Most people think it’s not a good idea for trustees of an art museum to start selling off the treasures in the collection in order to pay operating expenses. Such a move goes against the purpose of the institution in the first place — acquire and display works of art for the public to enjoy. But...
Reporter Samy Magdy correctly notes that the recently deceased Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Morsi was an “Islamist” who, during his brief tenure as Egypt’s president, monopolized power and tried to “entrench Islamist rule” (“Egypt’s ousted President Morsi buried after courtroom death,” June...
The vast majority of Maryland workers do not receive nine weeks of paid vacation and most of these workers contribute to their health care. A tiny fraction of Baltimore City residents buy tickets for the Baltimore Symphoney Orchestra, and practically no one under the age of 30 goes to hear the...
Thank you for the first installment of “Cops and Robbers: How a rogue group of Baltimore police officers used their badges to commit crimes” (June 12). The war on drugs is worse than a complete and utter failure. It enables the kind of police corruption that you document. Legislators, please take...
Three recent top appointments in Baltimore County — police chief, schools superintendent and fire chief (“Melissa Hyatt sworn in as new Baltimore County police chief,” June 17). Over 20,000 employees in these three departments or systems. Three positions open yet, out of this over 20,000 employees,...
Thank you for the parallel commentary by Barbara M. Bozzuto (“BSO board members: Responsible decisions will save the symphony,” June 14) and Greg Milligan and Brian Prechtl (“BSO leadership decisions damage symphony,” June 17). BSO management and BSO players make their cases in one place and with...
If the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has its way, a new federal poverty calculation will underestimate the number of families — and children — living in poverty even more than it does today. OMB’s Directive Number 14, “Consumer Inflation Measures,” will slow the rate of inflation adjustment...
Donald Trump has been ramping up his "Deep State" rhetoric again. He's back to blaming a cabal of bureaucrats, FBI and CIA agents, Democrats and "enemies of the people" in the mainstream media for conspiring to remove him from office in order to allow the denizens of foreign "s***holes" to overrun...
As we near the 2019 Democratic debates, I clearly remember one January 2008 Democratic presidential debate in New Hampshire — the site of the headline making exchange between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. To re-cap, the debate moderator asked Ms. Clinton whether she thought she had enough personal...
By now, policymakers have surely heard about the opioid crisis that has gripped the nation since at least 2010. In 2017, more than 47,000 Americans lost their lives to opioids. While China has to this point been the predominate exporter of opioids to the U.S., the market is changing. Officials...
When the General Assembly starts grappling in earnest with implementation of the Kirwan Commission’s recommendations for school funding next year, Gov. Larry Hogan may well find himself faced with a difficult political question. What would upset voters more — backsliding on the opposition to tax...
For all the journalists in the world who have run out of words to describe Donald Trump, a bit of good news this week: He’s run out of words, too. Because what his re-election launch in Orlando on Tuesday night before 20,000 of his most enthusiastic fans packed into the Amway Center most resembled...
To put it mildly, we have not been fans of The Stronach Group over the years. The owners of the Maryland Jockey Club have brought nothing but constant threats to the future of the Preakness in Baltimore and a seemingly intentional campaign of disinvestment in Pimlico while building up their other...
The moral case for reparations is a clear one. African-Americans have long suffered from a legacy of slavery and later discriminatory Jim Crow laws and institutional racism in housing, education and health that has helped to create and perpetuate an underclass of people. Enslaved Africans literally...
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell does not shame easily. Ask anyone — including Jon Stewart, the former Comedy Network star who has found a second life as an impassioned advocate for the victims of the 9/11 attacks. His wilting denunciation of Congress and Senator McConnell, in particular,...
Summer can be a time of fun and travel, so it’s easy to look away for a moment and not realize what’s happening with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (“Many American orchestras have emerged stronger from lockouts and strikes; the BSO can too,” June 17). I would like to share my personal experiences...
The Baltimore Sun has now sunk to a new low. On Father's Day, you run a lengthy piece in the print edition about a disgraced, convicted Baltimore cop (“Ignoring warning signs of misconduct, Baltimore Police praised — and promoted — Gun Trace Task Force leader,” June 12). What about the majority...
There can be no doubt that the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is in dire straits, and while that has been well-reported, less has been reported about management’s role is creating the crisis (“How the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra found itself in trouble,” June 17). In 2006, tens of millions of dollars...
Well David Zurawik has done it again today in his column about the Ohio football players (“Social media, toxic masculinity make big trouble in Ohio town, throughout the culture today,” June 13). He was doing a good job of analyzing the PBS documentary, but all of a sudden he felt the urge to attack...
I read the article written by Pamela Wood about the placing of Harriet Tubman on the $20 (“Maryland Gov. Hogan to Trump administration: Put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill,” June 11). I have had some thoughts about this which I have shared with many people and all had liked the ideas. Here are my...
It is interesting to compare Gov. Hogan's attitude toward professional football teams and symphony orchestras ("Olszewski says plans for sold out Independence Day concert are 'full steam ahead' despite BSO lockout,” June 17). Until last February, the governor tried to get the Washington Redskins...
Adding insult to injury, the Baltimore Symphony board is now barring the orchestra members’ access to their own house (“Many American orchestras have emerged stronger from lockouts and strikes; the BSO can too,” June 17). As has been reported repeatedly in this newspaper, the board has not only...