Dates announced for third run of “Baltimore, You Have No Idea”

Theater news: We are staging my first play again. "Baltimore, You Have No Idea" will have five performances in the Meyerhoff Theater at the Baltimore Museum of Art on Dec. 11 through Dec. 15. That includes two weekend matinees. The tickets will be on sale with a discount for BMA members in September. The play … Continue reading Dates announced for third run of “Baltimore, You Have No Idea”

A Mental Health Day at St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center

Public service announcement from the good people at St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center in Baltimore: The pace and pressure of life can take a toll on your mental health. Taking care of your mental health can significantly impact your physical health and how you show up in the world for yourself, your family, and your … Continue reading A Mental Health Day at St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center

Bryan McKemy would have been 33 today

The sentencing of the young BGF member who killed Bryan McKemy took three hours Tuesday morning in federal court in Baltimore. There was more to it than I was able to pack into my column today, largely because the presiding senior judge, James K. Bredar, took the opportunity to comment on sentencing practices and express … Continue reading Bryan McKemy would have been 33 today

Alito’s flag: Active, arrogant disregard of the Supreme Court’s legitimacy

In my columns over the years I’ve argued that judges should not have to run for election, as they do in Maryland. I’ve also argued that the Baltimore State’s Attorney and the State’s Attorneys for each Maryland county should be appointed, not elected. The state should follow something like the federal system, with the executive … Continue reading Alito’s flag: Active, arrogant disregard of the Supreme Court’s legitimacy

The repugnant Republican posse in New York for the Trump trial

Do you think, for one stinkin’ minute, that Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, JD Vance, Rick Scott and the rest of the obsequious Republican “leaders” who went to Trump’s trial in New York ever, for one stinkin’ minute, attended a trial of anyone else? Ever showed moral support for a defendant who they believed … Continue reading The repugnant Republican posse in New York for the Trump trial

Margie, the Other Mother

For Mother's Day, my Sun column tells the story of Pam Rostek-Kuwazaki and Margie Kaniecki, the next door neighbor who became Pam's Other Mother as she was growing up in the Canton section of Baltimore. The photo at the top of this post shows Margie with Pam at age 5, goofing around on Pam's bike. … Continue reading Margie, the Other Mother

Prong, not a lick

If you hike each year through woods, or if you go fishing for trout and pay attention to your environment, or if you just like words, you probably know what a tributary is. You learn the difference between a river and a creek. And you learn that the tributaries to rivers and creeks can be small … Continue reading Prong, not a lick

Nobody asked me, but . . .

A guy stopped me on an MTA bus in South Baltimore a few years ago and said he recognized and appreciated my homage to Jimmy Cannon, a sports columnist back in the day and a favorite of his dad's in one of the New York City papers. His father had read Cannon in the Post, … Continue reading Nobody asked me, but . . .

Baltimore police reporting drops in several crime categories, April to April

On Tuesday, the Baltimore Police Department sent out a news release reporting significant drops in crime categories from April 2023 to April 2024. These news releases arrive from time to time – whenever the BPD has good news to report. (They do not arrive when crime is on the rise.) I’m sure some will call … Continue reading Baltimore police reporting drops in several crime categories, April to April

A lifelong fascination with life in water

My weekend column in The Baltimore Sun represents something that has become an annual ritual for me — visiting a Maryland river where fish from the ocean come to spawn. I know this spring ritual is as old as the sea, but I still am amazed at the phenomenon: Herring, shad and eels that swim … Continue reading A lifelong fascination with life in water