Latest news with #JessicaFitzwater
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Former Mayor Ron Young celebrated at launch party for proposed statue
A who's who of Frederick politics attended the launch party on Thursday for a proposed statue of former Mayor Ron Young at The Delaplaine Arts Center. Young's mayoral tenure stretched from 1974 to 1990. He also represented Maryland's 3rd District — made up mostly of the city of Frederick — in the Maryland state Senate from 2011 to 2023. Attendees at the celebration included current Mayor Michael O'Connor, County Executive Jessica Fitzwater, City Council members, County Council members, state lawmakers and former elected officials. Young was credited by those in attendance for helping to create Carroll Creek Linear Park, establish The Delaplaine Arts Center and the Weinberg Center for the Arts, and more. 'Everything that this city is today, everything that we experience ... you can trace a line back to work that was either started or initiated or carried out or continued during time that Ron Young has been in public service in the city of Frederick, and certainly this creek is the goose that lays the golden egg,' O'Connor said in a speech at the launch party, referencing Carroll Creek. A group proposing the 7-foot bronze statue plans to have it erected at the Carroll Creek Linear Park amphitheater on top of a 1.5-foot pedestal, and sought donations and support Thursday for funding the project. There is a web site about the project. Ron Young Statue at Carroll Creek Image courtesy of Committee for the Ron Young Sculptural Tribute The project is being funded entirely through private donations and sponsors like the Delaplaine Foundation, the Ausherman Family Foundation, and others, according to Jan Gardner, a former Frederick County executive. Gardner is a member of the 13-member Committee for the Ron Young Sculptural Tribute, the group behind the proposal. Funds beyond what are required to build the statue will be put toward a maintenance fund, said its sculptor, Antonio Tobias 'Toby' Mendez, known for his work on statues of sports legends, former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and many other people. The plan is for the statue to be unveiled in October 2026, 50 years after a historic 1976 flood that devastated the downtown area, Gardner said. The flood presented the need for a flood mitigation project. Young helped spearhead an effort to mitigate the flood risk of the creek while also turning it into an economic boon. The city of Frederick must agree to allow the statue to be placed in the park. The statue is proposed to be donated to the city, meaning the city would take over its maintenance. The proposal has been approved by the city's Historic Preservation Commission, the Public Art Commission and the Parks and Recreation Commission. All it lacks is approval by the City Council. Council Members Kelly Russell and Derek Shackelford attended the launch party. 'Since Ron has always been a champion for public art, it seems fitting to honor his vision for vibrant public spaces with a sculpture by Frederick County native and nationally recognized artist Toby Mendez,' Russell wrote in a message to The Frederick News-Post on Friday. Council Members Ben MacShane and Donna Kuzemchak previously expressed support for the idea of a statue, though Kuzemchak raised concerns about the location of the statue. 'I do, however, have an issue with putting any type of sculpture in the amphitheater,' she said in a May 15 City Council Housing, Health and Education Committee meeting. 'I think that it is an inappropriate place for a sculpture.' She said the statue may block people's view of the stage at the amphitheater. Mendez said during the meeting that the statue's proposed location was picked to not block anyone's view. 'I sat in each of those seats, like the worst seats that you could think of ... and he is not in your view of the stage,' Mendez said in the May 15 meeting. Kuzemchak said she could 'certainly' support the statue being on the creek somewhere, however. City Council President Katie Nash said during the May 15 meeting that she would try to schedule a vote for the agreement for the statue for a public hearing June 5. Young said he was appreciative and humbled to have a statue built of him. 'The only sad part is that there are very few people alive that were with me at the beginning,' Young said in an interview on Friday. Young, 84, was elected when he was 33, and took office when he was 34. Mendez unveiled a miniature of the proposed statue during the launch party, and posed with Young for pictures. Marlene Young, president of the Delaplaine Foundation, said that though she is not related to Ron Young, she always gives him a fist bump or high five and says 'forever young.' This is especially significant, she said, because Ron Young continues to participate in the community since he retired from the state Senate. 'So I can tell you firsthand, he is living up to the mantra 'forever young,'' Marlene Young said.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Updated: Frederick County executive, council to introduce overlay zone for data centers
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater and all seven members of the Frederick County Council on Tuesday announced their intent to limit data center development to the area around the former Alcoa Eastalco Works site near Adamstown. The bipartisan bill would create an overlay zone for data centers that would consist of no more than 1% of Frederick County's total land, or approximately 4,000 acres. When applied, overlay zones add to or modify the regulations attached to a parcel's underlying zone without changing the underlying zone itself. The former Alcoa Eastalco site is approximately 2,200 acres, leaving the door open for other nearby parcels to be included in the overlay zone. After the overlay zone is created through legislation, the County Council will have to separately approve a map of the overlay zone. Once the map is approved, owners of properties that are within the overlay zone, but not zoned limited or general industrial, would have to apply