Commentary

Like many Marylanders, I am concerned about the violence that occurs at the hands of our young people. We turn on the news and are bombarded with sensationalized coverage of it every day. The fear of such violence appears more widespread than ever, and that fear has given way to false narratives. But we can’t solve the problem if we aren’t working from reality.

September is National Suicide Awareness Month. Since my mom, an Air Force veteran and the only parent who was present in my life, died by suicide in March 2018, I’ve spent the past five years wondering what more I could have done, thinking about the clues that were missed and the opportunities lost. I’m still learning to accept that there are questions that will never be answered.

It is further proof that time does pass quickly when you are having fun: Last weekend was the 40th renewal of the annual In the Streets celebration downtown. Since 1983, the festival has been drawing large crowds of people to enjoy the sights and sounds, the arts and the history, and the food and the fun that is downtown Frederick.

Maryland’s economy is lazy, according to Gov. Wes Moore. Our economy is indeed stagnant. Maryland grew by a measly 0.2% between 2018 and 2022, compared with a 7.5% economic growth rate nationally. But Marylanders are not afraid to work, and we are not lazy. Instead, our economy is held back by state and local government policies that stifle broad-based economic growth in favor of narrow special interests.

Having recently returned from a week in California’s Silicon Valley, I can faithfully report that news of its demise is greatly exaggerated. From San Jose to San Francisco, the place is still quite overrun with young, smart people dreaming up new things to do with computers and making large fortunes in the process. The coastline is still breathtaking; the giant sequoia trees still, well, giant; the sprawling residential neighborhoods filled with modest bungalows selling for king’s ransoms; and the restaurant menus stuffed with vegan, gluten-free and humanely raised, organic foodstuffs.

Now that Daniel Snyder no longer owns the Washington Commanders, speculation is churning about a new stadium for the team. Though its storybook Super Bowl seasons unfolded at RFK Stadium in D.C., the team has played since 1997 at FedEx Field in Prince George’s County.

I have taught in the History Department at Towson University for 35 years; I plan to retire at the end of this semester. Of all the changes I have seen in this time, two stand out as most telling in the story of the institution: the diversity among students and the expectation that faculty members publish. In 1988, when I arrived at what was then known as Towson State University (“state” was dropped from the name in 1997), the demographics of the institution looked much different from today.