Dan Rodricks

"In Europe, they've been doing this for years." How many times have you heard that when it comes to, oh, about a thousand things? The nations of Europe have run ahead of the United States on public transportation and train travel, health insurance, care for the aged, firearms regulation, infrastructure, energy conservation, recycling and all … Continue reading ‘In Europe, they’ve been doing this for years’

Anyone remember when Larry Hogan, as the Republican candidate for governor in 2014, bashed the O'Malley administration and his Democratic opponent, Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, over the messed-up rollout of Obamacare in Maryland? Hogan included the criticism in one of his campaign ads, saying Brown was a weak leader and "just not ready" to be … Continue reading Maryland should’ve had one-stop vax registration from the start

Those ugly nests of dormant and live cables and wires that hang over alleys in rowhouse neighborhoods are a blight on Baltimore, and it's time to do something about them. Dozens of Baltimoreans have complained to me about them and shared photographs of the overhead tangles. Communications companies leave zombie wires hanging every time someone … Continue reading Baltimore: Time to take action against Wire Hell

Patience is a virtue, they say, and I have been therefore virtuous when it comes to adjusting to changes in lifestyle during the pandemic and in my personal wait (ongoing at this writing) for vaccination. I think I have been patient with the dog we adopted a year ago, a sweet animal who, to my … Continue reading No more suffering the insufferable Trump cultist

My column in Sunday's Baltimore Sun starts with a visit to the big drinking-water project at the city's Druid Lake. Baltimore now has the largest underground storage tank for drinking water in the whole wide world. That’s according to city officials and engineers who have earned the boast. The massive tank, located in Druid Hill … Continue reading Infrastucture: Another Trump fail, another Biden repair job needed

Marking the 20th anniversary of The Sun's Carbonara Cookoff The Baltimore Sun February 21, 2001 Donna Crivello and Elia Mannetta (Elizabeth Malby photos) Maybe all Italian food qualifies as comfort food -- the good stuff that warms the spirit as it nourishes the body -- so you'll probably think I'm as nutty as pinoli to … Continue reading Crazy for Carbonara: The Ultimate Italian Comfort Dish

The news that Maryland businessman and philanthropist Stewart Bainum stepped up to purchase the Baltimore Sun and the other publications of the Baltimore Sun Media Group and run our news organization as a nonprofit is a potentially huge development for readers in Baltimore and Maryland who want to be informed about life in their communities … Continue reading Some welcome news about The Baltimore Sun

This letter arrived from Senator Cardin before the vote on Trump's impeachment, Saturday, Feb. 13. Both Senator Cardin and Senator Van Hollen voted to convict Trump of the charges brought by the House on Saturday afternoon. Dear Fellow Marylanders: For many, Presidents’ Day usually is not a holiday that inspires deep philosophical reflections. But this … Continue reading Sen. Ben Cardin on President’s Day

Pardon me if I don't see the 57-43 vote to acquit Trump as a moral victory because of the historically bipartisan nature of the vote. You can get your positive take from David Frum in The Atlantic. I concede that I am not in the mood to look on the bright side of Trump's second … Continue reading A political party headed toward irrelevancy

Quick story from 2020: In June, I asked the Rev. Derrick DeWitt, director of the Maryland Baptist Aged Home in West Baltimore, when he knew the threat of the coronavirus was real and that he had to take immediate action to protect his residents and staff. His answer: “Right after President Trump said we had … Continue reading My take: Marylanders took the pandemic seriously from the start