Around Maryland

Laurel Peltier sat cross-legged at a table strewn with papers as she carefully scanned a utility bill she clutched in her right hand. Henry Burlock, 57, a short, stout African American man, sat to her left, wearing a chef’s apron and thick prescription glasses that accentuated the perplexed look on his face as he listened to Peltier describe what he needed to fix to avoid having his electricity cut off.

A University of Maryland geologist will help run a simulation this month that will help astronauts prepare for the lunar surface. He hopes it will be a step closer to putting people back on the moon. “The surface of the moon is a pretty hostile place to be,” said Patrick Whelley, geologist and assistant research scientist at the University of Maryland and Goddard Space Flight Center.

A decision to end an extended-year program at Roscoe Nix Elementary School in Silver Spring has frustrated some teachers who say they relied on the summertime salary. The move, made amid budget talks and questions over the program’s effectiveness, was first announced in February. But administrators and a letter from the school board had initially indicated that a change would not come into effect until the 2025-2026 school year.

Den’Marice Chambers was 21 years old the first time she touched a MacBook. She learned how to use the Apple computer through Baltimore Youth Film Arts workshops, in a program that trains and empowers young people to tell their stories through film, animation, photography and writing. The program is where Chambers could take as many animation courses as she could, chasing her goal of creating a cartoon someday.

With a scribble of his pen and a smile for the cameras on Thursday, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore pushed an ambitious plan to remake Pimlico Race Course. Moore signed a new law that enables the state to take ownership of the historic thoroughbred racetrack in Baltimore, spend hundreds of millions of dollars renovating it and eventually running races there. It’s a big bet to rescue a failing but economically important industry.

Francis Scott Key Bridge cleanup officials shared a video animation Wednesday depicting how crews plan to deploy small explosive devices to clear a large steel truss resting on the bow of the Dali container ship in the Patapsco River. Crews will cut holes into various sections of the truss and place thin pieces of metal inside those holes — with small explosive charges attached — according to the one-minute animation.

Negotiations between Baltimore’s school board and its long-serving CEO, Sonja Santelises, appear to have stalled less than two months before her contract expires, a highly unusual situation that could suddenly leave the school system without a leader if they can’t reach a deal. Parents and community members say the board has left them in the dark.