Commentary

When Hamas a year ago led the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust, there seemed to be immediate shock and sympathy in the U.S. The numbers were stunning: more than 1,100 people killed, including dozens of children and hundreds of civilians; thousands wounded; more than 200 hostages, including American citizens; dozens of reports of rape and sexual assault. Families, dreams and communities ripped apart.

Chronic absenteeism often reflects deeper issues, such as adverse childhood events (ACEs), unmet health needs and socioeconomic disparities. Children grappling with ACEs are more likely to experience mental health challenges, which can lead to school avoidance. Chronic health conditions like asthma, eczema and diabetes can also directly cause frequent absences.

My cellphone automatically went into sleep mode as I left Main Event in Columbia on a recent Saturday night. It was 9:15 p.m., but my night had only just begun. So why was I out in Columbia when I would normally be getting settled in bed for the night? Over the summer, my Howard County colleague Abby Zimmardi and I set out to answer the following question: How does Columbia cater to its younger residents?

Power prices are rising and poised to rise further in the wholesale power market, known as PJM, that includes Maryland, with a vigorous debate over the root causes. As a result of this shift in the wholesale market, the Office of People’s Counsel is forecasting a nearly 20% retail bill increase for Baltimore customers next year. This projection assumes that these wholesale prices will more or less automatically pass through to retail customers.

Sustainability smacks you the instant you pull into the IKEA parking lot in College Park. Most spaces are tucked under elevated solar panels, a national initiative started in Maryland three years ago to help the Swedish furniture giant generate all its own electricity. Walk past the U.S., Maryland and Swedish flags and into the mammoth blue-and-yellow building, and the first of many brightly colored, chipper displays makes clear that saving the planet is at stake with every purchase — “5 ways to step into a more sustainable day — every day.”

We made some noise about it in 2016. During her campaign for president, Hillary Clinton’s gender was much discussed — by her opponent, who accused her of “constantly playing the woman card.” By pundits wondering whether the nation was ready to elect a woman. By the candidate herself, who touted her own nomination as “a milestone in our nation’s march toward a more perfect union.”

Since 2013, every county in Maryland has been permitted to legislate and fund a public financing program that enables candidates to run for executive and council offices on the strength of their ideas and not on the depth of their donors’ pockets, with small contributions from everyday citizens matched with county tax dollars.