Cicada Photos: Close Encounters, Pet Toys, Hitchhikers | Patch PM

Here are some of the share-worthy stories from Maryland Patches to talk about tonight:

Reader Cicada Photos: Hitchhikers, Typists And Gardeners

It's day two of Cicada Invasion photos from Patch readers. We asked for photos and you delivered — so much so that we'll be publishing a cicada photo story every day this week. If your photo isn't here, check back again tomorrow. If you missed yesterday's story, be sure to check it out.

New Pay-By-Plate Option Now Available To Maryland Drivers

Pay-By-Plate is a new payment option that's a hassle-free way to pay Maryland tolls. After opening an account, tolls are automatically billed to a registered credit card each time you use Maryland facilities, with no need for a transponder or pre-paid toll balance.

MD Storms: Water Rescue, Trees Down, House Fire Reported Monday

Severe storms rolled through Maryland Monday night with wind gusts up to 70 mph and flash flooding in some areas, according to the National Weather Service. Hail the size of ping-pong balls pelted the Baltimore metropolitan area, and lightning punctuated storms around the Baltimore-Washington region.

Katie Ledecky Qualifies For 2021 Olympics In 400 Freestyle

Katie Ledecky will head to Tokyo this summer, looking to add to her collection of five Olympic gold medals.The Bethesda native has qualified for the 400 freestyle and is still competing in the trials for a chance to swim the 200, 800 and 1,500 meter freestyle and 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay.

MD State Of Emergency To End July 1, Gov. Larry Hogan Announces

The state of emergency in Maryland will end on July 1, after being in place since March 5, 2020. Here's that that mean.

• No ICU Hospitalizations Reported In Anne Arundel For First Time
• Mass Vaccination Site At Ripken Stadium To Close This Week
• 40% Fully Vaccinated In Prince George's; Metrics Hit Record Lows

Contribute your own content to Patch by signing up for an account and clicking the "Post on Patch" button at the top right of the site.

Also Worth a Look Today

• Additional Human Remains Found Under Dundalk Bridge
• Baltimore County Revenue Authority Now Providing Contactless Payments With ParkMobile
• Hogan Applauds Amazon Jobs During Tour Of BWI Hub: Photos
• Waterfront Gem Hits Pasadena Market, Seeks $1.2M
• Fourth Of July Festivities Can Receive A Boost With Grant Program
• Officer Pleads Guilty To Stealing Guns, Heads To Jail: County
• Knife Pulled On Uber Driver In Bowie: Police
• Oxycodone, Marijuana, Loaded Gun Found In SUV: Police
• Stranger Hit Woman In The Head, Ransacked Her Apartment: Police
• Rockville Restaurants Cited: Hank Dietle's, Research Court Deli
• Save The Fireflies, Thank The Bees In MD: Pollinator Week Events
• Mass Vaccination Site At Ripken Stadium To Close This Week
• 2 Injured In Crash That Closed I-95 In Harford: Report

Across America

• 4 Dead, 4 Wounded In Chicago Mass Shooting On 'Quiet Block': Cops
• ‘My Cat Is A Thief’: Oregon Woman's Cat Steals Neighbors' Stuff
• Climate Change Makes Forests More Flammable Now Than Any Time In Past 2,000 Years
• Podcast: DC's Homeless Deliver Poetry Straight From The Streets
• Cicada Invasion: DC, NoVA Residents Snap Pics Of Insects [Photos]