SHA Begins Phase 1 of Bridge Removal
The Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) is briefly closing the I-95 at Van Dusen Road (south of exit 33, on Route 198) bridge that passes over the interstate. The bridge demolition is slated to take place in two phases, with each phase expected to take up to three weeks; weather permitting, the work should be completed by late summer.
Last Saturday night, at 8 p.m., the SHA started closing the two right lanes on northbound I-95 overnight; this practice will continue through Thursday for the bridge demolition. Crews will reopen all traffic lanes no later than 6 a.m. the next day. Once work is complete above the two right lanes, crews will then close the two left lanes on northbound I-95 for remaining work on northbound I-95.
The demolition operation includes removing steel bridge beams. The SHA and Maryland State Police will intermittently stop all traffic on northbound I-95 for no more than two 15–30-minute intervals, Saturday through Thursday, between midnight and 4 a.m., to remove the beams.
After work is complete on northbound I-95, crews will start demolition and steel beam removal on southbound I-95 and close two left lanes, then the right lanes, overnight, Saturday through Thursday, between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. SHA and Maryland State Police will again intermittently stop all traffic on southbound I-95 for no more than two 15–30-minute intervals, Saturday through Thursday, between midnight and 4 a.m., to remove the beams.
More than 185,000 vehicles use this section of I-95 daily. Motorists are encouraged to avoid the area and add extra time to their trips; travelers should consider Route 1, Route 29 or Route 295, the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (except motor carrier trucks) as alternate routes. The work is part of a $35.5 million I-95/Contee Road interchange construction project in Laurel; the SHA’s contractor for the work is American Infrastructure of Fallston (Harford County).
Multi-Year, Multi-Million-Dollar Plan to Improve BWI Marshall Announced
The state of Maryland has announced a $125 million, three-year plan to further improve BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport.
The multi-phase development plan will include the construction of a new secure connector between Concourse D and Concourse E, create a new security checkpoint to serve domestic and international travelers, and configure airline gates to support additional international flights. The Board of Public Works is scheduled to consider the first of several contracts at its July 24 meeting that will lead to the design and construction of the improvements.
The project will move forward with a $25 million investment from the Transportation Infrastructure and Investment Act of 2013, and $100 million provided by Passenger Facility Charges collected with each airline ticket. The preliminary schedule calls for all terminal improvements to be complete by the fall of 2016.
“The planned improvements will help ensure excellent service for our customers while providing the opportunity for further growth by the airlines,” said Maryland Transportation Secretary Jim Smith. “The enhanced facility will provide important additional capacity for international service.”
BWI Marshall is currently working to complete a series of improvements near the center of the airport terminal. A new security checkpoint and a new airside connector that links Concourse C with concourses A and B opened in April. Construction work on the B/C Connector and enhancements to Concourse C will be complete in the fall of 2013.
Howard’s Health Department Receives Grant Targeting Underserved Populations
The Howard County Health Department was presented a grant award check by the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission (CHRC) in the amount of $250,000; The Horizon Foundation contributed another $25,000. The awards will support the Health Department’s continuing effort to address health disparities and wellness in Howard County.
The funds were awarded based on a submission to the CHRC that supported Local Health Improvement Coalitions to fuel local action and improve community health.
“The Health Department is honored to have been chosen as a grant award winner,” said Dr. Maura Rossman, Howard County health officer. “These funds will allow further development of innovative approaches to ensure that residents with the greatest health care needs are able to effectively access appropriate health care services and community resources. Those who live and work in Howard County have shown they are invested in the health and wellness of the entire community.”
While Howard County is the healthiest county in the state and one of the wealthiest in the nation, access to appropriate health care, incidences of chronic illness and obesity are a growing challenge in an ethnically, racially and socio-economically diverse community. The Howard County Health Department’s Local Health Improvement Coalition (LHIC) will be using the funds to address local health needs and disparities by assisting in the development of a Community-Integrated Medical Home (CIMH), which is a team-based health care model that addresses a patient’s overall health by comprehensive, continuous and high-quality health care.
The Health Department and several local partners, including grant award contributor Horizon Foundation, commissioned a health survey in 2012, the result of which was hyper-local health, wellness and behavioral data. Using this data, those groups and geographic areas in need can be targeted and provided with needed resources to improve their health. Improving outcomes and access to care is a clear goal expressed by all of the partners in the grant awards process.
