By David Plymyer. The award of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize to the staff of the Baltimore Sun for local reporting on the “Healthy Holly” book scandal was cause for celebration in the Sun newsroom. For the rest of us it has been an occasion to reflect upon the irreplaceable role of local newspapers, and how close we may be to a time when newspapers like … Continue reading Local Newspapers Struggle for Survival
By Peta Richkus. Governor Hogan has provided some notable leadership during this coronavirus crisis. But the failures of his agencies, including the MD State Department of Education (MSDE), are also Larry Hogan’s responsibility. State Superintendent of Schools Karen B. Salmon, who had announced in December 2019 her plans to step down in June, seems to be in over her head. Never mind that tens of thousands … Continue reading Hogan’s Good Grades Don’t Include Education
By David Plymyer. Nothing will reveal the character of Marylanders more than the COVID-19 pandemic now facing us. It is like using a bathroom mirror in the brightest and harshest of lights, reflecting every little flaw and imperfection in the social fabric that binds us together. The pandemic also places strain on that social fabric, threatening to tear it apart as selfishness and indifference compete … Continue reading A Test of Our Character
By Pete Munsey. I remember the 1970s poster with the cat. It was of course for purely inspirational purposes. No cat was harmed in the making of it. But it came to mind the other week in our neighborhood. This was the week actually before the week that everything changed. We had received the first news of deaths in Washington State. We had heard of … Continue reading Hang in there, baby
By Peta Richkus. Older retirees from State service remain in a hellacious limbo about their futures. Thanks only to a federal court injunction, and the handful of employees and their attorney who filed for it (Thank you, Ken Fitch, Deborah Heim, Mary Frye, and Deborah Holloway Hill, Esq.), Medicare-eligible State retirees continue to receive their prescription drug benefit. But for how long? Unfortunately, many legislators, … Continue reading State Retirees’ Rx Drug Benefit Redux
By Ron Lambert. Health Care is one of the key issues being debated by the democratic presidential candidates. But it can be difficult to discern the differences between the candidates’ health care proposals. Terms like Medicare for All, Single Payer, Public Option, and Universal Health Care can mean different things depending on their context. Defining these terms will help clarify the candidates’ proposals. First, what … Continue reading M4A, ACA, UHC, Single Payer: Making Sense of Candidates’ Healthcare Policies
By Fergal Mullally. On Tuesday, January 21st, Baltimore County Council will vote on the SAFE Act. If passed, the SAFE Act will require gun retailers in Baltimore County to make reasonable efforts to properly secure their stock of weapons. Legislation about guns is always controversial, and sends people to running to their ideological corners. But I urge you to consider this legislation from outside of … Continue reading A Chance to Reduce Crime: An Open Letter to Councilman Marks
By David Plymyer. Anyone unfamiliar with the extensive history of corruption in Baltimore County should read Eyes of Justice, the recently published book by James Cabezas, a long-time investigator for the Maryland State Prosecutor. Baltimore County’s quadrennial “Comprehensive Zoning Map Process” (CZMP) is a throwback to that checkered past, when government actions like zoning changes were bought and sold. The CZMP must be replaced with … Continue reading Time to get rid of a relic of Baltimore County’s checkered past
By Fergal Mullaly. As a resident of Towson, and the parent of two students attending Baltimore County Public Schools, I was concerned to learn about Resolution 145-19 introduced at the Council Work Session last Tuesday. Briefly, this bill would grant the ability to McDonogh School, a private fee-paying institution, to issue a 16 million dollar tax free bond (see page 9 of the Notes to … Continue reading Private School Bond Vote Should be Postponed
By Corey Johns. Without the passage of the Build to Learn Act in Annapolis this coming legislative session, Kirwan funding might be all for naught in Baltimore County. The Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education – nicknamed Kirwan Commission for short – is a road map to positively change the trajectory for Maryland schools and the thousands of students in the state. Even at … Continue reading Kirwan For Naught Without ‘Build to Learn’
