From the very first question, it was clear that Trump had done little to no preparation for this debate. And yet, it was the first 20 minutes or so where Trump did best. But even in the midst of his strongest performance he was weak, writes professor Todd Eberly.
Commentary
Rascovar: Larry Hogan is very popular, but why?
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A new poll found 71% of Maryland voters approved the job Gov. Larry Hogan is doing, but columnist Barry Rascovar is among the 14% who don’t like what the governor is doing. He explains why in his column.
Commentary
Opinion: Expanding the Bay Bridge is a responsible thing to do
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Gov. Larry Hogan is doing the responsible thing by proceeding with a Phase I Environmental Impact Study to expand or replace the Chesapeake Bay Bridges. Barry Rascovar’s column Tuesday took issue with the governor’s decision. It was difficult, however, to take Mr. Rascovar seriously with comments such as arguing that no expansion of the bridge is needed. He suggests that “by the time a third crossing opens for vehicles much of Ocean City’s beach could be under water.”
Commentary
Vatz on NBC’s forum: Both knocked down; Hillary sucker punched by Lauer
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Wednesday night’s NBC Matt Lauer-moderated hour-long “forum” between presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump was unique in the annals of presidential debates: Each was asked one half-hour of questions by a moderator and audience without interacting with each other. That led to another uniqueness: the first network presidential debate ever that was weighted in favor of the Republican nominee.
Commentary
Dredging lessons from accidental oyster sanctuaries
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The oysters came up in the dredge like Tom Horton hadn’t seen them in 50 years : huge and clumped together and bedecked with sponges and all manner of marine organisms, including younger oysters, thriving in the niches of the natural reef they’d just busted into. By chance we’d nicked into an oyster sanctuary, undisturbed for decades — with unintended assistance of U.S. armed forces.
Commentary
Rascovar: The unfunded costs of a third Bay Bridge
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Even with federal assistance, Maryland would be hard pressed to find the billions for a bridge project that mainly alleviates monster traffic backups on summer weekends. The rest of the year the existing parallel structures easily handle two-way traffic between the eastern and western shores.
Commentary
Opinion: Responding to the school start order — Let summer be purposeful
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If we are to have a conversation about adjusting our school calendar, let it not be about starting the school year later, let it be about making the year longer, richer, and more purposeful, writes Senator Bill Ferguson. Let this conversation center around how we can better use summer for highly enriched learning projects that allow students to learn outside the classroom environment. That’s what our competitor countries across the globe are focused on achieving; they’re looking to the future, not falling back into a comfortable past.
Commentary
Myth vs. reality on post-Labor Day school start date — Hogan’s office responds
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The governor’s office put out this unusual direct response to criticism found in news stories of Gov. Larry Hogan’s order to begin the school year in 2017 after Labor Day. Here it is word for word.
Commentary
Rascovar: Hogan’s rhetoric has Trump tendencies
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The yin and the yang of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan keep bubbling to the surface. On the one hand, he’s made it clear he finds Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump offensive. The Republican governor says he doesn’t like Trump, disagrees with his behavior and many of his statements and won’t vote for him. On the other hand, Hogan continues to dip into Trump’s bag of tricks to win emotional points with voters. Indeed, Hogan was way ahead of Trump in one aspect of propaganda campaigning – the use of a fictitious story as a key election tool.
Commentary
National Park Service celebrates 100 years
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The National Parks Service celebrated its 100th anniversary Thursday, so it seemed like a good time to link back to the travelogue published in June about my three-week, 4,000 mile trek to seven national parks in the west. It’s light reading with more than 20 pictures of what many have called “America’s best idea.” Even if America’s best ideas might actually be found in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, establishing national parks was a darn good one too.
Commentary
Opinion: New Prince George’s hospital needed, but must struggle for patients
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In order to make its dream of building and sustaining the Taj Mahal of hospitals come true, the Prince George’s County Hospital Center must attract more patients than it currently does. In its application for a new facility that it submitted to the Maryland Health Care Commission, the PGHC says that its financial problems in large part stem from the fact that county residents often seek treatment elsewhere.