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Commentary

Anne Arundel students wield rare power to pick a voting school board member. They should respect it.

Once again, Anne Arundel County students are about to choose a student member of the school board. As the other seats moved from appointed to elected on the Board of Education, the choice for student member — known by the unlovely but widely used acronym SMOB — is voted on by representatives from student councils and then appointed by the governor. For a student, it is a position of immense responsibility and considerable power.

Common Cause: For the People Act Offers Tried and True Election Reforms

We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to pass a new law, the For the People Act, that secures our elections, protects our freedom to vote, gets big money and special interests out of politics, and cleans up government. The For the People Act, introduced as H.R. 1 and S. 1 to indicate its high priority, is the most transformative pro-democracy bill introduced in Congress since the Watergate era. It is the bold action that Americans want and deserve, and Congressman John Sarbanes has been championing this comprehensive effort through Congress.

‘Dazzling diversity’ at Dundalk market

On a drizzly Saturday morning, when spring seemed to have hit the “pause” button and the TV news was just as dreary, a friend and I drove to Dundalk. We thought we’d mosey around the Plaza Flea Market, maybe get some face masks, light bulbs, new sweatpants. What we found instead was dazzling diversity. The Plaza Flea Market’s logo is a silhouetted farmer driving an Amish-style buggy.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
In-custody deaths: Did Maryland’s former medical examiner wrongfully favor police? A review is necessary

David Fowler, Maryland’s former longtime chief medical examiner, drew national attention recently when he testified in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted on murder and manslaughter charges for killing George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for more than 9 minutes last May. It was Dr. Fowler’s opinion that the victim died not of a lack of oxygen, as Minnesota medical experts had explained, but by a suddenly erratic heartbeat brought on, in part, by breathing in carbon monoxide fumes from a nearby vehicle exhaust. Given the overwhelming nature of the prosecutorial evidence, including a video of Mr. Floyd repeatedly pleading that he could not breathe, this struck even the most casual observer as somewhat suspect. But, some fear, it may have been much worse than that.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Common Cause: For the People Act Offers Tried and True Election Reforms

We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to pass a new law, the For the People Act, that secures our elections, protects our freedom to vote, gets big money and special interests out of politics, and cleans up government. The For the People Act, introduced as H.R. 1 and S. 1 to indicate its high priority, is the most transformative pro-democracy bill introduced in Congress since the Watergate era. It is the bold action that Americans want and deserve, and Congressman John Sarbanes has been championing this comprehensive effort through Congress.

Could Biden infrastructure bill turn Baltimore’s Highway to Nowhere into a city park?

Gov. Larry Hogan and the so-called moderates he treated to crab cakes in Annapolis last week think of infrastructure in the most conventional terms — fixing roads and bridges. Hogan is a 20th Century road warrior when it comes to prioritizing public dollars; he killed a major transit system for Baltimore, put the money into suburban and rural roads instead, advocated wider highways and a third bridge over the Chesapeake Bay. When you’re a Republican, you tend to think inside the box, and it’s a small, colorless box. You’re stuck with cutting taxes and keeping the government small and weak — even when the nation needs (and the public wants) bold action.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
doctor, security, office
Maternal and child health forms the foundation for healthy and thriving lives

The month of April is recognized as National Minority Health Month — a month-long initiative to advance health equity across the country. As the COVID-19 crisis continues to disproportionately affect communities of color, we see worsening family stress, poverty, child hunger, and child and adolescent mental health in Maryland and across the globe. This April, amplifying and addressing the need for health equity has never been more critical — and provides an important opportunity to uplift the important steps we are taking now in the right direction.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Time to review red-flag laws

Maryland’s red-flag law has enjoyed a successful first two years, getting guns out of the hands of people who are a danger to themselves or to others. But in the aftermath of a recent mass shooting in Indiana, now may be a good time for the supporters of the law to reassess and make any changes that would improve it. Brandon Hole, who shot and killed eight people at a FedEx warehouse in Indianapolis, might have been prevented from purchasing the semiautomatic rifles used in the attack if a prosecutor had invoked the state’s red-flag law.

As Virginia finds consensus on expanding highways, Marylanders are at each other’s throats

Virginia is forging ahead to complete an ambitious express lane network in the Washington suburbs that holds the promise of ensuring that highway capacity will keep pace with population growth. The project — dozens of miles of high-occupancy toll lanes developed and financed by a private consortium in partnership with the state — faces undeniable risks, not least the uncertainty of post-pandemic commuting patterns. But perhaps the biggest question mark hanging over the ultimate success of Virginia’s multibillion-dollar venture is its neighbor, Maryland.

Maryland failed to end child marriage once again. Why?

Despite some successes in the 2021 Maryland legislative session, a troubling failure was the Child Marriage Act. This legislation has been offered every year for the past six years and gets buried in committee every year. The bill outlaws marriages for adolescents unless they are emancipated minors. Under current law, adolescents can marry at age 16 with parental consent, or at age 15 if the adolescent is pregnant or has a child.

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