Today, my youngest child had his 5th grade promotion ceremony at Swansfield Elementary School. I'm all up in my feelings right now, not just because of the poignancy of childhood milestones, but also because it is hard to say goodbye to such a special school after seven years.
People in Howard County tend to look down on Swansfield, having bought into the notion that test scores or a rating on GreatSchools.com is all that's required to determine a school's caliber and predict student outcome...
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Unfair Housing
I live in Howard County District 4, specifically in Harper's Choice Village in Columbia. Like our neighbors in Wilde Lake and Hickory Ridge, our village's socioeconomically diverse population is evident in our housing. Stand at the edge of a cluster of single-family homes, and you can throw a stone across Harper's Farm Road and reach a group of mid-priced apartments. Walk toward our village center - where we shop for groceries, grab a cup of coffee, get takeout, and enjoy Italian ice on hot sum...
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The Road to Hell
I think most of us would agree that the immigration system in the United States is broken. At the center of this brokenness is Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an agency known for human rights abuses. Most progressives, me included, would agree that abolishing this federal agency is the best solution, unless significant and sweeping reform is conducted to transform it from an agency of cruelty and injustice to one of compassion, empathy, and integrity. I won't hold my breath on the...
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Is Civility Always the Answer?
I have a t-shirt that says "I have red hair because God knew I needed a warning label."
Ain't that the truth.
There's been a lot going on in Howard County over the past few weeks. If you don't know what I mean, count yourself lucky. Suffice it to say there's been an awful lot of bad-faith acting going on, a lot of it occurring on social media. And because it's Howard County, a lot of folks have been reminding each other to "choose civility." Sometimes this slogan is deployed with good...
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Hall of Shame – February 28, 2021
I haven't published a Hall of Shame article so far in 2021. Not because Howard County isn't teeming with worthy candidates; I just felt that in-depth, substantive articles were needed for the first couple of months of 2021 more so than pithy jabs at public figures. There's been a lot to talk about.
Along with everything else that's been happening in the U.S., I think it's safe to say that COVID-19 is still a tiny bit of an issue, no? I mean, we've lost half a million Americans to the dise...
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