For Maryland school teachers, simulating an environment comparable to a normal classroom in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic has presented a need for ingenuity. Virtual learning instruction and curriculum packets are being administered, food distribution stations for students who rely on school lunches have been established, and instructors have begun teaching remotely via video software.

“Virtual learning can never take the place of in-person learning in education,” says Cheryl Bost, a Baltimore County teacher currently on leave to serve as the president of the Maryland State Education Association. “Teachers by trade like to [think] ahead and figure out what we can accomplish. With the issues coronavirus presents, they feel like they’re keeping the kids learning, but they’re not going to be able to go too far ahead.”

The pandemic has been a disruptor in all walks of life, from the business and economic sectors to the food industry and in healthcare systems. But the problems it presents for the education system are comprehensive.

“We want to make sure our students are not impacted in their learning,” says Katie Poist, a eighth grade math teacher at Lakeland Elementary/Middle School in southwest Baltimore. “We take into account what they have available to them at home as far as technology, Internet access, and parental support.”

But what might be an easily addressable conflict for one school district could be a widespread problem in another. These equity issues—already present before coronavirus—have become even more prevalent throughout the last month.

“Our kids didn’t need access to technology outside of school [before coronavirus],” Poist says. “We didn’t use a ton of tech at school, so kids were able to be successful and we could help them learn. Now, it’s a huge shift.”

Coincidentally, major education reform aiming to address these inequalities and bridge gaps in education from one region to another passed in the General Assembly last month. The issues coronavirus has wrought are what advocates for the bill dubbed the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future —which currently sits on Governor Larry Hogan’s desk awaiting signing—have been stressing. The first three years of funding for the bill took effect last year, but proponents are hoping for a long term agreement.

“There are access issues in poor urban districts compared to public districts with much greater resources,” says Kristen McQuillan, a former Baltimore City School System employee and current academic director at The New Teacher Project (TNTP), where she advises school superintendents and academic offices. “This has put that issue into the forefront and the spotlight in a way that people can’t ignore.”

McQuillan says that being able to observe where these access problems are most prevalent helps explain why it costs more to educate children in certain districts compared to others. It’s why many advocates, including Poist, feel that the Blueprint’s objectives—such as increasing teachers’ salaries and providing access to Pre-K for all 3 and 4-year olds in low-income families—are vital.

“Schools are more than just education for children—they are social development,” Poist says. “The big inhibitor being a Baltimore City teacher is striving to be equitable.”

During the pandemic, Poist has helped her students access videos that Lakeland’s school district has provided. She also pre-records 15-minute video instruction to capture the day’s big picture. In the midst of this, there is also synchronous learning, where Poist is able to check in with individual students and assist them with any questions they may have.

“It’s really constant communication,” she says. “As a school, we have to figure out how to function as a team while meeting all of our kids’ needs at home.”

Over at Pine Grove Middle School in Loch Raven, Vernon Fains is adapting to teaching art remotely, as the usual materials his students would have in the classroom aren’t at their disposal. Since art is such a visual medium, Fains says that being disconnected from his students and their usual environment has its challenges.

“It’s a little tougher for the arts, because we can’t use certain materials and we can’t get our hands dirty like we normally would,” Fains says. “I think of the arts as a way for students to come in and express themselves in ways they can’t in other content areas. I miss that interaction.”

Fains says that these limitations have forced him to reevaluate how he teaches. He had his first virtual class meeting earlier this week, where he encouraged students to go out in nature and think viscerally about what they were seeing.

Both Fains and Poist have also made a point to check in on their classes’ well being. They’ve noticed their students’ moods perk up at the opportunity to see familiar faces that remind them of their routine at school.

“I think they’re excited to see and hear from us, and we’re excited to see and hear from them,” Fains says. “That moment of talking with us and getting a little bit sense of normalcy has been missing.”

As it stands, it’s unclear as to when, or if, Maryland schools will reopen this school year. Closures are in place until at least April 24, and while this isn’t ideal, it does give educators and students the opportunity to further adapt to their surroundings as they wait for the time when it will once again be safe for everyone to be together and learn.

“We miss being in the classroom,” Fains says. “We miss our students. We just want them to know that we want them to stay well and we are here for them.”

As the spread of coronavirus continues to grow exponentially in Maryland, medical facilities have become overwhelmed with the amount of patients who need treatment. In an effort to preempt this problem, COVID-19 testing sites and clinics are sprouting up across Baltimore to ease the burden on overworked hospitals.

“It keeps staff safe as they are seeing patients in open air environments with more space,” says Dr. Bronson Elizabeth Delasobera, the clinical lead at a newly-formed MedStar testing site at the Baltimore Museum of Industry (BMI). “It’s also more efficient for patients who can check in quickly and get in and out in 10 minutes.”

As soon as government orders came down, closing nonessential businesses, Anita Kassof, the BMI’s executive director, reached out to a friend at Johns Hopkins to inquire how she could lend a hand. She was contacted that same day by representatives from MedStar Health, which had been scoping out potential testing sites on Google Earth and came across the BMI parking lot.

Workers quickly converted the BMI pavilion adjacent to its parking lot into a testing site fashioned with tents and proper equipment.

“It is certainly serendipitous,” Kassof says. “[Closing the museum] cuts the heart out of us. There’s a sense of pride—this has helped our staff feel like we’re continuing to help the community.”

At the BMI, the process from registration to specimen collection takes 10 minutes.

In total, there are doctors, nurses, registration staff, administrative directors, and greeters working at the makeshift clinic treating 50 patients per day. This number is comparable to brick-and-mortar urgent care spaces that see anywhere from 35 to 100 patients daily.

“This clinic ensures that these patients don’t have to visit a busy urgent care or hospital that has a lot of other patients,” Delasobera says. “There’s also a potential to be exposed to other people that are ill [in those spaces]. It eases up the process.”

Patients are pre-screened through their MedStar primary care or telehealth platform, and, since the center was set up a few weeks ago, Delasobera says that there have been several positive tests. Overall, she estimates the clinic has seen around 200 patients, and it has the capacity to add staff should the need arise. Sometime next week, MedStar will also be implementing point of care testing that can deliver site results in 24 hours—at the moment, this process has been taking a few days to a week.

