Filed in 2020, the lawsuit accused the company of initiating a marketing campaign that endangered the health of city residents and cost the city money to push back against the messaging.

The agreement allows the company the option of making a single payment of $7.5 million by the end of the year or making three payments of $3 million, $2 million, and $3 million in December, October 2025 and October 2026, for a total of $8 million, according to a Wednesday news release.

Juul Labs Inc., a California-based company, sells vaping products that offer adult smokers an alternative to combustible cigarettes and reduce the harm associated with tobacco while combatting underage use of the product, according to its website. However, The Baltimore Sun previously reported Juul targeted youth in its advertising campaigns with launch parties, young models and social media posts along with flavors appealing to underage customers.

Juul Labs Inc. did not respond to requests for comment.

“Since taking office, my administration has done everything in our power to invest in Baltimore’s young people to ensure they can reach their full potential,” Mayor Brandon Scott said in the release. “Achieving that aim means focusing on every aspect of their lives — including their health. When there is such a clear case of a company wrongfully targeting them to increase their bottom line, then we have a responsibility to take action and that’s what we did with this lawsuit.”

This settlement came after the city declined to join a global resolution that would recover $1.9 million. In 2022, Juul was set to pay Maryland $13 million under a settlement that resolves a multistate investigation, and Baltimore City was set to get a portion of the settlement. However, the city did not see that as fair compensation for the harm done, according to the release.

“We have and will continue to refuse settlement offers that do not fairly compensate Baltimore City for the harms that the misconduct of these companies bring on us,” said City Solicitor Ebony Thompson in the release.

Baltimore County Public Schools and police launched the program on the first day of school, Aug. 26, equipping all buses with interior and exterior automated cameras to discourage drivers from passing illegally. For the first 30 days of the program, warnings are being given out to those who pass the buses’ stop signs.

County police said they issued 805 warning citations as of Tuesday, according to Trae Corbin, a police spokesperson.

“Results of the program thus far underscore how important it is that all of us do our part to keep children safe as they walk to and from school, cross our roadways, and get on and off the school bus,” the school district said in an emailed statement. “It is simply unacceptable — and illegal — when vehicles pass stopped buses, some at alarmingly high rates of speed. BCPS strongly advises all drivers to slow down and take extra caution on the road.”

After the initial 30-day period, violating drivers will get a $250 citation 10 days after the incident. Citations will be mailed to the vehicle’s registered owner, but no driver’s license points will be issued.

Maryland law requires drivers traveling in both directions to stop at least 20 feet from a stopped school bus with activated flashing lights. If a physical barrier, such as a median, is present, only traffic going the same direction as the bus must stop until lights are deactivated.

Fire crews responded at about 3:44 a.m. to the 3000 block of Dunleer Road for a report of a dwelling fire and saw the blaze on the first floor of the home. Crews found an 8-year-old boy suffering from life-threatening injuries inside, the department said.

The child was treated on the scene by EMS personnel and taken to a local hospital. In addition, a man and four other children escaped with minor injuries. They were taken to hospitals by EMS.

Jose Hernandez, 60, lives across the street. He said fire crews were still outside when he left for work around 6:30 a.m.

“The fire department came very quick. They all got out of the house, but one family member was stuck, and the fire department came and rescued them and rushed them to a hospital,” Hernandez said.

The house in a residential neighborhood has a large side yard and an alley around back. Neighbor Dave Kropowski said firetrucks pulled up to both the front and back of the home, and firefighters climbed ladders to break second-story windows.

“There was a whole lot of smoke,” Kropowski said.

The fire displaced seven residents who all lived in the home.

The fire department is investigating the cause of the fire.

As of the first day of school Aug. 26, Baltimore City Public Schools had 171 open teacher positions for the 2024-25 year, according to data provided by the school district. There are 15 administration positions posted on its website, including for educational specialists.

Last year, the district hired a record number of new teachers at 821, in spite of a nationwide teacher shortage, but there were still 177 teacher vacancies that needed to be filled by substitutes. The 171 teacher vacancies will need to be filled with substitutes this year as well, according to city schools.

Meanwhile, Baltimore County Public Schools has 73 vacancies remaining as of Aug. 26 and more than 100 schools with no vacancies. More than 250 vacant positions were cut this fiscal year, but more than 300 jobs were added to the fiscal year 2025 budget, the district said.

Harford County Public Schools report having zero teacher vacancies, though there are openings for 36 paraeducators, 17 bus drivers, 12 bus attendants and 25 custodians as of Thursday.

Carrol County Public Schools needed four teacher positions filled as of its first day of school Tuesday, down from 26 in mid-August of last year, according to a spokesperson.

Ahead of this academic year, Carroll County instituted a new career ladder featuring a $60,000 salary minimum for teachers. The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education reform plan requires that a salary minimum be in place by fiscal year 2027, and Board of Education President Marsha Herbert said implementing the measure early was intended to attract a better pool of candidates. CCPS’ budget increased by $19.2 million this year to raise employee salaries.

The Howard County Public School System has 113.2 school-based vacancies, representing full- and part-time positions, as of Friday, a spokesperson said.

Anne Arundel County reported vacancies for 72 teachers, 32 custodians, 49 crossing guards and 122 food service workers as of Aug. 28.

Baltimore Sun reporters Bridget Byrne, Matt Hubbard and Thomas Goodwin Smith contributed to this article.

