Thursday, April 3, 2025 | Baltimore, MD
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Commentary

Dan Rodricks: If Congress is ‘completely broken,’ Larry Hogan should own up to who broke it

I caught the latest Larry Hogan-for-Senate commercial where he says pretty much what he always says: Washington is completely broken. It’s time to stop partisan politics. Enough is enough. We need to get stuff done. The former Maryland governor seems to be presenting himself as a non-partisan, middle-of-the-road guy with a magic formula to heal a bitterly divided Congress.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Setting the record straight on publication of estate notices

As register of wills for Frederick County, I would like to set the record straight on HB 1258, which would alter publication of estate notices as it is required today ("Preserving local journalism: Why governor must veto HB1258," April 22). First and foremost, there certainly was due process during the legislative session. However, it appears that the opposition chose not to participate.

woman in black jacket riding red sports bike on road during daytime
Putting the brakes on Baltimore’s illegal dirt bike riders

The recent joint announcement by police and prosecutors in Baltimore that they intend to crack down on illegal dirt bike use on city streets comes as no great surprise. We have heard such promises before. They are as reliable a feature in Baltimore’s springtime as the return of the Orioles to Camden Yards or the arrival of crab cakes (at least the kind made from fresh local jumbo lump) to local eateries.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Preserving local journalism: Why governor must veto HB1258

The members of the Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association (MDDC) are deeply concerned about the potential consequences of HB1258 on local journalism. This bill, which is on the governor’s desk now, would upend the longstanding practice of publishing public notices in local newspapers and their associated websites, threatening the vitality of Maryland’s communities and the essential role of the press in fostering civic engagement and accountability.

Getting healthy takes a different priority when your goal is not to die

“Pre” didn’t seem like a scary word. It literally means “before,” suggesting something that’s way off in the future you don’t have to worry about yet. Yet being the operative word. Especially when the word that follows “pre” is “diabetes.” I was diagnosed with prediabetes a few years ago, but stupidly believed it wasn’t that big a deal. I ate mostly healthy, right?

I was a starstruck student when John Barth led the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins

Half a century ago, a professor at my college assigned “Giles Goat-Boy” as the culminating novel in his Modern Literature course. I’d never heard of the book or its author. The length daunted me: 766 dense pages! But before I’d finished the multiple prefaces, John Barth had become my favorite writer. That a mere mortal could construct sentences so elegant, so complex and so funny with the same words I used every day — I didn’t see how it was possible. There was also a lot of sex.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
yellow bird on Sakura tree
Birding in Baltimore and the DMV brings us life lessons

Having trouble sleeping at night? Experiencing racing thoughts or night sweats? My friend, you need to look at some birds. Yes, it’s that time of year again, when I tout the virtues of birding to my fellow insecure, overachieving denizens of Baltimore and across D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Why birding? Articles from countless esteemed and erudite publications have documented its many benefits to mind and body.

Baltimore City: Detroit on the Patapsco?

Which places in the country are best for a good life? Opinions may differ and experts offer provocative rankings, but the best barometer of quality of life may be one simple statistic: population growth. People move to communities with opportunities for economic, social and educational well-being; they move out of communities that lack these qualities. By this measure, Maryland’s biggest city is getting a strong vote of no confidence.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
David Trone and the power of money in politics

Whether Marylanders took time to watch last Friday’s candidate forum between the top two Democratic candidates vying for a seat in the U.S. Senate or have simply been following the news, there’s one element of this matchup between U.S. Rep. David Trone and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks that they’ve already heard plenty about.

Read More: Baltimore Sun

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