Latest news with #Frederick
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Areas in city of Frederick are most socially vulnerable in county, Census data shows
Areas in and near the city of Frederick — particularly around Francis Scott Key Mall and Westview Business Park and next to Fort Detrick's Area B — are considered the most socially vulnerable in Frederick County. Social vulnerability is the demographic and socioeconomic factors of an area that harm communities that experience hazards or disasters, according to the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Disasters can be natural or caused by humans, like extreme weather events or chemical spills, and disease outbreaks, like the COVID-19 pandemic. Demographic and socioeconomic factors that impact how socially vulnerable a community is include poverty, lack of access to transportation and crowded housing. ATSDR and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have created the Social Vulnerability Index to measure U.S. Census tracts across the country. SVI scores can range from 0 to 1, with 1 being the most socially vulnerable. SVI scores can help communities figure out where resources should be focused for people in need. The index uses 16 Census variables to identify communities that may need support before, during and after disasters. The variables are grouped into four categories, then combined into an overall social vulnerability score. The categories are socioeconomic status; household characteristics; racial and ethnic minority status; and housing type and transportation. In addition to having an overall SVI score, communities have scores for each category. The most recent SVI scores available on the SVI Interactive Map are from 2022. Social vulnerability in Frederick County in 2022 by U.S. Census tracts The entirety of Frederick County had a low SVI score of 0.1234 when compared nationwide, but certain tracts within the county have high scores compared to tracts across the U.S. The most socially vulnerable area in Frederick County in 2022 was a Census tract on the southeastern edge and just outside the city of Frederick, with a score of 0.8687. The tract includes a large portion of the Ballenger Creek community and encompasses I-270 from where the highway intersects with I-70 to where it crosses the Monocacy River. It also includes the entirety of Crestwood Boulevard. Locations in this tract include Francis Scott Key Mall, Westview Business Park and Industrial Center East, as well as neighborhoods around them. The second most socially vulnerable area in the county was a Census tract in central Frederick, running from Rosemont Avenue to Opossumtown Pike outside Fort Detrick's main campus. Its score is 0.8087. The Villa Estates, Antietam Village and College Estates communities fall within this tract. Some locations in this parcel include Heather Ridge School, an alternative school for middle and high schoolers, and Frederick Shopping Center. The third most socially vulnerable area was a smaller Census tract right next to the Golden Mile in west Frederick, with a score of 0.7543. This tract spans from a part of West Patrick Street to Shookstown Road, next to a residential community being built directly across from Fort Detrick's Area B. It also includes the entire Stonegate community. Area B is a 399-acre section of the base that is detached from the main campus, between Kemp Lane and Shookstown Road. The section was used as a test site for the Army's biological warfare program in the mid-20th century. After the program was ended in 1969, scientists disposed of hazardous waste in unlined trenches and pits in Area B, resulting in groundwater contamination. Army scientists have spent decades studying the contamination and the extent to which it has spread. These three Census tracts also had high SVI scores in 2020. Socioeconomic status vulnerability in Frederick County in 2022 by U.S. Census tracts Household characteristics vulnerability in Frederick County in 2022 by U.S. Census tracts Racial and ethnic minority status vulnerability in Frederick County in 2022 by U.S. Census tracts Housing type and transportation vulnerability in Frederick County in 2022 by U.S. Census tracts Unsurprising findings Frederick County's social vulnerability was included in the 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment, a document released every three years that illustrates the county's current picture of health and population. This assessment is part of the Local Health Improvement Process, a collaboration between the county health department, Frederick Health and the Coalition for a Healthier Frederick County. After the assessment comes out, a Local Health Improvement Plan is created outlining how to address these priorities and the county's health status through policies, programs and other initiatives. Rissah Watkins, director of the county health department's Office of Planning, Assessment and Communication, writes the assessment. When interviewed on Wednesday, Watkins said Frederick County is a mix of populated urban areas and rural areas. She said she generally expects to see areas with more people living there to 'light up more' on a social vulnerability map. She pointed out that that many Census tracts in the county with medium-high or high SVI scores are clustered around the city of Frederick, which makes sense given that it's a highly populated area. For example, when looking at specifically housing type and transportation vulnerability, the darkest areas are in Frederick and the southern part of the county, where people who commute to Washington, D.C., may want to live. Watkins said it isn't surprising those areas have higher SVI scores in this category because there are fewer housing options given the number of people there. In Frederick, dozens of community resources are concentrated in the area. However, Watkins said, other parts of the county are also socially vulnerable, even though there's fewer people living there, so the resources have to be spread out.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mayoral challenger says city needs to plan, not react
