Stranger Danger in Elkridge: News of the Week

After a string of suspicious reports that began near a Rockburn Township bus stop last month, Howard County police spoke to more than 50 parents at about how to keep their kids safe from strangers.

The nonprofit organization agreed to vacate its current Relay location by May 15. It plans to move to Elkridge.

Anne Arundel officials picked up a severely injured pit bull in Linthicum. The dog, named Rocky Road, is expected to stay in veterinary care for a few weeks until he is ready to be transferred to the Columbia-based nonprofit rescue group Tara's House, where he hopefully can be adopted.

 
An Elkridge auto repair shop was not the only agency under scrutiny at a hearing on Feb. 6; the county came under fire as well.

The Howard County Board of Education on Thursday voted 5-3 to approve middle school instructional programs that include eliminating formal reading classes in favor of seminars, interventions and project-based modules.

Three months after CSX presented cost projections about a freight project it is considering putting in Howard County, the company has refused to provide information backing those up. State officials, the county executive's office and residents found they had this frustration in common at the Feb. 8 Howard County Delegation meeting in Annapolis. 

A new shop in  seeks to raise money for local charity and get low-income residents employed.

The bill is set to go to public hearing at the Anne Arundel County Council's March 5 meeting. 

The group Reliability4HoCo, which has been trying to get the Public Service Commission to investigate power outages, has been recruiting residents in Catonsville to join the fight.

'Zaching': Maryland Teen With Brain Cancer Inspires Web Phenomenon
Ellicott City resident and University of Maryland freshman Zach Lederer, in an effort to tell his friends and family members not to worry about him, struck a strongman pose from his hospital bed while recovering from brain cancer surgery. The resulting photo, originally posted on Facebook, went viral and created a worldwide outpouring of support for the young man.