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Commentary

Why Maryland is a test case for the GOP’s future

In many of the three dozen states holding gubernatorial elections this year, Republican primaries have become a battleground between extremists backed by former president Donald Trump and more traditional candidates. One of them, Maryland, poses an especially stark choice given its overwhelming antipathy toward Mr. Trump, who lost the state in 2020 by a 2-to-1 margin. If the Free State’s GOP opts for the Trumpist candidate in the July 19 gubernatorial primary, it only increases its prospects of getting trounced in November’s general election. If it backs a traditionalist, it has a fair chance of winning.

Monument in Ukraine -
Rodricks: In Baltimore, raising funds for her Ukrainian homeland’s fight against Russia

Born in 1903, Volodymyr Lopushanskiy was a writer, newspaper editor and military historian who grew up during Ukraine’s many struggles for independence, from the time of the last czar through two world wars and the repressive Soviet era. He told “stories of liberation” in books. He wrote plays. He ran a bookstore. In 1952, Lopushanskiy was arrested for allegedly anti-Soviet activities and sentenced to 10 years in a gulag. “I come from a family that has deep roots in Ukrainian nationalistic history,” says Marta Lopushanska, his 42-year-old granddaughter in Baltimore.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
‘Guarding the Art’: BMA exhibit curated by security guards illuminate their personal histories

Over the past several years the Baltimore Museum of Art has been at the forefront of activating groundbreaking initiatives that inspire people to think differently about art and its impact, and the exhibit “Guarding the Art,” opening Sunday, is a clear example of this. I sat in Director Chris Bedford’s office two years ago and explained I had an idea that I felt was in this groundbreaking category, and I was prepared to stay in his office until he agreed to pursue it. I felt confident that he would see the idea captures the essence of everything the BMA can and should be. And he did. Guarding the Art became official as of that conversation.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
AFT-Md.: To Successfully Implement Blueprint Reforms, MSDE Employees Need Vital Protections

In response to Kalman Hettleman’s commentary, let us begin from a point of common ground: it is imperative that, for the successful implementation of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, and for it to truly have a transformative role in the education of Maryland’s students, all education workers engaged in the effort to improve our schools must be adequately compensated, including the dedicated staff employed at the Maryland State Department of Education.

How ‘Accidental’ Was Silver Spring Apartment Explosion Really?

A massive explosion at Friendly Garden Apartments in Silver Spring on March 3 “will be ruled accidental,” officials said, “after investigators concluded that a maintenance worker mistakenly cut through a gas line in a basement utility room while addressing a plumbing problem.” Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich “questioned what kind of training the apartment complex’s management required.” Fire Chief Scott Goldstein explained what could have sparked the blast: “Could be a pilot light. Could be a cigarette. Could be the simple flick of a light switch. Could be a motorized tool.”

On Climate, U.N. Says ‘Delay Means Death.’ Do Pepco and BGE Care in Maryland?

Climate change has gotten so bad that any pause in the transition to a clean-energy economy will literally kill people. “Delay means death,” says United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres. He uttered those words after another blockbuster and depressing climate study came out last month.

National test scores show student gains from in-person learning in all but a critical group: new and pre-readers

The Maryland State Board of Education was briefed Tuesday on standardized test scores that have been trickling out since December. Numbers from the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment taken this fall show, unsurprisingly, that children lost ground across the board during the virtual learning days of the pandemic. Just 15% of public school students in grades 3-8 were found proficient in math — compared with 33% in 2019, when the test was last taken. And 31% were proficient in English Language Arts, compared with 44% two years ago.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
MSDE Addressing Unfinished Learning With Research-Proven Tutoring

High-quality tutoring during the school day may be available to more of Maryland’s students. In February, the Maryland State Department of Education responded to this unique moment in education — one that is defined by unprecedented funding, soaring staff vacancies and widening gaps in student achievement — with Maryland Leads, an innovative, non-competitive grant opportunity designed to incentivize and support its 24 school districts in focusing federal relief funds on evidence-based practices.

Zirpoli: GOP support for parental rights evaporates on gender issues

Remember when Republicans said that they were going to protect parental rights in regard to the education of our children? They made a big deal about parental rights in making decisions about mask-wearing, vaccinations, school curriculum (especially sex education), and so on. Well, forget about all of that. If your child happens to be transgender, Republicans are now saying that parents don’t know what is best for their children and, in fact, may be guilty of child abuse. For Republicans, the state knows better than parents when it comes to the sex and gender issues of our children.

Turnbull: Let’s Really Be ‘One Maryland’

After reading Josh Kurtz’ “Analysis: The Goldberg Goldman Fallout and the Rocky Shoals of Race for Md. Democrats,” I felt a combination of emotions. I actually started to cry. My husband looked at me and said, “PTSD?” We’ve been married 45 years, and he’s been a constant partner in all politics with me. He knew exactly what was bothering me. He knew that I was processing and examining the results of the campaign that I poured my heart into. He knew that I was thinking about the conversations I had in 2018 in parking lots and in auditoriums and at events across Maryland with powerful elected officials — men I had campaigned for and with for decades telling me, “Ben can’t win.”

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