Sunday, November 24, 2024 | Baltimore, MD
Baltimore, MD
52°
Fair
Baltimore, MD weather forecast ▸
FOLLOW US:

Commentary

a close up of a police car with its lights on
Could more 911 call diversions fix Baltimore’s policing woes?
June 3, 2024 -

A new two-part report on the often fraught relationship between the Baltimore Police Department and the city’s Black community — released by the Abell Foundation and written by experts with the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy and Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice — makes at least two important points. One is surely no surprise: Distrust of law enforcement runs deep.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
A Baltimore native takes on a classic national advice column with one goal in mind
June 3, 2024 -

What’s the primary trait you need to be an advice columnist? According to Baltimore native R. Eric Thomas, bestselling author, noted playwright and television writer, the answer is simple. “Empathy.” On July 1, Thomas joins the big leagues of the trades with “Asking Eric,” the successor to the legendary Chicago Tribune’s “Ask Amy” column, written by the retiring Amy Dickinson.

 

Read More: The Baltimore Banner
Cases of arrested development
June 3, 2024 -

Early this year demolition began on the Bard Building in downtown Baltimore. This looming, dark-brick building has a prominent location, fronting Lombard Street at its corner with Market Place. The five-story, 172,000-square-feet structure was built in 1976 as a satellite campus of Baltimore City Community College (BCCC).

Read More: The Daily Record
baltimore,pier,ocean beach,city at night,yacht
Baltimore Harbor swimming comes with a lot of ‘buts’
May 31, 2024 -

Many recall the days when the Baltimore Harbor’s waters were murky, and residue from Allied Chemical’s chrome processing plant (at what is now Harbor Point) was a major public health concern. So it was a bit jaw-dropping to hear that the first public swimming event in the city’s harbor in decades sold out faster than you can walk from the National Aquarium to the Maryland Science Center.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
City’s lack of cohesion, direction leaves charter committee confused
May 31, 2024 -

On behalf of the dedicated people on the city of Frederick’s Charter Review Committee, I am writing to express our frustration about the delay and disjointed “management” of our report and recommendations from the time it was delivered to our elected leadership on Dec. 1, 2023, to the present. More importantly, perhaps, it is truly disheartening to have certain of our elected officials criticize us in public meetings for purportedly “doing a disservice to the process” by failing to appear and make presentations to explain our intent as to some of our recommendations.

Read More: Frederick News Post
Commentary: Baltimore County’s Black residents want council that represents them
May 31, 2024 -

Seven men sit across the dais — six white and one Black. They’ve been elected to wield government power on behalf of Baltimore County’s 854,000 residents, more than half of whom are women and nearly half Black, brown, Indigenous and other people of color. How could this all-male, overwhelmingly white group truly represent Baltimore County’s rich diversity?

 

Read More: The Baltimore Banner
I was working in London and came across this homeless man on the street. As I went to take this photograph to raise the plight of the homeless, his dog looked right at me with such sorrowful eyes. It was then that I noticed the larger dog, curled up beside him. I went to a local store, bought some dog food and him a BK Meal and drink. Since then, each year, rather than buying Christmas cards for family and friends, I always donate enough money to give a homeless person a shower, clothes and cooked meal and a place to stay on Christmas Day, via the UK charity, Crisis.
With court ruling looming, homeless people need assistance, not arrest
May 30, 2024 -

“Have you ever been homeless?” asked a woman standing outside a coffee shop with nowhere to go. She said she had lived on the streets of Annapolis for weeks, ever since being evicted from her apartment after losing her job. Without a permanent residence, she said that she sleeps and hangs out wherever she can – on park benches, at a shelter, under an overpass, and, on weekends, in the lobby of an apartment building. “I just have to be out by Monday morning,” she said.

 

Read More: Maryland Matters
Maryland tax processing problems frustrate business owners
May 30, 2024 -

Companies doing business in the state of Maryland are no strangers to regulation and taxes. So, when Maryland introduced a special business tax that would provide federal tax relief to Maryland businesses, there was widespread cheer. Unfortunately, government inefficiency in the state has caused a rare tax incentive to be more of a headache than it’s worth for many business owners and tax professionals.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Larry Hogan: How the federal government can fight carjacking rings in Maryland
May 30, 2024 -

One alarming aspect of the current crime wave is the dramatic increase of both violent and property crime in areas of Maryland that have not seen similar surges in the past. That’s exactly what is happening in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, which are suffering from rapid increases in rates of violent crimes, carjackings and robberies.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
The United States Capitol Building
Finally, Congress finds common ground: No email cover-ups
May 29, 2024 -

It was revealed last week during a hearing held by the House select subcommittee that a National Institutes of Health scientific advisor who reported to Anthony Fauci attempted to avoid complying with federal records requests during the pandemic by deleting messages and shifting electronic conversations to personal email accounts.

Read More: Baltimore Sun

The Morning Rundown

We’re staying up to the minute on the issues shaping the future. Join us on the newsletter of choice for Maryland politicos and business leaders. It’s always free to join and never a hassle to leave. See you on the inside.