Nearly a fifth of Maryland public school students deemed chronically absent
About 18 percent of Maryland students were chronically absent from school during the 2016-2017 academic year, according to data from the Maryland State Department of Education. The city of Baltimore, where 37 percent of students were chronically absent, had the highest rates in the state. The state defines chronically absent students as those who miss at least 10 percent of school. [Baltimore Sun]
Pulitzer Prize winner grew up in Rockville
The Washington City Paper interviewed 2018 Pulitzer Prize winner Andrew Sean Greer about his youth in Rockville and his time working at Politics & Prose. Greer said D.C. feels more “cosmopolitan” and “preppy” now than it did in the 1980s. Greer, who won the Pulitzer for his novel, Less, now lives in San Francisco. [Washington City Paper]
Rockville sends residents on scavenger hunt for rocks
The city of Rockville is challenging residents to participate in a summer scavenger hunt. The seven-week hunt for painted rocks started Wednesday and will encourage people to explore the city. Community members will look for the rocks by following clues that the city posts on social media. Those who find the rocks are free to keep them. [Montgomery Community Media]
Einstein High students have built 41 homes through program
Students at Thomas Edison High School of Technology in Silver Spring are learning about masonry, carpentry, plumbing and other skills needed to build a house. In fact, they actually do learn to build a house. The students specialize in a trade over three semesters and then combine their knowledge to design and construct the structure. Last week, the students completed the 41st home built through the program since its start in 1972. The house is now for sale for about $550,000. [WAMU]
Takoma Park co-op worries about redevelopment next door
A project to redevelop a parking lot next to the Takoma Park Silver Spring Co-op could affect the grocery store’s operations. Store customers park in the lot, which also serves as the co-op’s delivery site and accommodates its trash receptacles. The city has signed an agreement with a developer for a project on the empty site; the document requires the developer to make “reasonable accommodations” for the co-op. [Washington Business Journal]
Sunny skies in Thursday forecast
The area could see patchy fog in the early morning, clearing later on, with highs near 80 degrees. Overnight, the skies could be partly cloudy, and temperatures are expected to cool to the upper 60s.
In case you missed it …
Scooter Shop Owner Struck by Car in Bethesda