Maryland
‘Mattresses all over the place’: Maryland begins yearly operation to clean state highways – WTOP News
In 2025, Maryland spent $16.5 million on litter pickup and debris removal, Charlie Gischlar of the Maryland State Highway Administration said, calling the trash problem “an immense problem.”
This week, the Maryland State Highway Administration is rolling out its yearly “Operation Clean Sweep,” a weeklong program aimed at cleaning up state highways.
The program runs through Friday.
Charlie Gischlar, the deputy director of communications for MDOT SHA, told WTOP, “It’s all hands on deck.”
“It’s going to be SHA crews, contractors and the Department of Corrections folks as well,” Gischlar said. “We do this before the start of the mowing season.”
Gischlar said the program was started a couple of years ago in an effort to deal with “the immense litter problem that we have in the state on the state highway system.”
“We spent last year, in calendar year 2025, more than $16.5 million on litter pickup and debris removal,” Gischlar said. “We’ve gotten about five million pounds of litter and debris last year.”
Crews are picking up more than just fast food bags and water bottles; Gischlar said they found 32 tires and a wooden kitchen table in Howard County.
Along with toys, dolls and sofas, Gischlar pointed out another item that might surprise you: “Bedroom mattresses all over the place.”
“So, you can see that’s an immense problem,” he added.
The state also cleans the state’s highways before big holiday weekends, including Memorial Day, Labor Day and Thanksgiving.
“We bring everybody together to beautify the roadsides,” Gischlar said.
If you are driving and see the work crews, Gischlar asks you to “move over when (you) see our crews and slow down.”
“Every year when we see our folks out there picking litter from the side of the road, somebody’s not paying attention or they’re going too fast, and one of our attenuator trucks always gets hit,” he said.
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A University of Maryland (UMD) football player was arrested for harassment, according to the Harford County Sheriff’s Office.
Dontay Joyner, a defensive back and rising senior at UMD, was charged with telephone misuse for making repeated calls, electronic communications harassment, and violating release conditions, a misdemeanor offense, according to court records.
Joyner’s attorney is calling the ordeal “outrageous,” saying “[Joyner] has been locked in a cage in Harford County for seven nights after being charged with a misdemeanor for telephone misuse for texting his longtime girlfriend during an argument. This is simply outrageous.”
Joyner’s attorney, Former Attorney General Douglas Gansler, said the 21-year-old has never been in trouble with the law and does not own a handgun. According to Gansler, Joyner’s girlfriend is “fully supportive of him and does not want to press charges.”
According to the UMD Terps website, Joyner is a Lakeland, Florida, native who previously attended Arkansas State. In the spring, Joyner was given the Nick Cross Defensive Back Award in a tradition that honors “past terrapin greats.”
According to court records, Joyner was held without bond.
WJZ has reached out to UMD officials for comment.
In Maryland, residents can find parades, concerts, history programs, fireworks, volunteer opportunities and family-friendly celebrations leading up to Independence Day.
America250, the national semiquincentennial initiative, is encouraging communities to take part through local commemorations, block parties, service projects and July 4 events. State and local commissions, historical societies, museums, libraries, parks departments and civic groups are also hosting events tied to the milestone.
Open primaries advocate Jeremy Gruber says nearly 100,000 independent voters in D.C. remain locked out of primary elections despite voters overwhelmingly approving open primaries in 2024. On The Final 5 with Jim Lokay, he blames the D.C. Council for refusing to fund the change and says similar efforts are gaining momentum in Maryland, where more than one million independents are also excluded from primaries. Gruber argues that in many one-party jurisdictions, the primary is effectively the election, making voter access even more critical.
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