“We want patients to get the answers they need when they are sick,” Delasobera says.

But clinics like MedStar’s aren’t an anomaly. A collaborative effort between the University of Maryland Medical System and Johns Hopkins has sent workers to set up field hospitals at the Baltimore Convention Center and a nearby Hilton hotel, an initiative that Governor Larry Hogan spearheaded last month. In addition to its clinic at the BMI, MedStar has a similar tent space in Montgomery County, and has plans for another in Prince George’s County.

Further testing will also be conducted at tents set up at Pimlico Race Course, where the Baltimore City Health Department expects to run 50 tests a day in collaboration with LifeBridge Health.

In addition to community gathering places offering up their space, local business owners are also doing their part to make sure the public has access to testing.

Lauri Dixon, vice president and general manager of Party Plus Tenting + Events, has shifted her focus to providing her tents for testing and triage at hospitals on the University of Maryland Medical Center and Johns Hopkins campuses.

“We’ve never really had a situation like this,” Dixon says. “We’re helping people and it’s helping us.”

Party Plus is offering both monthly and three-month rentals, as well as giving significant discounts. The company has also started providing drive-through carryout tents for restaurants and food banks. “We’re looking at avenues of how to help the community,” Dixon says, “and also help keep the lights on in our small business.”

It’s a testament to the business community’s willingness to adapt and eagerness to give back in any way they can.

“There’s a sense of gratification that we have an ability to help,” Kassof says. “It feels good to give back in this very small way and work to make sure we are still responding to the needs of the community.”

Last week, Kate Poffenberger, the owner of Graul’s Market Ruxton, woke up at 4:45 a.m. worrying about eggs. As one of the essential businesses allowed to stay open during the coronavirus pandemic, grocery stores and markets like Graul’s have taken on an even greater utility role as a provider for quarantine supplies.

“You start going through your brain to think about what else we need to do to make sure customers have food,” Poffenberger says.

On the supplier side, that means going to great lengths to ensure stores are stocked. Poffenberger has done everything from renting trucks and driving to pick up inventory from a wholesaler in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to frantically calling New Jersey and Virginia suppliers to restock.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Poffenberger says. “We’re trying to get stuff from anywhere and everywhere. I think that when this is all said and done, no one’s going to buy another roll of toilet paper.”

Indeed, certain items—including hand sanitizer and toilet paper—have become hot ticket purchases to the point where stores are having trouble keeping them on shelves. Across the country, a hoarding mentality has become common among shoppers, and supplies are being sold for exorbitant prices online.

However, locally, Poffenberger says that she has been heartened by those who have reached out to help ensure people are getting what they need.

“We hear about customers who are shopping for their elderly neighbors who can’t come out to shop,” she says. “People really are helping each other.”

Additionally, several Graul’s customers have taken to buying boxed lunches and dinners for Greater Baltimore Medical Center and Johns Hopkins Hospital employees, and the store is doing its part by offering significant discounts on these items.

Meanwhile, at the Safeway in Charles Village, a welcome consequence of the increased volume of customers has been the need for more employees.

At a time when unemployment numbers are skyrocketing and millions of Americans are being laid off, hiring more employees has been a point of pride for the store’s director, Dee Frances. Frances has recently hired 30 people, and started referring other applicants to surrounding Safeway locations as her store reaches its employee limit.

“We know we have to be here,” Frances says. “Because if we’re not here, who’s going to be here for the people? We all made a commitment, and we all know what we have to do.”

Both Safeway and Graul’s are ensuring their stores are as safe as possible. By the end of this week, Frances will have five employees whose sole job will be keeping the store clean.

Additionally, both stores have instituted special hours for elderly shoppers. Graul’s Ruxton offers these hours Mondays and Fridays from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m., while Safeway has designated time from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

At Harris Teeter, similar measures have been taken on Mondays and Thursdays, as 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. has been reserved for seniors and vulnerable shoppers. And at Giant Food stores, the first hour of every day—6 a.m. to 7 a.m.—has been dedicated to customers 60 or older.

These changes also mean longer hours for store employees, who are working around the clock to ensure their stores are stocked and sanitized.

“It’s stressful,” says Lester Watson, who has worked at Graul’s as a stocker and cashier for 25 years. “You go home and you’re more tired than normal. It’s a faster pace.”

Both Safeway and Graul’s have taken measures to ensure morale stays high among workers on these extended shifts. Frances has prepared meals for her employees a few times a week and provided bagels in the morning, while Poffenberger has tried to keep things light, giving employees special hats and gift certificates along with free lunches.

“I’m a small part of this,” Poffenberger says. “There’s a whole group of workers down there talking to customers. That’s our biggest challenge—keeping morale high and everybody healthy.”

Because grocery stores are firmly cemented in the communities they inhabit, workers often get to know customers on a personal level. This idea is heightened at a moment when the ability for human connection is severely limited. As those on the front lines tell it, these circumstances have brought out the best in people.

“We know a lot of our customers already,” Poffenberger says. “A lot of [our workers] have fairly good relationships with them, so we almost feel like they’re family. There’s some pride in that. We’re still here, and we’re still taking care of them.”

Training for the Olympic Games is a year-round endeavor that requires steadfast focus and total commitment. It’s the first thing athletes think about when they wake up and the last thing on their mind when they go to sleep. These are people whose lives revolve around a singular focus, in pursuit of one of the biggest stages in sports.

Maggie Belbot is one of those people. Leading up to what was going to be the Olympic Trials in a few months, the 15-year-old Bryn Mawr student and swimmer at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club (NBAC) had been in a home stretch mentality, working to shave off the only tenth of a second she needed to qualify for the 100-meter fly.

But when the coronavirus made its way to the United States, those plans came to an abrupt halt, as the Olympic Games joined the wave of major sporting events that have been cancelled or postponed. The International Olympic Committee announced the augmented timeline last month, with the games now set for 2021.

“It’s kind of frustrating,” Belbot says. “You’ve been working toward a goal for so long, and now it’s all been taken away from you.”

Despite the disappointment, Belbot is choosing to keep her head up, reminding herself that there will still be plenty of opportunities in the future.

“My mentality is about coming back stronger,” she says. “I don’t want to get down and negative. The positives are there—even if they’re harder to see.”

