Author: eastbaltco

Fullerton Fireworks Cancelled As a Result of COVID-19


The Fullerton Fireworks Foundation announced that this year’s 4th of July Firework Display at Fullerton Elementary has been cancelled. They released an official statement on their Facebook page.

“In light of the situation we are facing locally and nationally with Covid-19, the board has made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s fireworks celebration. We are doing this as a safety measure to protect lives,” said the statement.

“Even though smaller gatherings of 50 people or less may be allowed in the near future, we see no way to guarantee the safety of over 12,000 citizens sitting shoulder-to-shoulder to watch the event. We will hopefully see all of you in 2021. Stay Safe, and thank you for supporting the Fullerton Fireworks Foundation for nearly 60 years!”

The Kingsville, Maryland Independence Day Parade also announced that they were cancelling their 4th of July event too because of the coronavirus.

“In these uncertain times we are all being faced with difficult decisions, so it was with the final decision to not hold our traditional Kingsville 4th of July Parade,” said a statement from the Kingsville committee on April 4.

“The enjoyment of the parade that each of us have experienced in the past is the result of weeks and months of planning with commitments necessary to develop before the actual event. This conclusion was made with “an abundance of caution” regarding future restrictions.”

All Maryland Public Schools Remain Closed Until May 15


Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and State School Superintendent Karen Salmon announced on Friday afternoon that all Maryland public schools would remain closed until May 15 as a result of COVID-19.

Schools were originally closed for the coronavirus pandemic from March 16 to March 27. Then in late March, Salmon made an announcment that the closure was extended until April 24.

Baltimore County Public School’s last day for the 2019-20 school year is set for Monday, June 22.

BCPS announnced it had already cancelled all senior activities for its students.

Fatal Crash With Pedestrian Reported in Rosedale Area


Police are investigating a fatal crash on Pulaski Highway and Rossville Boulevard in Rosedale yesterday morning.

The preliminary investigation revealed that at 5:49 a.m., a man crossed Pulaski Highway at a crosswalk that was closed for construction on Thursday, April 16. He was struck by a Chevrolet Camaro traveling west on Pulaski Highway towards Rossville Boulevard. The pedestrian is identified as Arthur Joseph, Jr. (45) whose last known address is in the 4800 block of Reisterstown Road, 21215. Joseph was transported to MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased.

The Baltimore County Crash Team is working to determine all of the factors involved in the fatal crash. The driver of the Chevrolet did remain at the scene of the crash.

Milford Mill Teacher & Overlea Grad Named MICA Finalists


Mikea Hugley, graduate of Overlea High School and a visual arts teacher at Milford Mill Academy, has been named one of eight finalists in the Maryland Institute College of Art’s (MICA) UP/Start Venture Competition for her project called “Makers for Humankind.”

The UP/Start Venture Competition, now in its fifth year, is an initiative of MICApreneurship and the newly created Ratcliffe Center for Creative Entrepreneurship, and focuses on incubating and building creative business ventures within the MICA community. The finalists are competing for seed funding totaling $100,000, funded by the Philip E. and Carole R. Ratcliffe Foundation, as well as a $5,000 People’s Choice Award — which the public can vote for online now through April 24.

According to MICA’s website: “Makers for Humankind’s mission is to develop accessible footwear that bridges the gap between the fortunate and less fortunate and many stigmas that plague society. Its signature shoe, the ‘HM1’s,’ is an all-in-one shoe, both sneaker and sandal.”

Hugley’s plan for her company is to donate 10 percent of its proceeds to benefit those in the unhoused population who suffer from the lack of proper footwear.

Hugley is a first-year teacher at Milford Mill Academy. She studied design and art at the Community College of Baltimore County and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from MICA. As the founder of the design company CRE8T1V3, she has worked on media projects for the Maryland Health Connection, Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and other businesses, artists, and authors. Before joining the Milford Mill Academy staff, Hugley was a long-term substitute graphic design teacher at Overlea High.

The eight UP/Start Venture Competition finalists were selected from a pool of 37 applicants, all students or alumni of the classes of 2019 and 2020.

After selection, finalists were paired with industry leaders or investors as mentors to refine their business plans and presentation skills. They also received website development support from Wix and peer mentorship from past UP/Start winners in the weeks leading up to final presentations, which took place on April 14.

Winners of the venture capital and the People’s Choice Award will be announced after Friday, April 24. Finalists who do not receive funding from the judges will receive $500 stipends to continue advancing their ideas.

Man Tries to Ignite Gas Pumps In Middle River


Baltimore County Police arrest one suspect for attempted arson in Middle River.

Police responded to Royal Farms in the 12500 block of Eastern Avenue, 21220 just after 10 p.m. Tuesday night for a disturbance. The initial investigation revealed that a man left the location after refusing to pay for an item.

A short time later he returned and removed a fire extinguisher from a gas pump and discharged it in the parking lot. Then he grabbed the gas pump nozzles of numerous pumps and forcefully struck them against the sides of the gas pump terminals. Afterward, he attempted to ignite numerous gas pumps while threatening to set the location on fire. Police found him a short distance away with the fire extinguisher.

Evan Wendell Hunt (26), who has no fixed address, was arrested and is charged with attempted second degree arson, threat of arson and various other charges. He is held at the Baltimore County Detention Center on a no bail status pending a bail hearing.

