Commentary

On an exceptionally hot spring afternoon at “The Beach” Tuesday, near the East Gate of Johns Hopkins University’s Homewood campus, a group of about 100 students (with some non-students mixed in) were, in the words of one participant, acting “pretty chill.” Most sat on the grass as if attending a picnic. Food and drinks were provided, there was a scattering of pop-up awnings for shade, and small groups quietly chatted.

Finding out a new acquaintance is a fellow rabid fan of “Homicide: Life On The Street” is akin to when that little girl dressed like a bee in Blind Melon’s “No Rain” video discovers a whole welcoming village of bee folk: It’s meeting your people. It’s an especially precious relationship based on a mutual love of a Baltimore-set show that went off the air 24 years ago, has only been sporadically available in reruns and is completely absent from streaming platforms.

This year’s session of the Maryland General Assembly had its share of achievements and disappointments, but it was the failure to pass Senate Bill 29 that should prompt some soul-searching, especially among the leadership of the House of Delegates. SB 29 would have placed a measure on November’s ballot seeking voter approval of a long-overdue constitutional amendment changing the manner in which vacancies in the state Senate and House of Delegates are filled.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore’s recent announcement to parishioners of the draft plan for how the Catholic Church will be present in Baltimore was understandably upsetting for many, especially those with ties to churches slated to close. This process, known as Seek the City to Come, is much needed and will allow the archdiocese to more efficiently serve the needs of communities where it has an anchoring presence.

Two weeks ago, I participated in an unheralded but notable meeting: a get-together of County Executive Jessica Fitzwater’s transition team. Shortly after her election, the county executive chose me to serve on one of her transition task forces— government innovation. Though I was flattered, it wasn’t a singular honor because 145 others were similarly chosen to prepare a report to point some directions for her new administration.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s sweeping new rules regarding power plant emissions drew the usual reactions from those who profit from coal mining and coal-fired energy. They are already promising to block the regulations in court, claiming they’re unaffordable, unrealistic and even un-American — to the extent that the nation’s electric grid may find itself coming up short in kilowatt-hours.