Eastern Baltimore County News
Baltimore County Police are alerting the public about an alleged incident that occurred at a local park involving a registered sex offender.
The man reportedly approached a young girl last week at Cox Point Park, which is located in the 800 block of Riverside Drive in Essex.
Attached is a picture of the man police arrested in connection to the case; he’s 57-year-old Rodney Key.
Detectives are concerned there may be additional victims in the community. You can contact officers at 410-887-0220.
Police are investigating a shooting in Middle River that left a man injured.
Just after 9 p.m. on Thursday. May 13, the victim was walking in the area of Holcumb Court in Middle River when he was shot in the lower body.
The victim was transported to Bayview Medical Center where he was treated and released.
Police are asking neighbors to check any exterior cameras they may have and contact police with any possible information.
Anyone who may have additional information to offer can contact detectives from the Baltimore County Police Violent Crimes Unit by calling 410-307-2020.
-photo courtesy of Providence Volunteer Fire Company of Towson-
Baltimore County Fire Department were on the scene of a two alarm apartment fire in the unit block of Cedarburg Court in Parkville.
The fire was reported on Friday, May 14 at 4:29 p.m.
First arriving units reported fire from the second and third floors of a three-story apartment building.
The fire was reported under control at 5:04 p.m. One civilian was evaluated for medical cause.
Baltimore County Public Schools is committed to providing full-time, in-school instruction, five days a week, for all students during the 2021-2022 school year, pending the latest health and safety guidelines.
However, for those families for whom full-time, in-person learning is not an option, BCPS will offer a Virtual Learning Program for students in Kindergarten through Grade 12. The BCPS Virtual Learning Program will provide full-time virtual instruction from BCPS staff, including live (synchronous) instruction and anytime (asynchronous) learning.
Students enrolling in the BCPS Virtual Learning Program will also remain enrolled in their BCPS school. As a BCPS student, they may participate in meals, sports, extracurricular activities, and other opportunities.
Families interested in the Virtual Learning Program are invited to attend a Family Information Session to learn more about the program’s benefits and limitations (such as which classes will be available). No registration is required for the online information sessions, and links for the sessions are provided in this release.
Sessions will be offered:
Wednesday, May 19, from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. — Virtual Learning Program Family Information Session in English
Thursday, May 20, from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. – Virtual Learning Program Family Information Session in Spanish
Thursday, May 20, from 6 – 7 p.m. – Virtual Learning Program Family Information Session – multilingual (The meeting code for this session is BCPSmulti, and participants must use a BCPS student email address to log in. Translators will be available to assist with Arabic, Chinese, Nepali, and Urdu. Other languages available by request to adregier@bcps.org.)
In addition to the information sessions, families can send questions to VLP@bcps.org at any time.
Registration for the Virtual Learning Program will take place from Wednesday, May 19, through Friday, May 28. Families who register for the Virtual Learning Program will be asked to commit for the full school year.
Baltimore County will join the state of Maryland in lifting all restrictions on indoor and outdoor venues and indoor and outdoor dining effective Saturday, May 15.
Face covering requirements for indoor establishments remain in effect. This means that individuals must continue to wear face masks while inside public spaces, in schools, and in restaurants while not eating or drinking.
While Governor Hogan announced that the statewide indoor mask mandate will lift when 70 percent of adults have received at least a single dose of vaccine, County leaders will consider this measure in the coming days, and may decide to continue the indoor mask mandate in Baltimore County beyond the state’s order.
County Executive Johnny Olszewski released the following statement:
“After a long and difficult year, I am pleased we have reached a point where we feel that it is safe to lift capacity restrictions. A sense of normalcy is returning, and I know we are all anxious to get back to the things we love to do.
At the same time, despite incredible progress in our vaccination efforts, we still have a considerable amount of work ahead to vaccinate more of our residents. We should remember that Marylanders under the age of 12 are not yet eligible for a vaccine. We have a responsibility to keep our children safe. We are currently considering whether to continue the indoor mask mandate in Baltimore County, as we want to be sure that we do not inadvertently put our youngest residents at risk.”
Weber’s Farm 5th Annual Strawberry Festival will be held on Saturday, June 5 & Sunday, June 6 at 2526 Proctor Lane in Parkville.
Tickets for entry into the event are now available for purchase. Tickets must be purchased in advance online. Register early, space is limited!
Admission, $6 per person, is required for anyone attending the festival who is 2 years old and older. Under 2 years old are free.
The event will include live music, food trucks, barnyard animals, and other activities.
For more details about the Strawberry Festival and to purchase tickets please visit the Strawberry Festival ticketing page:
The Heritage Society of Essex and Middle River, Inc. will hold its Museum Grand Re-Opening on Saturday, May 22 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Museum is located at 516 Eastern Blvd. in the heart of Essex.
The event will focus on First Responders Day with tours. Members of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police K9 Unit will be there along with Baltimore County Police Community Relations, the Essex Volunteer Fire Company and Historian Paul Blitz.
For more information, visit the Heritage Society of Essex and Middle River Facebook page.
After a 14-month hiatus amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Baltimore County Department of Aging (BCDA) announced that beginning Monday, May 10, nine of the County’s largest senior centers will host orientations in advance of reopening for limited programming later this year.
All County senior centers have been closed since March 17, 2020, when Governor Hogan closed centers across Maryland to combat the spread of COVID-19.
“We’re thrilled to begin to reopen our senior centers so we can do even more to serve the more than 20,000 residents are members of the county’s 20 senior centers and Senior Box Office,” said Laura D. Riley, Director of the Department of Aging. “This phased reopening will ensure that we can provide a clean and safe environment at our largest centers as we work towards reopening all our centers as quickly and as safely as possible.”
