Kristen Griffith

Firefighters from Carroll, Baltimore and Howard counties were called Friday morning to extinguish a structure fire on the 2800 block of Liberty Road in Eldersburg.

The Carroll County health officer suggested the board of education discontinue high school sports since it caused a burden on the health department.

The N-word was repeated multiple times during a virtual orientation hosted by Century High School and attended by Sykesville Middle School students.

Since students returned to hybrid learning last week, CCPS has worked to fill in areas where staff members are absent. Despite the challenges the school system faced with staff, several parents have reported positive reviews of their child’s in-person learning experience.

Private schools returned from winter break this month with plans to remain in-person until the end of the school year. The health and safety guidelines implemented proved effective to principals and few COVID-19 case numbers encourage them to continue on the same path.

New businesses that opened or reopened in 2020 faced challenges of maintaining business throughout the pandemic. Owners describe the layoffs and adjustments they had to make, and are hoping 2021 will be the year restrictions fall and customers can return to their establishments.

Carroll County Public Schools alerted parents late Friday afternoon that they will allow students to have snow days after initially taking them away when most students were learning virtually.

Rafael’s restaurant in Westminster was fined $2,000 and had its liquor license suspended for nine months nearly a year after a pedestrian was killed by a driver who the county attorney’s office said had 21 drinks from the restaurant earlier that night.

Students were roaming the Carroll County Public School halls once again on Thursday. It was the first day back to hybrid learning for cohort B.

Operational staff increased their duties since the coronavirus pandemic. Some building service staff shared what their jobs have been like this year as well as the safety concerns that followed.

Jeffrey McQuay Caples, of the 2600 block of Day Spring Drive, made his first in-person appearance in court since being charged with first-degree murder in the Dec. 2 death of Kelly Ann Caples.

Carroll County bus drivers made suggestions on what could be improved for drivers and noted how they are often left out of the health and safety conversation.

Carroll County Public School staff are nearly set with their plans for reopening in hybrid instruction. But it’s the unknown of the pandemic that makes creating a fool-proof return plan an on-going and challenging process.

The Carroll County Board of Education voted, 4-1, Monday night to return to hybrid learning on Thursday, frequently citing failing grades in the first quarter as a motivator.

Carroll County’s Board of Education is scheduled to make another decision on virtual and hybrid learning on Monday. And the county health officer is once again advising against it.

Carroll County’s state senator proposed Maryland State Department of Education set concrete guidance to local school systems that more quickly return students to the classroom

Discussions surrounding education in Carroll County have mostly centered around returning students to the classrooms and the effects the coronavirus has had on students, teachers and staff.

The artwork by Sara Bondroff, a senior at Liberty High School, was selected for the 2021 National Art Honor Society Juried Exhibition. The altered self-portrait was one of 93 works selected from around the country.

Phoebe Bailey, the student representative for Harford County’s Board of Education, is among 16 student board members across Maryland who signed a letter of support for the student voice — as well as for a Howard County student, whose recent vote against schools reopening triggered a lawsuit.

Candidates who run for election in Westminster will need their own treasurer and a separate bank account.

Board of education student representatives across the state signed their names at the end of a letter of support for the student voice as well as a Howard County student, whose vote triggered a lawsuit. One of the signatures belonged to Carroll County’s board of education student representative.

Maryland's Lt. Governor visits Westminster's Boys and Girls Club's gymnasium.

The public gave their input on what the Westminster's Recreation and Parks Department should with the the 187-acre Wakefield Valley Park.

Julia Jasken, the college’s vice president and provost, was named the 10th president of McDaniel College.

Westminster’s new code of ethics more closely resembles the state’s, but its requirements for disclosing financial information makes it little more strict.

Dr. Michael Winters, a resident of Mount Airy, on Monday became one of the first Marylanders from a medical system, and one of the first emergency medical physicians, to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

A public meeting is scheduled on Wednesday at the Carroll Arts Center on West Main Street to hear Westminster citizen’s ideas on further developing the former golf course.

