Dozens of Arundel students sickened with norovirus

Students at two Anne Arundel County middle school buildings were sickened by a norovirus Wednesday and again Friday, school officials said. Students attending Severn River and Magothy middle schools — which share a campus in Arnold — plus Arnold Elementary School children whose classes are held at Severn River while a new school is constructed, reported abdominal problems and vomiting Wednesday. The vast majority of those affected were at Severn River and Arnold, officials said, with only a few Magothy students getting sick. Many were struck after getting home from school. School crews cleaned the schools Thursday while students were off due to a scheduled teacher workday. When students returned to classes Friday, the illnesses persisted, with many students reporting to the nurse’s office, a letter sent home to parents said. After consultation with the county Department of Health, crews will again return to the school buildings over the weekend and do an “aggressive” cleaning. The crews, using disinfectants and cleaning products recommended by the health department, will clean all carpets, examine exhaust fans and change air filters at the school. Water drinking fountains will be cleaned more frequently, but school leaders recommended avoiding them until this wave of virus has passed. The number of students affected was not clear, Anne Arundel County Public Schools spokesman Bob Mosier said. But a parent at the school said more than 100 called in sick Friday, which does not include those who got sick at school.

— E.B. Furgurson III, Baltimore Sun Media Group

Lecturer at College Park dies on campus

A University of Maryland professor died Thursday after being treated for a medical emergency on the College Park campus, according to university police. Thomas B. Sanders, 79, of Annapolis was in need of medical assistance in Van Munching Hall when University of Maryland police responded around 10:05 a.m., according to a statement from the department. Sanders is listed in the university faculty directory as a lecturer for the topics of business, management and finance. Officers arrived and found paramedics administering medical assistance. He was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.

— Lillian Reed

Glen Burnie man gets 20 years for dealing heroin

A Glen Burnie man was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday after he pleaded guilty to helping lead a heroin distribution ring based in Annapolis that was tied to at least one murder, a shooting in Annapolis and narcotics sales in Anne Arundel County dating back to 2011. Vincent Clark, 27, was sentenced to 40 years in prison, suspending all but 20 years of active incarceration after he entered an Alford plea to charges of supervising a criminal gang and conspiracy to distribute narcotics. An Alford plea allows a defendant to effectively plead guilty while not admitting actual guilt. He and Traymont Wiley, who pleaded guilty to being the kingpin of the organization in January, were charged by prosecutors with leading a gang that investigators say enlisted as many as a dozen people to deal drugs. In court documents, prosecutors described Clark as Wiley’s “lieutenant” and as a man who spent and gambled lavishly at the Live Casino in Hanover, despite reporting little to no income. In a statement, Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess said Clark helped sell drugs cut with fentanyl. An attorney for Clark declined to comment. Clark originally faced 19 gang- and drug-related charges when he was indicted by a county grand jury in August.

— Phil Davis, Baltimore Sun Media Group

Hogan names two deputy chiefs of staff

Gov. Larry Hogan appointed two deputy chiefs of staff Friday to replace staff members moving to other agencies. Hogan previously nominate Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio to be secretary of natural resources and moved Sean Powell to the Maryland Department of Transportation. Taking their positions will be Allison Mayer, who has been managing director of marketing and communications at the Department of Commerce, and Stephen Schatz, director of communications for the Department of Natural Resources. Mayer has also worked for the South Carolina Department of Commerce and the South Carolina Ports Authority. Mayer is married to Hogan’s former communications director and deputy campaign manager, Doug Mayer. Schatz has been at the Department of Natural Resources for three years and previously worked on Capitol Hill in Washington for trade associations and at the White House Office for National Drug Control Policy.

— Pamela Wood