With Angela Alsobrooks’ surprisingly easy victory in Maryland’s Democratic primary for the United States Senate, all eyes of the nation are now on the Free State. Once Senator Mitch McConnell convinced former Governor Larry Hogan to put down his cable news microphone and get back in the game, our state became ground zero for control of the Senate.
Amidst a national debate regarding methods of protest and activism, students at B-CC High School in Bethesda have once again shown our community how it’s done. I recently attended an exhibition by B-CC students hosted by Artomatic, the annual showcase of visual art, music, film, performance and poetry. Organized by B-CC teacher David Lopilato and timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the Columbine school shooting in Colorado, the student art dealt with the issue of gun violence.
Last month, Google unveiled plans to invest more than $1 billion to expand its data centers in Virginia. The investment promises to create hundreds of jobs and serve as an economic engine, generating tax revenue not only in Loudon and Prince William counties, where the centers are to be located, but throughout the entire state.
Anyone who knows me knows I love books. The real ones — the ones where you can actually turn the pages. Not those that you read on electronic devices. In fact, I am still a big fan of print, which is why I am proud to get an actual newspaper delivered to my house each morning. I am doing my part to ensure that there is still a place for print. But I digress.
In the darkest moments of her campaign for Congress, Sarah Elfreth listened to a message from a man who died five years ago. “Stay tough,” House Speaker Mike Busch said in a lengthy voicemail after she announced her campaign for state Senate in 2017. “You’re the future of the Democratic Party.” Elfreth listened to the recording on the day that her main rival in the Democratic primary, former U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, announced he was millions ahead of her in fundraising.
The phrase, “make the world a better place,” is used so commonly that it can seem devoid of meaning. It can be found in song lyrics, in canned food drives, anti-litter campaigns and even in support of military intervention abroad. But sometimes there are opportunities where the United States, as a nation, can have an undeniably positive impact on parts of the world that direly need our help.
Democratic Gov. Wes Moore might still trail behind his Republican predecessor Larry Hogan in chart-topping approval ratings, but when it comes to getting his candidate across the finish line in Maryland, Moore is the clear winner. The only person he endorsed in the primary election — Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks for U.S. Senate — ran away with the contest, despite polls showing she would likely lose the Democratic nomination to U.S. Rep. David Trone, who spent a a record-breaking $60 million of his own funds on his Senate campaign.
On its face, Baltimore County Council Bill 33-24 is a reasonable measure. It proposes an amendment to the county charter requiring that all appointments to the county’s planning board, including those made by the county executive, be confirmed by a vote of the County Council before taking effect. Eight members of the board are appointed by the county executive, and each of the seven members of the County Council appoints a member.
I salute Mayor Brandon Scott’s victory over former Mayor Sheila Dixon in the Democratic primary election, a de facto general election win in heavily Democratic Baltimore. The electrifying purpose of elections is not to win or lose, but to ensure that the people’s voice is heard and respected. One person, one vote; not one dollar, one vote.
If Angela Alsobrooks could be intimidated by money or polls, the 53-year-old Prince George’s County executive might have decided running for statewide office was not for her. If she cared that Maryland usually draws its U.S. senators from its delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives, the former prosecutor might have at least had second thoughts. And if she had noticed that the state has never elected a person of color to the U.S. Senate, let alone a Black woman, she might have been just plain scared off. (Photo: Cassidy Jensen/Staff)
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