Around Maryland

Crews working to restore the federal channel of debris from the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge need more time before shipping traffic can be fully restored. The end of May had been the goal of state and federal officials, but a Friday news release says that work will conclude by June 10.

For many high school seniors and others hoping to attend college next year, the last few months have become a stress-filled struggle to complete the trouble-plagued, much-maligned FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The rollout of this updated and supposedly simplified form was so delayed, error-ridden and confusing that it has derailed or severely complicated college decisions for millions of students throughout the U.S., especially those from low-income, first-generation and undocumented families.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is undertaking a comprehensive update of the Chesapeake Bay blue crab stock assessment, which has not been revised since 2011. This effort aims to collect crucial data to better manage the blue crab population. As part of the updated assessment, scientists will evaluate the impact of things like the population of predatory fish and habitats on blue crabs. Notably, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation hopes the blue catfish, a significant predator of blue crabs, will be included in the study.

County residents want an ambulance to arrive when they need it, and medical first responders want to show up for the call. But that connection, between victims and rescuers, has been threatened by budget problems neither group caused nor controls. As Allegany County officials call for a $2 million cut to emergency medical services, the union that represents 46 full-time Department of Emergency Services employees has tentatively agreed to some terms, and awaits proposed amendments to its contract from the county.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have some of the lowest rates of using mental health services, at 8.9% in 2019. NAMI points to a number of factors: language barriers, social stigma and a lack of culturally competent providers — those who are familiar with the experiences of the patients they serve.

Lynn Harshman has been a Frederick County resident for more than five decades — her entire life. She’s an avid gardener and history fan, two things that Frederick County specializes in. Harshman recently joined the Myersville-Wolfsville Area Historical Society (MWAHS) and wanted to “combine my passions of antiques, history and gardens so tour participants will experience how the old and the new of garden plantings can nicely intertwine.”