Commentary

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.

I spent the best part of 33 years as a classroom teacher here in Carroll County, and I’ve seen a lot of ups and downs in that time. I was around when teachers went seven years without a raise. We survived the controversy over Common Core. The past year and a half has been even tougher for my former colleagues, navigating distance learning and trying to stay safe in their schools. There has been some good news, however. By all accounts the summer recovery program was successful.

After a pleasant flirtation with early fall weather last week, Maryland is back in the sauna with temperatures in the 90-degree range and humidity levels somewhere between damp and soaking wet. One of the unfortunate side effects of this meteorological malady is early dismissal from school in those buildings lacking fully functioning air conditioning systems. Baltimore City Public Schools, long the regional leader in substandard school conditions, began that inevitable process Monday with 27 schools closing early for lack of AC or because of systems under repair.

The year 2020 was certainly a scramble for many businesses when the pivot to remote work seemed to happen virtually overnight. Thankfully, this quickly enabled companies to keep their operations going, and many discovered the added benefit of more productive and happy employees working from home. But with so many companies now embracing hybrid work environments, there’s an expanded need for reviewing any employee fraud controls that were put into place in 2020.

Maryland will pay the large law firm of Venable LLP roughly $382,000 — a discounted rate — for its failed efforts to defend Gov. Larry Hogan’s unlawful attempt to prematurely terminate federal unemployment benefits. No doubt, the case involved significant legal work. There was the unsuccessful attempt to remove the case to federal court, followed by a hearing in state circuit court. Then, the court issued a temporary restraining order against the governor, which led to more legal motions and appeals to both the Court of Special Appeals and the Court of Appeals, all futile.

In crowded Democratic primary elections, smart candidates play the percentages. When Comptroller Peter Franchot, his resume boasting 35 years in elective office, announced his candidacy for governor ahead of the pack, he might have foreseen — but failed to scare out — a rush of eight other candidates for the open seat to succeed term-limited Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R). Ditto Doug Gansler, who served eight years as attorney general, then lost in the 2014 Democratic gubernatorial primary.

When the General Assembly overrode Governor Hogan’s veto of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future in February 2021, they bolstered Maryland’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic in ways we don’t yet know how to measure. The Blueprint is a long-term education funding and policy shifting plan with the explicit goal of creating world-class schools over the next decade and the potential to secure a prosperous future for the entire state.