Guest Contributor
Guest Contributor's Latest Posts
OPINION: “Move Over Law,” more tools needed to keep law enforcement safe
Every day more than 16,000 Maryland law enforcement officers say goodbye to their families and head out to protect and serve their communities. As a police officer, both you and your family know the risks of the job when you’re sworn in to wear the badge – impaired drivers, weapons, domestic incidents gone wrong, vehicular […]
OPINION: Merck and HPV: We must hold our legislators accountable
In a completely predictable turn of events, Merck has been formally accused of fraud and a host of other serious charges relating to the approval and marketing of the troubled, liability free Gardasil vaccine. This is the same vaccine our Maryland State Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has accepted over $100 million since 2011 to […]
OPINION: Gun violence through the eyes of an 8-year old boy
A church has historically been a place of sanctuary and safety. During our evening worship service, “Santa Claus” was making his rounds in the local neighborhood, to a blaring chorus of sirens and response vehicles. In the public testimony time, my eight-year old son, asked for the microphone. There is no parent that doesn’t begin […]
14 magical ways to celebrate the holidays in Annapolis from Visit Annapolis
Magical! That’s the word that best describes Annapolis and Anne Arundel County during the holidays. A host of events for the young and young at heart makes it easy for everyone to get into the spirit of the season. To help you celebrate, Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County has pulled together a handy list […]
Guest Column: Equal Representation in District 30. Is it possible?
We continue to dismiss the racial disparities in political participation that persist election cycle, after cycle. As a die-hard Democrat, I never really thought about the racial imbalances within our party until recently (I grew up with an African American President). A photo of seven white candidates running on both the state and local level […]
Guest Column: Why I am running for Clerk of the Court
At the Clerk’s office, where I’ve worked for 27 years, we are passionate about serving our community. Our mission is fair, equitable and accessible justice. Our goal is to ensure that each and every person has access to justice and to the services of the court. Each year in Maryland there are over 30,000 acts […]
GUEST COLUMN: Torrey Snow–My hesitancy with ACT
Editor’s Note: A new organization, ACT, recently held an event with candidates for public office. They asked for commitments from each candidate to meet with the organization monthly. Torrey Snow declined, but offers his reasoning here. As County Councilman, I have a responsibility to evaluate the various ideas and organizations that seek to play an […]
OPINION: Bike lane needs to be re-thought
I wanted to take a second to send you my thoughts as a Resident of Ward 1, for what their worth, on the debate and discussions surrounding the Main Street bike lane issue. As brief background, I have lived in ward one going on four years now and while I am not originally from Annapolis […]
OPINION: Small businesses and workers benefitting from tax cuts
President Donald J. Trump had taxpayers and small business owners in mind when he signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act into law December 22, 2017. The new law cut corporate tax rates from 35% to 21% for 2018 and lowered income tax at nearly all levels. Tax cuts for working families allow them to […]
Guest Column: Clerk of the Court a component in battling domestic abuse
Fear too often steals from our lives. At the Clerk of the Court for Anne Arundel County, we became aware that too often victims of domestic violence, fearing stalking and additional violence, will not purchase a home because their address will become public record exposing their home address to their abusers. I am proud of […]
GUEST COLUMN : Bikes: A Proxy For Change
All the brouhaha around the Main Street bike lane has a very strong cultural component that is bubbling just below the surface of the discussion about the project. Sure there are issues of cost and process which are certainly understandable, but most of the visceral dislike revolves around the cultural perceptions of people riding bikes. These […]
GUEST COLUMN: Capital Gazette Memorial fundraising gets underway with kick off event
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee, Inc., a nonprofit organization is leading a coalition of community groups, together with the City of Annapolis, to build a Memorial in Annapolis, home of the Capital Gazette and the five slain journalists. The memorial honors the mission of journalism as a watchdog for our communities and an […]
Annapolis Roads community comes together in cleanup effort
Annapolis Roads residents, well-known for their commitment for preserving community woodlands, green spaces, and waterways turned out one Saturday late in August to “reclaim” the beach from the debris that washed ashore after the Conowingo Dam release. Approximately 40 residents of all ages swarmed the beach hauling logs and trash to County provided dumpsters. Many […]
GUEST COLUMN: Campaign slates obfuscating election process in Anne Arundel County
Being a target of a political campaign slate attack flyer is like facing a diamondback rattlesnake with a silencer on the rattle. Slates, which allow for unlimited transfers of campaign funds from a slate member’s campaign committee to a slate, are antithetical to the purposes of campaign spending reform. When campaign attack flyers funded by slates do not identify […]
Important info from AACPS as school starts up again
More than 83,000 students – the most ever – are expected to fill seats in schools across the county when the 2018-2019 school year begins for most students on September 4. With the exception of five schools that will open one day late due to planned construction projects, the first day of classes for students […]
Crofton High School to open for some students in 2020
Crofton Area High School will open its doors for students in grades 9 and 10 only in September 2020, the Board of Education was told at its meeting this week. The school will add Grade 11 in the 2021-2022 school year, and Grade 12 in the 2022-2023 school year. The $135 million facility, now 25 […]
8 not-to-miss fall festivals
In Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, fall means more than back to school. It means fun, fun at a whole host of old and new festivals celebrating the area’s unique culture and cuisine. Where to begin? Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County has pulled together a handy list of fall celebrations the whole family can […]
7 Annapolis things to do before summer ends
It won’t be long before the kids head back to school and another beloved summer comes to an end. As sad as the change in season might be for all lovers of long, relaxing summer days, Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County (VAAAC) says there’s still time to pack in plenty of Annapolis and Anne […]
GUEST COLUMN: Hogan is friend to higher education
College tuition, expenses, and student debt have been steadily on the rise nationwide. Nearly 60 percent of all of our Maryland college students are graduating with thousands of dollars in student debt. To be exact, college debt is now estimated to be $1.48 trillion nationwide and the average debt in Maryland is $27,455 per student. […]
First Look: Kitchen on West Street
Got the chance to check out the new Kitchen on West Street for dinner the other night. Kitchen is the full service restaurant located in the new Hilton Garden Inn & Suites (formerly O’Callaghan Hotel) in Annapolis. I wish I could say that it is more than an OK hotel restaurant, but I can’t. At […]
Firefly 2018 converts a new fan
I’ve lived in Delaware for most of my life and this was the first year I attended Firefly. To start off the staff was very friendly and knowledgeable, and were also checking on the individual attendees who seemed lost. I interacted with several staff members throughout the weekend, and caught myself killing time by having […]
GUEST COLUMN: Current Assistant State’s Attorney supports Wes Adams
I was hired by the late Frank Weathersbee, so I was around for all of the people quoted in a recent article in The Capital and still call many of them friends. Frankly, anyone who knows me would be surprised at me saying anything, but I am finding myself annoyed, because either the commenters were […]
