Driver Killed on White Marsh Boulevard

Tyler Graham, 35, was killed in an accident on Friday, Aug. 20 before 10 p.m.

He was driving a 2005 Nissan Sentra westbound in the eastbound lanes of White Marsh Boulevard, when he struck a 2008 Nissan Titan head on.

Graham was pronounced deceased on scene. The driver of the Nissan Titan was transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The Baltimore County Police Crash Investigation Team is continuing their work to determine the factors involved in this fatal crash.

BCPS students to Serve on Student Focus Group

Two local Baltimore County Public Schools students represent the county on the 25-member 2021-2022 Student Focus Group for the Maryland Center for School Safety.

The students are:
• Panagiolis Fafalios, a Grade 12 student at Dundalk High School and Sollers Point Technical High School
• Roah Hassan, a Grade 11 student at Perry Hall High School

According to the Maryland Center for School Safety, the Student Focus Group was created in partnership with the Maryland Association of Student Councils, to support the center’s Advisory Board. The center wrote, “Students will serve as an informed voice representing the perspectives of their county/city as it pertains to school safety, devising marketing tactics to reach students, surveying their county on important issues, and acting as a pilot group for new initiatives.”

Nearly 100 students applied to serve on the focus group. The selection process included reviewing student applications, essays, and character references, and a final interview with members of the Student Focus Group selection committee.
On a blog post, the Maryland Center for School Safety wrote, “These young adults are about to embark on a journey that will include learning more about the diversity of current school and student safety-related topics important to communities across the state and around the country, developing government relations and leadership skills, and gaining exposure to the inner workings of important state agencies and boards.”

Pizza Johns Partners With Weis Markets


Pizza Johns of Essex has announced that it will sell its world famous pizza products at selected Weis Markets.

Now 12″ and 16″ bake at home pizzas will be available at six Weis Markets in Eastern Baltimore, along with two stores in Harford County.

Here are a list of stores:
* 7200 Holabird Avenue in Dundalk
* 7848 Wise Avenue in Dundalk
* 168 Orville Road in Essex
* 4126 E Joppa Road in Carney
* 9400 Scott Moore Way in Perry Hall
* 7927 Belair Road in Fullerton
* 550 W Macphail Road in Bel Air
* 924 Pulaski Highway in Havre De Grace

Pizza Johns announced a similar partnership with a Kingsville store last summer,

Man Fatally Shot in Hillendale


Baltimore County homicide detectives are investigating a shooting that occurred just after 1:30 a.m. on Thursday, in the unit block of Wycombe Way in the Hillendale area of Parkville.

Responding officers found an adult man shot multiple times in the upper body; he did not survive.

The victim has been identified as 25-year-old Malcome Miller.

As Baltimore County homicide detectives continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding this murder, they are asking anyone with information on the incident to contact them by calling 410-307-2020. Callers may remain anonymous.

19 Year-Old Pedestrian Killed in Dundalk


A pedestrian was struck in Dundalk while attempting to cross Wise Avenue and Church Road on Sunday, Aug. 15 around 9:30 p.m.

The driver of a 2011 Toyota was traveling westbound on Wise Avenue approaching Church Road striking 19-year-old Mekiah Cotten; who was not in the crosswalk.

During the accident, the Toyota swerved striking a 2002 Honda which also struck a 1992 Ford.

Cotten was taken to an area hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Crash Team officers continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding this crash.

BCPS to Require Employee COVID Vaccine


Baltimore County Public Schools announced that all school system employees will be required to provide proof of completing their primary series of COVID-19 vaccines. Those who have not been vaccinated or who opt out of sharing their vaccine records with BCPS will be required to complete weekly COVID-19 testing.

“We are creating this requirement to protect the health, safety, and well-being of our students and staff during this continuing pandemic,” said BCPS Superintendent Dr. Darryl L. Williams. “The move is aligned with our commitment to provide in-person instruction throughout the 2021-2022 school year. Vaccination remains the most effective means of preventing COVID-19 transmission. I encourage everyone eligible to get vaccinated.”

Additional details will be shared with employees in a letter from the Office of Health Services.

The decision to require proof of vaccination or weekly testing was made with guidance from Johns Hopkins University and University of Maryland medical experts as well as Baltimore County Health Officer Dr. Gregory Wm. Branch.

Leaders of BCPS bargaining units have been a part of ongoing conversations regarding mitigation strategies and signaled their support for this decision.

“TABCO’s position continues to be a safe reopening based on the science,” said Cindy Sexton, TABCO (Teachers Association of Baltimore County) president. “We support a vaccine mandate, and we can’t wait to see our students in our classrooms.”