Arundel’s Neuman Announces Formation of Transportation Commission
Anne Arundel County Executive Laura Neuman has announced the formation of a Transportation Commission to gather information and make recommendations on the state of transportation in the county.
It will be composed of volunteer county residents who are interested in working constructively to develop recommendations to the county executive and senior management regarding policies and programs to guide the future of Transportation in Anne Arundel County.
During the next four to six months, the commission will hold frequent meetings to acquire background about the current state of transportation within the county. It also will make recommendations to Neuman for strategies, policies and objectives regarding modes of transportation and services offered. The commission’s recommendations will help develop a long-term plan for the county’s network of facilities, services and programs.
Anyone wishing to volunteer should submit a letter of interest and a résumé to George Cardwell at gcardwell@aacounty.org no later than Aug. 1. Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age and be willing to make a substantial time commitment during the next four to six months. A final report with recommendations will be submitted to Neuman by January 2014.
New Monarch Academy Approved for Central Anne Arundel County
The Monarch Academy Public Charter School received approval from Anne Arundel County’s Board of Education to establish a school in central Anne Arundel County, serving students from kindergarten to sixth grade, with plans to open in 2015. The academy will grow to serve 722 students in kindergarten through eighth grade by 2017.
The newly-approved school will be patterned after the existing Monarch Academy in Glen Burnie, which has more than 800 students on its waiting list to enroll.
“Monarch Academy provides a powerful education, offering students hands-on learning and exposure to the arts and technology. Families in Anne Arundel County have seen this first-hand, and we’re pleased to be able to offer them another charter school in the county,” said Andrew Ross, president and CEO of The Children’s Guild, which operates the academy.
Monarch Academy’s educational program presents an integrated curriculum, so students make real-world connections. The teaching approach emphasizes project-based learning, the arts and technology and a hands-on, inquiry-focused approach; its instructional delivery model integrates the arts and character education into the curriculum and presents lessons in a brain-compatible way.
Loyola’s Sellinger School’s InfoSys Program Ranked Seventh Nationally
The information systems program at Loyola University Maryland’s Sellinger School of Business & Management ranked seventh nationally among 123 undergraduate business schools on Bloomberg Businessweek’s “Best Undergraduate Business Schools 2013” list.
“The Sellinger School’s information system’s program represents the cutting-edge experience we offer our students that, through the leadership of our outstanding faculty, sticks with students from graduation into their careers,” said Karyl Leggio, dean of the Sellinger School. “We’re honored to earn a high ranking against impressive competition.”
The Sellinger School offers students undergraduate and graduate degrees with specialties in information systems. Courses cover topics that include applications development, networks and security, business intelligence and data management. In addition, Businessweek ranked the Sellinger School’s business law program second, marketing program fifth and ethics program 13th with an overall Sellinger School ranking of 53.
The Sellinger School is the only ranked undergraduate program in Maryland and only Jesuit institution on the list. Among the Sellinger School’s other recent distinctions, U.S. News and World Report ranked the school’s accounting and finance MBA programs within the top 30 nationally, and The Princeton Review ranked the school among its “Best 296 Business Schools: 2013 Edition,” the fourth consecutive year the Sellinger School has made the list.
iSonea Ltd. Raises $13.5 Million
Severna Park-based medical technology company iSonea Ltd. has raised $13.5 million from its allotted $38.6 million new, fully-paid ordinary shares in a private placement. It successfully guarantees the funding needed to launch and market AirSonea, a breakthrough personal monitoring device that detects and measures wheezing, a principal sign of airway obstruction in asthma.
The device will record and analyze data through a smartphone and will synchronize with the company’s AsthmaSense management application. AirSonea will launch in Australia in September and in the United States in early 2014, pending U.S. Food & Drug Administration review and clearance.
“This key fundraising enables the company to focus on the commercialization of AirSonea and address each important element: solidifying manufacturing partners, developing distribution channels, preparing the market and educating consumers about iSonea products and services, both in Australia and the United States,” said Michael Thomas, iSonea’s CEO.