For Ron Beattie, running for Frederick mayor is about planning ahead, especially during what he described as a current 'inflection point' in the city's history. Beattie is running as a Democrat, challenging incumbent Democratic Mayor Michael O'Connor, who is seeking a third four-year term. Beattie is a consultant on alternative energy. 'I don't think we've been planning. We react,' said Beattie, a former planning commissioner of five years, who resigned before his term ended in July to run for mayor. Whether its large projects like the West Side Regional Park or city fees designed to fund affordable housing projects, Beattie said the city needs to get ahead of major developments. 'The best example of that, I think, would be Brickworks,' he said. The 64-acre property was vacant for over a decade, but in recent years, plans to develop it with housing and commercial businesses have been submitted. Although the property received approval for a master plan of development in 2023, the project is still being reviewed by the Frederick Planning Commission. 'We should have had a plan for Brickworks 10 years before somebody actually came in with a proposal for it,' he said. 'We should have been seeking those people out.' Similarly, Beattie said, the city should have proactively worked to find a space for a West Side community center. The city is set to hire someone to start the design phase of the community center this year, though the then-Board of Aldermen originally put funds toward it in 2023. Beattie said the city could have explored using the old Frederick Towne Mall on West Patrick Street as a city building to house the community center, saving on construction costs. Beattie said he wants to streamline the planning process, especially for developers constructing affordable housing, or as he described it, 'attainable' housing. He wants to develop a prioritization system, which he said could cut years off the planning process for affordable housing. 'If a developer comes and says, 'I want to put a 100% affordable housing project in Frederick,' they go to the front of the line,' Beattie said. 'You cut two to three years out of their development process, and then it cuts their cost so that they can build something that's affordable.' He said the city's planning department should report directly to the mayor, rather than the current system, in which the deputy director of planning is under the director of public works. 'Do we think so little of planning that we're going to bury it in some bureaucracy?' he asked. Currently, the city requires that all new housing developments include a certain percentage of affordable housing. However, developers may pay a fee in lieu of following through with this requirement. 'In terms of affordability and attainable housing, we have to stop de-incentivizing things,' Beattie said of the option for developers to pay the fee. City code mandates the money raised by the fund be put toward an affordable housing fund. However, the council did not have an immediate plan of what to do with the funds raised by the fee, Beattie said. 'That's government malpractice 101,' he said. Similarly, the city collects a fee to issue rental licenses for landlords. None of that money had yet been spent as of early May, city spokesperson Allen Etzler said. The ordinance also mandates that city code officials inspect rental housing units according to the city's health and safety standards. The council passed the ordinance requiring the license fee in 2022. Of 802 initial random inspections the city conducted in 2024, around 280, or 35%, resulted in a violation, according to a report provided to a City Council committee in February. Just two violations were found that resulted in tenants being forced to temporarily relocate, and both instances were caused by the tenant, Code Enforcement Manager Brittany Parks said in February. 'So why did we take all this money out of the economy to fix a problem that doesn't exist?' Beattie asked. Beattie also raised issues with the city's Department of Housing and Human Services. 'HHS is a great example of what we don't know about, what's going on in city government,' he said. 'It's opaque.' He described the director position in the department as a 'revolving door.' The city recently hired former state of Maryland official Stuart Campbell to take over the role, which was held by Ramenta Cottrell from 2020 to 2024. He said the department must work on more permanent solutions to aid those who living paycheck-to-paycheck. 'We feed people and we give people an occasional bed, but what are the programs of bringing people out of the situation that they're in and becoming more productive members of society?' he asked. 'I don't see us doing that.' He described the impending effects of federal funding cuts under the administration of President Donald Trump as 'dark clouds.' He said the city should look to partner more closely with the state to help work through the effects of federal funding cuts. 'Fortunately, we have a very good governor, who, I think, has been doing an outstanding job dealing with the cuts that have already been made,' Beattie said. 'And I think partnering with the state, especially a state that has a strong governor, is going to help us.' The city's primary election is set for Sept. 9. The general election is set for Nov. 4. No other candidates had filed to run for mayor as of Thursday. The filing deadline is July 1.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Oriole seniors take flight at MSD graduation, after year of dreaming big