The effects of the Games’ postponement are far-reaching, signifying the end of some careers, but also the prolongation of others. The extent to which this delay will affect Olympic athletes across all sports won’t be fully realized until they’re able to start preparing again.

“I have not seen anything or talked to anybody who feels this was a bad call,” says Tom Himes, the head coach at NBAC, which has trained several Olympic superstars such as Katie Ledecky and Michael Phelps. “It’s certainly disappointing what’s happening. But the other reality is everybody’s in the same boat. We have no control over the situation.”

Given the current circumstances, perspective is everything. What might be a disappointment for one athlete could present an opportunity for another.

This idea certainly applies to Coppin State alum and Aberdeen resident Christina Epps, a triple jumper who is currently in the midst of rehabbing her second ACL injury in eight years. Faced with an expedient recovery timeline, she decided to continue to pursue her goal of making the United States Track and Field delegation for Tokyo.

After stops and starts where her knee wasn’t doing what she wanted it to, it was only recently that Epps felt secure in her abilities. And now, with the Games postponed, she’ll have a bit more time to get ready.

“For me, this whole situation has been a blessing in disguise,” Epps says. “I was excited—it’s just an opportunity for me to continue to get stronger and regroup. Now I can prepare for next year.”

Conversely, Himes feels that his swimming hopefuls will particularly feel the effects of this delay. Swimmers are creatures of habit, and the consequences of a disruption in their routine will vary from person to person.

“It’s going to be very individualized,” Himes says. “I think the 18 and under kids are all in a position where they can certainly come back from this. But for some of the older [swimmers], this could put an end to their career to have to wait another year. If nothing else, you have to look at the good parts of this. It possibly is giving a lot of them a little bit of a mental shutdown and ability to retool and get excited again.”

Cassie Kalisz, a Bel Air native and swimmer at Louisiana State University who has already qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 200-meter backstroke, says that, while the current circumstances don’t affect her already-finished collegiate season, there still is a sense of disappointment. Kalisz is a NBAC alum who comes from a family of swimmers. Her older brother, Chase, is an Olympic silver medalist. She had hoped to compete and qualify for the 100-meter backstroke in the coming months as well, but will have to put that dream on pause.

“I was in the middle of pretty hard training leading up to [the delay], so to stop out of nowhere is pretty shocking,” Kalisz says. “Swimming is the kind of sport where you stay ahead by swimming every day and staying really active. It’s definitely going to change a lot of people’s careers. It’s a little bit sad because a lot of people have been tailoring this entire year of training just to this summer.”

In the meantime, for those choosing to continue to pursue an Olympic career, a little creativity is warranted. Training for the Games is a seven-days-a-week effort, and with everything but nonessential businesses closed to the public, athletes have been cut off from their traditional methods of getting themselves in Olympic shape.

Belbot and Kalisz say that they and their teammates have been texting each other workouts and tips for staying in shape while cut off from training facilities. And for Epps, though running outside while maintaining social distancing is still allowed, her access to weight rooms—full body strength is key in the triple jump—will be limited. “That’s one of the only dilemmas of this whole thing for me,” she says.

Despite any residual frustration, all the athletes feel as though the right decision was made. As much as they’d like to change the circumstances, they fully understand the measures taken to postpone the Olympics—and in effect, flatten the curve.

“If the consequence is being a little bit out of shape, then I’m fine with it,” Kalisz says. “It’s pretty unfair what’s happening, but it’s more important to realize that it is something really serious. While there’s people who are upset about what’s going on and how it affects them personally, I think it’s really important to look at the big picture and see that the world is really hurting. It’s something we need to really take seriously.”

When curating an exhibit, the Maryland Historical Society (MdHS) is usually meticulous about selecting what it wants to include. After all, framing history and contextualizing it for future generations is not something its archivists take lightly. But when a once-in-a-lifetime event like the coronavirus pandemic occurs, unprecedented times call for unorthodox measures.

Throughout the past few weeks, the historical society has been commissioning user testimonials and photos from citizens across the state, encouraging them to tell their stories and detail how the virus has affected their everyday lives.

“When COVID-19 happened, we returned to our collections and started looking at how we can give perspectives to people right now,” says Allison Tolman, the MdHS’s Vice President of Collections. “We like to do everything very thoughtful and precise, and we take a long time to develop it. But here, we had to be reactionary and quick. We had to get it out there.”

Tolman says that initiating this process wasn’t easy at first, especially given that most museum staff are working remotely. Collectively, they decided on two different avenues by which they would catalog real time reactions to the pandemic: one entitled “Letters from the Homefront,” and another named “Business Unusual.”

The idea behind “Letters from the Homefront” is to solicit emails from senders who wish to document their daily lives under quarantine. Historically, Tolman says, letter-writing elicits the most color and context to help readers understand what it was like to live in a given moment in time. One of the more noteworthy submissions thus far has come from local fourth grade students, who lamented over not being able to play outside with their friends, and how they’re adjusting to a new way of learning.

“As a museum, when something happens, we look back at what happened in politics,” Tolman says. “There’s some sort of conflict. [With coronavirus], we quickly settled on letters because, for example, in the Civil War, we find a lot of the most interesting information about how it affected people on a personal level by looking at diaries and letters.”

Tolman says that records surrounding past pandemics, such as the Spanish Flu of 1918, have also been a helpful reference point for the current situation.

But in the age of social media, the museum can monitor posts in real time. This advantage is particularly useful for its “Business Unusual” initiative, in which business employees, owners, and patrons can share their photos and stories to be used in a future photo essay. Those interested in following along are also able to monitor posts using the hashtag #BusinessUnusual.

“Each person’s story is very different, which is interesting, because we’re all going through this together,” Tolman says. “Collecting living history [in real time] is a new thing, but it’s certainly important. We need to be getting those collections now, so in 100 years when another pandemic happens, people can look back on our stories and realize what was different then versus now.”

Tolman says that the museum is also hoping to receive submissions from medical professionals who are on the front lines fighting the virus. “Even if they don’t have time now, we encourage them to take a moment to write it down—they can mail it to us afterward,” she says.

As for what this collection effort will turn into down the road, that is to be determined. The circumstances surrounding the virus are evolving by the day, and the historical society is adjusting its strategy accordingly. Amidst the spread of coronavirus, the museum finds itself in the unique position of providing a voice to those looking for clarity, as well as an outlet to work through a confusing and frightening time.

