As COVID-19 changes mean masks are coming off, what about children under 12?
May 18, 2021 -

It is a terrifying time to be a parent of a child under 12. The CDC has said anyone who is fully vaccinated can stop wearing a mask. And Gov. Larry Hogan has “lifted the statewide mask mandate in addition to all other capacity and distancing restrictions.” Over the past year, I have worked with my kids (ages 2, 6, 8, and 11) to help them develop the skills to enter stores safely. They wear masks with no problem (even the 2-year-old). They know not to touch things unnecessarily, they hand sanitize regularly, and they stay 6 feet away from anyone outside our household.

Read More: Capital Gazette
Region Needs to Get Moving on Programs to Reduce Emissions
May 18, 2021 -

In March, President Biden unveiled the American Jobs Plan, an historic investment in the United States’ long-neglected infrastructure systems. The plan, which is undergirded by the idea that infrastructure improvements must also attack environmental injustice and the growing climate crisis, is a revolutionary signal to states and cities across the country that it’s time to invest in zero-emission clean energy, transportation and buildings.

Read More: Maryland Matters
Comptroller Franchot Is Right to Support Phase 1 of the Md. P3 Program
May 17, 2021 -

The recent guest commentary by Maryland Advocates for Sustainable Transportation unfairly attacks Comptroller Peter Franchot and continues to propagate a series of misrepresentations about Maryland’s proposed public-private partnership to add new managed lanes to the American Legion Bridge and I-270. As we have learned in the recent past, just repeating fake news does not make it real. The commentary continues to cite the costs and impacts of implementing toll lanes on sections of I-495 east of the I-270 spur that are not even part of Phase 1 of the P3 program.

Read More: Maryland Matters
Gas and Toilet Paper are Interchangeable Goods for the Selfish During Panic Buying
May 17, 2021 -

Forget the momentary shortage of gas. There’s an abundance of toilet paper. Most people are not hoarders. But those are the two commodities that seem to bring out the selfishness and impatience in people, though the correlation between the combustion engine and America’s bowel habits is difficult to discern. At the peak of the pandemic, toilet paper and disinfectant wipes were premium goods, nearly at cryptocurrency value.

Read More: Maryland Matters
Why my children are getting the COVID-19 vaccine
May 14, 2021 -

When facing a vicious infection, there is nothing as effective as a vaccine to protect yourself. We know this from both historic public health victories, like the battle against polio, as well as modern ones, like the Hib and pneumococcal vaccines that have saved 1.45 million children’s lives since 2000. As a pediatrician, I know the benefits of vaccines for each of my patients. Every day in my practice, I talk with parents about all the vaccines their children need to stay healthy. And it’s why I am counseling parents to get their children the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as they are eligible. It is why I am vaccinating my own children as well.

Read More: Capital Gazette
How to remember a stain on American history
May 14, 2021 -

A Gubernatorial “pardon” is a poorly named mechanism to redress the terror deaths of Black lynching victims, conjuring as it does the idea of absolution in cases where guilt — which generally was never or poorly established in the first place — was beside the point. The indisputable crimes, and the irrefutable guilt, belong not to the victims of the lynchings but to their perpetrators, the mobs that killed with the active assistance or complicity of local officials and law enforcement.

Read More: Washington Post
COVID-19 lesson: New FDA chief, when chosen, must crack down on clinical trial transparency
May 14, 2021 -

The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the importance of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in instilling trust in authorized and approved therapies and vaccines. Recent, repeated missteps from AstraZeneca surrounding its characterization of COVID-19 vaccine trial results, as well as possible safety concerns, have led to a clamoring call for increased FDA scrutiny of and transparency around AstraZeneca’s clinical trial data. President Biden has yet to nominate a new FDA commissioner to take the helm of this critical agency. Whoever steps into this role should commit to enforcing clinical trial transparency. Doing so is simple, requires no congressional action and will meaningfully protect patients.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Holbrook: Anne Arundel school board needs to put substance behind words on LGBTQ+ policies
May 14, 2021 -

Recently I wrote about the Maryland legislature’s failure to reform child marriage laws. The piece ended with a sarcastic comment pointing out that child marriage was a bigger risk to adolescent girls than transgender youths. What I failed to acknowledge is that although LGBTQ+ youths don’t pose a risk to their classmates, they are at considerably higher risk for many bad outcomes including suicide and dropping out of school.

Read More: Capital Gazette
Our Say: As Annapolis bill comes due on public housing, it’s time to sue HUD
May 13, 2021 -

The lawsuits targeting Annapolis for its failure to protect residents of public housing from unhealthy and deplorable conditions certainly seem justified. Almost since the creation of the Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis, generations of elected leaders have looked the other way as public housing residents struggled with mold and other health-threatening problems.

Read More: Capital Gazette
John Means no-hitter: a story of hope, renewal and connection for the Orioles — and me
May 13, 2021 -

Spring is typically a time of new life, renewal and hope. The grass begins to turn from brown to green, the bare trees sprout new leaves, flowers pop up, and baseball season begins. As a lifelong, die-hard Orioles fan, Opening Day has long been a tradition and a day to celebrate the clean slate of the new season. But last year at this time, so much was stripped from all of us around the world. With the arrival of spring, we were faced with what felt like impending doom and uncertainty instead of hope and life. In those dark days, the absence of sports and especially baseball felt like such a low blow.

Read More: Baltimore Sun