Around Maryland

Majorities of both Republicans and Democrats in Western Maryland would support federal proposals to provide more treatment for people with substance use disorders and train police to divert people into treatment rather than prison, according to a recent poll.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball and Department of Recreation & Parks Director Nick Mooneyhan Monday announced the purchase of the 16.5-acre East Columbia Library Park property located adjacent to Howard County Library System’s East Columbia branch on Cradlerock Way in Columbia to move forward with plans to enhance and expand the existing park.

Just hours before he was killed last week, a Maryland judge known for being fair and even-keeled calmly explained his ruling in a divorce case following hours of emotional testimony. On the losing end of the ruling was the man suspected of fatally shooting Washington County Circuit Court Judge Andrew Wilkinson later that day in the driveway outside his home. For Wilkinson’s family, friends and colleagues, it’s an unfathomable end to an exceptional life.

Health care workers are facing increased mental health struggles that can lead to burnout or workers thinking of finding another job, according to survey results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC urged health care employers to take care of their worker’s mental health and foster a healthy work environment.

The ceiling of this church is the sky. There are no stained-glass windows, just graffiti-covered concrete walls. No pews, only chairs unfolded on a vacant lot in Station North. Church members arrive by motorized wheelchairs, walkers, canes. A few smoke cigarettes or drink out of bottles wrapped in plastic bags. Many have slept on the streets, and some still lack permanent housing.

When Amir Saadah heard that the kid he coached a decade ago had been hurt while trying to render aid to his colleague during a Northwest Baltimore blaze, he wasn’t surprised. The football coach hadn’t picked 16-year-old Dillon J. Rinaldo to lead Fair Lawn High School’s varsity team because of any physical feats. It wasn’t the teenage Rinaldo’s practice attendance record, either.

The health department in Charles County, Maryland, is warning of an increase in rabies cases in the area. One raccoon and two skunks have tested positive for rabies since mid-September, according to a news release. The two skunks that tested positive for rabies were found on Sept. 21 and Oct. 24 in the Waldorf or White Plains area.

Maryland’s education department is using $4.7 million in federal grant money to fund a program geared at expanding students’ access to fresh fruits and vegetables during the school day. The Maryland State Department of Education said it will distribute funds to 213 elementary schools statewide — up from 196 schools during the previous school year — from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program.