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Amid omicron surge, Montgomery Co. teachers union issues no confidence vote in school leadership 01/14/2022 03:22am • As COVID-19 cases rise and student and teacher absences mount, Montgomery County Public Schools’ largest teachers union is calling on the Board of Education to do more to address the disruption. In a vote this week, the Montgomery County, Maryland, Education Association overwhelmingly passed a Feds: Marilyn Mosby claimed COVID financial hardship while earning full $247,955.58 salary 01/14/2022 02:19am • This content was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today. Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby (D) was indicted by a federal grand jury on four charges Thursday, including perjury for Montgomery Co. set to reveal new plans for shifting to virtual learning 01/13/2022 10:20pm • After scrapping its previous formula on when a school switches to virtual learning due to COVID-19, Montgomery County, Maryland, schools are expected to soon reveal the new plan for making the pivot. During a board of education meeting on Thursday, officials for the school district previewed the Metro hopes to bring back service after 'tough period' 01/13/2022 09:17pm • Omicron continues to hit the Metro system — and area riders — hard. “It’s been a very tough period for us, to be frank,” Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld told agency board members Thursday. “We have the most COVID cases that we’ve had since the pandemic .” The shortage of d DC pre-K students will be required to submit weekly COVID-19 test results 01/13/2022 04:40pm • D.C. public schools students in pre-K will be required to take a rapid COVID-19 test every week beginning next week, Chancellor Lewis Ferebee said Thursday, noting the school system is prioritizing students who aren't eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Hogan announces 6 new hospital-based COVID testing sites, new nursing home policies 01/13/2022 02:59pm • Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced that the state would be opening six additional hospital-based COVID-19 testing sites in the near future to help avoid overcrowding in hospitals and emergency rooms. Last week, Hogan announced the launch of 10 hospital-based COVID-19 testing sites, which are now Novavax COVID-19 vaccine gets South Korean approval 01/13/2022 10:51am • Gaithersburg, Maryland-based Novavax, still about two weeks away from formally filing for Food and Drug Administration approval for emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S., has received approval for the vaccine’s use in South Korea. The South Korean Ministry of Food and Remote learning petition in Howard Co. nears 10,000 signatures 01/13/2022 07:57am • Schools have largely tried to stay open in the face of the omicron surge, but in Howard County, Maryland, there are growing calls for a systemwide switch to remote learning. A Change.org petition, said to have been started by Howard County public school students, had gathered 9,550 signatures as DC restaurants, bars begin checking vaccination status Saturday 01/13/2022 07:42am • Just ahead of D.C.'s Restaurant Week, the city will require patrons to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 starting Saturday morning, “No vaccine? There are certain establishments you won’t be able to visit," said Patrick Ashley, senior deputy director at D.C. Health. More D In final address as governor, Northam says Virginia is 'better than it was' 01/13/2022 06:15am • Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is on his way out, ready to transfer power to his successor this weekend, and he delivered his final address Wednesday evening. "We are leaving this commonwealth better than it was when we came into office," Northam said, later calling his term as governor the highli Loudoun Co. schools update quarantine policy for close COVID-19 contact 01/13/2022 05:47am • Loudoun County Public Schools updated its quarantine guidance in an effort to streamline its contact tracing process. As of Tuesday, the Northern Virginia school district requires students identified as a close contact of a confirmed COVID-19 case to quarantine for five days. More Loud 'All hands on deck': Head of Montgomery Co. Schools discusses omicron challenges 01/13/2022 05:04am • The head of Montgomery County Public Schools spoke to the public Wednesday for the first time since a recent change to a policy on switching to virtual learning amid COVID-19 outbreaks. Interim Superintendent Monifa McKnight said the modification to the rule, which previously had required schools 'We have to give each other a bit of grace': Md. lawmakers kick off session 01/12/2022 11:31pm • Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson kicked off the 90-day General Assembly session from the floor of the State House with a recognition of the toll the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on Marylanders and his colleagues in Annapolis. Speaking from the floor of the Senate chamber, Ferguson said Mary Returning from virtual learning, Prince George's Co. schools to distribute masks, test kits to students 01/12/2022 10:20pm • The CEO of Prince George's County, Maryland, public schools said the system will be giving out test kits and KN95 masks as it returns from a distance-learning model on Jan. 18. CEO Monica Goldson said in a letter to the community that the school system will aggressively test its student and staff How DC's limited health emergency helps hospitals recuperate 01/12/2022 10:10pm • A shortage of hospital staff as the omicron variant continues to infect and make people seriously ill has all but forced the D.C. mayor to declare a limited public health emergency through Jan. 26 to allow the hospitals flexibility in how they operate. The D.C. Hospital Association pleaded for th