Classes used to be canceled or delayed when snow or storms made traveling conditions less safe. However, since students were learning at home due to the coronavirus pandemic, CCPS saw it best to continue class during inclement weather.

Due to inclement weather, Carroll County Public Schools will be closing one hour early Monday, Dec. 14, for all in-person learning programs and canceling athletics and after-school activities.

The cosmetology students at Carroll County’s Career and Technology Center are once again styling creative Christmas-themed hairdos for the ninth annual Whoville Hairdo competition. But the hybrid model caused the once in-person event to be judged virtually. While students had less time to make their designs, they still pulled off styles with curls, pin-ups, glitter, slick-backs, stars and presents.

Failing grades among Carroll County Public School students are more than five times higher during the first quarter compared to last year.

Six parents who spoke during the citizen participation portion of the Board of Education meeting Wednesday night urged board members to open schools and cease virtual learning, citing mental health concerns for their children, their struggle to work and monitor online classes at the same time and the decline in student performance when compared with in-person learning.

Two Carroll County schools teachers said there should be no in-person special education learning because of the risk it poses to students and teachers alike.

Lucinda Diehl, a junior at Winters Mill High School, made it her mission to enter the law field and become a member of the U.S. Senate representing Maryland. Her ambition led her to being selected as one of the top 10 Maryland candidates in the United States Senate Youth Program.

Shiloh Middle School's Holly Fuhrman was named the Librarian of the Month for November by the Maryland Association of School Librarians.

“I was carrying a flag of the president-elect and was attacked for that,” said a Westminster resident who allegedly was punched on Saturday, Dec. 5. A suspect was arrested on Sunday.

Ed Singer, Carroll County Health Officer, said if cases return to 15 cases per 100,000 cases or below, he’d like to treat “the COVID-like illnesses a little differently than we had been.” He noted it’s caused trouble with staffing in the classrooms. Case rates in Carroll now stand at 22.8 per 100,000.

McDaniel College’s new National Security Fellows Program will offer students a $250 grant, internship opportunities with federal agencies and a wide-range of career paths. Francis Grice, a professor of political science and international studies, will be the program’s coordinator and he explained the benefits of the program and all it has to offer.

Carroll’s public schools estimate the school system will lose $4.1 million due to losing hundreds of students to home and private schools. School officials are hoping the state provides funding to help with enrollment declines.

A 59-year-old Hampstead man has been charged with murdering his wife, according to charging documents and a news release from the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office.

Carroll County Board of Education members voted unanimously during Wednesday’s meeting to set Jan. 7 as the tentative date to return to hybrid, assuming key metrics are back within Maryland State Department of Education guidelines.

Two people were injured in a two-vehicle collision around late Tuesday night in Manchester. The crash caused an electric pole to go down and all lanes to be closed for about two hours.

Carroll County Public Schools and the county’s Chamber of Commerce are seeking nominations for the annual Outstanding Teacher Awards.

Private schools have shown little to no cases this school year, which can be attributed to its small class sizes, resources and protocols. Despite few cases numbers, schools are still making adjustments in response to Thanksgiving break.

Carroll County Public Schools is having its eighth drive-up tech service where students can bring their school-issued laptops for in-person repairs.

Private schools have seen relatively few outbreaks this school year, which can be attributed at least in part to small class sizes, resources and protocols. Still, private schools are taking some time off from in-person instruction following the Thanksgiving break.

Parents and teachers had been calling for an asynchronous learning day to allow students and educators alike time catch up on work. An entire day could not be granted, but the school system is allowing for more catch-up time during virtual instruction on Wednesdays.

Stores in Carroll County did not see the swarm of people Black Friday typically lures. Instead, it looked like a normal day of shopping, according to consumers.

For the current $371.4 million budget, local government contributed $207.2 million. As enrollment dropped, so could the local funding for fiscal 2022.

Two students in Carroll County’s Career and Technology Center's welding program won first and second place in the Secondary category for the 2020 I BUILT THIS contest sponsored by the National Center for Construction Education and Research.