“Everyone has a different lens, and that’s been very interesting,” Tolman says. “It’s hard to catalog something when we aren’t quite sure what it is. Even though we’re all going through it, a lot of people feel alone. This has given them a platform to feel like one of a large community.”

When now-retired NASA astronaut Col. Terry Virts used to go into space, isolation was an occupational hazard. The nature of space travel—being confined to tight areas with a select group of others—doesn’t really present any other options.

During one of Virts’ two spaceflights, however, this idea was taken to an extreme, when complications on the ground at a Russian space station—where a replacement crew was to take off—delayed his scheduled return home.

“We were just a few weeks away from getting to come back to Earth after having been in space for five months, and all of a sudden we’re stuck,” says Virts, a Baltimore native who grew up in Columbia. “It really kind of hit home that in space, I was faced with this sudden isolation.”

In some ways, that situation mirrors what people around the world are facing now in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Granted, the ground is under our feet, but the idea—being forced into a prolonged quarantine unexpectedly without a concrete end date in sight—is something Virts has experienced.

“Humans do well when they expect something to happen, and they don’t do well when they don’t expect something to happen,” Virts says. “As an astronaut, I was ready [for isolation]. I was expecting it and I was trained for it.”

To get a few tips on how to cope in a restrictive environment, we asked the 52-year-old Virts to share some of the wisdom he’s picked up during his illustrious career. Here are some of his suggestions:

Figure out what isolation means to you.

People define isolation in different ways, Virts says. But it’s important to set a baseline for what you’re comfortable with and ascribe to it.

“It really depends on the person,” Virts adds. “Humans are social creatures and we’re designed to be in groups. Some people are introverts. Other people want to be talking and interacting. For extroverts, just a little bit of cutting back on that is really painful. This is going to be tough psychologically. But you can also survive for longer and in tougher situations than you think you can.”

Address the situation and make the best of it.

When Virts and his fellow astronauts found out they were going to be delayed in their voyage home, they weren’t told how long it would be before they could return. Virts could have sulked, but he made an active decision to see the glass half full.

“We really didn’t know how long we were going to stay,” Virts says. “A lot of times astronauts get depressed or really bummed out, but my attitude was, ‘I’m stuck in space, but it’s going to end. I’m going to get back to Earth eventually. While I’m here, I’m going to take advantage of it and get some projects done that I didn’t have a chance to before.’ That attitude is the most important thing in situations when the unexpected happens—it happened, and there’s nothing I can do to change it. Now, let’s make the most of it.”

Take an active approach in handling monotony.

Many of us are working from home in the same space and, in following social distancing guidelines, not leaving our residences unless we have to. This can make days feel a bit repetitive. As an astronaut, Virts knows all about that: “I get [monotony],” he says. “I was in the same can for 200 days. So I understand that.”

Virts suggests adding tweaks to your day-to-day routine to avoid making life feel like Groundhog Day. “A little bit of variety goes a long way,” he says. “Try to do mornings in the bedroom and afternoons in the living room, and go for a walk at a certain time of day. Set your alarm to have a certain routine, but vary that routine—don’t do the same thing every day. Even if it’s simple things like changing the time of day you exercise or the order of things you do. You should have a basic schedule, but vary it up.”

Be mindful of others.

Virts was once the commander of the International Space Station, where it was his responsibility to monitor morale and take the temperature of his crew to see how they were faring. That meant being aware of what they needed in certain situations, and discerning how best to give it to them.

In the midst of coronavirus, though you might be adjusting and adapting well to this new normal, it’s important to consider how it might be affecting friends, family, and colleagues.

“This situation requires some emotional intelligence,” Virts says. “You have to understand if someone is feeling lonely. If they are, reach out to them and call them and play a game or Skype or whatever works for them.”

Virts also says that, as important as it is to recognize when someone needs a hand, it’s equally important to know when they want time to themselves.

“On the International Space Station, people needed time alone sometimes,” he says. “Carve out personal space for people and let them have it and respect it. A mix of yourself and connection with other folks is a good thing.”

Decide how to be alone.

Virts believes that, throughout this time, people can be strong and cope with these extreme circumstances. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t times when living in quarantine can feel limiting. It’s important to strike a healthy balance.

“You can go without much more than you think you can,” Virts says. “But connect with people if you can. You can’t be with someone physically, but you can reach out to them in some way. Make lemonade when you’re given lemons.”

Outside Open Works in Station North on Monday afternoon, Will Holman, the makerspace’s executive director, fielded questions from reporters while practicing social distancing. Standing six feet away, Holman sported the protective face shields that Open Works has been manufacturing for medical professionals in need as they continue to treat patients amidst the spread of coronavirus.

For Holman, the project serves as a way to lend a hand to the community while also keeping himself and his fellow artists afloat.

“With the government’s announcements, facilities like ours had to close,” Holman says. “Our revenue cratered and we had to cancel classes and events. We had to furlough all of our part-time staff, and our philanthropic support has been frozen because a lot of companies are having challenges themselves.”

To create the shields, which Open Works is hoping to sell to medical providers for $8 each, the organization worked off a design from Czech company Prusa Labs, collaborated with social entrepreneurial incubator Innovation Works for help with distribution, and worked with We the Builders, which is assisting in cataloguing the product and maker signup.

Recognizing hospitals’ and health care providers’ need for masks and protective face guards, Holman and his team have outsourced work to those with 3D printers across the state to assist with production. It takes the printers anywhere from four to eight hours to complete their parts, which are either delivered or shipped to Open Works.

Production truly is a collaborative effort, with the army of printers making parts of the top and bottom of the shield, and Open Works shaping the glass on its laser cutters. Together, the makers hope to produce 500 per day.

“We’ve been working 16 to 20 hours days,” Holman says. “We’re just trying to ride this wave of momentum.”

In a time when demand outweighs supply, efforts like these have sprung up across the Baltimore area. Celebrity designer Christian Siriano, a native Marylander and Baltimore School for the Arts alumnus, led the charge last week when he began designing masks for those in need in New York City. As the virus continues to spread, local artisans with the means to help are following suit, contributing any way they can.

