Commentary

It's always safe to assume that when elected leaders have something happy to report, they proudly announce it themselves. And when the news is not so great, or potentially controversial, the duty is handed down to an underling. That was the first clue that last week’s decision to hand over State Center to the city of Baltimore for redevelopment — as revealed by Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford at the Aug. 31 Board of Public Works meeting — was not all lemon drops and sunshine. The cancellation of the $1.5 billion State Center redevelopment project, along with the abrupt discontinuation of Baltimore’s $2.9 billion Red Line light rail project in Gov. Larry Hogan’s first term, are his chief legacy to Maryland’s largest city.

The Supreme Court is reshaping the entire landscape of the relationship between religion and the state in this country, and the Frederick County Board of Education has no choice but to follow the new rules the court is creating. The most recent decision was handed down by the court in June, supporting the right of a high school football coach to kneel and pray on the 50-yard line after games. The court ruled 6-3 in favor of Joseph Kennedy, the coach. The Religion News Service, an independent news agency, noted that decades of case law forbade school employees from leading school children in prayer.

When Fox News canceled Sarah Palin’s contributor contract in 2013, I wrote that it was “the end of an era.” I was, of course, wrong about that. Not only did Fox give her another contract six months later, her divisive brand of insults and misrepresentations became the template for Donald Trump and his flock of imitators in Congress, state governments and legislatures nationwide. This year, she figured she could easily get back into the game. But Alaskans, in a state that Mr. Trump won by 10 points in 2020, threw her over. Last Wednesday, in her first attempt to revive the political career she walked away from 13 years ago, Ms. Palin lost a special election to finish the late Don Young’s term in the House.

On July 30, 2016, Ellicott City experienced one of the worst natural disasters in its history when flash floods brought on by an intense rainstorm poured down Main Street. The floodwaters destroyed businesses, swept away vehicles and took the lives of two people. This tragedy was considered a “1,000-year flood,” meaning a flood event so severe it has only a 0.1% chance of occurring in any given year. Just two years later, another 1,000-year flood struck, taking one more life.

Every day, thousands of Marylanders show up to our offices, worksites, facilities and buildings ready to do our jobs and serve our communities. Many of us do the vital and essential work to provide Marylanders across the state with quality public services that ensure our communities are safe and healthy places for ourselves and our loved ones to live fulfilling lives. Even with a global pandemic, we came to work, putting our lives on the line to take care of our fellow residents.

Cathy Bevins, who was born and raised on the east side of Baltimore County, last month offered legislation to exempt waterfront restaurants and marinas from certain regulations that have restricted their growth. There was a logic to the idea. A lot of these businesses have struggled financially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Sixth District Baltimore County councilwoman no doubt viewed this as a chance to give them an economic boost.

The history of organized labor in the United States is one of struggle against seemingly hopeless odds, with victories often decades in the making. It’s a history in which Baltimore plays a proud part. In fact, the city can lay some claim as the birthplace of the national organized labor movement, more than 150 years ago. We recount the tale each year, our own Labor Day tradition. In the 1860s, local trades unions were common throughout the United States, but they were far from a unified force in national politics.

News organizations are supposed to cover events, not create them. We’re not supposed to manufacture controversies and issues while pretending they arise naturally from the communities we cover. In the last two weeks, The Sun has directly linked the conservative ownership of Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of nearly 200 television stations, including Fox 45 in Baltimore, to three local political efforts — to get Thiru Vignarajah elected Baltimore State’s Attorney; to give city voters the power to recall the mayor, and to place term limits on the mayor, the comptroller and members of the Baltimore City Council.