for rezoning before data center development could occur on their land. All applications for zoning map amendments are reviewed by the Frederick County Planning Commission and voted on by the Frederick County Council. "Our residents have been clear that they will accept a reasonable amount of data center development, but they will not tolerate the sprawl that occurred in Northern Virginia," Fitzwater, a Democrat, said during a press conference on Tuesday. "The compromise that we are announcing will limit data center development to a narrow slice of the county where it is already occurring, and it will give the County Council powerful tools to prevent future sprawl," she continued. The announcement on Tuesday came as the County Council prepared for a third reading and potential final vote on a bill to establish new sitting and design criteria for data centers. That bill is sponsored by Council President Brad Young and Council Member Renee Knapp, who are both Democrats. Members of the County Council have been at odds for months about how best to regulate data center development in Frederick County. In September 2024, Fitzwater announced that her administration would introduce to the council a bill to establish a data center floating zone. Floating zones are districts that, when applied, replace the underlying zoning of a specific parcel of land. In its final report, Fitzwater's data center work group recommended the creation of a floating zone that would have to be applied by the County Council over qualified parcels before data centers could be developed there. Fitzwater ultimately pulled the floating zone bill after previously expressing concerns that the zone could pit communities against each other and politicize the approval process for data centers. After Fitzwater pulled her floating zone bill, Council Member Steve McKay, a Republican, and Council Member Jerry Donald, a Democrat, drafted their own version — but Young declined to put it on the agenda before the council had finished its work on his and Knapp's bill. "I've been a strong advocate to ensure that the council be the final vote ... in terms of deciding where and where we do not build data centers," McKay said during the press conference on Tuesday. "This new data center overlay approach satisfies that requirement." Council Member Renee Knapp, who co-chaired Fitzwater's data centers work group, said during the press conference on Tuesday that the proposed zoning bill complements her and Young's data center siting and design bill. Knapp said the zoning bill will also address "a key workgroup recommendation and community concern" — establishing an upper limit on data center development in Frederick County based on total facility square footage, total land acreage, energy usage or another metric. In an interview after the press conference on Tuesday, Fitzwater said she does not have the same concerns about the proposed overlay zone as she did about the floating zone. "With an overlay, it can't float," Fitzwater said. "We're putting it in a specific place because we feel that that's where that type of development goes." The proposed overlay zone for data centers marks the first time in the history of charter government that all seven members of the Frederick County Council have co-sponsored a measure, Fitzwater said. It is not clear exactly when the proposed overlay zone will come before the County Council, but Fitzwater said it is likely to happen "pretty soon."
Epoch Times
05-05-2025
- Health
- Epoch Times
NIH Halts Work at High-Level Infectious Disease Laboratory
U.S. health officials have shut down work at a laboratory in Maryland that works on high-risk infectious diseases. Health officials halted work at the Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, also known as IRF-Frederick, after multiple safety violations, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) official told The Epoch Times in an email on May 5. The official confirmed that one of the incidents was one researcher poking a hole in another researcher's personal protective equipment. The other safety violations are not clear. An email sent to the National Interagency Confederation for Biomedical Research, a consortium of eight agencies that oversees the IRF and other research facilities at Fort Detrick, was not returned. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a division of the NIH that manages the work at the IRF, did not respond to a request for comment. Researchers at the IRF handle high-risk pathogens, including avian influenza, Middle East respiratory syndrome, and Ebola. The facility 'has the capability' to perform research at biosafety level four, which indicates the highest risk, the IRF's website Related Stories 4/16/2025 5/4/2025 Work at the IRF will resume 'as soon as the safety of our team is assured,' the Department of Health and Human Services, the parent agency of the NIH, Officials who work for Frederick, a city and county in which Fort Detrick is located, said they were concerned about the work stoppage. 'This facility has been at the forefront of studying deadly infectious diseases, including Ebola, and its work is crucial for public health and safety,' Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater and four members of the Frederick County Council, including its president, Brad Young, told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement. 'The indefinite pause in its operations not only jeopardizes ongoing research but also undermines our preparedness for future outbreaks. 'Frederick County has long been a hub for scientific innovation and research. The IRF's contributions have not only advanced our understanding of infectious diseases but have also brought significant economic benefits to our community. The closure of this lab threatens to disrupt our local economy, potentially leading to job losses and a decline in scientific collaboration. We urge the federal government to reconsider this decision and recognize the vital role that the IRF plays in safeguarding public health and supporting our local economy. The work conducted at this facility is too important to be halted indefinitely.'
