Commentary

In April, more than five tons – about the weight of a large pickup truck – of prescription medicines were collected in Maryland through the Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) biannual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. On Saturday, Oct. 26, the DEA will host another Take Back Day. While this program is a good start, secure medicine disposal is a year-round need that encompasses both prescription and over-the-counter medicine. Luckily, Marylanders don’t have to wait until Oct. 26 to conveniently dispose of household medicines.

“Sometimes wars do settle things though it’s unfashionable to say so.” These words from William F. Buckley Jr. carry a poignant truth often lost in the noise of modern diplomacy. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knows well that wars, when waged with moral clarity, are not intended to end in compromise, but in victory. Such is the nature of Israel’s ongoing conflict with Hamas—a battle that cannot be concluded by half-measures or ephemeral ceasefires.

Swallow Falls State Park, in western Maryland, has the cascading Youghiogheny River, the state’s tallest waterfall, old-growth hemlocks, hiking paths and cross-country ski trails. It’s a popular destination for visitors from throughout the region, including white-water kayakers and people who appreciate mighty, centuries-old trees.

In this week’s episode of Center Maryland’s The Trail series, Damian, Candace and Don start by talking about Candace’s not so favorite fall drinks and foods. They then pivot to discuss early voting trends around the country and recap Vice President Kamala Harris’s interview on Fox with Bret Bair. Also, Don gives his thoughts on the Stevie Wonder concert in Baltimore as well as the Governor’s birthday party.

The good news is that Maryland Governor Wes Moore announced that the state will spend more than $75 million per year toward the goal of converting at least 5,000 vacant properties in Baltimore into homeownership or other productive uses in the next five years. The bad news is that Mayor Brandon Scott still has not come up with a credible plan on how to manage the complex process of acquiring, rehabilitating and disposing of vacant and derelict properties.

Pardon me for bringing up something we’d rather not think about: Some nurses in Maryland paid for fake grades and received bogus diplomas from bogus nursing schools. As I said, we’d rather not think about that. This is the United States of America, the greatest country in the history of countries, and, while the current Republican presidential candidate can constantly lie and be inexplicably adored by millions, we will neither adore nor tolerate health care professionals lying about their credentials.

On Oct. 7, we recognized the first anniversary of the horrific attack by Hamas on Israel, the largest loss of Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust, and the kidnapping of hundreds of Israelis, Americans and others whose fate remains unknown. Thousands of innocent civilians — Israelis, Palestinians and others — have been tragically lost over the past year.

You know there’s definitely a higher power at work when the same week that concerned scientists are pushing for federal endangered species protections for Maryland’s diamondback terrapin, the coach of the Maryland Terrapins football team is promising major changes to save a floundering season. Yes, yes, we know there’s far more to life than college football.