Jonathan M. Pitts
Jonathan M. Pitts writes about religion, sports, music, medicine and the military – and anything else that touches on the human spirit -- for the Baltimore Sun. Since joining the paper in 1999, he has covered oyster shuckers and opera singers, Deadheads and D-Day vets, sauerkraut and the Scriptures and more, always seeking the enduring in the everyday. The co-author of Baseball Hall of Famer Whitey Herzog’s memoir, “You’re Missin’ a Great Game,” he’s a native of St. Louis and a graduate of Haverford College and the University of Missouri School of Journalism
Recent Articles
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Backers pitch bill that would create statewide commission on Maryland's lynching history
Supporters of legislation that would create a commission to explore and address Maryland’s lynching history made their case to state lawmakers Tuesday, the latest step in a grassroots movement that appears to be gaining momentum. The bill’s chief sponsor, Del. Joseline Pena-Melnyk, had the backing...
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Lawyers for Catholic students from Lincoln Memorial encounter warn Baltimore archdiocese of possible legal action
Lawyers for a Kentucky teen who was vilified after video of a confrontation went viral have sent the Archdiocese of Baltimore a letter indicating they are laying groundwork for a potential lawsuit over public comments the diocese made about the encounter. A spokesman for the law firm Hemmer DeFrank...
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In its day, Baltimore County's Turner Station was a beloved African-American enclave. Now some seek a revival
It’s Friday in Turner Station, which means Speed’s Barber and Beauty Shop on Main Street is packed and tales of the good old days are flowing as freely as the gray trimmings from Rudy Dews’ head. Dews, 68, grew up in this historically African-American neighborhood south of Dundalk. He recalls a...
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Here's what some Maryland congressmen had to say about Trump's shutdown offer
Maryland’s congressional legislators shared mixed receptions Saturday to President Donald Trump’s offer to extend protections for immigrants brought into the United States illegally as children in exchange for border wall funding. In a speech Saturday, Trump said he would extend the Deferred Action...
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Rep. Cummings, Mayor Pugh headline roundtable talk, resources fair aiming to curb Baltimore violence
It’s never easy to re-enter society upon being released from prison, and even ex-offenders lucky enough to secure a job right away face a challenge few may know about: It can take weeks for their first paycheck to arrive. In the interim, many face the temptation to chase “fast money” in the streets...
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City College alum Andrew Rehfeld named president of leading Jewish Reform seminary
A 1984 graduate of Baltimore City College has been named the 13th president of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, a leading seminary within Reform Judaism and the oldest Jewish seminary in the Americas, after a nationwide search. Andrew Rehfeld, Ph.D., 53, a leading political scientist,...
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Baltimore archdiocese changes name of fundraising drive to reassure donors, as Catholics worry about costs of sex abuse scandal
As part of an effort to reassure Catholics concerned about the implications of the sex-abuse scandal that has roiled the church, the Archdiocese of Baltimore has changed the name of its annual fund-raising drive. Long titled the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal, the drive will be renamed the Annual Appeal...
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A very Dundalk Christmas: 'Santa Tom' spreads cheer for a 20th straight year
The jolly man with the white beard and rumbling laugh was tired and cramped from a day of sorting and packing toys, so he donned his red suit, headed out to the driveway and climbed in his sleigh for a ride. He flipped two switches, one activating a set of flashing red-and-green lights, the other...