Home Care In Nottingham, MD

NOTTINGHAM, Md. —

A water main broke early Saturday morning, coupled with heavy rain from Tropical Storm Ophelia, causing extensive damage to houses in Nottingham.

Residents in the 4400 block of Fullerton Avenue told 11 News they woke up around 5:30 a.m. to multiple feet of water in their basements.

A resident, Patrick Wood, sent photos into 11 News that showed his basement completely flooded.

In their three years of living on Fullerton Avenue, Josh Saylor and his wife told 11 News they've never seen this much water in their basement.

"We were up in Deep Creek this morning, and I got a call at 5:30 from one of my neighbors, saying, 'Hey, there's some kind of flooding going on.' He came over to our house, we gave him the code to get in and he said it was filled with water (and he) sent us some photos, and we had about 18 inches of water, and that was a fun thing to come home to," Saylor told 11 News.

A water main is the suspected culprit, coupled with rain from Tropical Storm Ophelia that may have added to the influx of water that pumped into their basement.

"The sump pump started working, so when we got here, it wasn't 18 inches. It was just the waterlines were 18 inches where it was marked. So, it was mostly sludge and really thick stuff that was apparently coming up through the toilets," Saylor told 11 News.

Baltimore City, which is responsible for the water system, confirmed there was a water main break in the area, but that it wasn't confirmed on their end until about 9:30 a.m.

Residents said they believe the flooding resulted from a combination of a serious water main break and a lack of proper drainage on their streets.

Saylor told 11 News that his home sits at the bottom of three hills, and the current drainage system is clearly not working. He and his wife just finished renovating their basement six months ago.

"We're cutting out 2 feet of the drywall all around the basement and we're going to probably have to rip up some of these floor tiles in this room just because we don't know what was in the water," Saylor told 11 News.

City officials told 11 News the water was not contaminated.

With already having had two sump pumps installed, Saylor told 11 News that he hopes local leaders will reconsider the existing strategy.

"I'm sure they have engineers that can see how water flows and can figure out that what we have is inadequate," Saylor told 11 News.

The Saylors lost their hot water heater, a freezer, a washing machine and a dryer, and now much of what once furnished this part of their home lines their driveway in garbage bags, destroyed.

Residents said the cleanup will take weeks, if not months.

Ophelia weakens as it moves through Maryland

BALTIMORE, MD—On Thursday, the Baltimore Department of Public Works announced that, during a routine test of the Druid Lake Reservoir, low levels of the microscopic parasite Cryptosporidium were discovered.

Cryptosporidium is a microorganism commonly found in lakes and rivers, which can potentially cause gastrointestinal problems, particularly, in those who are immunocompromised, elderly, or children.

This detection impacts only a portion of the Baltimore region water system, in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and Howard County. The affected area is shown in the map above.

DPW officials say drinking water remains safe for the general population. Residents can use DPW’s online interactive map to determine if they live in an impacted area.

Cryptosporidium is a microscopic parasite that can be found in water sources. While it can cause health issues, it’s important to emphasize that the levels detected in our water supply do not pose an immediate health risk to the general public. Cryptosporidium is extremely chlorine tolerant, like systems frequently used at hospitals, so secondary treatment is unlikely to reduce its levels.

The levels of Cryptosporidium detected in Baltimore’s water supply indicate a low risk for the general population. This means that for most people, the water is still safe to drink. However, vulnerable populations should consider taking precautions.

Health officials say most residents do not need to take any additional precautions unless they have an immunocompromising condition. Exposure to Cryptosporidium can cause cryptosporidiosis, symptoms can include diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and stomach pain. People with healthy immune systems typically are not impacted or quickly recover without medical treatment.

Examples of people with weakened immune systems include those with HIV/AIDS, those with inherited diseases that affect the immune system, cancer, and transplant patients who are taking certain immunosuppressive drugs.

Those with immunocompromising conditions and other sensitive populations are advised to:

The testing was conducted as part of DPW’s recently modified Administrative Order on Consent between the City of Baltimore and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency which stipulates sampling for Cryptosporidium and Giardia at the City’s uncovered finished reservoirs. Work on the two remaining uncovered finished reservoirs, Ashburton and Druid Lake Reservoir, is expected to be completed by November 30, 2023 and December 30, 2023, respectively.

Samples were collected on September 19, 2023, at the Druid Lake uncovered reservoir and through testing 0.09 Cryptosporidium Oocyst/Liter was detected. The samples follow a thorough laboratory analysis and results are returned within seven days; the results for the test taken this month were returned on September 26, 2023. Monthly sampling collected at Druid Lake Reservoir in August showed no signs of Cryptosporidium.

DPW will conduct more frequent sampling for Cryptosporidium at finished water reservoirs until sampling results can reliably show that Cryptosporidium is not detected.

DPW will notify the public and media on the results of those additional sampling tests.

Additional information is available at the CDC website here.

ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Wes Moore has announced that the Maryland Department of Commerce approved three new Enterprise Zones – Woodlawn in Baltimore County; the towns of Betterton and Worton in Kent County; and the town of Snow Hill in Worcester County.

The department also approved the redesignation and expansion of an existing zone in the town of Princess Anne, and has approved the redesignation of existing zones in Baltimore County’s Southwest area, Cecil County, and the City of Cambridge in Dorchester County.

“Maryland’s Enterprise Zone program has a tremendous impact on communities throughout our state, serving as a catalyst for growth and revitalization in areas that need it the most,” said Gov. Moore. “We are pleased to designate three new zones, which will be an important tool to attract new investment, encourage businesses to expand, and create new jobs.”

A joint effort between state and local governments, the Enterprise Zone program provides real property and state income tax credits for businesses that create jobs and make capital investments. Businesses located in the state’s 34 Enterprise Zones will receive $47 million in property tax credits based on more than $4.3 billion in investments made in FY23.

The Maryland Department of Commerce approves the State’s Enterprise Zones, while local governments are responsible for their administration. Businesses operating within an Enterprise Zone may be eligible for a tax credit towards their state income tax filings based upon the number of new jobs created, and a tax credit on their local real property taxes based upon their overall capital investment into a property.

“As our local partners see the significant benefits of the Enterprise Zone program, we are seeing more and more interest in creating new zones, as well as expanding zones to include areas ripe with economic potential,” said Maryland Department of Commerce Secretary Kevin Anderson. “This program has become one of the most important incentives in our arsenal, and over its 40-year history, it has helped spur billions in private investment.”

The new Enterprise Zone in Baltimore County’s Woodlawn area contains 756 acres of office, flex, light manufacturing and warehouse space in the area of Security Square Mall. With this designation, the county hopes to kick start a renaissance in the area by addressing dormant and declining retail development, spurring redevelopment of existing buildings and attracting new tenants. The county has committed $20 million to a community-driven revitalization, and several new developments—including the Woodlawn Health Center—have already opened in the area.

Baltimore County also received approval for the redesignation of the Southwest Enterprise Zone, which has been the county’s most successful zone with more than $210 million in private investment and more than 1,200 jobs created since 1996. Numerous buildings have been renovated or built in the zone, which has attracted a number of major projects including Bakery Express, Ferguson Enterprises, Hollins End Business Park and four office buildings within the UMBC Research Park. With this redesignation, the county hopes to continue the success of the zone by attracting new companies and encouraging redevelopment.

“All communities are worthy of investment, capable of revitalization and deserving of the resources they need to reach their full potential,” said Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski. “With proven success in our Southwest Enterprise Zone, I thank the Maryland Department of Commerce’s re-designation there along with a newly established Enterprise Zone in Woodlawn, both of which will help create jobs and stimulate economic growth for residents and stakeholders in western Baltimore County.”

Kent County has received approval for a new enterprise zone in the town of Betterton and the Worton Industrial Area. Manufacturing, education, healthcare, agriculture, and tourism are the county’s leading industries. Primary interest remains in retaining current businesses and helping them expand to increase the employment and tax base, as well as compete with neighboring Delaware for business attraction. The new zone will complement efforts by the county already underway to increase businesses in the area, including extending water and sewer in the Worton Industrial Area.

“The Enterprise Zone property tax credit has proven to be the most effective tool in the economic development toolbox for business retention and expansion in Kent County,” said Director of Economic and Tourism Development Jamie Williams. “This designation includes one of two designated growth areas, outside of the municipalities. New investments into infrastructure by the state and county position us for business attraction moving forward. Through these efforts, Kent County is demonstrating the desire to create additional and diverse job opportunities for current and new residents.”

Worcester County’s Snow Hill area will use its new enterprise zone status to help revitalize the downtown historic commercial district, which sees a significant number of visitors for arts- and tourism-related events. Currently, one-third of the commercial units in Snow Hill’s downtown area are vacant or underutilized, and potential owners face a high cost to renovate. The town is hoping the zone will attract new businesses, encourage the expansion of existing businesses, and improve the town’s position as a center of commerce and tourism in the county.

“The Snow Hill Mayor and Council look forward to leveraging enterprise zone benefits toward continued revitalization,” said Director of Economic Development for the Town of Snow Hill Lorissa McAllister. “This designation is indicative of the strong support from Worcester County and the State of Maryland in creating new opportunities for Snow Hill. It is with great excitement that we will promote this program to incentivize job creation and business development.”

One of two main centers of business and industry in Somerset County, the town of Princess Anne received approval for redesignation and expansion of its zone. The zone currently encompasses the town’s historic district, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, the Princess Anne Industrial Park and Somerset Crossing, and will now include an additional 152 acres along Revells Neck Road where the new Somerset County Industrial Park will be built.

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A lack of available materials. Arduous product development cycles. And a long route to market.

This is the diagnosis of 3D printing’s application in healthcare after an extensive examination by the University of Nottingham’s Centre for Additive Manufacturing (CfAM).

