Maryland

From a Mountaintop, UMD Alum Encounters Toxin-Emitting Olive Bushes,…

Published

1 year ago

February 3, 2025

From a Mountaintop, UMD Alum Encounters Toxin-Emitting Olive Bushes,…

Whyman had long harbored a love of the outdoors. As a child in
Maryland, her parents grew exotic plants like Chinese silvergrass and a
mimosa tree in their yard. (Now, Whyman knows those plants were
invasive.) “I spent a lot of time letting insects crawl on me, digging
for bugs, watching bees and ants under a magnifying glass,” she said.
She became a junior farmer at Wheaton Regional Park’s Old MacDonald
Farm, where she took care of chickens, sheep and goats.

After graduating from the University of Maryland with a degree in
English, Whyman worked for years as an editor and freelance writer
before going back to school at American University, where she earned an
MFA in literature. While there, she created an independent study to work
one-on-one with a biology professor and gain foundational knowledge in
conservation biology.

Whyman was inspired in her quest by the 2019 book “Wilding,” in which
British author Isabella Tree tells the story of returning her farmland
to an untamed state. Now, on her Virginia mountaintop, Whyman is working
to tip the balance to native plants, especially in the 75 acres of open
meadow atop the mountain. There, invasives like Japanese stiltgrass and
spotted knapweed competed for space and resources with native species
like little bluestem, milkweed, and prairie rose.

“What if I could return this mountaintop to its natural glory?”
Whyman writes. “It would serve as a living example of how to restore
native meadows! Pollinators would come from all around! I pictured sheep
grazing on one of the hillsides.”

Working with experts from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology
Institute and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Whyman
encountered a bushel of challenges. The prolific autumn olive bush,
which emits nitrogen into the soil that can create toxic algal blooms in
streams and rivers, kept popping up in new places. Thorny bramble
quickly took over acres of fields. And the suffocating vine known as
mile-a-minute for its ability to invade new territory sunk its leafy
teeth throughout the property.

She also learned the nitty-gritty of land restoration: the critical
role played by prescribed burns, the near impossibility of eradicating
invasive plants, the inherent imprecision of conservation efforts.

“I thought there would be one right answer: Here’s what you should
do,” she said. “And people did give me guidance and say, ‘We think the
best approach is X.’ And then someone else might say, ‘Well, I think the
best approach is Y.’ And someone else would say, ‘It could be Z.’ That
was really eye-opening—the idea that it’s a science and it’s also kind
of an art.”

In “Bad Naturalist,” Whyman “complicates traditional conceptions of
nature and belonging,” wrote Publishers Weekly. “The result is an
enchanting complement to Isabella Tree’s ‘Wilding.’”

Today, Whyman and her husband spend about 85% of their time at their
mountaintop home. Now she is turning her attention to this year’s burns
and deer management. She still hopes to raise a small flock of sheep.

“I hope readers will come away with a feeling of hopefulness, that
they’ll be inspired to look more closely at the natural world where they
live,” she said. “If you’re in the city, maybe you’ll see birds on a
ledge, or plants growing along a sidewalk. Just ask questions, because
attention breeds action.”

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Maryland

Severn scratch-off makes player a millionaire as Maryland Lottery pays $31.8M in prizes

Published

1 hour ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Severn scratch-off makes player a millionaire as Maryland Lottery pays .8M in prizes

SEVERN, Md. (WBFF) — A scratch-off ticket sold in Severn turned one Maryland Lottery player into a millionaire, leading a week in which the Lottery paid out more than $31.8 million in prizes statewide.

Maryland Lottery and Gaming said it paid more than $31.8 million in prizes from Feb. 23 through March 1, including 36 tickets worth $10,000 or more.

The top scratch-off prize claimed during that period was a $1 million winning $1,000,000 Crossword ticket sold at the Walmart at 407 George Clauss Boulevard in Severn. Another top winner was a $100,000 Red 5’s Doubler ticket sold at the Carroll Motor Fuel station at 2535 Cleanleigh Drive in Parkville.

