Commentary

Bank of America’s Greater Maryland President Janet Currie says she recently had the opportunity to explore the National Museum of African American History and Culture with students from Coppin State University as part of the Harbor City Chapter of The Links, Incorporated’s Harbor City Links Scholars Program.

Harold Coleman, 56, of Reisterstown, has served the public honorably for 15 years as a maintenance worker on Maryland’s bridges. His work for the Maryland Department of Transportation is a source of pride and purpose, along with his extensive ties to his ample community of family and friends. However, Mr. Coleman has two past convictions on his record that continue to hold him back from starting the business he has dreamed of for years.

In 1998, two cousins from different sides of the track, one from East Baltimore and the other from West, were both charged with murder in two separate cases. The 18-year-old from the east side intentionally hunted down a perceived enemy and shot his victim a dozen times for what was later confirmed to be a case of mistaken identity.

Last week’s disastrous collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River after being rammed by a giant container ship five times as long as Baltimore’s Washington Monument is tall in the early morning hours of March 26 shocked the world. It led to the death of a half-dozen men; crippled the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore, putting thousands of jobs in jeopardy; disrupted supply chains; dead-ended the Baltimore Beltway’s eastern half and raised critical maritime safety issues.

Authorities have suspended search-and-rescue efforts for four construction workers lost in the Patapsco River after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Two others were pulled from the wreckage Wednesday, and two survived the catastrophe. Each of these men helped make the Baltimore region a thriving, vibrant and safer community.

There is a certain rhythm to the writing of any governmental budget, and every chief executive must dance to the tune. The lyrics go something like “We have so many needs. We have so little money. We can’t pay for everything.” It is predictable precisely because it is always true. The requests for more spending always outstrip the funds available.

In his op-ed (‘‘Maryland businesses under threat,’ March 26, 2024), Doug Gansler grossly misrepresents the effects of a recent Maryland Supreme Court decision as it relates to the Maryland Telephone Solicitations Act (MTSA) and its application to calls from customers to businesses. In addition, Mr. Gansler has found someone to introduce an amendment to pending legislation, House Bill 1228, that would effectively overturn the Supreme Court’s decision and put Maryland consumers in harm’s way.