Commentary

It is time — well past time — to create a Black Watermen’s Memorial in Maryland. I met with Vincent O. Leggett recently to discuss this idea and brainstorm over the concept. As noted on his organization’s website, Vince is the founder and president of the Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation, which documents, promotes, and educates on the significant contributions of African Americans to the Bay’s maritime industries and culture.

Marylanders beware. When members of Congress returned to work earlier this month, they had the chance to avoid a partial government shutdown on Saturday. And instead of doing the hard work needed to pass a long-term bipartisan deal, Congress, once again, resorted to a temporary extension. Our state is home to roughly 140,000 federal workers. That number does not include federal contractor workers (there are no available estimates for how many of these workers live in Maryland).

My very first job, as a fresh-faced 14-year-old, was for The Baltimore Sun. Notice that I said “for” and not “at.” In my several months of employment, I never made it inside the then-Calvert Street newsroom. My task was not the delivery of stories as a writer but the literal delivery of the newspaper in which those stories appeared. Every morning, I got up before the sun to distribute The Sun as a papergirl, lugging heavy bundles of papers into my mom’s car so she could drive my sister and me around Northwood in the dark.

Recent increases in some types of crime by young people in Maryland have led certain law enforcement officials and others to call for greater levels of “accountability.” Before reflexively accepting these calls, we need to consider what accountability should look like in the context of juvenile justice. In doing so, it is important to keep in mind what science and research tell us about how to promote positive outcomes for children.

The initiative by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) that would include establishing a statewide center to help prevent gun violence is a significant step forward [“Moore rolls out bills to address crime,” Metro, Jan. 10]. It aligns perfectly with the mission of our respective organizations. We understand the deep impact of violence on communities and the urgent need for effective intervention strategies.=

In Wednesday’s column, state Del. Sandy Rosenberg and Baltimore City Councilman Eric Costello explained why they won’t support a second term for Mayor Brandon Scott. They each have endorsed Sheila Dixon, the former mayor who left office amid a scandal. Rosenberg and Costello say city services have been poorly managed during Scott’s first term. My mailbox hasn’t exactly been swelling this week with citizen affirmation of that claim.

Given the state government’s fiscal circumstances, the $63.1 billion Maryland budget unveiled Wednesday by Gov. Wes Moore may be the least painful — or most politically palatable — anyone in the State House could have envisioned. It solves a projected $761 million deficit in the fiscal year that begins in July. It allows the governor to pay for popular programs, like the ongoing K-12 public education reforms, and even provides enough to fund a handful of new initiatives. And, significantly, it does not require raising taxes.

A 4-3 vote by the Worcester County Commissioners has jeopardized the future of a 42-unit affordable housing project operated by Diakonia. Diakonia’s current facility on Old Bridge Road can no longer meet the needs of the growing local population of homeless and livelihood-stressed individuals who need help getting back on their feet.