Four Parkville HS Basketball Seniors to Play College Ball


Parkville High School announced that four players from its Boys Basketball team have committed to play college basketball in the fall.

*John Godinez has committed to Norte Dame College of Ohio.

*Khalil Dukes is headed to Central Penn College.

* Jordan Strickland will play college ball at Harford Community College.

* Alphonso Morrow will continue his basketball career at Penn State Fayette.

The Knights had a magical run this season as they advanced to play in the 4A State Semifinals, but their season ended with all other sports teams across the globe with a cancellation after COVID-19.

Even though the team never had the chance to finish its season, Parkville Athletic Director Jeff Markle said Coach Josh Czerski can still take pride in helping send his players to the college level.

“Our coaching staff, mainly Coach Czerski, works extremely hard to find the kids an opportunity at the next level. In his four years as head coach at Parkville he has sent 10 players to the next level,” Markle told EastBaltCo.com.

“This year he was 4 for 4 in doing so. He and the athletes deserve the credit.”

COVID-19 Could Delay Northeast School Construction Projects


EastBaltCo.com was the first to report that the General Assembly finally passed SB 1 which secured school construction funding across the state and Baltimore County.

This funding was set for three northeast Baltimore County school projects; a new elementary school in the Rossville area, a new middle school at Nottingham Park on King Avenue and to expand Pine Grove Middle School in Carney.

Gov. Larry Hogan was in favor of the construction money and was expected to sign the bill, but recent events of COVID-19 have changed the landscape of Maryland.

As a result of an unexpected economic downfall, Hogan said he was not going to sign any spending bills into law. It appears that the $400 million in Baltimore County school construction funding could be denied.

Fifth District School Board Member Julie Henn stated that BCPS is still going to plan for construction of those schools even though it is now unlikely.

“Last night, the Board approved a contract modification that authorizes the school system to purchase new technology for projects including the new NE Elementary School at Ridge Road and the new NE Middle School,” Henn said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The approval was bittersweet. While it is encouraging to see plans for these projects advance, construction cannot move forward without state funding.”

Henn added that she has been working hard to get these schools built in her district and said she will continue to fight for construction of those schools

“Baltimore County Councilman David Marks and I remain committed to doing everything we can to advance these schools for the communities we represent and call home,” Henn said.

Hogan Orders Face Coverings in Public Maryland Businesses


Gov. Larry Hogan has signed an Executive Order requiring Marylanders to wear a face covering when visiting establishments.

This face covering requirement does not have to be a medical mask. That includes a bandana or a scarf as long as it covers a person’s nose and mouth.

This applies to Marylanders entering all Retail and Food Establishments such as carry outs and grocery stores. All staff at Retail and Food Establishments are required to wear face coverings ypp.

This executive order also applies to all operators and riders of public transportation.

Baltimore County to Hold COVID-19 Testing Drive-Through


In an effort to keep pace with the demand for COVID-19 testing, the Baltimore County Department of Health will open a drive-through clinic to test patients who have a medical order from a healthcare provider.

The clinic will be located at the Timonium Fairgrounds (2200 York Road, Timonium, Maryland 21093) and will open on Thursday, April 16. Testing will continue to occur on Tuesdays and Thursdays while test kits are available.

“Our response to this pandemic must include every effort possible to help reduce the spread of the virus and save lives, and testing is a critical component of those efforts,” said County Executive Johnny Olszewski.

“Increasing testing capacity in Baltimore County is part of our comprehensive effort to keep our residents safe and healthy during this crisis.”

“In a matter of weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed life, as we know it,” said Baltimore County Health Officer Dr. Gregory Wm. Branch. “Providing a testing clinic at this location will allow for both efficiency and safety, and is another example of Baltimore County working to meet the changing landscape brought about by this pandemic.”
Increased access to testing is a priority in helping to prevent the spread of the virus. The fairgrounds are easily accessible and able to accommodate multiple lanes of vehicles at once. Additionally, patients will not have to leave their vehicles during the testing process.

Schedule an Appointment
Patients must first get authorization from a healthcare provider to be tested.
Once authorization is obtained, the person to be tested must schedule an appointment using the state-designated Chesapeake Regional Information System (CRISP). Tested individuals will receive post-test instructions at the clinic and test results will be available within five to seven days.
People arriving at the site without an order from a healthcare provider and/or without a pre-scheduled appointment will not be tested.

COVID-19 Hotline
Residents with questions or who need assistance can call the Baltimore County COVID-19 Hotline seven days a week, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 410-887-3816.

Baltimore County Launches Detailed COVID-19 Dashboard


Baltimore County Government has created an app with information about COVID-19.

The dashboard covers all the cases of the coronavirus throughout the county. It has a list of the cases in each Baltimore County by zip code. The app also breaks down each case by race, gender and age.

According to the first version on the county’s dashboard, 59.13 percent of the county cases have been female with 40.87 percent of cases listed as male.

The stats by race show African Americans with 555 cases, Caucasians with 417 and Asians with 31 cases. There were 224 cases listed as “other” and 148 cases were listed with no race reported.

The Dashboard listed that there have been 1,377 confirmed cases and 41 deaths as a result of the virus in Baltimore County. The site also lists the state of Maryland with 9,472 cases and 302 deaths.