Other scratch-off prizes claimed Feb. 23 through March 1 included two $50,000 winners: a 200X the Cash ticket sold at the Wawa at 7501 Pulaski Highway in Rosedale, and a $5,000,000 Luxe ticket sold at the Spring Hill Lake Mini Market at 9240 Spring Hill Lane in Greenbelt. A $30,000 Diamond Bingo 6th Edition ticket was sold at Tempo Lounge at 402 Back River Neck Road in Essex.

ALSO READ | SUN | Maryland GOP unveils energy plan it says saves customers up to $40 a month

The Lottery also reported three $20,000 scratch-off winners, all on $1,000,000 Crossword tickets sold at Geresbeck’s Food Market at 8489 Fort Smallwood Road in Pasadena; Hillandale Beer and Wine at 10117 New Hampshire Avenue in Silver Spring; and Paddock Wine and Spirits at 7627 Woodbine Road in Woodbine.

The Lottery reminded players to sign the backs of tickets and keep winning tickets in a safe location.

The Lottery said the last dates to claim scratch-off tickets are posted on the scratch-offs page at mdlottery.com.

More information is available at mdlottery.com.

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For confidential help or information about gambling problems, visit helpmygamblingproblem.org or call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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SUN: Dozens of vehicles moved to planned Maryland ICE facility; advocates concerned

Published

14 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

SUN: Dozens of vehicles moved to planned Maryland ICE facility; advocates concerned

Advocacy groups are raising concerns over a warehouse in Washington County that is slated to become an Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facility after dozens of black SUVs were moved to the warehouse’s parking lot on Sunday.

“When federal enforcement vehicles begin lining the warehouse lot, it sends a clear message about what’s taking shape in our community,” said the organizer of Hagerstown Rapid Response, Claire Connor. “We refuse to let ICE quietly plant roots in Washington County without transparency, accountability and community consent.”

The 825,620-square-foot warehouse is located at 16220 Wright Road in Williamsport. Access to the facility was blocked by orange traffic barriers and signs outlining regulations and “governing conduct on federal property” with the Department of Homeland Security emblem at the top of the page.

In late January, Washington County issued a news release stating that on Jan. 14, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security sent a letter to the county’s historic district commission and department of planning and zoning regarding the property.

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Read the full story on the Baltimore Sun’s website.

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Maryland

Howard County police investigate fatal officer-involved shooting in Columbia

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Howard County police investigate fatal officer-involved shooting in Columbia

COLUMBIA, Md. (WBFF) — An adult man was killed in a police-involved shooting in Columbia early Sunday, prompting an investigation by the Maryland Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division.

Howard County police said officers were called on March 1, at about 12:09 a.m., to an apartment building in the 6400 block of Freetown Road for a report that involved an adult male threatening to harm himself.

According to police, at about 12:22 a.m., officers encountered the man outside the building. The man approached officers while holding a knife and ignored commands to drop the weapon, police said. Officers then shot the man.

ALSO READ | Gas leak explosion, fire in Prince George’s County leaves 1 injured

Officers attempted life-saving measures, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene. Officersrecovered a knife near the man.

No officers were injured, and the officers were equipped with body-worn cameras.

The Independent Investigations Division is investigating.

Anyone with information about this incident, including cell phone or private surveillance video, is asked to contact the IID at (410) 576–7070 or by email atIID@oag.maryland.gov.

The IID willgenerally releasethe name of the decedent and any involved officers within two business days of the incident, although that period may be extended, if necessary,pursuant toIID protocol.

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TheIID willgenerally releasebody-worn camera footage within 20 business days of an incident. There may be situations where more than 20 days is necessary, including if investigators need more time to complete witness interviews, if there are technical delays caused by the need to shield the identities of civilian witnesses, or to allow family members to view the video before it is released to the public.

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