Around Maryland

Fatal overdoses in Maryland continued their downward trajectory, dropping 3% in 2023 to 2,503, according to data from the Maryland Office of Overdose Response. This trend is in contrast to the surge in the United States, which topped 112,000 overdoses in 12 months for the first time, according to new provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The pandemic era of 2020 and 2021 saw an escalation in overdose deaths, both in Maryland and the United States. While the United States grapples with escalating rates, Maryland overdoses have declined 11% since then.

Salvage crews may be getting close to removing the collapsed portion of the Francis Scott Key Bridge that’s resting on top of a massive cargo ship in Baltimore, Maryland. Crews are in the process of detailing what it will take to raise the section of the bridge that’s on top of the Dali, which caused the bridge to collapse in March after the collision.

Frederick County Public Schools has released an online survey ahead of the Board of Education’s next meeting on May 15 to gather public feedback on potential cuts to balance the district’s operating budget.

Many of the nation’s fallen firefighters — 226 of them — were remembered this past weekend, in front of fire agencies and families from across the nation. One of the larger groups of honorees in recent years, it included 89 who died in 2023 and 137 from prior years. They included Christopher D. Morlan, a battalion chief with the Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services. The second Frederick County firefighter memorialized over the weekend was Mark R. Fisher Jr., a volunteer in Frederick County and career firefighter with the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service.

UPMC Western Maryland officials announced Friday the donation of $250,000 to five community organizations. The funding was made possible through the support of Maryland Physicians Care, which administers Maryland Medicaid in communities across the state. UPMC has a 25% ownership stake in MPC, said Michele Martz, UPMC Western Maryland president.

Peabody Conservatory graduates will hear addresses from music legend Stevie Wonder and trailblazing ballerina Misty Copeland during the May 22 commencement ceremonies. The Johns Hopkins University announced this week that Copeland, the first African American principal dancer in the American Ballet Theatre, will address undergraduates at the morning ceremony. Wonder, a 25-time Grammy Award winner, will speak at the afternoon ceremony for graduate students, according to a university news release.