Commentary

By the time Erik Heinonen, a humanitarian worker for Baltimore-based Catholic Relief Services, returned to his home in Irpin, Ukraine, last month, the coffee shops and grocery stores were open again. It was safe to walk the dog and take his daughter to the playground. Heinonen’s house was still standing. But his neighbor’s house, across the alley, was gone. The apartment building across the street had been hit with missiles. “We were lucky,” Heinonen said over the phone the other day, as the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine approached. “A shell had landed in our front yard. It broke windows and punctured a fence and left divots in the wall of the house. We were fortunate.”

U.S. military richly deserve not just the nation’s thanks, but, whenever possible, financial benefits from retirement pay to health care. A lot of seniors deserve pension relief, particularly at a time of heightened inflation. Just last year, the Maryland General Assembly and then-Gov. Larry Hogan approved legislation providing a tax credit to retirees of up to $1,000 per individual and $1,750 per couple. Yet now, lawmakers in Annapolis have been presented by Gov. Wes Moore with a costly proposal, the Keep Our Heroes Home Act, that would further reduce taxes on military pensions — for individuals as young as 37 years old.

We’ve seen this before: An elected official responsible for public safety goes to Annapolis to implore state legislators to stiffen the penalties for people who commit crimes with guns. Numerous police chiefs and prosecutors have made the trip, and this week’s lead witness was Ivan Bates, the new Baltimore State’s Attorney. He wants judges to have the power to sentence to five years in prison anyone 21 or older caught with an illegal gun. The present maximum is three years, and Bates, a criminal defense attorney before taking office, knows well that most defendants consider a three-year penalty a joke.

In an effort to diversify the presidential primary process, the Democratic National Committee earlier this month overhauled the calendar, voting to no longer begin the nomination effort in largely white Iowa. Instead, South Carolina will kick things off, and Iowa will be pushed out of the early decision process entirely. Nevada, with its large Latino population; and Michigan, a swing state, will be moved forward in the primary schedule, along with Georgia.

Over the last year, I’ve heard hundreds of stories about the former greatness of Edmondson Village Shopping Center (EVSC). Developed by Jacob and Joseph Meyerhoff in 1947, the center was described by The Baltimore Sun as “a suburban shopping center of harmonious design, said to be unique in American city planning.” It was also innovative in giving design control to surrounding tenants and property owners. Sadly, many more residents report that they no longer shop there and prefer to spend their money at other retailers in Baltimore County. Social media influencers have shared posts and videos that joke about EVSC and warn their followers not to stop at a nearby gas station because it’s dangerous.

In a tremendous win for the Chesapeake Bay watermen, and downstream residents, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit recently issued a ruling vacating the issuance by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) of a 50-year license to Constellation Energy (formerly Exelon) to continue operating the Conowingo Dam hydroelectric power facility.