Local designer Jill Andrews has adopted a similar spirit with the current operations at her bridal shop, Jill Andrews Gowns. Andrews has partnered with local makers such as Words with Boards’ Kim Strassner to produce a high-end mask that can fit over the top of the N95 surgical masks used at hospitals. They are selling their masks for $15.99, with additional plans to give some away for free.

“Artisans are a close-knit group,” says Andrews, who hopes to work with home tailors and seamstresses to produce as many as 500 masks per day. “We’re all very well-connected.”

Though the coronavirus outbreak remains uncharted territory for many, Andrews has previous experience creating protective medical garments. She once participated in a Johns Hopkins Hackathon, in which she helped design a suit that won a $1.7 million United States Agency for International Development (USAID) grant for Johns Hopkins to produce ebola suits that are now made in bulk by Dupont.

“We’ve done six months of work in two days,” Andrews says of the mask production. “We’re still figuring things out.”

Laurel Porter, a teacher at Charles Carroll Barrister Elementary in Pigtown, has also taken matters into her own hands. While she may not have the power of an organization behind her, she did not want to stand idly by in the midst of the pandemic.

“In times like these, when it doesn’t seem like there’s much you can do and it feels like there’s a lot out of your control, it’s really gratifying to find something that you have a skill set for that you feel like is helping,” Porter says.

On Sunday, Porter posted to Facebook about her interest in starting a mask-making project, and immediately heard from multiple healthcare providers in Annapolis and at the University of Maryland Medical Center about their need for the masks. She began sewing them herself—she’s made around 10 thus far—using materials donated by neighbors.

While Porter learned to sew from her mother and received her sewing machine as a bridal gift, she says she never anticipated using it for this purpose. “It’s hilarious for me to think about,” she adds.

Another local DIY artisan leading the charge is Christina Brunyate, owner of Domesticity fabric shop in Lauraville. Using her vast rolodex of contacts ranging from sewers to fabric providers, Brunyate has assumed a facilitator role for those who are willing to help out.

“If you’re going to have a group of people to help with something, the sewing community—which is very gung-ho about sewing—are always going to be kind and considerate and care about others,” Brunyate says. “How often are you asked to use your sewing skills for something?”

In the past few days, Brunyate has become an information hub for those inquiring about obtaining and creating masks. She’s fielded 200 messages of all kinds, even amending her voicemail to contain specific instructions for those interested in lending a hand. She’s also giving out free elastic, as well as selling discounted fabric and scraps to ensure that masks get to the hospitals that need them.

“There’s enough need coming from different places, and enough people reaching out, that I’ve told people to keep making masks,” Brunyate says. “We’ll find a place for them.”

Over the past week, there have been suggestions that efforts like these are similar to what would be prevalent in times of war. Those in the position to give back have taken an all-hands-on-deck approach, diverting their attention to something impactful while social distancing.

“It feels great to be able to focus on something,” Holman says. “It’s why so many people have come out of the woodwork to help. This is an unprecedented national emergency. It’s emotional—I’m shell shocked at the way the community has come together.”

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Larry Hogan announced the postponement of the state’s primaries, including all the races for city office, from April 28 to June 2 in an effort to ensure voter safety and democratic integrity.

The special election for the late U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings’ seat will still be held April 28, but in a first for the state of Maryland, it will be conducted solely through mail-in ballots.

“It would endanger public health to allow thousands of people to assemble,” Hogan said at a Tuesday press conference explaining the decision to postpone the primary date.

Before the events that led to this change, Kweisi Mfume landed a decisive victory in the special Democratic primary election for Cummings’ seat back in February. But he realized he still had to educate voters as to what came next.

“The more we talked to people, the more people thought that it was all over,” Mfume says. “I had to explain that there’s a two-part process.”

The second part of that process comes in the form of a special general election. It’s here that things get a bit complicated. In addition to running as the Democratic nominee against Republican nominee Kimberly Klacik for the right to serve out the remainder of Cummings’ term, Mfume also filed to run in what was a same-day Democratic primary for the full two-year 7th Congressional District term.

Mfume—who, if victorious in April’s mail-in special election would be running as an incumbent in the June 2 primary—says that separating the two elections into two different dates helps eliminate some of the impending uncertainty that was bound to arise as April neared.

“There were still a lot of unanswered questions that the Board of Elections would have to answer,” he says. “It was confusion getting ready to manifest itself.”

Along with the postponement comes the challenge of carrying out a traditional campaign during a time when public organizing is prohibited.

“Politically and historically, it’s like Halley’s Comet,” Mfume says. “In previous instances of national emergencies, you had an idea of a physical enemy or threat. In this case, we can’t see the virus.”

In a political process where face-to-face connection is a crucial part of how campaigns operate, candidates and their teams have been forced to get creative in their messaging and outreach strategies.

“We are always strategizing for what we don’t know we have to deal with,” Mfume says. “You have to assume there will be certain times when campaign strategy will have to change. We’ve always moved along that way, so this adjustment is not something that has caused us to scratch our heads.”

Senator Jill P. Carter of Maryland’s 41st legislative district is one of Mfume’s challengers in the June 2 primary. Carter has just wrapped up a whirlwind state legislative session, and now faces the possibility of running against an incumbent. She says she supports the changing of the primary date, but acknowledges that it presents a unique set of challenges for her candidacy.

“If it were normal circumstances, I would say that it’s good for me because the entire time I was in the legislative session, I was unable to campaign at all,” Carter says. “[Prior to coronavirus], I thought the smartest thing to do would be to come back to Baltimore and host large gatherings and get people to volunteer and go and reach out to their groups.”

Meanwhile, Thiru Vignarajah, a former Maryland Deputy Attorney General who launched his campaign for mayor last April, says he supports the governor’s postponement decision, and believes that the new normal that coronavirus has forced us all into isn’t anything his team can’t handle. He and his staff have shifted to working from home, and are devising ways they can continue to build their network.

Both Vignarajah and Mfume say they are working on amping up their digital presences and exploring placing a bigger emphasis on more traditional means of campaigning, such as phone banks and email reach outs.

“This is a time when public health has to come before politics,” Vignarajah says. “Each campaign is going to have to adapt. My team has been running a marathon, and at mile 20, they’ve been told it’s a 32-mile race. Uncertainty is something every campaign is supposed to prepare for.”

