On the matter of parole for convicted killers, Americans generally split into two camps, each grounded in their own morality and common...
Often, when the Catholic Church's sexual abuse crisis is discussed, some defender of the church will accurately point out that no other...
What if a single idea could create jobs, offer low-cost goods to shoppers and creatively repurpose vacant property in economically depressed...
Remember John Tyner? He was the young man whose smartphone captured an "enhanced" pat-down at the San Diego Airport — a search...
When I told a woman I know that the jailed French economist who headed the International Monetary Fund was known in the French press as "the...
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Maryland's uneducated high school graduates - May 10, 2011
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For Motion, no Triple Crown, but no regrets - May 21, 2011
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Having won a windfall of federal education dollars as a result of its successful Race to the Top application, Maryland is now faced with putting into practice the sweeping changes it promised to...
Handicapping a horse race like Saturday's Preakness is an iffy proposition for amateurs like me. Over the years, horse players of my acquaintance have picked favorites based on the names of the colts;...
The most surprising aspect of President Barack Obama's speech Thursday on U.S. policy in the Middle East may have been his strongly worded call for a two-state solution of the Israeli-Palestinian...
From the Alibi Breakfast to the solid-silver Woodlawn Vase and the Black-eyed Susan blanket draped over the winning horse, the Preakness Stakes is steeped in history and tradition. Saturday's much-...
Last week, the Frederick County Board of Elections threw out a petition calling for a special election to decide who should write the county charter. The problem was a familiar one to any who have...
The guilty plea by former Prince George's County executive Jack Johnson revives an all-too-familiar story in Maryland: the corrupt county executive shaking developers down for kickbacks. In a plea...
On Thursday, Gov. Martin O'Malley plans to sign into law a 3 percent sales tax on alcohol, Maryland's first increase in alcohol-specific taxes since 1972 (and the first on hard liquor since the...
Baltimore school officials were wise to suspend the rule stating that only Western High School students accepted at four-year colleges could participate in this year's graduation ceremonies. Given...
The attack on a transgender woman in a Rosedale McDonald's has led to widespread condemnation of her assailants and bewilderment at the inaction of bystanders — including a (now former)...
Few historical figures are deserving of greater public recognition and tribute than Maryland's own Harriet Tubman. Although typically mentioned in history books as a conductor of the Underground...
The proposed "touch and see" 9/11 memorial for the Inner Harbor will allow the morbid to scratch their itch and invite the hyper-patriotic to wallow in self-righteous victimization ("9/11 memorial...
Regarding your editorial "Obama and the Arab Spring" (May 20), your assessment that the president laid out a "pragmatic, nuanced approach to the region" is not borne out by the realities on the...
President Obama's support and endorsement the establishment of a Hamas-led Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders is one of the worst and most dangerous foreign policy decisions that the...
In response to "Schools' zero-tolerance policies criticized," as an educator for more than 20 years I know that schools are damned if they do and damned if they don't. Had someone been hurt by the...
As appalling as the video of the McDonalds altercation in Rosedale may have been, I can't help but wonder, what would have happened if the person hadn't filmed Chrissy Lee Polis being assaulted?
L. Alan Keene, you're all wet on your article "Save boaters from themselves" (May 18). Your comparison to cell phones while driving and helmets for motorcycles is overstated. Using cell phones while...
Roland Pechulis wrote a letter about the Mt. Olive Church in the Hampton community (" Mega church in Towson will cause traffic issues," May 18) that is totally incorrect. First, Mr. Pechulis stated...
My opinion of President Obama rose when he ordered the successful raid to eliminate the mass murderer Osama bin Laden. Now if our government would only take the next reasonable step and also eliminate...
Here's the burning question of the day regarding the late William Donald Schaefer's will: How did a man who worked in state and local government all his adult life accumulate an estate of almost $2....
