Commentary

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.

“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?

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.

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.

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.

After a year of consideration, the Biden administration has imposed strict limits on so-called “forever chemicals” in drinking water, requiring utilities to reduce them to the lowest level they can be reliably measured. The rule will have significant impact on Frederick County’s water systems, because the chemicals have been found in several sources of drinking water here.

Any serious list of Maryland’s major economic assets is certain to include its health care and scientific expertise, its transportation connections (water, air and land), and its proximity to East Coast markets and the nation’s capital. Yet there is at least one more important asset that’s often overlooked or discounted: the state’s immigrants.

I want more for Baltimore. Four years ago I ran for mayor out of a sense of desperation for this city. Persistent poverty, high crime rates, stagnant growth and population loss, poor public education and a dysfunctional transportation system drove my decision to run. While I did not win the race, I learned a lot about our situation. Fundamentally, Baltimore suffers from a lack of leadership that prevents us from solving problems at scale and lifting confidence in our city.