Though all candidates are now faced with trying to win respective elections in an unprecedented time, one positive outcome of the current situation is that it gives local voters more time to decide who they want to lead the city forward.

“In a moment of crisis, we have a chance to come together as a community like never before,” Vignarajah says. “We have a chance to rebuild Baltimore in ways that previously were unimaginable. We should view this as not just a challenge, but an opportunity.”

Boris Lushniak, the Dean of the School of Public Health at the University of Maryland, has decades of experience. He served as the U.S. Deputy Surgeon General for five years, worked at the Office of Counterterrorism, and was the commander of a United States Public Health Service medical unit in Liberia, which housed the only U.S. government hospital providing care to Ebola patients.

He’s been on the front lines for more than 20 years, but he’s never seen anything like the coronavirus pandemic.

“No one’s really experienced this,” Lushniak says of COVID-19, of which there are currently 85 confirmed cases in Maryland. “It’s an invisible threat—you don’t see the virus, and that brings in excess fear. This is uncharted terrain.”

The Maryland Department of Health has provided guidelines for what people should do if they think they might need to get tested, asking for patience with regard to the amount of tests available. The department is imploring those who are experiencing symptoms to discuss testing with a health care provider, as only a health care provider can order COVID-19 testing, collect samples, and send them to a lab to finish the process.

The test, which includes a swab of the nose or throat, is carried out at the discretion of these providers, who can also offer information as to how long it will take to get results. The state of Maryland is also working to create drive-through testing sites, specifically at the state’s Vehicle Emissions Inspection centers.

Overall, Lushniak says that it’s important to strike a balance between real concern and becoming overwhelmed by the influx of information that surrounds the conversation: “The whole issue of panic and worry doesn’t have a place right now,” he says.

To get a clearer sense of the virus, we spoke with Lushniak about the measures taken to combat it, what you can do to flatten the curve, and what to expect in the coming days, weeks, and months ahead.

In your opinion, what are the key facts that people should know about the virus?
We know that in the majority of people who have been infected with this virus, the symptoms have been mild. What we don’t know in the United States is the amount of people infected who are totally asymptomatic. Because we don’t have a vaccine, everyone needs to take seriously that we’re in a new phase of fighting this virus that depends on medical science.

What should people do if they’re feeling sick?
Stay away from others. Don’t go into work. Don’t go into school. Hands are key components of the transmission of this virus. Make sure you’re taking good care of your hands and washing them all the time. With coughing and sneezing, sneeze into a sleeve or a tissue, throw the tissue away, and then wash your hands. Don’t touch your face. This virus doesn’t get in through the skin. It doesn’t get in through any other orifices of the body other than the mouth or nose. You have to make sure that the area around you is clean. And what’s most important is the whole new concept of social distancing—standing six feet away if possible. We want to fight this and do it together.

How is what we’re experiencing now different from outbreaks in the past?
We have to see whether our efforts are going to work using all of the 21st-century skills and tools we have. There’s a major difference between where we are today and the Spanish flu in 1918 and 1919. A hundred years ago, no one could see that virus under a microscope. Now, within a few weeks, we have the full RNA genome of this virus. That’s 100 years of progress. That’s what makes this time unique from an optimistic viewpoint. We’ve never been here before with this type of science.

What do you anticipate the timeline for fighting this virus will look like?
Well, because we’ve been lagging behind in diagnostic testing, we’ve been using the wrong terminology in saying, “Here’s the number of cases per day.” Those are only the reported cases. We need to specify because we’ve not been really good on the diagnostic testing front. Because we’re going to have allegedly many more tests being available, and they are going to be used much more widely, in the next 10-plus days, we’re going to see almost an alarming surge of people with positive tests.

In the near future, we’re going to be placing more of an emphasis on the only weapon we have in hand, which is flattening the curve. The last thing we want is for these people to get really sick, which then breaks down the medical care system. This is real, but we can battle this. We just have to do it in innovative ways.

I always tell my students we have to be optimistic. Pessimists are washed out early in a public health career. We have to be optimists that science, technology, and know-how will get us to an endpoint. That endpoint is not the next few weeks, or even the next few months.

In times like these, are there things that bring you hope?
You know, last night—both my daughters are home, and we had a nice dinner. Both of them are interested in a career in medicine and are pre-med majors in school. I turned to them at dinner and explained that you have to look at this from several perspectives. This is a unique event that no one on this planet has ever experienced. It’s been 100 years since the Spanish flu, and the beauty of this is we really will test our mettle as a society and as scientists and people in the medical profession. The optimism is there. We will persevere, we will learn things from this, and we will be better the next time this happens. That’s my hope.

EDITOR’S NOTE 3/16: Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has ordered the closing of all bars, movie theaters, restaurants and gyms across the state until further notice, effective 5 p.m. Monday. Drive-thru, takeout, and food deliveries will be available. Additionally, in keeping with the latest Center for Disease Control guidelines, he has also prohibited gatherings of more than 50 people.

“We have never seen anything like this before,” Hogan said in a press conference announcing the changes. “By these actions, we’re going to stop the spread and we’re going to save lives.”

The butterfly effect surrounding the rising cases of coronavirus across the state of Maryland and the United States has been far-reaching. Among the first public institutions that made the decisions to close earlier this week were local colleges and universities. At the University of Baltimore, students are being prepped to take online classes from their instructors, as they will not return to campus after spring break as a precaution—a measure that will likely be in place for all universities in the Maryland state system.

“It’s become a new reality,” says Darlene Smith, the executive vice president and provost of the University of Baltimore. “We’re planning for an extended period of this, and we’re reaching out to students to make sure that they’re prepared. Our teams come into work every day, even before we get to the office, wondering what’s next and what’s changing.”

Indeed, the developments and updates surrounding COVID-19 are coming minute by minute, prompting many of the city’s public institutions to act in an effort to inhibit patrons’ exposure. In some cases, spaces around the city are closed altogether. Here is a running list of gathering spaces whose operations have been impacted by the virus:

MUSEUMS

Earlier this week, member organizations of the Greater Baltimore Historical Alliance met to discuss best practices in the wake of the coronavirus. Many museums in the city are remaining open, instituting double cleaning measures to ensure a safe environment for guests. However, large events and public exhibitions at the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Walters Art Museum, and the JHU Museums have been cancelled until April 12.

