Around the region
Plan to extend I-95 toll lanes is expanded
A plan to extend express toll lanes on Interstate 95 north of Baltimore into Harford County will be greatly expanded from what was originally proposed, it was announced Friday by the Maryland Transportation Authority, which operates the highway. The $1.1 billion project will add two northbound toll lanes in the center of the highway from just beyond the White Marsh Boulevard/Route 43 interchange where existing express lanes end to just north of the Route 24 interchange in Abingdon, a distance of about 10 miles. The MDTA originally planned to build a single express lane from White Marsh Boulevard approximately 7 miles north to just across the Little Gunpowder Falls in Harford County. The MDTA said Hogan’s administration will commit an additional $890 million to the project, originally budgeted at $210 million, bringing the total to $1.1 billion.
Possible campaign violation reported at sheriff’s office
The Baltimore sheriff’s office has asked the Maryland State Prosecutor to investigate photos that appear to show one of the sheriff's employees loading or unloading campaign signs into the trunk of an agency patrol car. Stanley Brandford, a candidate for the sheriff’s office, said the photos are evidence of incumbent Sheriff John Anderson’s using his office and its employees for political purposes — a charge Anderson denies. Assistant Sheriff Sam Cogen said Friday that officials initially planned to investigate the matter internally. But after being asked by The Baltimore Sun whether Sheriff Anderson himself might be part of that probe, Cogen said they decided to refer the case to the independent prosecutor.
Towson University applies for development program
Towson University officials say they are applying for a program that would target the campus and surrounding community for increased economic development. The university qualified under the state’s Regional Institution Strategic Enterprise program, or RISE, which allows it to seek a RISE Zone designation, the university said. The state Department of Commerce program aims to leverage the economic development potential of the state’s higher education institutions. New or expanding businesses that invest or add jobs in a zone could qualify for real property or income tax credits. Kim Schatzel, the university’s president, said in an announcement that the university generates $1.8 billion in annual economic impact, including $150 million generated by the TU incubator, which “makes us a sought-after partner for established businesses and start-ups alike,” Schatzel said. The university is seeking the RISE designation to increase economic growth at the university and in the Towson community through an initiative known as Together Towson.
Harford school bus in single-vehicle accident
A Harford County Public Schools bus was involved in a single-vehicle accident in Havre de Grace on Friday as it transported students home on the final day of the school year, according to fire and school officials. Harford County school officials said one student on the bus was taken to a hospital with injuries not thought to be life-threatening. Two other students on the bus went home with parents, according to Jillian Lader, a schools spokeswoman. A photograph from the scene tweeted by the Susquehanna Hose Company of Havre de Grace showed the bus off the roadway along Bulle Rock Parkway.
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