At about 1:02 a.m., officers responded to the 1300 block of Russell Street in the Carroll-Camden industrial area for reports of a shooting, according to a news release from Baltimore Police.

When officers arrived, medics were treating a man with a gunshot wound. The victim was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Anyone with information is asked to contact homicide detectives at 410-396-2100.

Baltimore City Homicides

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Mostly sunny conditions will continue into Thursday with a high in the upper-70s. During the evening, it will become mostly cloudy with a low in the low 60s.

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The 24-year-old is charged with felony assault, use of a gun in the commission of a felony and other related offenses, according to a news release from state police.

State troopers began their investigation into the incident after receiving a report on Wednesday that a motorist pointed a firearm at the complainant during a road rage dispute in the area of southbound I-97 north of Route 50 in Annapolis, according to the news release.

The complainant described the suspect’s vehicle as a black Audi sedan.

Investigators identified and located the vehicle and the driver. When they arrested the 24-year-old man, they found a loaded handgun, the news release said.

He was transported to the Maryland State Police Annapolis Barrack for processing. He was released on an unsecured bond after his initial appearance in district court.

William Marshall III, 17, of Columbia, is wanted for first-degree murder and related charges. Marshall allegedly targeted the victim, 17-year-old Angelo Little, who was pronounced dead at the scene July 27, police said in a news release.

Detectives believe the suspect and victim knew each other but have yet to determine a motive for the shooting, according to the release.

Authorities found footage on Aug. 5 that shows the suspect’s movements through The Mall in Columbia before and after the shooting, which helped them identify Marshall.

Police said Marshall is an Oakland Mills High School student but has not attended school this year. He might have left the immediate area, the release says.

Anyone with information can contact police at 410-313-STOP or hcpdcrimetips@howardcountymd.gov and may remain anonymous.

A 29-year-old Greenbelt woman was charged with first-degree murder and is currently being held on a no-bond status at the Baltimore County Detention Center.

At about 1:35 a.m., officers responded to the 5600 block of Wilkens Avenue. Alyssa Jarrells, 31, was taken to a hospital, where she was declared dead, police said.

Officers also found a utility knife several feet from her, charging documents say.

A witness told officers that the suspect and victim were sisters. Both had attended a wedding earlier in the evening and came to his home, according to charging documents.

The sisters got into a minor argument, which escalated as the evening continued, according to charging documents. As the sisters were leaving, the witness heard Jarrells saying, “Oh my God.” He told police he saw her collapse and blood visible.

The suspect declined to be interviewed by police, but while she was in the interview room waiting, she made several unprompted statements about the situation, charging documents say.

“Do you know if my sister is OK?” she asked during her interview, according to charging documents. “I know it’s real. I actually used a utility knife. I never actually tried. I pinned it up as a warning.”

Her attorney declined to comment.

BCPS launched a new program Monday, the first day of school, that equipped all school buses with interior and exterior automated cameras to discourage drivers from passing while blinking, red lights are on. The cameras from AngelTrax surveillance company will be working on a cloud system, said Superintendent Myriam Rogers.

“The overall goal of this program is to increase motorist awareness of students walking to and from school bus stops and the importance of not passing a school bus,” Rogers said at a news conference Monday.

When approaching a stopped school bus with activated flashing lights, Maryland law requires drivers traveling in both directions to stop at least 20 feet from the school bus. If a physical barrier, such as a median, is present, only traffic going the same direction as the bus must stop until lights are deactivated.

For the next 30 days, warnings will be given out to those who pass the bus stop signs, but after that, violating drivers will get a $250 citation 10 days after the incident. Citations will be mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle, but no driver’s license points will be issued.

“Thanks to the partnership between our police, public school system, and AngelTrax, this initiative will enable Baltimore County to cite reckless drivers and make our roadways and communities safer for all residents,” Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. said in a news release.

The cost of the program won’t be coming out of BCPS’ budget, Rogers said. The school system doesn’t have the definitive cost for the cameras, spokesperson Charles Hendon said.

During the first year, over half the revenue will be used to continue the program, and the rest will go to the county government, Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough said at the news conference.

The Baltimore County government will disburse the money to the school system and programs focused on pedestrian safety. BCPS plans to reinvest these funds into its $6.5 million safety assistance program for secondary schools, Rogers said.

“I think this is a response to an ongoing problem,” McCullough said Monday. “I think it is a much-needed program so we can protect our students.”

Each school year, motorists pass stopped school buses an estimated 43.5 million times within the United States, according to the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services.

Baltimore County’s police department initiated a one-day study last year during which 387 cars passed by buses with their stop signs out.

The school district said there were 332 school bus accidents last year, up from 308 the year before. BCPS was not able to provide the number of children struck while getting on or off the bus. Almost 80,000 students use the nearly 1,000 buses outfitted with high-definition cameras, the district said.

The school system has not reported any busing challenges for the first day of school. Ahead of the 2024-25 year, BCPS hired 10 bus drivers and three bus attendants, as well as 825 teachers, 29 office professionals, 49 paraeducators, 32 assistant principals and 13 principals, according to another news release.

“As a school system, we are ready, refreshed, and eager to offer instruction and opportunities designed to build academic achievement and student success,” Rogers said in the release.

Baltimore Sun reporter Lilly Price contributed to this article.

Correction: This article has been updated to correct the number of cars that passed buses with their stop signs out from Baltimore County Police’s one-day study.