For the new graduates at the Maryland School for the Deaf, Friday's commencement ceremony was the culmination of a year of big plans and accomplishments. The school's theme for the past year was 'Dream Big.' Class president Truly Austin urged her classmates to make the most of life as they move on from their time in 'this big, beautiful Deaf community' at the school. 'Go out there, enjoy it, and write that story,' Austin said through a sign language interpreter during Friday's ceremony in the school's gymnasium at its Frederick campus. There's a map for everyone's future, and while Friday's ceremony was the end of one part of life's journey, it was the start of another, she said. 'Remember, your map is waiting for you to create,' she said. This year's class had 24 graduates, according to Amy Mowl, the school's director of public relations. Austin, of Mount Airy, was busy during her time at MSD. Along with being the class president and a member of the National Honor Society, she played basketball and volleyball, was on the school's track team, and played softball as a freshman. She will attend the University of Maryland in the fall, and major in psychology. She knows attending college will be a change from what she's used to, but she's excited to face the challenge. 'I want to see what it's like to navigate the hearing world,' she said in an interview as she and her classmates got ready before Friday's ceremony. Tahoe Herzig-Wilcox was another multi-sport star for the Orioles, playing football, basketball, and volleyball, as well as being a member of the National Honor Society and one of the school's Top Scholars. He plans to major in accounting and play volleyball at Gallaudet University in the fall. He was still processing the end of his time at MSD before Friday's ceremony, for which he was one of two student speakers, along with Austin. 'It doesn't feel real. It's kind of surreal right now. It kind of snuck up on us,' he said in an interview through an interpreter. He said his summer would be busy with sports, attending a volleyball camp in Texas and a basketball tournament in Las Vegas. Otherwise, he will just be getting ready for college and working to make extra money, he said. In his speech Friday, Herzig-Wilcox urged his classmates to step outside their comfort zones as they move beyond their days at MSD. They will make mistakes, he said, but they'll never know what they can overcome if they don't try. 'Take the shot. Try the thing that scares you,' he said. Torriah Cunningham had attended the school since she was 4 years old. Cunningham, from Cumberland, said she loved living in the dormitories at the school, and the friends she made there. 'Really, I have a sisterhood with a lot of these girls,' she said through an interpreter. She plans to study early childhood education at Towson University, and wants to teach pre-kindergarten or kindergarten when she graduates. Over the summer, she plans to visit family in Jamaica, as well as work and get ready for college. Graduation is always a bittersweet time, saying goodbye to another class of seniors, John A. Serrano, the school's superintendent, said before the ceremony. 'Graduation never gets old to me. I look forward to it every year,' he said, speaking through an interpreter. At the ceremony, he urged the graduates to think about where they want to be, and how to get to that point. As the year went by, they saw their big dreams grow into accomplishments, he said. But their dreams won't end with Friday's graduation, and they'll need confidence to make their dreams come true, he said. Friday's commencement speaker was John Maucere, an actor and certified deaf interpreter who has appeared on television shows including 'Law & Order,' 'Southland,' and 'Pacific Blue,' and created and portrayed the character SuperDeafy in 'No Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie,' among other credits. He urged the graduates to pursue their goals, and accept that mistakes are how to learn in life. 'Your dreams are yours. You're not chasing other people's dreams,' Maucere said.
Sky News AU
5 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
King Frederick extends olive branch to his nephews after their royal titles were removed
Digital Reporter Reilly Sullivan has commented on Denmark's King Frederick's recent move to grant a special royal honour to his nephews. The Danish monarch awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog to Count Nikolai and Count Felix of Monpezat, two years after they were stripped of their princely titles by their grandmother, former Queen Margrethe II, in January 2023. 'It was a very controversial decision, but it reflected what King Charles also seems to support — a more streamlined monarchy,' Mr Sullivan told Sky News Digital Presenter Gabriella Power. 'She took this action because the Danish royal family functions best when it remains small, and she felt it was becoming too extended with so many cousins and nephews. That decision did not go down well at all. 'Now, two years on, I think King Frederick is correcting that mistake. It's a smart and thoughtful move.'
