A former U.S. Capitol Police officer who bloodied his fists in hand-to-hand combat and endured pepper spray and racist vitriol defending the American seat of government against insurrectionists on Jan. 6, 2021, is now seeking to return to the building as an elected representative. Harry Dunn, 40, announced Friday morning that he is running for the Democratic nomination to replace Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.), joining a growing field of candidates in what is expected to be a competitive primary.

As lawmakers head back to Annapolis for the start of the Maryland General Assembly’s 446th session Wednesday, much of their attention will be on what combination of tax increases or spending cuts will be needed to keep the state budget balanced. After all, experts have warned that the gap between anticipated tax revenue and expenditures could grow to as much as $2 billion in five years.

As people return home from holiday travel and spending time with loved ones over the past couple weeks, the Maryland Department of Health is urging clinicians to strengthen protective measures to reduce the spread of respiratory illnesses. The rate of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 and other viruses increased during the last week of 2023, and the state Department of Health is urging clinicians to implement “broad facility-wide” prevention measures such as masking and vaccination efforts to bring the hospitalization rate back down.

So, as Groucho Marx used to say, “Pardon me while I have an interlude.” This won’t take long. First of all, with regard to Mr. Sperandeo’s complaint that “all we ever hear from you” is negativity about Trump. That’s way out there in imagination land. I make reference to Donald Trump from time to time — as I did in Wednesday’s column, referring to the former president as an insurrectionist — but this column sticks mainly to local topics. I don’t recall referring to Trump’s sons recently, either.

Jessica Pachler called me two days after Christmas. There was another pop pop-pop pop outside her home, a sound instantly recognizable as gunfire to anyone living in parts of Annapolis. “My kids were outside playing with their new Nerf guns,” she said. “And they came running in and said, ‘That was not a Nerf gun.’” Police responded three times to Pachler’s street for gunshots in the days after the holiday.

Suicide deaths and the number of adverse childhood experiences people reported have increased over the last several years in Frederick County, according to new Frederick County Health Department data. From 2010 to 2022, suicide deaths in the county have risen, with 23 deaths in 2010 and 33 deaths in 2021. More adults in 2020 reported experiencing at least one adverse childhood experience compared to previous years. An adverse childhood experience is a potentially traumatic event that occurs when a person is young.

 

I’m no stranger to doomscrolling on my outdated iPhone, but lately the Nextdoor app is my least favorite place to do so. I don’t mean to shade the creators of the private social network for neighbors, but I’m concerned with posts that sometimes perpetuate racial profiling and misinformation. Too often, people use Nextdoor thinking they’re being helpful neighbors by posting about “suspicious” folks in their neighborhood, including children, that are many times people of color.

Baltimore’s top officials met last month and went over city spending as though they were ticking items off their weekly grocery list. Funding a community garden? Check. Reimbursing employees for travel costs? Check. Sinking another $1 million into a city-owned hotel that’s been bleeding money for years? Check. When Mayor Brandon Scott floated the possibility of selling the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor at a news conference after the spending board meeting, the idea drew cheers outside City Hall.

Wednesday was the start of the Washington Wizards winter reading challenge, a free-to-join challenge that aims to encourage early readers, children and teens to build reading habits and connect with local libraries. Montgomery County Public Libraries partnered with the D.C. basketball team to promote the challenge, which runs from Jan. 3 to March 20.

As part of an initiative to connect with a diverse community, Anne Arundel County Public Schools has launched Facebook pages specifically tailored for families fluent in Chinese, Korean, Urdu, and Vietnamese. “The creation of these additional Facebook pages is a tremendous step forward in fulfilling our commitment to ensure every student and every family in AACPS genuinely has a sense of belonging in their school,” said Joanna Bache Tobin, president of the Board of Education of Anne Arundel County.