People living with serious mental illness face unique challenges, but they have the same desires and needs in life as everyone else. We must continue to work to bring attention to the importance of mental health and wellness in our lives and reduce the stigma that so many people face. While medication and therapy play a crucial role in recovery, a sustainable approach includes what Dr. Thomas Insel described in his book “Healing: Our Path from Mental Illness to Mental Health” as the “three P’s”: People, Place and Purpose.

The House of Delegates is one vacancy shy of a full chamber following the swearing-in Monday of a new delegate from Montgomery County. Newly minted Del. Teresa Saavedra Woorman (D-Montgomery) was sworn-in during a ceremony in the House chamber. The aide to Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) is just the most recent in a string of vacancy-related appointments to the legislature over the last two years.

 

Maryland officials are warning county agencies and employees to be wary when handling requests under the state’s Public Information Act, after malware attacks using a similar scheme reportedly hit some county attorneys in Virginia. Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) officials, who posted the warning last week, said they are not aware of any attempts against Maryland offices, but wanted to put local officials “on lookout mode.”

All it takes is gas and a spark. Fire safety experts say the aftermath of an explosion in Harford County shows the magnitude of what gas leaks can do: A Bel Air residence was leveled, killing both the homeowner and a Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. contractor. The blast also spread debris throughout Arthurs Woods Drive and rendered 16 homes uninhabitable.

Public servants rarely receive praise. Instead, they tend to hear from the people only when problems arise. For so many reasons, however, the Social Security Administration deserves a different response — because the SSA and its commissioner, Martin O’Malley, are putting on a clinic in showing how visionary leadership can drive meaningful change.

Bryan Sears did his usual outstanding job covering two important items on this week’s Board of Public Works meeting agenda (“New prescription benefits contract to yield ‘modest’ initial savings to state”, 8/7/24). But 60,000 state retirees wish he had also reported on the Medicare Prescription Drug Exchange and Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) services contract on the agenda, intended to assist Maryland’s oldest retired state employees in transitioning from their promised retiree prescription drug plan to Medicare Part D.

At a July meeting of Baltimore’s planning commission, officials were breezing through a seemingly boring list of approvals when a commissioner raised a question: Why did the cost of a water main replacement project in Upper Fells Point and Canton balloon from $15 million to $25 million? The answer, according to city staff, was largely due to a policy change made two years earlier by the Department of Transportation that requires entire blocks to be repaved if contractors or city workers dig up more than half of the roadway.

With less than three months to Election Day, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. is still poised to win the seat of retiring U.S. Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger in November despite calls for him to step aside. Olszewski, 41, is the favorite to win Maryland’s 2nd Congressional District after winning his May 14 primary.

Howard County is set to begin its Restaurant and Craft Beverage Weeks on Monday, and this year’s event will feature over 50 participating locations. The event starts Aug. 12 and lasts until Aug. 25. Restaurants will have special menus for the occasion. A full list of participants can be found at the following website. “Summer Restaurant and Craft Beverages Weeks is a great opportunity to explore all that Howard County’s culinary scene has to offer,” Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said.

The family of Ronald Silver II, a Baltimore City Department of Public Works crew member who died from overheating, including his mother, father, siblings and several others, gathered Monday morning in front of Baltimore City Hall to call for immediate action from the City Council and DPW. The family is requesting a swift investigation and hearing open to the public within the next week along with an appointment of a liaison for the Department of Public Works who will provide real-time information directly to the family about what happened and future proceedings.