Commentary

As we remember and reflect on the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., there are valuable lessons that should give us hope that we can overcome what we face today in a divided and teetering America. If we, like King, truly believe that the words of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence are meant for all Americans, then zealously embrace them and put them into practice by letting them govern and guide our actions in both our public and private lives.

At my recent birthday party, several of my grandchildren spoke about how I had impacted their lives. One common theme was that they mentioned that I had taught them to ride a bike and, for those old enough, how to drive. Even my own children, now grown up with families of their own, mentioned the bike and driving lessons.\

When a family’s money is tight and it is living close to the edge, pushing that family over the brink doesn’t take much. One seemingly simple legal problem can set off cascading events leading to dire consequences, including homelessness. That happened to a family of six on the Eastern Shore that nearly lost its home when hard times hit, putting the members of that family in danger of eviction.

A helpful scheduler from Riggs Distler, the company installing new high-pressure gas lines in my neighborhood for BGE, came to the house the other day and asked a question: Do I want the new gas service regulator placed on the inside or the outside of my house? While that’s the immediate question for me and my neighbors — and one that thousands of BGE customers will likely face over the next 20 years — there’s a larger question looming over the utility’s big investment in new gas lines and regulators: Shouldn’t we be saying goodbye to all that?

The Frederick County Board of Elections has adopted plans for the upcoming primary election in May that reflect the changing nature of the voting process here and around the country. It is a good plan, using fewer Election Day polling places and more ballot drop-box locations, as compared to the 2022 gubernatorial election, reflecting the way an increasing number of voters are participating in elections.

The cynical among us can be forgiven if they scoffed at the latest plan to revive Baltimore’s dilapidated Pimlico Race Course, home to the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown. But the new (or perhaps more accurately, revised) blueprint for the track may be the most sensible, most practical one yet. As detailed in a 16-page report from the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority, created last year by the General Assembly to recommend a path forward for Maryland racing, Pimlico would be closed shortly after the next running of the Preakness in four months to undergo a $400 million renovation and the big race diverted to Laurel Park for two years.