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Several bills from Frederick County pass Maryland General Assembly as session winds down
With the last day of the 2025 Maryland General Assembly session approaching on Monday, several bills with Frederick County sponsors have already passed both chambers and to the governor. Two of the bills that made it through the state legislature are based on priority legislation Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater submitted to the state delegation last year. One, HB442, would allow statements made by a child to a professional forensic interviewer to be read in court. Currently, the rule against hearsay prevents forensic interviewers from testifying about statements children made to them. The bill's primary sponsor is Del. Karen Simpson, a Democrat from District 3. Fitzwater, a Democrat, had also asked the delegation to propose a statewide version of Family Connects Frederick County. The program provides a free home visit with a nurse to families with a newborn baby delivered at Frederick Health Hospital. But the amended legislation that advanced to Democratic Gov. Wes Moore — HB334 in the state House of Delegates and SB156 in the state Senate — stops short of expanding the program to other jurisdictions. Instead, the cross-filed bills will establish a work group on universal nurse home visiting services in the state. The work group would be tasked with compiling data on existing services, identifying gaps in service and making recommendations to the state legislature by the end of 2025. Del. Ken Kerr sponsored the House version of the bill. Sen. Karen Lewis Young sponsored the Senate version. Both Kerr and Lewis Young are Democrats representing District 3. Kerr is also the lead sponsor of a bill establishing a work group on cyber security at hospitals and other health care entities. That bill has also advanced to the governor. Kerr previously told The Frederick News-Post that he hoped HB333 could prevent data breaches like the one that occurred this year at FHH, in which patients' names, Social Security numbers, birthdays and addresses were compromised. Also of note in the public health sphere is HB39, which would repeal a Maryland law that criminalizes knowingly transferring or attempting to transfer HIV. Advocates of the bill have said that the intentional transfer of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases is already covered by the state's reckless endangerment statute, which has a higher penalty. They have also argued that the existing law unnecessarily stigmatizes people with HIV and discourages people from knowing their HIV status. The bill's lead sponsor is Del. Kris Fair (D-3), who is also the director of The Frederick Center, a nonprofit organization that caters to the LGBTQ+ community. In a press release on Thursday, Fair called the bill's passage 'a win for public health, for racial justice, and for correcting historical wrongs.' Three bills sponsored by the entire Frederick County delegation have also been approved by the General Assembly. They are: * HB512 * — to increase the number of ounces of alcohol Frederick County businesses with salon liquor permits such as barbershops and hair salons can serve to customers HB866 * — to allow the manager or other official of a theater in Frederick County to hold the establishment's liquor license HB1026 * — to update the rules for beer and wine tastings in Frederick County * Two other pieces of legislation requested by Fitzwater were still pending the General Assembly as of press time on Friday. They are: SB175 * — to ban the sale, transfer or distribution of nonconductive jacketed corrugated stainless steel tubing, a common fuel gas piping material linked to the 2021 line-of-duty death of Frederick County Battalion Chief Josh Laird. * As of press time on Friday, the bill had been amended and passed by the House. The Senate must still approve the amended version. The legislative session is scheduled to conclude at the end of the night on Monday. HB23 * — to allow the governing body of a county or Baltimore City to set special tax rates for certain commercial or industrial property for the purpose of financing transportation improvements or public education. As of press time on Friday, the bill was still in the Senate's Budget and Taxation Committee after passing in the House. Moore will have until May 27 to sign or veto each bill passed by the state legislature during the 2025 session. A bill also can become law if the governor takes no action. Most of the bills that become law will take effect on Oct. 1. Bills related to budget and taxation will take effect on July 1, the first day of fiscal year 2026.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Frederick County to host Deaf History Month celebration
The Frederick County government is hosting a celebration next week in honor of Deaf History Month. The National Association of the Deaf recognizes April 1 through 30 as Deaf History Month. The awareness month is also recognized by the state of Maryland, which is home to more than 1.2 million deaf and hard-of-hearing people, according to the Maryland Deaf Community Center (MDCC). The Frederick County government's celebration of Deaf History Month will be on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at the C. Burr Artz Library. It is being held in partnership with the MDCC and the Maryland School for the Deaf. The event will feature a proclamation from Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater and a panel discussion on the Deaf experience in Frederick County. People can RSVP for the event by emailing YBravo@ American Sign Language interpreters will be present at the event, but requests for other interpreters can be made by calling 301-600-1208. To request other accommodations, people can contact the county's Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator by emailing ADA@ or calling 301-600-1100. For those who cannot attend in person, the event will be recorded for later viewing on FCG TV at