Newsweek
6 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Quotes Himself in New Opinion
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito quoted himself from nearly 20 years earlier in a dissent on Tuesday after his colleagues on the bench decided against hearing a case about a junior high student who wore a shirt stipulating that there are only two genders. Why It Matters Free speech and First Amendment cases are routine, sometimes reaching the High Court. That was the hope for Liam Morrison, formerly an eighth grader at Middleborough Public Schools in Massachusetts, who in 2023 sued the district after being forced to remove and no longer wear a T-shirt reading, "There are only two genders." He was also barred from wearing an alternate version of the shirt with the words "two genders" covered up by tape, accompanied by the word "censored" written on it. What To Know The Supreme Court rejected taking the case, instead leaving the initial federal appeals court ruling in place—choosing not to challenge educators' decision on the basis of the district being an inclusive environment for transgender and gender-nonconforming students. "The court erred, and badly so: the rule that viewpoint-based restrictions on speech are almost never allowed is not a new principle proclaimed only in 'recent decisions' like Matal or Iancu," Alito wrote in his dissent. "To the contrary, viewpoint neutrality has long been seen as going to 'the very heart of the First Amendment.' The First Circuit was wrong to expel this bedrock constitutional safeguard from our schools." U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Alito testifies about the court's budget during a hearing of the House Appropriations Committee's Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee March 07, 2019, in Washington, D.C. U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Alito testifies about the court's budget during a hearing of the House Appropriations Committee's Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee March 07, 2019, in Washington, mention of "the very heart of the First Amendment" is a line he wrote verbatim in 2007 as part of his concurring opinion in the case Morse v. Frederick, also about a student who was suspended from his school for what he argued was a violation of his free speech. In that case, argued and decided between March and June 2007, a student, among others, at a school-sanctioned and school-supervised event, unfurled a banner stating "BONG HiTS 4 JESUS." School officials directed students to take down the banner due to the promotion of illegal drug use and a violation of school policy. But one student—Frederick, the petitioner—did not comply and was suspended for 10 days. A lower court found a First Amendment violation, though the Supreme Court felt otherwise. "During the Tinker era, a public school could have defined its educational mission to include solidarity with our soldiers and their families and thus could have attempted to outlaw the wearing of black armbands on the ground that they undermined this mission," Alito wrote in his concurring opinion in 2007. "Alternatively, a school could have defined its educational mission to include the promotion of world peace and could have sought to ban the wearing of buttons expressing support for the troops on the ground that the buttons signified approval of war. "The 'educational mission' argument would give public school authorities a license to suppress speech on political and social issues based on disagreement with the viewpoint expressed. The argument, therefore, strikes at the very heart of the First Amendment." Tinker references the 1969 Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, which upheld the right of public school students to wear black armbands to protest the Vietnam War if education was not interrupted. The longtime justice also agreed "that a public school may restrict speech that a reasonable observer would interpret as advocating illegal drug use," adding that the Court provides no support "for any restriction of speech that can plausibly be interpreted as commenting on any political or social issue, including speech on issues such as 'the wisdom of the war on drugs or of legalizing marijuana for medicinal use.'" Alito said this newly rejected case involves a school that "permitted and indeed encouraged student expression endorsing the view that there are many genders," whereas opposing viewpoints, such as Morrison's, were not allowed. "This case presents an issue of great importance for our Nation's youth: whether public schools may suppress student speech either because it expresses a viewpoint that the school disfavors or because of vague concerns about the likely effect of the speech on the school atmosphere or on students who find the speech offensive," he wrote. What People Are Saying Attorney David Seltzer, managing partner at Seltzer Mayberg, to Newsweek: "Gender is a cultural focus in today's world, both politically and in our legal system. There are so many ways to address this topic, but our constitution dictates that free speech control, and nothing more. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented in that this should have been heard, and that the schools actions are akin to suppression of free speech. The Supreme Court should have addressed this matter, but they chose to punt it, and that sets a different kind of precedent on what we as a society now need to interpret under free speech." Liam Morrison in February 2024: "This isn't just about the shirt. It's about free speech. All students have a constitutional right to express their free speech without fear of being punished by school officials." Attorney Dave Courtman of Alliance Defending Freedom, and Morrison's counsel, in February 2024: "The problem is the school district itself waded into a controversial cultural issue, which it certainly is welcome to do. But then it took sides in the debate, and that's certainly way across the constitutional line." What Happens Next The rejected case will remain so due to the Supreme Court's rejection. Other similar cases the Court has heard in recent years have included those regarding transgender medical care, Title VII cases, and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