Safety Orientation Required Prior to Reopening
Prior to reopening for limited in-person programming, senior center members will be required to attend an orientation session to learn about new COVID-19 safety protocols and complete annual center registration forms.
Beginning Monday, May 10, individuals can register for these orientation sessions by calling 410-887-2040 or going online at www.baltimorecountymd.gov/aging to sign-up.
Following completion of orientation by a significant number of members, the County will begin to offer in-person programming, which is currently expected to begin in July. Due to distancing and capacity requirements, Baltimore County will begin with the nine largest senior centers, including four in eastern Baltimore County.
Ateaze Senior Center, 7401 Holabird Avenue, Dundalk, MD 21222, 410-887-7233, ateazesc@baltimorecountymd.gov
Essex Senior Center, 600 Dorsey Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21221, 410-887-0267, essexsc@baltimorecountymd.gov
Parkville Senior Center, 8601 Harford Road, Baltimore, MD 21234, 410-887-5338, parkvillesc@baltimorecountymd.gov
Seven Oaks Senior Center, 9210 Seven Courts Drive, Perry Hall, MD 21236, 410-887-5192, sevenoakssc@baltimorecountymd.gov
The County’s remaining eleven senior centers will reopen following state expansion of capacity limits, additional Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidance, and state and local Department of Health approval.
Virtual Programs to Continue
Due to physical distancing restrictions, programs with high attendance will continue to be offered virtually. Virtual programs will continue to be publicized in the senior center monthly newsletters and on the Department of Aging’s website at www.baltimorecountymd.gov/seniorcenters.
Senior Food Distribution Program Expanded
Until the Eating Together program resumes, BCDA will continue to provide a weekly bulk food program for seniors, and it is now expanding to 9 sites: Ateaze, Bykota, Catonsville, Cockeysville, Essex, Liberty, Parkville, Reisterstown and Seven Oaks senior centers. One member per household can register online at www.baltimorecountymd.gov/aging or call 410-887-2040 on Mondays between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. to reserve a food kit. Each “kit” includes canned goods, fruits and vegetables, dairy products and a small chicken. Food distributions will occur on Wednesdays.
Questions and Information Requests
Questions about the phased opening of our senior centers can be directed to Jill Hall, Chief, Senior Centers and Community Services Division, at 410-887-3424 or jphall@baltimorecountymd.gov
Maryland State Police arrested and charged a suspected impaired driver who hit a state police vehicle and fled the scene on May 5 on I-95 in Baltimore County.
The accused is identified as Gasper Botteon, 45 of Nottingham. Botteon is charged with driving under the influence, possession of a controlled dangerous substance, and other traffic charges related to the hit and run.
Botteon was driving a white box truck and was the sole occupant of the vehicle. He was uninjured in the incident.
Shortly after 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday, a Maryland State Trooper from the JFK Memorial Highway Barrack in his marked patrol vehicle at the 64.4-mile marker on I-95, was conducting a crash investigation. While he was working inside of his vehicle, a white box truck struck the driver’s side of his vehicle and ripped off the door. The box truck continued traveling northbound on I-95 in Rosedale. The trooper was not injured.
A lookout for the box truck was immediately broadcast to all law enforcement in the area. Troopers from the Bel Air Barrack located the vehicle and the driver shortly after 6:15 p.m. northbound on Route 24 at Bel Air S. Parkway in Belair.
The driver, later identified as Botteon, showed signs of suspected impairment. He was subsequently arrested on scene without incident and transported to the JFK Memorial Highway Barrack for processing.
The investigation is continuing.
###
Gerri Otto, a social studies resource teacher for Baltimore County Public Schools, was honored with the Elementary School Teacher Award during the eighth annual Maryland Financial Education and Capability Awards ceremony, held virtually on May 5.
The awards program is presented by the CASH (Creating Assets, Savings, and Hope) Campaign of Maryland, Maryland Council on Economic Education, and Maryland State Department of Education.
Otto, who is a resident of eastern Baltimore County. was recognized for bringing the Stock Market Game to many BCPS schools and for co-writing K-3 curriculum for personal finance to be implemented countywide. Seventeen elementary, middle, and high schools are participating in the Stock Market Game this school year. The personal finance curriculum was used during the 2020-2021 school year for Grade 3. BCPS intends to pilot the curriculum for Kindergarten to Grade 2 during the 2021-2022 school year. Topics covered by the curriculum include economic wants and needs, goods and services, savings and spending, resources, decision making, markets, income, jobs, opportunity cost, spending plans, and charitable donations.
For her honor, Otto receives a $1,000 financial award made possible by the Maryland Society of Accounting and Tax Professionals and the Woodside Foundation. CSX was the title sponsor of the virtual event with SECU as the presenting sponsor.
Because no ceremony was held last year (due to COVID-19), the 2020 winners who were announced last year also were honored during this year’s virtual event. Among them was 2020 Elementary School Teacher Award winner Florence Falatko of Cromwell Valley Elementary Magnet School.
“As an organization focused on supporting the education community, the Maryland Council on Economic Education is proud to celebrate the educators who are being recognized this year for their excellence and innovation in teaching critical personal finance skills,” said Julie Weaver, executive director of the Maryland Council on Economic Education. “This has been a year like no other, and the economic impact of the pandemic has shown us the importance of financial preparedness for families and communities. We applaud these teachers for impacting not only their students, but in many cases their students’ families as well.”