“Our collective stance,” said Nick Argyros of BCPSOPE, “is that we feel vaccinations provide a safe and healthy work environment. Mandatory vaccinations would help our staff stay healthy so we can succeed in our business of educating children.”

Jeannette Young, president of Education Support Professionals of Baltimore County (ESPBC), said, “For the past 18 months, ESPBC has based its recommendations and positions on the science and advice of the experts. It is believed that the best way to minimize the spread of COVID-19 is through vaccinations, testing, and masking. This three-pronged approach will allow staff to safely and effectively do their jobs of supporting the students, staff and the community of Baltimore County Public Schools.”

“AFSCME members have been on the front line since day one,” said Bryan Epps, president of AFSCME Local 434. “We are in support of mandating the vaccine and/or the weekly testing. We believe and support following the CDC recommendations and guidance and hope it will curtail the spread of the COVID-19 virus.”

“The Council of Administrative and Supervisory Employees (CASE) supports mandatory vaccinations for staff and weekly testing for staff who are unable to vaccinate,” said William Burke, CASE executive director. “Data confirms that the vaccine is safe and effective and is an important mitigation strategy that will ensure schools will remain open.”

The effort to provide vaccinations to BCPS staff began in March with clinics at the state fairgrounds that were offered throughout the spring. The effort continues with weekly school-located clinics in August. Employees can find the schedule of upcoming clinics at the Baltimore County Department of Health’s Vaccine Hub. In addition, locations throughout the community are providing COVID-19 vaccines.

In addition to required vaccines or testing for staff and universal masking in all BCPS schools, offices, and buildings, BCPS leaders say that the following additional COVID-19 mitigation strategies will be employed for the 2021-2022 school year:

Maintaining physical distancing to the greatest extent possible.
Conducting screening testing to promptly identify cases, clusters, and outbreaks.
Maintaining ventilation settings for maximal outdoor air intake and maximal filtration.
Reinforcing handwashing and respiratory etiquette.
Reinforcing that children and staff should stay home when sick and seek COVID-19 testing if necessary.
Conducting contact tracing for all cases among students and staff, including enforcing
quarantine and isolation to limit spread.
Cleaning and disinfecting high touch surfaces daily.

New Middle School Projects Next on Agenda


Baltimore County broke ground on a new northeast elementary school in Rossville last week. Now it is time to focus on the new middle school projects in the area.

Baltimore County announced that it was going to build a new northeast middle school at Nottingham Park and expand student seating at Pine Grove Middle School to decrease enrollment at Perry Hall Middle for the 2021-22 school year.

Those middle school improvements were announced back in 2017 but have seen delays over the last few years.

Baltimore County Executive John Olszewski, Jr. announced a budget shortfall in early 2019 which delayed the projects.

Next, a construction bill that funded the school projects was introduced in the 2019 General Assembly. That bill passed in the House of Delegates but never received a vote in a Senate committee.

The budget bill finally passed through the House and Senate in 2020, but Gov. Larry Hogan vetoed all budget bills as a result of COVID-19. The bill was passed into law in 2021 when the General Assembly overrode the Governor.

The good news is that the new northeast middle school on King Avenue and Pine Grove Middle renovation projects are fully funded.

The bad news is there is no timetable for construction to begin for the projects. There was hope to have the projects begin soon enough for completion by the start of the 2022-23 school year, but the earliest the school could open is now 2023-24.

Councilman David Marks explained that construction contracts are being prepared for those middle school projects and there are a lot of variables, such as materials and other factors. Marks added he is hopeful the projects will be finalized by the end of this year.

“Had the State Senate passed the Built to Learn Act in 2019, we might have had the project under construction last year. That delayed the project. The county’s part has been fully funded since 2019,” Marks said.

Rosedale Resident Files for County Executive


Darren Badillo has filed for Baltimore County Executive. The 38-year-old filed for the highest office in the County as a Republican on July 14.

According to his Facebook page, Badillo is a resident of Rosedale and is a Deacon at Rosedale Baptist Church.

Badillo is the only Republican to file for County Executive so far with six months left until the filing deadline in February 2022, but it appears he has the support of some of the major GOP players in eastern Baltimore County.

Badillo held a kickoff event at the VFW in Rossville and the event was attended by Republican delegates Ric Metzgar, Joe Boteler and former Delegate Pat McDonough.

“Thank you to everyone who took time to join me for my official announcement to run and win to be your next Baltimore County Executive,” Badillo said about his event.

If Badillo is able to secure the GOP nomination, he would face current Democratic Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski, who announced in May that he would seek a second term. No other Democrat has filed for County Executive.