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Maryland legislators secure Greenbury Point protections in congressional defense spending bill

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Maryland legislators secure Greenbury Point protections in congressional defense spending bill


Members of Maryland’s Congressional delegation have successfully blocked the U.S. Naval Academy Athletic Association from building a second golf course on Greenbury Point.

The announcement comes on the heels of Congress passing the final version of the annual National Defense Authorization Act Thursday morning. The provisions for protecting the Greenbury Point Conservation Area are now even stronger language than the draft legislation passed by the Senate earlier this year, and make it nearly impossible to deforest the 231-acre peninsula extending out into the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River.

“The Secretary of the Navy may not modify or restrict public access to the Greenbury Point Conservation Area at Naval Support Activity Annapolis, Maryland,” the legislation now reads. The only exceptions are temporary closers to ensure public safety, or the transfer of the land to another public entity, for example, turning the land over to Anne Arundel County or the National Park Service, with preservation and public access as the goal.

Conservation advocates hailed the move and breathed a sigh of relief on Thursday, not only for the strengthened language, but because U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes, a Democrat, faced opposition from Republicans when he attempted to get Greenbury Point protection enshrined in the House version of the Defense Authorization Act. Hope for getting the language into the final bill, which Congress must pass each year, fell largely to Maryland Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin.

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“Senator Van Hollen, Senator Cardin and Representative Sarbanes deserve enormous credit and gratitude,” Chesapeake Conservancy President and CEO Joel Dunn said in a statement issued shortly after the House of Representatives passed the final Defense Authorization Act Thursday morning. The bill now heads to the White House for President Joe Biden’s signature.

Dunn praised the lawmakers for listening to constituents and taking “a stand for our trees and wildlife to protect the health of the Chesapeake Bay and to ensure that everyone, not just the privileged few, will have access to one of the last remaining natural areas of the Severn River.”

The fate of Greenbury Point has been a matter of enormous public controversy since May 2022, when conservation advocates learned that Chet Gladchuk, director of both academy athletics and the U.S. Naval Academy Golf Association, was seeking to build a second golf course on Greenbury Point, which is owned by the Navy and managed by Naval Support Activity Annapolis.

Outdoor enthusiasts protested that the golf course would be detrimental to the Chesapeake Bay, and further restrict public access to the remaining forested areas and hiking trails on the peninsula.

“For years, Annapolis residents and visitors have cherished the opportunity to explore Greenbury Point – one of the few publicly accessible areas of the bay,” Van Hollen said in a statement. “As the Navy has considered altering that access, our constituents expressed their strong opposition to changing that policy. That’s why we fought for this provision that says in no uncertain terms – Greenbury Point must stay open to the public.”

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Sunny, warmer Tuesday in Maryland

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Sunny, warmer Tuesday in Maryland


Sunny, warmer Tuesday in Maryland – CBS Baltimore

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Maryland confirms first measles case in traveler at major DC airport

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Maryland confirms first measles case in traveler at major DC airport


The state of Maryland has confirmed its first measles case in a Howard County resident who recently traveled internationally.

The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) announced the positive case in a news release on Sunday. It was also confirmed by the Virginia Department of Health and Howard County health officials.

This case is not associated with the outbreaks in Texas or New Mexico, the health department confirmed.

VIRGINIA HEALTH OFFICIALS CONFIRM MEASLES CASE AT MAJOR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

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Officials hope to identify people who might have been exposed while traveling at the following specific times and locations.

Travelers at Washington Dulles International Airport may have been exposed to measles on March 5, health officials say. (Craig Hudson for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

March 5, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.: Washington Dulles International Airport: Terminal A, on transportation to the main terminal and in the baggage claim area

​March 7, 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.: Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center Pediatric Emergency Department

FLORIDA ALERTS FIRST MEASLES CASE OF YEAR IN PUBLIC SCHOOL AS EXPERTS STRESS VACCINATION

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The MDH urged residents to check these exposure times, monitor any rising symptoms and get up to date with vaccinations.