Kudos to Janice Likens for her recent letter on Maryland's 1st District congressman and his views on Medicare ("Rep. Harris and Medicare," May 18). She rightly calls out Rep....
My wife and I had the pleasure of visiting Baltimore for the first time last week. The people we encountered were remarkably friendly, the restaurants excellent, and the neighborhoods intriguing.
How much research and single-minded effort did it take for Dan Rodricks to find one illegal alien who has now (against enormous odds) become a...
As the parent of a 1982 graduate of Western High School (who was accepted at a number of four year institutions and went on to graduate from Vassar College) I was shocked to learn that those who...
There's one question Jay Hancock failed to consider in his column on urologists who refer patients to radiation centers that they own ("Self-referral...
Talbot Manvel's article about freedom from religion was very much on the mark ("Naval Academy tradition vs. Constitution," May 17).
I understand that tolls in Maryland have remained the same for many years, but I'm still quite annoyed at the current proposals for raising them. I also understand how a homeless man on the street...
I appreciate your coverage of the many brave Palestinians who demanded their right to democracy this week ("Protesters enter Israel; 12 die," May 16).
Bravo, Andy Harris, for pointing out that this country has a fiscal crisis ("Debt litmus test" May 16). There are at least 3 percent of the people who aren't aware of this. The big question is what to...
Having spent a substantial portion of my career in the solid waste management field, I have followed with interest the debate regarding waste-to-energy facilities as renewable energy sources. I find...
Thanks to The Sun for all its coverage of the bill to re-label trash incinerators as renewable energy ("Waste-energy bill to get O'Malley's signature," May 18). But once again, industry wins and the...
Maryland law allows small political contributions to be bundled together and reported as "lump sums" in disclosure reports, and to hear defenders of the practice talk about it, the tactic is merely...
Anybody who has ever tried to figure out a Baltimore water bill likely had a simple reaction to news last week that the city's Department of Public Works was going to improve billing procedures and...
If you thought last month's battle over a budget deal was scary, just wait for what could be coming this summer as the nation creeps closer to reaching its self-imposed limit on government-issued...
Baltimore City Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot unveiled an ambitious initiative this week aimed at improving the overall health of Baltimore citizens by 2015. It sets practical goals for reducing...
Baltimore City schools CEO Andrés Alonso says he's not concerned about the "optics" of hiring 16 new highly paid headquarters staff at a time when school budgets are shrinking and the system...
When the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (now properly known as the William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge) opened in 1952, motorists paid $2.80 for a round-trip. Had that Opening Day toll been tied to...
Baltimore needs a better way to handle juveniles who are charged as adults. The current system of housing them in a wing of the city's detention center is dangerous and inefficient. But a new report...
Even the staunchest admirers of corporate CEOs — you know, the star-struck junior executives who buy the ghost-written biographies and how-to-manage books — will have to admit that there's...
The lunchtime drama that played out Wednesday in downtown Baltimore offered fresh evidence that the city needs to get its act together regarding food trucks.
Put yourself in the shoes of honor student Lindsay Michocki, the C. Milton Wright High School senior who found out she lost a $3,000 scholarship last week. That was just four days after committing...
Maryland is heavily invested in restoring the Chesapeake Bay's oyster population, as well it should be. The tasty bivalves are not only prized by epicures and the watermen who harvest them but also by...
Talbot County residents are no doubt sleeping easier after the school system used a policy of zero tolerance for deadly weapons to crack down on two high school lacrosse players who were caught...
Virtually every major environmental group in the state is urging Gov. Martin O'Malley to veto a bill that would classify waste-to-energy incinerators as a "Tier 1" renewable resource, on par with wind...
Osama bin Laden's death in Pakistan last week at the hands of Navy SEALs was a moral and symbolic victory for the U.S., but it complicated the already tense relationship between the Obama...
Lawsuits brought by government and private parties to address damage done to the environment became a necessary fact of life in this country long ago. In a perfect world, perhaps nobody would pollute...