Commentary

Imagine a contemporary Rip Van Winkle fell asleep in 1993, when the average price of a gallon of gasoline was $1.10 and Maryland’s tax on that gas was 23.5 cents per gallon — or about 21% of the total price. He wakes up today to the news that, whoa, prices have gone up quite a bit. Motorists in Maryland are paying an average of $3.50 per gallon for gasoline, according to AAA.\

Frederick County’s student athletes put on quite a show in the spring sports state championships this year, with great team efforts and outstanding individual achievements. Our newspaper and website have been filled with stories and photos of victory after victory, achievement after incredible achievement. The athletes’ beaming smiles at the many victory celebrations are a reminder of the pure joy of sports competition.

It’s not difficult for Democrats and Republicans alike to list multiple reasons to hate the debt limit agreement reached over the weekend by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden. The irony, of course, is that the partisans are often clucking about the same issues, just opposite takes on them. Expanded work requirements for those who are eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Temporary Aid for Needy Families program is a particularly galling imposition given how experience shows it won’t help recipients get jobs but will increase government bureaucracy.

Nearly a year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization eliminated the constitutional right to an abortion after almost 50 years. Our patients in Maryland experienced uncertainty and concern after the ruling as other states began to enact a myriad of abortion restrictions. Meanwhile, reproductive health care providers scrambled to establish a network of referrals to help patients get care in states where abortion remained legal.

In the year before the pandemic, I devoted several columns to the subject of reversing Baltimore’s population slide — things that a mayor, universities or groups like the Greater Baltimore Committee and the Downtown Partnership should do to attract people to the city again. When the latest population figures appeared, showing a further decline, I was not surprised.

With the longer days now leaving more light into the evening, farmers are taking every opportunity to work later and get this year’s crop in the ground. This means greater activity on the roads from both farmers and the public as more events are held. It may be best to remind ourselves to be considerate of our neighbors and heed the additional traffic guidelines regarding slow moving vehicles.

For the first time, Maryland is giving small-scale farmers a similar financial boost for cover crops that larger-scale farmers have enjoyed for years. Starting this year, Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Small Acreage Cover Crop Program allows farmers who plant less than five acres of cover crops to receive a reimbursement of up to $1,500 per year for the purchase of cover crop seed.

Deputy Superintendent Myriam Yarbrough’s commitment to relieving overcrowding at Hampton Elementary School has convinced me that she is the right person to become the next superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools (”Baltimore County Public Schools addresses Hampton Elementary overcrowding during public meeting,” May 22). Unfortunately, the proposals from the school system’s facilities management and strategic planning staff are uniformly underwhelming.