Jawando will read to children electronically

Plus: Legislature approves overhaul of public schools; Lawmakers change hate crime law

March 18, 2020 12:48 p.m.

Jawando will read to children electronically

Montgomery County Council Member Will Jawando will host a daily virtual story time for younger children at home while schools are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Parents and children can join virtual story readings on Jawando’s Facebook page, where the sessions will be streamed live. Jawando begins the reading sessions Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. [Montgomery Community Media]

Legislature approves overhaul of public schools

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Maryland lawmakers gave final approval Tuesday night to a sweeping public education reform bill that Democrats say could change the trajectory of thousands of Maryland students’ lives.

The House voted 96-38, along partisan lines, on an overhaul that will expand prekindergarten, increase teacher pay and standards, and add more programs preparing students for college and careers.

Republicans who opposed the measure argued that it was not fiscally responsible to pass a bill that could cost the state as much as $4 billion a year in 2030, given the uncertainty in the state’s economy over the coronavirus outbreak. [Washington Post]

Lawmakers change hate crime law

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Three months after a judge threw out a hate crime charge against the white man convicted of fatally stabbing a black Army officer on the University of Maryland campus, state lawmakers have passed new hate crime legislation.

Maryland’s Senate and House passed bills Tuesday stating that hate does not have to be the sole motivation for a hate crime.

In December, Sean Urbanski was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Army 2nd Lt. Richard Collins III on the College Park campus in 2017. [WTOP]

Today’s weather

Cloud during the afternoon, with a high around 58 and a low around 49

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