Friday, March 29, 2024 | Baltimore, MD
FOLLOW US:

Around Maryland

red and white train on train station
Hotter days, climate change pose challenges for train safety

When temperatures climbed into the upper 90s during early September, the Maryland Transit Administration tweeted out that Metro and Light RailLink trains would be running at reduced speeds due to extreme heat. The reductions in the maximum allowable speed were necessary “in order to maintain safe operating conditions,” the agency said.

Artscape 2023: Baltimore road closures and parking restrictions to know this week

Road closures and parking restrictions abound in Baltimore City as its premier arts festival, Artscape, gets underway this week. Artscape will be held in September after a three-year COVID hiatus. The festival is the nation’s largest free outdoor arts festival traditionally held in July, but the new dates are Sept. 22-24.

Poll: Allegany County a top fall destination

Allegany County has been named one of the “Best Places to Visit During Fall” in a USA Today 10Best poll. The county was one of 20 destinations picked by a panel of travel experts to compete in the USA Today readers poll to determine the “10Best” locations to visit for fall. Released Friday, Allegany County placed second behind Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in final voting.

Baltimore receives federal funding to build composting facility

Baltimore has received $4 million of federal funding to build a composting facility at the city’s Eastern Sanitation Yard, which would accept organic waste such as food scraps and turn it into a fertilizer mixture. Supporters say the East Baltimore facility would be the first of its kind to be managed by city government, calling it a meaningful step toward achieving the city’s “zero waste” goal.

Hagerstown awarded $500K in HUD community grant program

The Housing Authority of the City of Hagerstown was awarded $500,000 as part of the $7 million Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants program through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Hagerstown was one of 14 communities nationwide chosen for the grant from 28 applications. It is the largest cohort of new Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants since 2012.

 

 

Arts boom or bust: Some burning questions about the 2023-‘24 Baltimore arts season

Sometimes what goes on behind the scenes is as interesting as what gets lit up by the spotlights. The 2023-’24 arts season is brimming with enticing plays and concerts and author talks and art exhibits. For a couple of hours, the best productions and exhibitions become a haven and shelter for audience members by creating miniature, self-enclosed worlds. That is the implicit promise of art.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Legal aid, community groups begin outreach on free eviction counsel

Rita Wilkerson waited three years for the Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis to fix her leaking sink. The Robinwood complex resident stocks up on mouse traps and Clorox wipes to cope with a rodent problem that leaves her stove and dining room table littered with droppings. Sun-bleached notices from February 2022, November 2022 and February 2023 on her door testify to multiple visits from the City of Annapolis when her unit failed inspection, placing HACA’s license to lease the unit into an uncertain status.

 

 

Maryland schools chief withdraws from contract extension after troubled tenure

Maryland Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury is withdrawing his request for a second term after a problem-plagued two-year tenure, and the state Board of Education will embark on a national search for a successor to lead the Education Department and shepherd a historic $3.8 billion program to transform Maryland’s public education system, the board and Choudhury said in a joint statement on Friday.

Maryland Transit Administration to offer free public transportation this weekend

Public transportation across the state will be free on Friday, Sept. 22 through Sunday, Sept. 24, according to the Maryland Transit Administration. The free rides, offered in celebration of World Car Free Day, will include local buses, the light rail, the metro subway, MARC trains, commuter buses and mobility services. The free transit weekends will come during the Artscape street festival, a Ravens home game against the Indianapolis Colts and the Baltimore premiere of “The Wiz” at the Hippodrome Theatre.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
United Ways in Maryland discuss data, barriers of financially struggling households

During Mountain Maryland for ALICE, an event hosted by the United Way of Frederick County on Thursday, United Ways in Maryland came together to discuss issues that financially struggling households face and how community organizations can help with those struggles. The event, which featured keynote presentations on the 2023 ALICE Report and two panels, focused on ALICE Report statistics in Garrett, Frederick, Allegany and Washington counties.

 

The Morning Rundown

We’re staying up to the minute on the issues shaping the future. Join us on the newsletter of choice for Maryland politicos and business leaders. It’s always free to join and never a hassle to leave. See you on the inside.