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Del. Darryl Barnes: Override Hogan’s Tobacco Tax Veto to Save Lives in Maryland
January 26, 2021 -

With Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday just in the rearview mirror and most of the 2021 Maryland General Assembly Legislative Session ahead, I cannot help but reflect on Dr. King’s legacy—specifically, how relevant his teachings are at this moment, to health and social justice in the Black community. It is no secret that, COVID-19 has taken a far heavier toll on communities of color, specifically the Black community, both here in Maryland and throughout the country. The virus highlighted ongoing health inequities, including poorer health outcomes, as we saw those with preexisting conditions contract the virus at substantially higher rates.

Read More: Md Matters
Bai: Teachers are vital public servants. Time for them to start acting like it.
January 26, 2021 -

It won’t be easy for President Biden to get America’s teachers back into public schools. Teachers unions are a powerful force in Democratic politics, and they’re resisting calls to return to classrooms where about half the nation’s kids ought to be sitting. When asked about the issue on Monday, Biden seemed to back up the unions, saying the onus was on districts and governments to make the classrooms safer. Behind closed doors, however, Biden’s message to the teachers should be straightforward and emphatic: You are vital, irreplaceable public servants. And it’s time you started acting like it.

Read More: Wash Post
Donnelly, Barno & Bensahel: Biden has lifted the military ‘trans ban.’ But there’s more work to do.
January 26, 2021 -

President Biden on Monday fulfilled one of his earliest campaign pledges, to lift the restrictions on military service for openly transgender Americans. By doing so, he restored a basic right of citizenship — to volunteer to defend the Constitution — to those who had been deprived of it. But he also restored a small but important measure of good order and discipline to the armed forces themselves.

Read More: Wash Post
’It was ugly.’ A Baltimore photographer went to the Capitol to record one of the worst days in American history
January 24, 2021 -

On Wednesday, Jan. 6, America’s latest day of infamy, Randall Gornowich wanted to be a witness to history. When he heard that supporters of President Donald Trump were storming the Capitol, he grabbed his camera bag and went to Washington. What he saw there left him stunned and angry, emotions he’s still feeling more than two weeks after the insurrection.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Commissioner’s motions failed, effort to get points across did not
January 24, 2021 -

Carroll County Commissioner Eric Bouchat may not be getting a lot of W’s, but he is getting his points across in what he looks at as a quest to educate constituents and colleagues alike about political science. Bent on disruption since he was elected, Bouchat said in 2019 that one of his main goals in running for a seat on the Board of County Commissioners was to see the county’s form of government change from commission to charter, saying the present form goes against constitutional principles.

Read More: Carroll County Times
When Schools Are Hostile to Online Course Choice
January 24, 2021 -

Some K-12 public school districts have not been making a good-faith effort to provide their students with the best available outsourced online learning options. Take my school district in Anne Arundel County. Prior to COVID-19, the Maryland State Board of Education provided a list of inexpensive outsourced online courses from which local districts could choose.

Read More: Maryland Matters
It’s 11 O’Clock. Do You Know Where Your Children Are?
January 24, 2021 -

Following the 1960’s riots and curfews in cities across America, variations of this question remained a refrain on TV for decades. This simple yet ominous message evoked dread among parents concerned for their children’s welfare. Decades later, it’s a question parents across Maryland should ask themselves every day.

Read More: Maryland Matters

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