Learn more about the Harborplace redevelopment plan on May 8

The Baltimore chapter of the American Institute of Architects is hosting a public lecture toprovide professional information about MCB Real Estate's Harborplace redevelopment plan, the subject of my weekend column in The Baltimore Sun.It is because of the November voter referendum that AIA Baltimore's Urban Design committee is seeking to increase awareness of the plan … Continue reading Learn more about the Harborplace redevelopment plan on May 8

Baltimore hiring fair coming up

If you know someone looking for a job, here's some information from the Baltimore Mayor's Office about an upcoming event, a Baltimore City job fair to connect job seekers with a wide range of employment opportunities within local government, particularly historically hard-to-hire positions. This event will take place on Thursday, April 25, 2024 from 10 … Continue reading Baltimore hiring fair coming up

Common criminality: Take away Trump’s celebrity and the porn star, and the NY case is like many others prosecuted every day

My Sun column today notes the similarities between the New York criminal case against Trump and the many other cases that have come and gone in courts across the land with business owners, managers or employees caught in schemes to defraud. Trump is accused of falsifying -- or causing to be falsified -- the records … Continue reading Common criminality: Take away Trump’s celebrity and the porn star, and the NY case is like many others prosecuted every day

Trying to catch herring with your hands

The image with this post might seem a little surreal or abstract; it’s certainly not an example of high-definition nature photography. But it gives a sense of what you see in April, when herring first arrive in a freshwater creek. You detect movement of some kind, but you’re not sure. Your eye has to adjust … Continue reading Trying to catch herring with your hands

Americans still make lots of steel, mostly from scrap

A question about the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge — specifically, where will the steel come from to replace it? — got me to today’s Sun column: The state of Maryland should salvage as much of the FSK steel as possible, send it to modern mills, melt it down, refabricate it and use it to … Continue reading Americans still make lots of steel, mostly from scrap

Elegy for a bridge: Ironworkers recall building the Francis Scott Key

My latest Sun column is about three of the many ironworkers who built the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the 1970s and who this week mourn its destruction. With this post -- and the photograph above -- we meet a fourth ironworker who worked on the bridge. His name is Jim Bollino. He's 80 years … Continue reading Elegy for a bridge: Ironworkers recall building the Francis Scott Key

NBC’s Ronna McDaniel Mistake: A lesson in supporting journalists over ideologues

When NBC News announced that the network had hired the former chairwoman of the Republican National Committee as an on-air political commentator, Twitter filled up immediately with calls for a boycott of NBC and MSNBC. It was a typical reaction to something that hacks people off -- stop buying the product. That works for pillows … Continue reading NBC’s Ronna McDaniel Mistake: A lesson in supporting journalists over ideologues

Chesapeake Blue Catfish Dinners with Chef Nancy Longo, April 11 & 12

In this, the Year of Eating Chesapeake Catfish, Chef Nancy Longo of Pierpoint Restaurant in Fells Point will be hosting two Nights of Eating Chesapeake Catfish, specifically the invasive blue catfish that you've been hearing so much about (from me and others). There will be great eats in a multi-course meal and a discussion of … Continue reading Chesapeake Blue Catfish Dinners with Chef Nancy Longo, April 11 & 12

My old friend Trexler and the second tree from the corner

When the day gets too long and thoughts crowd into the room – regrets and feelings of loss, but also questions, the wonder-why and wonder-where of old acquaintances and absent friends – Trexler comes to mind. Yes, Trexler, my old friend. He’s the main character in E.B. White’s short story, “The Second Tree From The … Continue reading My old friend Trexler and the second tree from the corner

Cruel and indecent, unworthy of a single vote

At a campaign rally over the weekend, Trump mocked President Biden for being a stutterer: “I’m gonna bring the country tuh-tuh-tuh-together,” he said, as if quoting a line from Biden’s State of the Union speech. It was a continuation of the ridicule Trump had started at a rally in January. “He’s a threat to duh-duh-duh-democracy,” … Continue reading Cruel and indecent, unworthy of a single vote