Commentary

The Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS) recently sent a dire plea to the community that it was in a state of emergency, following a deluge of animals that came into its care. The numbers have been staggering, even for Maryland’s largest shelter, as BARCS had taken in 3,737 animals in the preceding 90 days, an average of 40 animals per day. To put this in perspective, that’s 700 more animals than the Maryland SPCA accepted in 2022.

When July hit, I saw a lot of cannabis content on my timeline. Marylanders get to grow two plants and may possess up to 1.5 ounces of dried flower. There are going to be a lot of plants inadvertently dying prematurely in the next couple of months as people get the hang of cultivating a new crop. There is still no smoking in public or businesses. Wherever you can use tobacco products, you should be able to use cannabis products, also.

We took up the entire row “J” of the Senator Theatre in Baltimore, my 21-year-old daughter, her best friend, my friend, her 18-year-old daughter and my mother, all in our pink and glitter. My 12-year-old son, dressed in coral shorts and a salmon colored button down hawaiin shirt wanted to sit in his own row, a row behind us with his bag of popcorn.

When the trial was over last week for a teenage squeegee worker who fatally shot a Hampden man after a confrontation at a Baltimore intersection, a unanimous guilty verdict on manslaughter charges had been rendered. Their deliberations done, the jury filed out. But witnesses noticed one tearful juror, a woman, who looked at the defendant and mouthed “I’m sorry” as she left the courtroom.

While on a self-imposed paid leave of absence since his indictment on federal gun charges, Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins has continued taking part in administrative work and attending executive-level meetings and events. As he appeals to a federal judge to let him carry his service weapons again, he has indicated that he is thinking about ending his leave.

Esther Reaves made the most of her time on Earth, not by accumulating wealth, building skyscrapers or sending rockets into space. She devoted her life to helping people mired in poverty, people who were sick, hungry, lonely and homeless. She found her calling in the Gospel of Matthew: “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. … I was a stranger and you invited me in.”

Close to 35,000 Maryland residents lost access to Medicaid as the state returned to checking eligibility for the public health insurance program, after a COVID-era requirement to keep recipients continuously enrolled expired May 31. Most people — 71% — lost the safety net because of procedural problems, such as failing to file forms or responding to requests for information too late. They are among millions of others who are losing Medicaid coverage, meant for low-income families and individuals, nationwide.