Commentary

West Virginia University’s pending decision to slash formal language learning programs on its campus is harmful to the economy, culture, and people of the Mountain State. But the harm extends beyond West Virginia students, teachers, workers, and entrepreneurs. In the context of decreasing state funding and increasing state meddling in higher education, the proposed cuts send a signal that language learning — without which all learning, not to mention commercial and cultural communication — is expendable.

An editorial in The Baltimore Sun should be exactly the wrong place to pay tribute to John Samuel Waters Jr., the breaker of societal norms, the maker of cult films, the counter-culture icon. We are simply too square, too bound by convention, too bourgeois for the task. Much like Waters’ infamous 1968 16-millimeter comedy, “Eat Your Makeup,” (about a deranged nanny who forces young people to “model themselves to death”) you wouldn’t expect to see such things around here.

It’s human nature to want to be included, whether it’s in an invitation to a party or just being in on the hot new meme. One of the most delightful parts of social media — which is mostly not delightful — is recognizing a pop culture or historical moment and thinking, “Hey! This is just for me! I’m in the club!” I feel that way every time I see one of those memes about how Gen Xers ran the streets like wild jackals and existed on water from rusty hoses and Jolly Ranchers.

If you’re like me, you’ve been keeping a wary eye on the forecast to see if Hurricane Lee is going to be a pain. If you’re not like me, well, be more like me. It can be hard to distinguish between the real danger and overhyped social media feeds or breathless TV news updates. But yes, Maryland does experience these tropical storms and hurricanes. We’re not Florida, to be sure, but it happens.

Two months after Baltimore’s worst mass shooting occurred, injuring 28 people and killing two at the Brooklyn Homes, with most of the victims teenagers — and for which four teenagers have so far been criminally charged — the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services released a much-anticipated “research brief” observing, among other things, that public concerns about juvenile crime are greatly overstated.

Like many Marylanders, I am concerned about the violence that occurs at the hands of our young people. We turn on the news and are bombarded with sensationalized coverage of it every day. The fear of such violence appears more widespread than ever, and that fear has given way to false narratives. But we can’t solve the problem if we aren’t working from reality.

September is National Suicide Awareness Month. Since my mom, an Air Force veteran and the only parent who was present in my life, died by suicide in March 2018, I’ve spent the past five years wondering what more I could have done, thinking about the clues that were missed and the opportunities lost. I’m still learning to accept that there are questions that will never be answered.

It is further proof that time does pass quickly when you are having fun: Last weekend was the 40th renewal of the annual In the Streets celebration downtown. Since 1983, the festival has been drawing large crowds of people to enjoy the sights and sounds, the arts and the history, and the food and the fun that is downtown Frederick.