Commentary

More people know the cost of losing someone to a drug overdose than you might realize. More than 40 percent of Americans say they know someone who died from an overdose, and 13 percent say such deaths have disrupted their lives, according to a study this year from the RAND Corporation. This research lays to rest the misconception that there’s anything rare or isolated about the impact of the opioid overdose crisis.

Gen Xers can’t stop talking about our childhoods spent running wild in the streets. We were out there, “Goonies”-like, doing hits from rusty garden hoses and climbing jagged jungle gyms as our Keds melted on the asphalt, our parents unsure of where we were until dinner or the streetlights came on. That independence continued into our teens, though we switched to running the halls of various malls, holding court at the food court and trying on the bounty of sweaters at Gap.

Kids these days seem to be doing everything but studying: starting up tech companies, leading assorted extracurriculars and, of course, protesting on the lawn. This may sound like a classic “back in my day” spiel from an out-of-touch old man, but it’s actually my firsthand experience. I recently graduated from Harvard University, and was struck by how little time my peers and I spent hitting the books to earn our diplomas.

Last month, Marylanders heard with alarm about a freak set of tornados that took weather forecasters by surprise, injuring five people and crashing trees onto buildings from Montgomery to Carroll counties. We hear ominous weather stories with more regularity these days, and most likely many of these events are a byproduct of climate change caused by greenhouse gas pollution.

I met Dana Cooksey as she glided into the muddy landing on Spa Creek, gracefully stepping off her paddleboard. It was 90 degrees, and my hunt for places to swim in Annapolis creeks had led me to Amos Garrett Park. This little street end was my last stop on a hot afternoon. As we talked, we couldn’t help but notice the group on the opposite shore, where the eroded walking trails at Truxtun Park reach down to the water’s edge.

The people spoke, and they had it right.\ When positional All-Star starters were announced, only Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman from Baltimore made the cut, but there were Orioles all over the runner-up spots. Ryan Mountcastle, Jordan Westburg, Anthony Santander and Ryan O’Hearn got well-deserved support on the ballot.

With the summer months upon us, parents and teens alike are excitedly making plans for summer break. Whether it is camps, vacations, hangouts or graduation parties, the time off is often welcomed. But time out of school can offer unique challenges to adolescents with mental health struggles. Not being in school means not having access to resources to help their mental health, like trusted adults at school, daily structure and in-person socialization.