Commentary

Nearly a year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization eliminated the constitutional right to an abortion after almost 50 years. Our patients in Maryland experienced uncertainty and concern after the ruling as other states began to enact a myriad of abortion restrictions. Meanwhile, reproductive health care providers scrambled to establish a network of referrals to help patients get care in states where abortion remained legal.

In the year before the pandemic, I devoted several columns to the subject of reversing Baltimore’s population slide — things that a mayor, universities or groups like the Greater Baltimore Committee and the Downtown Partnership should do to attract people to the city again. When the latest population figures appeared, showing a further decline, I was not surprised.

With the longer days now leaving more light into the evening, farmers are taking every opportunity to work later and get this year’s crop in the ground. This means greater activity on the roads from both farmers and the public as more events are held. It may be best to remind ourselves to be considerate of our neighbors and heed the additional traffic guidelines regarding slow moving vehicles.

For the first time, Maryland is giving small-scale farmers a similar financial boost for cover crops that larger-scale farmers have enjoyed for years. Starting this year, Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Small Acreage Cover Crop Program allows farmers who plant less than five acres of cover crops to receive a reimbursement of up to $1,500 per year for the purchase of cover crop seed.

Deputy Superintendent Myriam Yarbrough’s commitment to relieving overcrowding at Hampton Elementary School has convinced me that she is the right person to become the next superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools (”Baltimore County Public Schools addresses Hampton Elementary overcrowding during public meeting,” May 22). Unfortunately, the proposals from the school system’s facilities management and strategic planning staff are uniformly underwhelming.

The teenage years can be difficult for anyone, but today’s teens are dealing with a unique and unprecedented set of issues. The typical stressors many of us remember experiencing during adolescence — such as dating, friendships and academic pressures — have grown exponentially for today’s youths. As the first generation to be born into the information age and a group that has had to reimagine many of the defining moments of their youth in the wake of the pandemic, our kids are suffering.

I know what it’s like to be homeless. Years ago, I lived on the streets for nearly 18 months, until a chance encounter with a Marine recruiter. Three months later, I shipped off to boot camp, and my life forever changed. I served two tours in Iraq, became a combat systems SME (subject matter expert) and a systems administrator, and I graduated from an online university with an IT degree.

Maryland’s state courts soon will take center stage in a series of climate-related lawsuits that could make the energy products that power our daily lives a lot more expensive. Baltimore City, Annapolis and Anne Arundel County have joined an effort by more than 20 communities around the country to seek compensation from energy producers that make and sell products that contribute to climate change.