It delivered its analysis in January off the back of receiving a 6 million GBP grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (ESPRC), which – the CfAM hopes – will go some way to providing the solution.

The CfAM’s aim is to develop a 3D printing toolkit that plots the course for those developing medical applications to go from research to development to clinical adoption.

“We’ve come to understand that there are some really difficult-to-overcome obstacles that are preventing wholesale adoption of 3D printing. The dream is that you see it everywhere, and you don’t,” Ricky Wildman, Professor in Chemical Engineering at the University of Nottingham, tells TCT. “One of the reasons for that is there aren’t the right materials available to meet the needs of particular products. So, somebody might come through in the healthcare industry and say, ‘I’ve got this great idea for a 3D printed product that’s going to deliver this new therapeutic gain,’ but when it comes to it, what material shall I use, and which material is going to be printable?

“You find, suddenly, that your scope is narrowed because there were only a few materials that are commonly used for 3D printing.”

The CfAM is home to around 100 people, a range of research projects, and two spin out groups. There exists a shared belief inside the CfAM lab that if you don’t ‘understand the science, processes and engineering’ around the technology, ‘then we’ll always be capped on what we can deliver.’

It also assesses the current application of 3D printing in the healthcare space to be ‘very powerful, but fairly simple in its construction.’ Applications that might fit these criteria include prosthetics or surgical models, those which carry some of the aforementioned hurdles but not enough to completely hold their development back. Where CfAM wants to have its initial impact with the toolkit is medical solutions that have more sophisticated functions, such as drug delivery or tissue regeneration.

“It’s sort of creeping in,” Wildman says of 3D printing in healthcare, “but we can see that it has a role in having a much deeper and wider role in making people’s lives better through better therapeutics, through better healthcare, through support functions.”

Over the next five years, the CfAM will endeavour to develop three ‘field-changing’ products, and in the process, build up the 3D printing toolkit so it can then be deployed on a host of other medical products – Boston Micro Fabrication will be among the CfAM’s advisors on this project. Those three initial products will be a biopill – an oral dosage form for delivering biologics; biocatalytic reactors that will help

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Exhibit at the UK's definitive and most influential 3D printing and additive manufacturing event, TCT 3Sixty.

to produce medicines efficiently; and an intestinal patch to address intestinal bowel disease.

Talking to the latter application, Wildman explains: “The idea is that we can build a patch that a surgeon can implant into the intestine and regenerate the tissue inside of the intestine. And that means quite a complex shape, quite a complex material – it has to be a graded material, it has to be tissue-like, it has to be able to support cells. It’s a complicated setup, a very challenging product that can only be made by 3D printing. We’re going to use that and say, ‘what are the challenges associated with making such a sophisticated product?’ and use that to create the toolkit.”

This, Wildman says, will help to inform the generation of the toolkit by tackling more challenging products first, allowing those involved in the project to work out what the necessary elements of the toolkit are. Once those elements have been established and implemented, the next step will be to take it to market.

University of Nottingham

Once there, the CfAM anticipates a toolkit that is capable of providing a high throughput screening of materials to full function of the product. This screening will include the screening of a vast materials library to ascertain the best option for the product and its function, as well as the printability of the part(s). Computational screening tools are to be developed to speed the chemical screening of candidate materials up, while the CfAM also aims to integrate machine learning to rationalise the design process and ‘combine those promising materials in the right way.’

One of the key drivers of this toolkit is to take full advantage of multi-material inkjet technologies. Wildman cites the development of a joint prosthetic where a soft material is required in one area of the component that interacts with the soft tissue, and a hard material required in another where the part interfaces with the bone. It’s the belief of CfAM that, to really take advantage of the multi-material printing process, a toolkit to provide guidance on material selection and design is required.

“You want to be able to design it to have the right function, the right modulus, the right flexibility, but also have these other functions in there, which means that integrates with the tissue and, of course, is biocompatible,” Wildman says. “All this requires some kind of design framework and there are design tools out there for 3D printing already, but there are not very many for multi-materials. So, we want to be able to integrate our computational screening with our design tools that tell us where to put each of our materials and what the overall shape of our product is going to be.”

When the time comes, the CfAM expects not to spin out a business to drive the toolkit to market, but instead engage with a consortium, which includes deep tech innovation organisation CPI – part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult in the UK. Through this consortium, the CfAM hopes to engage with as many medical businesses as it can, eventually integrating its toolkit IP into their manufacturing workflows.

“We’re hoping that, ultimately, the more companies that adopt this toolkit type approach, the more 3D printing products will get into clinical and get onto market,” Wildman finishes. “Our view is that 3D printing has much to offer the healthcare industry. The number one, I suppose, for the healthcare industry, is the fact that you can personalise and make it on-demand and bespoke, so when it comes to healthcare, personalised medicine is where it’s at. And additive manufacturing is perfectly placed to be able to deliver that personalised medicine. Our job is convincing industry and making it easy for industry to adopt that technology. It’s now about making that case and making it easy for industry to put it into clinic.”