Commentary

In the spirit of the July 4th holiday, we take a break from the daily grind to focus on the past and Marylands’s historic role on the country’s road to independence. Within months of the first shots of what was to become America’s Revolutionary War, Maryland mustered troops to join the Continental Army and help newly appointed general George Washington drive the British from Boston.

Lately, a variety of media outlets and political leaders (here and here, for example) have spread misinformation about the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future’s statewide education reforms. These attempts to undermine the Blueprint only serve to undermine the people of the Eastern Shore and will leave our counties poorly prepared for the opportunity to improve everyone’s quality of life.

A recent poll appears to show that many Marylanders are more scared by the misleading word “ban” in the poll question than by persistently unhealthy air when it comes to gas-powered vehicles. At stake is Gov. Wes Moore’s commitment to reaching Maryland’s climate and clean air goals by adopting the Advanced Clean Cars (ACC) II rule.

Vice Adm. Sean Buck looked over the sea of white uniforms Thursday — 1,200 young men and women freshly shorn and remade over the course of a single day into the style of an incoming class of Naval Academy plebes. Then he gave them a look that only admirals can give and told them about how tough the weeks ahead would be.

You hear stories of trauma and wonder how survivors ever manage to smile again. Many don’t. Deanmichael Harrod, however, has an electric smile despite decades of trouble and despite the fearsome challenge ahead — what he calls his “last shot” to finally leave a life of hard drinking and homelessness. Harrod smiles when he speaks. You can see happiness in his face and in the smart clothing he wears.

Judge Robert A. Greenberg of the Frederick County Circuit Court earlier this month ordered the county government to release records that officials were trying to keep confidential about the evolution of the Sugarloaf Treasured Landscape Management Plan. The result? Another example of how trying to develop government policy in secret almost never works out.

As Congress works through its must-dos before the August recess, one headline-generating topic I hope they’ll deal with is an obscure federal regulation that has governed flights in and out of Reagan National Airport (DCA) for nearly 60 years. The “perimeter rule,” as it’s known, has stymied the airport’s growth and had a negative impact on travelers to and from our nation’s capital. It’s time to dispense with it.

As a pediatrician a big part of my work is to advise families on nutrition and healthy eating. These days, I find myself talking with parents and patients more often about how they prepare their food — as in what appliances they are using to cook. Several studies in recent years have examined the dangers of having a gas stove in the home.