Commentary

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.

Medicare-eligible seniors in Maryland suffer from a limited number of health insurance benefit options compared to other states. While the share of Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans climbed to almost 40% nationally in 2020, in Maryland only 13% of seniors enjoy the added security these plans provide. Thankfully, efforts by local leaders as well as the Biden administration can help our state’s seniors by improving access to coverage choices and supplemental benefits not otherwise covered under traditional Medicare.

There are a lot of unanswered questions in the case of a Baltimore County man killed by police after he fatally shot three of his neighbors and injured a fourth. Among them: Did 56-year-old Everton Brown have a mental condition that caused him to lash out? So far, all we know now is that people in his Woodlawn neighborhood speculated that was the case. Reports of extreme paranoia and a belief that the CIA, FBI and various neighbors were watching him certainly leave it within the realm of possibility. Other erratic behavior also raises suspicions.

In a recent interview, Mayor Brandon Scott committed to a “total re-imagining” of downtown Baltimore as the city emerges from the pandemic. It’s a message that residents of Baltimore’s City Center have been waiting years to hear. If you ask the growing residential population in Baltimore’s downtown core, they’ll tell you that they are bullish on City Center’s recovery, but it’s only going to work if we take a frank look at where we are and get creative about tackling the problems that have held us back for too long.

The Howard County Education Association recently told teachers that they should not work at all outside of their contractually obligated work times (“Without vaccinations, teachers vote to work-to-rule,” Feb. 25). This is the wrong call for our students at a time when they need us most. This misguided resolution states that educators cannot work before and after school, on weekends or on holidays. This includes grading, mentoring, student support, answering parents’ and students’ emails after those hours, and sponsoring student teams, clubs and organizations.

I agree with the Maryland Sierra Club that Gov. Larry Hogan should not waste one dollar in pursuing a “maybe” project that is years in the future (The Capital, May 10). Please governor, take what dollars you were going to spend on MAGLEV and put it into the crumbling roads in Maryland. Twice I have sent a complaint to Hogan’s office about the conditions of the roads in Maryland and specifically in Anne Arundel County.