Commentary

As homicides dramatically increase across the nation, a question has emerged as to why Baltimore City is an exception. What are we doing right in Baltimore that other places are not doing? Crime statistics readily available on the internet show that last year homicides increased nationwide by 25%, up from 16,000 homicides in 2019 to more than 20,000 in 2020. The rate of increase was even higher in major cities. In Philadelphia, homicides increased from 346 to 469, up 35%. Chicago went from 481 homicides to 748, up 55%.

Nobody asked me, but reports of Baltimore’s moribund state appear to have been exaggerated. There’s suddenly all kinds of stuff happening here: A $150 million redevelopment of the Royal Farms Arena; the $1 billion Perkins-Somerset-Old Town transformation underway in East Baltimore; financing finally in place for a big redevelopment of the Westport waterfront on the south side; the new Lexington Market rolling out its vendor list. Now, if we can just get guys to stop killing each other.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced educators around the country to experiment with new forms of learning for children and new forms of instruction for teachers. Most school systems, including here in Frederick County, went all-in on virtual learning in the spring of 2020, and continued to do so — for many students — through the school year just ending.

Anyone who has ever attended an event at Baltimore’s Royal Farms Arena — whether it’s a hip-hop concert, an indoor soccer game or a performance of “Disney on Ice” — knows that as such facilities go, it’s firmly in so-so territory. The acoustics aren’t bad. The downtown location with convenient parking and transit options not far from the Inner Harbor is good. But it’s a bit small and cramped, lacking in amenities and really, really outdated. In short, it’s no Barclays Center, the multi-purpose Brooklyn arena that’s considered among the best such facilities in the world.

Gov. Larry Hogan (R) lifted the state of emergency in Maryland, giving schools permission to abandon mandatory masking, both now for summer school as well as in the fall. I know this sounds scary. To many, masking has come to symbolize a loyalty to science, reason and a commitment to the well-being of others. Leaving masks at home may feel selfish and unscientific, but it is not. Masking is now unnecessary, even in schools and among the unvaccinated, because the majority of Marylanders are now immune to the coronavirus.

Conservatives have long fulminated over “left-wing indoctrination in our schools,” a charge that led former President Donald Trump to create a “pro-American curriculum” — the 1776 Commission. Groups like Turning Point USA have long targeted professors who supposedly “promote anti-American values and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom” — including, I presume, history professors like me. But what is it that I and my colleagues actually teach in the classroom?

I have had the opportunity of chairing a committee to build a memorial to the victims of the largest mass murder of journalists in the history of the United States. This Monday, June 28th, is the third anniversary of that tragedy. At 11 a.m., the Guardians of the First Amendment Memorial will be dedicated at Newman Park in downtown Annapolis. This memorial was made possible because of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Committee of Anne Arundel County, Gov.

We recently joined the leaders of the Severn River Association and the Oyster Recovery Partnership, along with Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley, to kick off the 2021 Severn River Build-a-Reef campaign, aimed at planting 20 million juvenile oysters in our beloved and beautiful hometown river. This is the third year SRA and ORP have joined forces to help rebuild oyster populations in the Severn.

In the day-to-day governance of a county as large as Frederick, it is easy for the little person without the biggest voice to get overlooked. Large businesses that employ hundreds or thousands of workers have easy access to the corridors of power at Winchester Hall. The interests of businesses of every size are effectively articulated by the Chamber of Commerce, but many very small firms do not belong to the group.

For generations, working on a farm has been more than just a way of life in my family — it is part of our DNA. Growing up, it was my dream to take over my family farm and carry on the legacy started by my grandfather. Over time, that dream has evolved from dairy to grain, vegetable and organic production, but I am proud to work on one of Maryland’s 12,429 farms, providing the foundation of a community that sustainably feeds, clothes and fuels our nation.