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Family and parenting

    Police investigating after loaded gun found at a Baltimore County play place
    Baltimore County Police are investigating after a loaded firearm was discovered at the Hyper Kidz indoor playground in Owings Mills over the weekend.
    Hyper Kidz indoor playground Columbia on Friday, July 12, 2024.
    Letter: Don’t be fooled — abortion is still under threat
    The president of Planned Parenthood Maryland and president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, D.C., say more needs to be done to protect access to abortion care in Maryland.
    A sign in support of Question 1, a ballot measure that would enshrine reproductive rights in the Maryland constitution.
    Is your kid coughing? Walking pneumonia surging in Maryland
    The bacteria infecting children right now, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, typically triggers a spike in pneumonia cases in children every 3-7 years. However, like so many other things, the COVID pandemic disrupted the cycle.
    Alma Geddes, 3, enjoys a visit from her older brothers while hospitalized with pneumonia at GBMC.
    These kids have never done drugs. They’re still being treated for addiction.
    Opioids have devastated not just individuals in the rural Cecil County, but impacted children so heavily that officials are now treating addiction as a family affair.
    Victoria Richardson plays with her daughter Khalani, 1, and  son Zakari, 3, who both live with her.
    These Maryland women were accused of witchcraft. Their crime? Having power.
    Women who possessed special knowledge, such as midwives or herbalists, were more likely to be accused of witchcraft, as were women in need, including widows and beggars.
    An illustration depicts a woman being burned at the stake for the crime of engaging in witchcraft, circa 1692. (Photo by Kean Collection/Getty Images)
    When someone goes missing in Baltimore, these moms go looking
    When the Baltimore Police wouldn't help find her missing daughter, Tammy turned to Bonnie, who had created a Facebook group years earlier for her own missing daughter.
    Bonnie Marquez shows a missing persons poster to a passerby, in Baltimore, July 26, 2024.
    The racist roots of Maryland’s mythical Snallygaster monster
    The Snallygaster appears to have been invented by the staff of a small newspaper to terrorize and control Black people in the early 1900s.
    The Snallygaster is not just a cute cryptid from Western Maryland, but a reminder of the region’s racism.
    Maryland is a safe haven for abortion care — with one obscure exception
    Women who qualified for Medicaid because they are pregnant may have to foot the bill for an abortion.
    One of the 3 procedure rooms at Partners in Abortion Care, a women-owned and operated abortion clinic providing abortions in all trimesters, based in College Park, Maryland.
    It’s germ season. But getting flu and COVID boosters for babies may take patience.
    Getting children flu and COVID vaccines this fall may take patience, as pharmacists can't vaccinate babies and pediatricians don't all have doses yet.
    Caucasian baby boy being vaccinated by a female pediatrician
    Greater Grace leaders name organization to lead sex abuse investigation
    Greater Grace officials announced that they had selected an evangelical nonprofit, GRACE, to lead an independent investigation of sexual abuse in the church.
    Photograph of long low building with unconventional church spire and cross, with empty parking lot in front. Outside of building is labeled "Greater Grace Church."
    How a father’s love transformed Columbia into a pirate adventure
    A pirate treasure hunt that started as a Columbia dad’s way to bond with his daughter has grown into a full-blown event that draws hundreds of families.
    HoCo Pirate Adventures founder Chris Fuchs organizes nine pirate treasure hunts a year on the trails of Columbia.
    The Key Bridge collapse: Six months later, six families are still grieving
    The Key Bridge collapse killed most of a Baltimore construction crew. Their relatives share stories about the men and the pain of losing them.
    Mariela's husband was the foreman of the construction crew filling potholes on the Key Bridge on March 26.
    Letters: Rachel Morin’s mom wants to close the border. That won’t reduce violent crimes.
    A request to close the border by two moms — whose daughters were killed by immigrants, according to authorities — perpetuates a harmful myth of “migrant crime waves,” says one immigration lawyer.
    Tears were shed during a song played before the walk for Rachel Morin.
    Ex-Greater Grace members describe despair, isolation, then healing
    Former members of Greater Grace World Outreach were shunned after leaving the controversial megachurch. For many, it took decades to build a new life outside.
    Alissa Byrne Scibelli made the difficult decision to leave Greater Grace World Outreach. “It was extremely isolating,” she said.
    Rachel Morin’s children sue grandmother, aunt over GoFundMe proceeds
    Rachel Morin's five children have filed a lawsuit alleging their grandmother and aunt have kept the proceeds from a GoFundMe and four other fundraisers.
    Rachel Morin’s family members are engaged in an escalating dispute over who speaks for them and over the proceeds of fundraisers in her name.
    Five Maryland fall events that could help you go viral
    Here’s how to celebrate fall at Maryland events — while perhaps making your mark on social media.
    Many varieties of pumpkins, pictured last fall at Weber’s Cider Mill Farm in Parkville.
    Rural Marylanders faced more food insecurity this summer
    Food insecurity in rural Maryland has been especially pronounced this summer, local advocates say. Low-income families are grappling with soaring grocery prices and unusually high temperatures that hit at the same time as federal reductions in food assistance programs.
    Mandy Gordon of Cumberland pulls her wagon full of food she received from Western Maryland Food Bank.
    New Catonsville library goes beyond books with recording studios, video games
    “This is the library they’re going to remember, but a thousand times better," Sonia Alcántara-Antoine, the CEO of the Baltimore County Public Library, said of the renovated Catonsville branch.
    The renovated Catonsville branch of the Baltimore County Public Library features new furniture, new windows that let in more light, a dedicated teen area and two recording studios.
    Maryland isn’t the only state where abortion is on the fall ballot. Here are the others.
    Measures to protect access have already qualified to go before voters this year in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nevada and South Dakota. Meanwhile, competing measures to expand or limit abortion rights will be on the November ballot in Nebraska.
    Supporters hold “We’re Voting Yes” signs at a reproductive rights press event on Lawyers Mall outside the Maryland State House in January.
    Parents hated it, so a popular Hampden playground is getting (another) makeover
    Roosevelt Park in Hampden got a new playground this summer — and it’s about to get even more new equipment, according to city recreation and parks officials.
    The new playground at Roosevelt Park looks sleek and impressive. But some local parents are upset and say it excludes too many children because it is too challenging.
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