Commentary

“Women deserve better than abortion,” the man stated firmly, before sitting back down next to me in the crowded Maryland senate hearing. He was a member of one of the many “pro-life” groups that testified on March 8 in Annapolis against Senate Bill 798: Declaration of Rights - Right to Reproductive Freedom. I caught a glimpse of his phone background, which was a beautiful, smiling picture of a young girl, likely his daughter.

Though an urban waterway, hard by transit systems, the waters of the Jones Falls attract wildlife. (Baltimore Sun) A few years after the Civil War, a man named William Moody Chase created a stereograph, a three dimensional photograph, of a place called Otter Rock, somewhere along the 18 miles of the Jones Falls as it flows through Baltimore County into the city. We can assume that Otter Rock was so named for good reason: Otters were once common in a river that, 150 years later, we associate more with pollution than with wildlife.

SPOILER ALERT: This column contains key plot points for a 420-year-old play that’s been made into a movie more than 50 times. I know there may be people who aren’t familiar with every moment of “Hamlet,” William Shakespeare’s classic tragedy about betrayal, political corruption, twisted family dynamics and madness.

This week’s unseasonably cold temperatures have made the swift approach of the Preakness Stakes seem unreal. Yet, there it stands on the calendar: The Kentucky Derby runs this Saturday and then, two weeks later, Baltimore takes the national spotlight with the 148th running of the Triple Crown’s second leg on May 20.

In recent weeks and months, multiple states have passed legislation targeting academic freedom and independence at public colleges and universities. States incuding Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, North Dakota and Texas have gone after tenure, one of the most significant protections of academic freedom and independence in institutions of higher learning.

Everybody, even progressive Democrats, loves a growing business community. It means more jobs, more income, more taxes. When the new governor and comptroller spoke to the Maryland Chamber of Commerce Feb. 28, they embraced the business community. Said Gov. Wes Moore, who had actually spent some time as an investment banker: “When Maryland’s businesses are strong, Maryland’s communities are strong. As governor, I am dedicated to doing everything in my power to make Maryland the business capital of the United States.”

Public comment at a public meeting is generally and widely permitted. Even though the state’s open meetings law does not mandate it, it's a good practice for a public body to hear from the public whenever possible. But some members of the public have been abusing the privilege at county Board of Education meetings, disrupting and delaying meetings beyond all reason.