Around Maryland

With Preakness week off and running, several of the contenders for Saturday’s race have arrived in Baltimore, but not many of their trainers. Many of the trainers have so many horses across the country — not just a few — that they can’t spend a whole week in Baltimore. But fortunately, the man, the myth, the legend, Hall of Famer trainer D. Wayne Lukas has returned.

A divided Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Monday issued a long-awaited overhaul of how regional electric transmission lines are planned and paid for, a move cheered by clean power groups but blasted by a conservative commissioner who said it was driven by “special interests” and exceeds the commission’s authority.

Washington County was recently awarded $40,473 of federal funding from the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency through the national Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) under Phase 41. The funding is to supplement established emergency food assistance and emergency shelter programs within the county.

After a lengthy bidding process and long-delayed decision, Maryland is ready to part ways with its problematic prison and jail health care provider, YesCare. State officials plan to vote Wednesday to award massive mental and medical care contracts totaling billions of dollars for state prisons and Baltimore jails, which have been run by the state for decades.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced they are offering license-free fishing days for all state residents and visitors throughout this summer. Dates are provided below. The summer license-free fishing days allow anglers to explore the state’s diverse fishing without needing a fishing license, trout stamp, or registration.

Frederick County Public Schools and the Board of Education say they are striving to avoid teacher layoffs while potentially cutting positions and programs to reconcile a $50 million gap in the school system’s proposed fiscal year 2025 budget. In a presentation for the board, the FCPS staff has suggested cuts and revenue increases that reduce the gap between the proposal and what the county executive has allocated in the budget sent to the Frederick County Council.

The D.C. area is one of the nation’s most expensive housing markets, but Cumberland, Maryland, a two-and-a-half hour drive from D.C., ranks as one of the top 10 cities in the nation where home prices are rising the fastest. Surprisingly, it’s still extremely affordable. Nestled in the Allegheny Mountains in Western Maryland with a population of about 19,000, Cumberland had a median home selling price in April of just $141,000.

Principal James Sargent beamed as he held up a large trophy before a packed classroom of students and staff. The prize recognized Success Academy, a small alternative program in East Baltimore, as the latest winner of Mayor Brandon Scott’s attendance challenge. The quarterly contest seeks to motivate students to be consistently present in school after the coronavirus pandemic severely impacted attendance.