On its website, the Baltimore Museum of Industry posted a statement detailing its close-monitoring of the situation, reiterating its commitment to hygiene.

Port Discovery Children’s Museum is temporarily closed to the public. A reopen date has not been announced.

The Walters Art Museum has announced its closure from March 14 through March 31.

The Baltimore Museum of Art will be closed until April 12.

The National Aquarium announced in a statement that will be closed from March 14 through at least March 27. All employees will be paid during this closure.

“The aquarium believes it is their ethical responsibility to adhere to the scientific community’s recommendation to limit large social gatherings at this time,” the statement reads.

SPORTS

March marks what is supposed to be the beginning of the Orioles season, as spring training nears its end and Opening Day approaches. But Major League Baseball has cancelled the remainder of spring training games, as well as the first two weeks of its regular season. At this point, it is unclear when the season will begin. The news also means the cancellation of the Orioles’ planned exhibition game against the New York Mets at the Naval Academy in Annapolis.

“The Orioles organization is fully supportive of Major League Baseball’s decision to suspend Spring Training games and to delay the start of the 2020 regular season by at least two weeks,” the team said in a statement. “The health and safety of our players, fans, staff, and partners will always be our top priority.”

The Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum will remain open. According to executive director Shawn Herne, the museum is also instituting double cleaning measures and being vigilant about maintenance. The museum has an outdoor event planned around Orioles Opening Day, which will be postponed until the season officially begins.

RECREATION AND PARKS

Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski announced Thursday that while Baltimore County parks will remain open, events managed by the county’s Recreation and Parks Department will be cancelled.

Baltimore Recreation and Parks has suspended all recreational programs, rentals, permitted events, and recreational facility services from March 16 through March 27. Additionally, with the exception of the Frederick, Dorothy I. Height, Cahill at Edgewood Elementary, Walter P. Carter at Guilford Elementary, and Ft. Worthington centers, food will be served from 2-7 p.m.

SCHOOLS

At a press conference Thursday afternoon, Maryland Superintendent Karen B. Salmon announced that all public schools will be closed for two weeks starting Monday, March 16th until March 27.

PUBLIC GATHERINGS

On Friday, The Guinness Open Gate Brewery announced that it will be closed until further notice. The Baltimore St. Patrick’s Day Parade has also been postponed, as has the Under Armour Kelly St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock 5K. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced at the same Thursday press conference that all gatherings of 250 people or more are banned until further notice.

Additionally, the Sole of the City originally set for April 11 has been postponed until July 25.

The Theater at MGM National Harbor has cancelled its scheduled shows through March, and a Michael Ray and Carly Pearce Show at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races has been postponed until October 17. Tickets will be valid for this rescheduled date.

Fells Point spots Max’s Taphouse, Kooper’s Tavern, Slainte Irish Pub and Restaurant, Woody’s Cantina, Poppy & Stella, The Admiral’s Cup, The Horse You Came In On Saloon, and DogWatch Tavern have all voluntarily closed until further notice. The Admiral’s Cup’s sister property, Bookmaker’s Cocktail Club in Federal Hill will also be closed.

A number of Little Italy restaurants are also voluntarily closing, but are offering curbside and delivery options.

Hersh’s in Federal Hill has closed temporarily, and Golden West Cafe in Hampden is switching to delivery and pick-up only until further notice.

Governor Hogan has ordered the closing of all casinos, racetracks and off-track betting facilities for a to-be-determined timeframe.

Metro Gallery has postponed its weekend shows as well as a scheduled show next Friday.

The Parkway Theatre is closing from March 13 through March 26.

VOLO Baltimore, which hosts recreational sporting and bar leagues, has postponed all scheduled events through March 30.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore announced all public Masses are cancelled until further notice.

The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland has cancelled public worship services beginning March 15 until at least March 27.

The Maryland Zoo is closed until further notice.

PUBLIC LIBRARIES AND BOOKSTORES

In a message posted to Facebook, Enoch Pratt Free Library CEO Heidi Daniel announced the cancellation of all public programs until March 31. City libraries will remain open in the meantime. Daniel added that cleaning materials and hand sanitizer have been provided to Pratt staff to have on hand.

“We feel this is in the best interest of keeping both our staff and customers safe,” Daniel said.

Elsewhere, local bookstore Greedy Reeds announced on Instagram that it is temporarily closing its stores. The shops are offering same-day delivery orders of $25 or more for those within 10 miles of its Fells Point store. Staff from both shops will be on call during business hours to answer questions and accept orders by phone or email.

Hampden’s Atomic Books is taking a similar approach, closing to the public until the end of March and shutting down all events until mid-April. Employees will still be at the store for those with any questions or requests and to fulfill online orders. The shop is also offering deliveries for those living within two miles.

The Ivy Bookshop and Bird in Hand will remain open, and are taking a fluid approach to upcoming events, urging those interested to check their calendar.

PERFORMANCE SPACES

The Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center has responded to questions surrounding coronavirus with a statement as of March 12: “We intend to stay the course with our programming schedule. Extra precautions like sanitation stations, extensive cleaning and disinfecting protocols are in place. We will remain vigilant and are prepared to make decisions based on current needs, as well as in response to changing conditions.”

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) announced that it is calling off all public events until March 21. Its ticket office will contact patrons who planned to attend these events for further instructions: “Given the seriousness of this evolving situation and concern for the health and well-being of our audiences, musicians and staff, the organization has cancelled these public events as the best course of action for our local and global community, as the institution does its part to minimize the spread of this virus,” the statement reads.

The Reginald F. Lewis Museum, Baltimore Improv Group, The Strand, Arena Players, Vagabond Players, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, Rams Head Live!, Fells Point Corner Theatre, and Creative Alliance have issued similar statements.

Additionally, Creative Alliance has put a new full refund/exchange policy in place during the month of March, delayed the Baltimore Old Time Music Festival—likely until the summer—and fully cancelled the March 21 performance by the Marja Mortensson Trio. Everyman Theatre has waived ticket exchange fees and upgrade charges for the remainder of its New Voices Festival. Charm City Players has halted pre-show activities, but performances will continue as scheduled.

