Commentary

In this week’s episode of Center Maryland’s The Trail series, Damian, Candace and Don start by talking about Candace’s not so favorite fall drinks and foods. They then pivot to discuss early voting trends around the country and recap Vice President Kamala Harris’s interview on Fox with Bret Bair. Also, Don gives his thoughts on the Stevie Wonder concert in Baltimore as well as the Governor’s birthday party.

The good news is that Maryland Governor Wes Moore announced that the state will spend more than $75 million per year toward the goal of converting at least 5,000 vacant properties in Baltimore into homeownership or other productive uses in the next five years. The bad news is that Mayor Brandon Scott still has not come up with a credible plan on how to manage the complex process of acquiring, rehabilitating and disposing of vacant and derelict properties.

Pardon me for bringing up something we’d rather not think about: Some nurses in Maryland paid for fake grades and received bogus diplomas from bogus nursing schools. As I said, we’d rather not think about that. This is the United States of America, the greatest country in the history of countries, and, while the current Republican presidential candidate can constantly lie and be inexplicably adored by millions, we will neither adore nor tolerate health care professionals lying about their credentials.

On Oct. 7, we recognized the first anniversary of the horrific attack by Hamas on Israel, the largest loss of Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust, and the kidnapping of hundreds of Israelis, Americans and others whose fate remains unknown. Thousands of innocent civilians — Israelis, Palestinians and others — have been tragically lost over the past year.

You know there’s definitely a higher power at work when the same week that concerned scientists are pushing for federal endangered species protections for Maryland’s diamondback terrapin, the coach of the Maryland Terrapins football team is promising major changes to save a floundering season. Yes, yes, we know there’s far more to life than college football.

For all the focus on this year’s presidential contest, the struggle for control of Congress — also a toss-up, according to most analyses — could be as consequential, or more so. Much depends, too, on whether the legislative branch will be able to function and get anything done, whoever wins. You can write a list of important bills passed in the past four years, topped by the Inflation Reduction, Bipartisan Infrastructure and Chips acts.

As a lifelong Maryland resident and a community leader deeply involved in our state’s public health efforts, I’ve always taken pride in our state’s resilience and community spirit. However, the ongoing effects of former Gov. Larry Hogan’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic have left me disillusioned. Despite the national narrative that paints Hogan as a steady hand during the crisis, the reality for those who lived through his administration’s response is starkly different.