Failing grades have doubled — and sometimes tripled — in school systems across Maryland as the prolonged effects of learning from home take their toll on student achievement and well-being. Second-quarter data from Baltimore-area school systems offers a bleak portrait of the state of student learning during the pandemic. In Baltimore and Baltimore County together, more than 10,000 middle school students are failing English. In Anne Arundel County, 61% of high school students have a GPA of less than 2.0.

Courtney Holden wanted to create a beer that would be undeniably intertwined with Black culture. That meant “See Us,” a brown ale infused with the flavors of sweet potato, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and a whisper of vanilla. “It actually does taste like a sweet potato pie,” said the Black queer beer enthusiast. “It tastes like the hug from a aunt you haven’t seen in a long time.” For Midtown resident Alysha January, that meant capturing the essence of her stepfather’s legendary pound cake.