Commentary

You know how at the end of “The Dark Knight,” Lt. Gordon (Gary Oldman) describes Batman as “the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now”? In the case of Baltimore, I believe that Jeremy Henry is both. In just a few moments of radio airtime, he cheerfully defended our beleaguered but beloved city to a national audience, bravely withstanding surprise and some good-natured light scoffing. Heroic, indeed.

“Women to Watch” in The Baltimore Sun lifted my spirit as I read about the 25 women who were highlighted for outstanding performance in Baltimore this year. Almost half are African-American, and at least one each is Cuban American, Asian American and a native of India. Think of the diversity of backgrounds that each one brings: family traditions and values; education and personal achievements. The Baltimore area is enriched by their talents and experience.

As Maryland’s 6th Congressional District representative and a candidate for the Senate, David Trone talks a lot about criminal justice reform, a subject embraced over the last decade by formerly tough-on-crime Democrats and even by a few Republicans who see potential dividends in smaller prison populations. Trone’s expressed interests in seeing fairness and integrity in law enforcement and second chances for ex-offenders appear to be genuine — not simply a way to flash progressive colors as he tries to convince Maryland Democratic primary voters that he should be the one to succeed the retiring Ben Cardin.

Just a few weeks removed from the biggest meet of his life, Khoi Young has seen the clips of his medal-winning vaults and pommel horse routine many, many times. In one sense, it is a dream fulfilled: He’s the first American men’s gymnast to earn three medals (two silvers and a team bronze) at a single World Championships in 20 years. But the adventure still feels dream-like. When Young watches his spins, his flips, his steely confidence throughout his final runs in Belgium against the world’s best, it’s an uncanny experience.

Howard County boasts the highest median family income in Maryland. Its unemployment rate is tied for the state’s lowest, its school system consistently earns top reviews, and Columbia, Maryland’s first planned community, was recently designated by WalletHub as the nation’s second safest city. To top it all off, there’s the home equity bottom line: Buying real estate has turned out to be a terrific investment in Howard County, with the median sale prices of homes averaging abound $725,000 — or $200,000 more than just four years ago, the biggest jump in all of Maryland.

Last week, a dear friend shared how she told her 94-year-old Jewish mother about the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel. After pouring two cups of coffee, she sat with her mother at the kitchen table and broke the news. Her mother crumbled and wept. “Again?” she asked, almost in disbelief. “Again?” That one word captured the unspeakable horror. Again.

When I woke up on the morning of Saturday, October 7, to the news of the invasion of Israel, and the reports of civilians slaughtered, it was clear that this time was different. As the stories on the ground continued to unfold, I was shocked at the pure evil and barbarism that had occurred. During the next few days, we learned about the scale of the atrocities — of the babies and children murdered at point-blank range; of young adults at a music festival gunned down, kidnapped and raped; and of families missing or massacred by Hamas terrorists.