In late September, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning that largely went unnoticed. Some 200 children died from the flu during the 2023-2024 season, setting a record high. The overwhelming majority of those children who died — 83% — were eligible for a flu vaccine but did not receive one, according to the CDC.
The floodwaters brought by Hurricanes Helene and Milton have already done tremendous damage across the Southeast. In addition to the physical destruction, there’s another silent danger: the mosquitoes that will follow. As a scientist who has spent my entire professional career developing countermeasures like vaccines against mosquito-borne diseases, such as malaria and dengue fever, we cannot ignore the danger posed by climate change and its effect on infectious diseases.
There are only eight days left until election day. In this weeks episode the gang gives their final thoughts on the presidential election as we head into the final week, as well as their insights on Maryland’s Senate race between Former Governor Larry Hogan and County Executive Angela Alsobrooks.
At a gathering in Annapolis, fishery managers from 15 East Coast states searched for a cure to the dwindling object of their affection, avarice and ire. What to do about rockfish? Six years of frighteningly low numbers in the Chesapeake Bay — where 75% of the fish, also called striped bass, spawn before heading to the Atlantic Ocean — and a year after new curbs were put on the recreational and commercial catch in hopes of a rebound, the science was murky. (Photo: Courtesy of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation)
Baltimore is Smalltimore; you can’t keep a secret in this town. So, in that tradition, I will jump right in and reveal the surprise that awaits those who gather this weekend for the 14th annual Harvest Fest in Reservoir Hill. The main event is the neighborhood’s celebration of the brilliant mural that Shawn James conceived and painted on the side of a rowhouse with the assistance of fellow artist Brian O’Rourke. It’s a real eye-catcher, mixing reality with mildly abstract imagery: Big black-eyed Susans and purple coneflowers, and hands holding a clear glass jar with three lightning bugs inside. The jar is ajar, the bugs about to flee.
In 2017, Baltimore saw an uptick in the arrests of juvenile offenders. Newspaper headlines warned of juvenile crime being “out of control.” Incidents in October of that year ranged from police finding a 15-year-old with a loaded pistol around the Inner Harbor to a group of Homeland trick-or-treaters having their candy stolen by teens — who pistol whipped an adult who tried to intervene. Given the city’s homicide woes (and the spike in violence overall since the 2015 Freddie Gray riots), the level of alarm was hardly surprising.
There is no secret to the Navy football team’s 6-0 start. There might be no secrets to Navy football at all. A black gate surrounds the practice field on the Naval Academy’s campus in Annapolis, but in an era of paranoia about spying, Navy practice is open to the media. The athletes, while accomplished, don’t have freakish measurements or run 4.2-second 40-yard dashes.
My grandparents Ed and Arnell Streeter were not your typical doomsday preppers clad in camo living in a bunker. They were nice federal government retirees born in rural Arkansas, living for their gardens, grandkids and their daytime stories. They were also survivors of the Great Depression, stocking their Prince George’s County home with nonperishables such as canned soups, sardines and saltine crackers, and two full refrigerators and a giant freezer stocked with enough meat and fresh-caught fish to get through an entire winter. You weren’t gonna catch Granddaddy and Grandma unprepared.
One can scarcely blame Mayor Brandon Scott for having frustrations with the Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts, the 501(c)3 nonprofit that functions as the city’s arts council, events center and film office. Ever attended Artscape, the Baltimore Book Festival, even the Baltimore Farmers’ Market or experienced the various landmarks, galleries and art installations it underwrites? How about the Inner Harbor New Year’s Eve fireworks?
Larry Hogan is a Republican Never-Trumper who only goes so far with his Never-Trumperism. As a candidate for Senate against Democrat Angela Alsobrooks, our former Maryland governor can’t take his Jamais-Trump act to the extreme and endorse Democrat Kamala Harris for president. That would only hurt his prospects among Maryland Republicans. And that’s why, when asked about his presidential choice last month, Hogan said, “Neither one of the two candidates has earned my vote.”
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