“The success of this $13.5 million private placement illustrates the strong confidence investors have in the company, our commercialization strategy and the unmet market need for the AirSonea device,” said Stewart Washer, iSonea’s chairman. “iSonea has stimulated new investor interest in the U.S. and Australia because of its leadership position in the attractive area of asthma mobile health and remote monitoring.”
Annapolis to Be Showcased on National Television
The City of Annapolis and Comcast representatives will welcome C-SPAN today, July 16, as the national network prepares for a week-long visit to record and feature the history and literary life of Annapolis. C-SPAN representatives will reveal the stories and segments that will be explored. During their time in Annapolis, C-SPAN representatives also will conduct community and educational outreach.
The stories gathered by the video crews via the cablenet’s Local Content Vehicles will later be shown on non-fiction book channel BookTV (on C-SPAN2, Comcast 104) and history channel American History TV (on C-SPAN3, Comcast 105) during C-SPAN’s special Annapolis weekend, Sept. 7 and 8.
SECU Again Ranks Among Top First Mortgage Granting Credit Unions
SECU, Maryland’s largest state-chartered financial cooperative, has once again been named one of the Top 300 First Mortgage Granting Credit Unions in the country, according to a survey conducted by the American Credit Union Mortgage Association (ACUMA).
In the annual ACUMA ranking, SECU was first in Maryland, and 29th nationally, among mortgage granting credit unions as of December 31, 2012 — up four spots from the previous year’s survey. Data compiled by ACUMA show that SECU originated $619.3 million in 2,973 fixed and adjustable first mortgages through the end of 2012.
SECU also sold $266.2 million in first mortgages during the same period. Outstanding fixed and adjustable first mortgages totaled $982.7 million, while real estate loans sold but serviced by SECU topped $592.7 million.
Clean Out the Closets – Business Attire Collection to Help Success In Style
The seven Howard County Rotary clubs are holding a community Business Attire Collection Day on Saturday, July 27 to benefit the nonprofit Success In Style. The collection truck will be located in the parking lot on Howard Community College between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Success In Style, located at Savage Mill Mall, provides business clothing for low-income individuals who need professional clothing for job interviews.
Any business attire is welcome, including suits, dresses, shirts, slacks, ties, blouses, shoes, purses and jewelry. It should be clean and in good condition.
For more information, contact Becky Mangus at The Business Monthly, news@bizmonthly.com.
From MarylandReporter.com …
State keeps its AAA bond rating, but firms warn of federal cuts, pension debt: The governor and state treasurer cheered Maryland’s retention of its AAA bond ratings, released Friday, and the three New York rating agencies continued their praise of Maryland’s high incomes, diversified economy and strong fiscal management. But the agencies, which have given their top ratings to Maryland for decades, also sounded what have become routine warnings about the state’s dependence on federal spending in an era of cutbacks and sequestration: They continued to worry about the state’s high pension liabilities, particularly compared to the other eight states that also get AAA ratings. Read more: http://marylandreporter.com/category/news/#ixzz2Z8Xc8FN9
State prepares for former inmates to sign up for Medicaid: State officials are working to make sure people being released from prison will sign up for benefits during the 2014 Medicaid expansion. When the enrollment date for individual health plans rolls around in October, former inmates also will be eligible for health plans offered in state health care exchanges, another part of the “Obamacare” Affordable Care Act implementation. But health advocates say that at best it’s more likely they’ll be signing up for Medicaid, because of their low incomes. Read more: http://marylandreporter.com/category/news/#ixzz2Z5MFQDno
War on drugs fostered mass incarceration: Forty years ago, 204,211 people were held by U.S. prison authorities; in 2011, there were 1.6 million, a 780% increase while the U.S. population as a whole had grown by about 50%. A new book produced by the Justice Policy Institute in Washington, Incarceration Generation, documents how, why and to whom that happened. It gathers commentary from 19 researchers, advocates and people who have personally experienced the system, including an ex-cop and an ex-con who spoke in Baltimore Wednesday night. Read more: http://marylandreporter.com/category/news/#ixzz2Z5MWn79C
MarylandReporter.com is a news site for government and politics in Maryland that is published and edited by Len Lazarick. For more information or to sign up for the daily e-news, go to marylandreporter.com.