Commentary

The good news: Marylanders have embraced getting outdoors. About 3 million more people visited our state parks in 2020 than in 2019. The bad news: park capacity limits resulted in almost three times the number of capacity closures in 2020 than in 2019. So kudos to Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) and House Speaker Adrienne Jones (D-Baltimore County) for establishing a legislative commission, the Maryland State Park Investment Commission, to “investigate and make recommendations regarding overcrowding in Maryland State parks.”

One of the grand promises of America is what I’ve always understood to be a national commitment to progress. Inertia is unacceptable. Failure is not an option. The country will always learn from its mistakes, grow wiser and become exceptional in all things, from mail service to cancer treatment. We shall run miles ahead of other countries.

We won’t bother with a blow-by-blow account of the Baltimore Ravens’ unlikely victory against the favored Kansas City Chiefs in the home opener at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday night — we’ll leave that to the sports writers. But let’s just say it required extraordinary effort in the face of long odds, along with a bit of carefully considered daring. The choice not to punt on the fourth down in the waning minutes of play might have been supported by statistical analysis, but it certainly wasn’t in the better-safe-than-sorry tradition of National Football League coaching. In short: It took guts.

FIFA representatives visited Baltimore over the weekend and attended the Ravens’ game Sunday night against the Kansas City Chiefs to evaluate the city as a finalist to host the 2026 World Cup. While the odds of FIFA selecting Baltimore are about as good as Justin Tucker missing an extra-point attempt, the committee behind Baltimore’s bid relishes its underdog status. Just check out the video posted on its website, which features a voiceover from Baltimore’s own Mike Rowe.

I never intended to become a ransomware negotiator. But a year and a half ago, we notified a ransomware victim that their corporate data was about to be released on a dark web “shame site” for all to see, and they pulled me in as the lead troubleshooter. Following that, more cases followed and today it’s turned into a deluge. Now I tend to show up a lot in the media as “the guy who talks to ransomware bad guys.” It’s not a job I want or particularly enjoy.

Anne Arundel County School Superintendent Dr. George Arlotto’s opinion piece Sept. 5 stated we must practice grace, patience, and flexibility entering the new school year. Such sentiment is not just for global pandemics; grace, patience, and flexibility are how great teachers make our kids love school each day, every year. Yet Arlotto missed the mark in headlining what county public schools should be focusing on. The Annapolis cluster has shouted it for decades: equity, safety, and transparency. Oh, and transparent, safe, equitable transportation.

To a large degree, I grew up in my dad’s dry cleaning store located at 564 McMechen St. in West Baltimore, just off of Pennsylvania Avenue. I worked in the store on Saturdays and after school as a young teen. It gave me a chance to spend more time with my dad. As I got older and began driving, I became a delivery driver for the shop, Nicholson Brothers. During the late ‘60s, the thriving West Baltimore commercial hub that World Book encyclopedia called ” A Black Fifth Avenue” began to decline, however.

Criticizing Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan for trying to put an early end to federally funded expanded unemployment benefits is fair. Blaming him for the boatload of taxpayer money spent on a private law firm’s unsuccessful attempt to defend his decision in court is not. The responsibility for that expenditure lies solely with Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh. Mr. Frosh chose to speak out publicly against the governor’s decision with full knowledge that it meant that he would have to retain outside counsel to defend it. In my opinion, it was political theater by Mr. Frosh, with taxpayers paying for the tickets.

At first glance, with a speed of more than 300 mph, the Baltimore-Washington Superconducting Magnetic Levitation train, known as SCMaglev, and its promise of expansion to New York and further north seem innovative and 21st-century in scope, but dig a little deeper and this privately owned business venture has serious flaws. Accordingly, the Federal Railroad Administration and congressional leaders need to put the brakes on this rapid-rail project.