Commentary

An astonishing number jumps out of a recent story about overcrowded schools in Frederick County. One of our elementary schools is operating at 176% of its capacity. That is a scandalous number. Almost twice as many students are jammed into Oakdale Elementary School in New Market as the school was designed to hold. At a recent community meeting on the problem, Leigh Warren, principal of the school, said the most challenging side effect of the school’s high enrollment is the heavily congested hallways during transition times.

Two of the biggest national supermarket companies — Kroger, which operates the chain Harris Teeter; and Albertsons, which owns Safeway — are seeking to become a single corporate giant. This proposed merger could have an enormous impact on Marylanders, affecting consumers, employees, farmers and small independent grocers. We want to protect fair competition, the rights of workers, our agricultural and small business sectors, and the interests of consumers.

For us, safety is non-negotiable. It is one of our core values at Washington Gas. Moreover, while Maryland certainly deserves a lower-carbon energy future, it is essential that we chart our course toward that future not ever losing sight of today’s safety considerations. Maryland residents (not just our customers) rely on natural gas for a significant portion of their energy needs. Natural gas fuels the kitchens of our restaurants, warms the water in our showers, and ensures back-up power for emergency situations.

If you want to see the future of cleanup efforts on the Chesapeake Bay, take a good look at Baltimore. Stop laughing. At first, you might see 92 square miles of aging urban space that few recognize as an environmental role model. Look closer, though, and you’ll find the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River, where Maryland lawmakers, state agency leaders and environmentalists see the best path to a healthier bay.

There’s no need, and rarely much excuse, for State of the Union speeches. The Constitution mandates that the president make periodic reports on the subject to Congress, but for much of our history, the reports were printed on paper and read at leisure. Somehow, Americans got by without self-aggrandizing rhetoric, without feel-good guests waving from the galleries, without performative ovations. No catcalls, no members of Congress snapping selfies, no theatrical rending of paper by a House speaker. Bliss.

There is not enough affordable housing for low-income older adults in our state. Given that those 60 and older represent the fastest growing segment of Maryland’s population, more needs to be done to ensure no older adult is left behind. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 22% of Maryland’s population will be 60 and older by the year 2030.

Somehow, someone, through wire fraud, stole more than $280,000 from the city of Frederick. That’s about all we know for certain. The administration of Mayor Michael O’Connor has been mum about the crime, allowing speculation to fill in the gaps. The city said last month that it was the victim of wire fraud in connection with the $24.5 million renovation of the former Gov. William Donald Schaefer Building at 100 E. All Saints St. downtown to create a new police headquarters.

The lines between witness preparation and improper coaching are gray. According to the ABA, “[T]he task of delineating what is necessary and proper and what is ethically prohibited during witness preparation has become more urgent with the advent of commonly used remote technologies, some of which can be used to surreptitiously “coach” witnesses in new and ethically problematic ways.”