Early measles symptoms include a fever over 101, runny nose, cough and red, watery eyes, according to health officials.

measles outbreak skin

A red rash will appear on the face and spread to the rest of the body, typically one to four days after early symptoms, according to the Maryland Department of Health. (iStock)

A red rash will appear on the face and spread to the rest of the body, typically one to four days after early symptoms.

Measles symptoms can develop from seven to 21 days after exposure, but usually appear within 10 to 14 days, the MDH added.

NEW MEXICO ADULT DIES OF MEASLES A WEEK AFTER TEXAS CHILD DIED DURING OUTBREAK

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A person is contagious starting four days before the rash appears and up to four days after.

Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel previously shared with Fox News Digital that measles is highly contagious.

Measles outbreak across America

Signs point the way to measles testing in the parking lot of the Seminole Hospital District across from Wigwam Stadium on Feb. 27, 2025, in Seminole, Texas.  (Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images)

“There is a 90% chance you will get it if you are unvaccinated and step into a room where someone with measles was two hours before,” he cautioned.

The best way to prevent measles is to receive the two-dose measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and various experts.

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The Maryland Department of Health states that pregnant women, infants younger than 1 year old and people who are immunocompromised are at the highest risk of complications from measles.

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health

“People, especially those not vaccinated or otherwise immune to measles, who were at any of these locations during the possible exposure times should monitor themselves for any early symptoms of measles for 21 days after the potential exposure,” the department noted.

Measles outbreak across America

River Jacobs, 1, is held by his mother, Caitlin Fuller, while he receives an MMR vaccine from Raynard Covarrubio, at a vaccine clinic put on by Lubbock Public Health Department on March 1, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas. (Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images)

“People who develop a fever or other symptoms of measles should not go to childcare, school, work or out in public, and should contact their health care provider. They should call their health care provider first rather than showing up in the waiting room or emergency room so that the office can take measures to prevent spread to other patients.”

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Measles cases have occurred sporadically in Maryland, the department confirmed, including one case in 2024, one in 2023 and none from 2020 to 2022.

Nearly 200 measles cases were confirmed in Texas as of Friday, primarily affecting unvaccinated, school-aged children.



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Maryland confirms first measles case of 2025 as outbreaks in Texas, New Mexico expand – UPI.com

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Maryland confirms first measles case of 2025 as outbreaks in Texas, New Mexico expand – UPI.com


March 10 (UPI) — Health officials in Maryland have confirmed the state’s first measles case for the year amid expanding outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico.

The Maryland Department of Health said in a statement Sunday that a Howard County resident with recent international travel history has tested positive for the highly contagious disease.

It is warning anyone who visited Terminal A of Washington Dulles International Airport between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Wednesday and Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center Pediatric Emergency Department between 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Friday that they may have been exposed to the virus.

“Out of an abundance of caution, health officials are coordinating an effort to identify people who might have been exposed, including contacting potentially exposed passengers on specific flights,” the department said.

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The identity of the patient as well as the country they had visited was not revealed to the public. The vaccination status of the patient was also withheld.

Health officials stated that the case is not connected to an outbreak in West Texas and New Mexico were the disease has killed at least two people and sicked around 230 others.

At least 198 cases have been reported in West Texas, state health officials said on Friday. Meanwhile, New Mexico health officials on Friday said they have confirmed 30 cases, up from 10 reported a day prior.

Including Maryland, New Mexico and Texas, measles has been confirmed this year in at least 13 jurisdictions. Cases have also been confirmed in Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York City, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Washington, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Measles remains rare in New Mexico, where one case was reported in each of the last two years following zero cases confirmed from 2020 to 2022.

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The disease was officially eliminated from the United States in 2000. A few cases have been detected in the following years among those with contacts abroad. The new outbreaks are associated with those who are unvaccinated.

Last year, a total of 285 cases reported in 33 jurisdictions, the CDC said.



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