Op-ed

Job one for the next mayor is skillfully dealing with the economic fallout after the pandemic. Nobody will drop bags of money on city hall to restore the lost revenue. The next mayor will need to bring sound management practices and financial discipline to the job.

It is crucial that the Howard County Council include the funding mechanism for the New Cultural Center in downtown Columbia in the 2021 budget. Without the funding structure in place, we stand to lose tens of millions of dollars in federal and state funds for affordable housing and the economic stimulus that the construction and operation of the development will bring.

For years, the question has come up as “conservatives” sink ever deeper into a morass of conspiracy, lies and alternative facts. Were they yanking our collective chain, working some deep strategy, invisible to our eyes? Or did they actually believe the lies they told, such as Barack Obama was a Muslim born in Kenya?

As governors begin to reopen their states, the youngest among us and their needs must be our highest priority. Federal and state support for child care providers must be regarded as essential to economic recovery efforts.

This year, the Institute of Notre Dame is ending its extraordinary 173-year run. All are sad to see it end. But we cheer its legacy!

Americans have been souring on China for years, and the pandemic has only hardened feelings.

The COVID-19 pandemic has given a clear demonstration of the value of working with smaller, caring banks, rather than larger banks who did little to help their smaller business customers, especially those of us in Baltimore.

Presidential candidate Joe Biden has put together a committee to find a vice president running mate. Choosing a vice president by committee may be the greatest chance Americans have to influence the selection.

Whether or not it would have been the right policy, the pandemic could have been the perfect crisis mechanism for implementing a WWII-style, top-down nationalist agenda for the common good. But Mr. Trump, who claims “total authority” to do whatever he thinks is necessary to fight the pandemic, opted to embrace federalism and the free market rather than asking us to pull together as a country united in a cause.

While the Greater Baltimore Committee does not endorse or financially support candidates for public office, we strongly believe that there are certain qualities that the next mayor of Baltimore must possess to effectively lead the city in the midst of these uncertain times and unprecedented challenges.

This is not the election to take your vote and civic duty for granted. The stakes are too high and the election too close.

Given the exceptional circumstances brought by COVID-19, the, MTA is running as much service as it safely can. But it’s simply not enough, and riders are feeling disconnected from their jobs and increasingly desperate as they have to pay for ride-sharing services out of their own pockets to get where they need to go.

People can’t see their loved ones in the hospital in part because there aren’t enough protective gear. If we had enough PPE to not only adequately protect hospital staff but also hand out to visitors, we could allow more visitors as well. But that means many more masks, gowns, face shields, etc. to cover current needs and allow enough for the foreseeable future.

Advocates have pushed for the release of non-violent offenders and elderly inmates to prevent the spread of COVID-19. One question that has largely been ignored is whether officials ought to consider similar measures for individuals who committed violent offenses decades ago — when they were children — and who would pose no risk to public safety if they were released from prison today.

Too many Marylanders and other Americans are becoming seriously ill because they’ve decided to put off doctor visits due to fear of coming to a place where coronavirus patients are treated.

It is never easy to make a career in the arts. And I’ll tell our graduates Wednesday that they are entering the world and our field at a moment of unprecedented challenge. I will also tell them that the world needs what they do more than ever,

In this current election for mayor I can’t help but consider what the influence of the African American vote may or may not be this election cycle given that there are more than four black candidates in the race. The hard truth is that this race exposes a divide in the black vote

Overcrowding of our local and national parks is not something new. Public lands and our national park system have been facing a crisis of appeal for years. This pandemic has inadvertently cast a more intense light on the situation.

Gov. Larry Hogan needs to accelerate Maryland’s reopening, not pass the buck to county governments.

If we lose our newspaper, we announce to the nation that Baltimore is no longer a big-league city. Here’s a chance to do something noble for our town. Now is the time to rally around the paper.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's disrespectful tone toward President Obama, earnest as it is, seems overly genteel and out of step with the moment. Republicans say what they mean so Mr McConnell should go ahead and call Mr. Obama the n-word. It would be offensive, but it would be honest, too.

A new Maryland closes a loophole that made veterans prey to deceptive marketing practices of failing for-profit colleges.

Unclaimed bodies, often overlooked by society, cannot be neglected as we prepare for their numbers to almost certainly increase in the coming weeks because of COVID-19. We must look this hard, unfortunate reality in the face and make emergency preparations.

For years, critics of higher education have predicted that the pattern of ever-rising tuition for a product that hasn’t really improved in innate value is unsustainable. And yet, nothing changed. That may be coming to an end. COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the equation.

Baltimore Sun readers share their stories about living life during a pandemic.

Allowing teens to register to vote online without a DMV-issued ID will increase youth voter turnout. In presidential election years, 18 to 24 year olds who are registered to vote actually turn out to vote at rates approaching those of older voters.

The national recognition of Gov. Larry Hogan’s leadership has made some Marylanders feel proud. But many others find it hard to feel pride in our governor when his Trump-like ideologies on immigration and criminal justice have contributed to the current hardships that black and brown residents face during this time.

Fear is driving social distancing and government stay-at-home orders, not a widespread threat from COVID-19.