The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration will perform patching and resurfacing spanning four miles of roadway on MD 193 (University Boulevard), MD 201 (Kenilworth Avenue) and MD 410 (Riverdale Road) in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties beginning Wednesday, July 26.
Moving easterly, the work will be performed as follows:
The Maryland Department of Agriculture today announced a new grant program that helps urban farms and community gardens purchase and install equipment to access water and electricity needed to sustain and grow their operations. Approved by the Maryland General Assembly in 2022, the Urban Agriculture Water and Power Infrastructure Grant Program provides the department with up to $500,000 in annual funding through Fiscal Year 2027.
“Urban and community farms provide a needed source of fresh, locally grown food for many city residents,” said Maryland Department of Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks. “During the hot summer months, irrigation becomes essential for these growers. This grant program helps small, urban operations purchase and install equipment that will allow them to connect to existing water and electricity sources,” he said.
The Maryland Horse Industry Board has announced they will begin accepting grant applications for the 2024 grant year. The goals of the grant program are to promote the Maryland equine industry by increasing public awareness and participation, advancing education and training, supporting and promoting equestrian events, programs, and activities, and preserving access and use of public lands for riding. The deadline to apply is October 6.
“I encourage all members of the horse industry to apply for these grants,” said Maryland Department of Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks. “The monies provide opportunities for growth of the industry in Maryland. Thank you to the Maryland Horse Industry Board for offering this fantastic grant opportunity.”
The Maryland Department of Agriculture has begun accepting nominations for farmers and industry professionals interested in participating in the new 30-member Farmer Taskforce being formed to provide guidance to the department and the University of Maryland on updates to the Nutrient Management plan writing program. The formation of this new group was announced on July 17 during the Nutrient Management Summit held in Annapolis.
Key objectives of the task force will include:
Per the State of Maryland: Governor Wes Moore today announced appointments to the Public Employee Relations Board. Erica Snipes, who previously served as shared executive director of the Public School Labor Relations Board, the State Higher Education Labor Relations Board, and the State Labor Relations Board, has been selected to serve as Acting Executive Director.
“State employees dedicate their lives to improving the delivery of public services for all Marylanders,” said Gov. Moore. “The Public Employee Relations Board will streamline the labor laws that impact these vital employees to make sure state workers receive the protections they deserve.”
With only 11 states currently offering universal pre-K education, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2023’s States with the Best & Worst Early Education Systems, with Maryland coming in 3rd overall. Maryland came in 1st in the income requirement for State Pre-K eligibility category, and was ranked as the 8th best school system overall in a study released by WalletHub last week.
In order to determine the best early education systems in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 12 key metrics. The data set ranges from share of school districts that offer a state pre-K program to number of pre-K quality benchmarks met and total reported spending per child enrolled in pre-K. Quality of Early Education in Maryland (1=Best; 25=Avg.):
Per the State of Maryland: Governor Wes Moore today announced that the Maryland Department of Labor received $6.6 million through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration to help expand apprenticeship throughout the state. The funding will help connect thousands of Marylanders to good paying careers in vital and high-growth industries, including hospitality and tourism, and will establish a public sector innovation fund to bolster public service attraction and retention efforts.
“With this grant, we will be able to keep pace and continue to add new industries and new occupations, in addition to bringing apprenticeship to more Marylanders,” said Gov. Moore. “The funding will direct key resources to supporting apprentices and establishing connections to partners and employers to bolster staffing, outreach, training, in addition to modernization of the state’s data systems.”
The next resupply mission to the International Space Station from commercial cargo provider Northrop Grumman is preparing for launch during a window that opens Tuesday, Aug. 1, at 8:31 p.m. EDT at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Many in the mid-Atlantic region may be able to see the rocket after liftoff according to the timetable above in the featured image, weather permitting.
Loaded with more than 8,200 pounds of research, crew supplies, and hardware, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft will launch on the company’s Antares rocket from Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s Pad 0A on Wallops Island. The Cygnus spacecraft for this launch is named in honor of the late NASA astronaut, undersea medical officer, and naval flight officer Laurel Clark. Selected by NASA in 1996, Dr. Clark flew as a mission specialist aboard Columbia STS-107. Live coverage of the launch will air on NASA Television, the agency’s website and the NASA app beginning at 8 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Aug. 1, with a prelaunch briefing Sunday, July 30 at 5 p.m. EDT.
The University of Maryland was included in Newsweek’s 2023 list of America’s Greatest Workplaces, one of only eight universities recognized among the 1,000 major employers.
The rankings, based on a large-scale study conducted in collaboration with data firm Plant-A Insights Group, evaluated and scored companies based on eight categories: company image, corporate culture, working environment, work-life balance, training and career progression, compensation and benefits, sustainability awareness, and proactive management of the diverse workforce. UMD earned four out of five stars in the list released this month.
Per the Maryland Geological Survey: Q1: Is it true that Maryland does not have any natural lakes? A1: Yes, there are no natural lakes in Maryland. All of Maryland’s lakes are manmade by damming rivers. Some have been named lakes (e.g., Lake Habeeb in Allegany County and Deep Creek Lake in Garrett County), but most have been named reservoirs (e.g., Loch Raven Reservoir in Baltimore County).
Q2: Did Maryland ever have any natural lakes in the past? A2: Yes. We know of at least one, and there could be more. The one clearly documented case is Buckel’s Bog, which was a 160-acre, shallow periglacial lake (actually a glade) that occupied the headwater region of the North Branch of the Casselman River in Garrett County during the late Pleistocene (19,000-14,000 years ago). [Reference: Maxwell, J.A. and Davis, M. B., 1972, Pollen evidence of Pleistocene and Holocene vegetation of the Allegheny Plateau, Maryland: Quaternary Research, 2(4): 506-530.]
Per the Maryland State Police: Maryland State Police will visit communities throughout Maryland in support of National Night Out, an event that aims to bridge law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve. National Night Out since 1984 has been observed annually on the first Tuesday of August. This year’s event is on Tuesday, Aug. 1. Police officers throughout the country will visit neighborhoods connecting with citizens during this community-building campaign.
Festivities at each National Night Out site include family-friendly activities for all ages. Maryland State Police will participate in events at the following locations: