Around Maryland

Baltimore has received the $45 million that pharmaceutical company Allergan agreed to pay as part of the city’s lawsuit over the opioid epidemic, but officials have not yet said how they plan to use the bulk of the money, or who will be making those decisions. The Department of Finance is processing the settlement, the mayor’s spokesperson Bryan Doherty said in an email. More information will be announced soon, he said.

The Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project is being met with stiff opposition. An informational meeting was held Tuesday on a proposal to build a 500,000-volt transmission line through three counties, but nearly all of those attending did not like anything they heard. Anger, worry and frustration dominated emotions. Residents said they don't like any of the proposed routes, and they are upset about a lack of notice, but most importantly, they are worried about the impact the project will have on their lives and livelihood.

There were too many times during the last school year that simply transporting kids to Prince George’s County Public Schools turned into a fiasco. Buses were late, if they even showed up, and so many routes were essentially vacant because the county didn’t have enough bus drivers on staff. This fall, a series of moves the county put into place during the spring are going to make a positive impact, according to school leaders who briefed the Prince George’s County Council on Monday.

Former Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Monifa McKnight, who resigned amid the Maryland school system’s handling of accusations of bullying and sexual harassment, has a new gig. She will become the University of Maryland’s inaugural dean’s fellow and superintendent in residence, the university announced this week. The new position is in effect starting Aug. 23.

A grassroots organization that advocates for education equity in Maryland could soon be in a jurisdiction near you to talk about the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education reform plan. The staff with Strong Schools Maryland has already visited four counties this summer – Dorchester, Anne Arundel, Garrett and Prince George’s – to talk about the Blueprint plan with residents at local events.

Maryland Correctional Enterprises, which produces and sells goods using prison labor, failed to pursue millions in payments it was owed for the goods and services it sold last year, according to a recent state audit. The Office of Legislative Audits said that of $12.9 million in accounts receivable the agency held as of June 30, 2023, about $7 million had been due for more than 90 days – with some accounts languishing for more than a year.

A female chimpanzee was born at the Maryland Zoo on June 10. Now she’s waiting for a name. The infant will join Maryland Zoo’s three other juvenile chimps as chimpanzees learn from birth how to get along in a group. The baby will join Lola, born in July 2019; Violet, born in December of 2019; and Maisie, born in August 2020 and came to Maryland Zoo in September of that year.

The Apple+ series “Lady in the Lake” spent more than three months filming around Baltimore. Beyond publicity for the city, the production brought cash and jobs to the area, Gov. Wes Moore said Tuesday. The production used the state’s Film Production Activity Tax Credit, an incentive of the Maryland Film Office that helps attract productions to film on location in the state and provides refundable tax credits for certain costs incurred during filming.