of switching which grade levels start first. The work group will be set by Jan. 1, 2025, and will be tasked with creating a plan wherein no FCPS school starts before 8 a.m. by the 2029-30 school year. Currently, most of FCPS high schools start at 7:30 a.m., middle schools start at 8 a.m. and elementary schools start at 9 a.m.

School may be out for the summer, but Baltimore County police say the middle of July is the perfect time to activate additional speed cameras at five school zones across the county. "Just because we are out of the regular school season doesn't necessarily mean that school activities are not taking place. They have summer school, they have other summer activities, and then you're going to have fall sports starting to practice at these locations," Detective Trae Corbin of the Baltimore County Police said.

A library in Annapolis recently added a driving simulator, helping people learn to navigate the roads before they actually get there. The driving simulator offers multiple educational courses. It can help rookie drivers and experienced drivers who want to test their reaction times. Gabby Norton lobbied for it. "I figured it would be a really, really good way to let people practice and get that simulated training before they even get experience in a dangerous situation and feel empowered to get on the roads," Norton said.