In a Facebook post, Ottobar announced that all events until April have been postponed.

“This was not an easy decision but felt to be the correct one,” the post reads. “The threat that COVID-19 poses is much greater than anticipated, we cannot in good conscience put the public, bands, and our staff in harm’s way.”

This post will be updated with further developments.

As early as 13 years old, Pikesville native Jason Michael Berman had a camera in his hand. He initially thought he wanted to be an actor, but he later discovered a knack for filmmaking.

“At a young age, I got really into making movies and teaching younger kids to use video equipment,” says Berman, who has dyslexia and attended Jemicy School and Friends School of Baltimore. He founded the student video programs that still stand at both schools today. “I was able to build programs around my passion. By the time I got into high school, I knew what I wanted my profession to be.”

After high school, Berman was accepted into the film program at the University of Southern California. Throughout his college years, he produced seven students’ thesis films.

“I found out really quickly that my skill set compared to all my other classmates was producing—bringing things to life, putting projects forward, and picking specific types of talent to work with,” Berman says.

Post-college, Bermanworked at talent agency William Morris before producing his first feature film, Dryland, which screened at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. In 2016, Berman returned to Sundance with Mandalay Pictures’ Birth of a Nation.

Ten years after his first trip to Sundance, Berman, now the president of Mandalay Pictures, went back to Park City earlier this year to screen Nine Days, a sci-fi epic starring Winston Duke, Zazie Beetz, Bill Skarsgård and Tony Hale. In the film, Duke’s character holds the power to interview prospective human souls as candidates for the privilege of being born. The film has received lots of positive buzz, and Berman hopes to return home to screen it at the Maryland Film Festival this spring.

“I love movies that have a coming of age component to them,” says Berman, who is in his fifth year at Mandalay, where he has also produced eight movies for Netflix. “[Nine Days] was just something we had never seen before.”

Late last month, on the heels of a Sundance Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, it was announced that Nine Days had been picked up for distribution by Sony Pictures Classics—the same studio that screened the Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith-backed Charm City Kings at the festival.

Ahead of a long rollout for Nine Days, we spoke with Berman about his Baltimore roots, the process of producing the film, and his favorite local haunts.

Have you always known that you wanted to work in the entertainment industry?
I’ve always had a passion for movie making. I think it stems from the fact that reading and writing when I was young was tough. Having dyslexia gave me this outlet to explore the world through filmmaking and telling stories. So I went right towards it and made a career out of that passion. Now, I’m 12 years into my career. It was not easy to get to this place, and it will never be easy. It’s been a constant battle. Every time you get a movie made, it’s like a miracle.

How would you describe what a producer does?
Being a producer is like planning a party for a couple thousand people. We’re in charge of making sure everything goes right—helping find and develop material, working to find filmmakers, cast, and finances, and being present during movie making to make sure we’re staying with the vision of the filmmaker. We also oversee editing, hire the entire crew, and manage budgets and tax credits. I think I’m really good at putting the pieces of a puzzle together.

How have you grown in your job?
As a producer, I have grown so much over the last 11 years. I know how to develop and deal with talent, investors, and crew better. I know how to be a better producer to a director. Every movie you do is different. There’s so many unique components—locations, storylines, relationships, and training people. You just continue to learn with different types of people and different places and parts of the world, and I think that’s one of the cool things about making movies.

With projects that you pursue or work to get made, what are you drawn to?
We look at everything in all genres. As long as we find scripts that have really compelling characters that make meaningful transformations through the course of the narrative they’re in, with distinct roles and visionary filmmakers behind them, that’s what we go after.

You were at Sundance in January for Nine Days. What’s it like to attend—are there different levels of expectations based on what you’re showing?
Yes. I’ve gone to Sundance with movies that have distribution, and I’ve gone with movies where you’re trying to sell distribution. It is really intense and a wild rollercoaster of emotions. I’m 37 now, and I had my first movie at Sundance 10 years before. It’s a lot harder the older you get. You have more experience dealing with it. What becomes harder is managing the stakes—you’re more seasoned in your career and there’s more expectation on you and that you place on yourself. For me, Nine Days was the most intense, but also the most enjoyable.

How so?
Managers and agents of our actors loved the film. People wanted to get in a room with [writer-director Edson Oda]. Out of the 25 movies I’ve produced over the past 11 years, I’ve never had so many incoming calls from agents and managers for clients requesting to meet a director. And that was before it was even financed. But people loved the writing so much that they were willing to sit their clients down with the director even though financing wasn’t closed. That is extraordinary. We were able to put together an incredibly talented group of actors to be a part of it. Everything just worked with this movie. It was meant to be, and that’s very rare in a film.

You’re hoping to bring the film back home for the Maryland Film Festival this spring. What are some of your favorite Maryland pastimes?
The most memorable place in Maryland for me is The Crab Claw in St. Michaels. I loved going there growing up. I’m a big Orioles and Ravens fan. I love Linwood’s in Owings Mills. I love boating the Chesapeake Bay—I grew up boating with my family, and we all love Kent Island, where we kept our boat. Most of my family is in Maryland, so it’s always great coming home

As the overhaul of Druid Lake Reservoir passes its projected halfway point, city planners and officials are plotting their next move in order to turn ideas into concrete action.

The process—in which two storage water tanks are being buried under the lake in an effort to increase the efficiency of water reserve turnover and, in effect, improve the quality of drinking water—got underway in June 2017. The project also includes plans for improvements and added amenities throughout Druid Hill Park, and is expected to be completed by March 2022.

“This really is about protecting the water supply for Baltimoreans,” says Councilman Leon Pinkett of Baltimore’s 7th District, which includes Druid Hill Park. “Because of the advocacy of the community and the desires of Recreation and Parks, we are trying to take what would be a public works project and make it an effort to beautify and enhance Druid Hill Park.”

The Baltimore City Department of Public Works and the city’s Recreation and Parks Department are both working on aspects of the $135 million development. Adam Boarman, the chief of capital development at Baltimore City Recreation and Parks, hopes to begin gathering community feedback this summer to catalog improvements residents would like to see. Decreasing the size of the lake—part of the plan to build the tanks at the park and avoid excavating new holes—will create additional acres of green space to be used for community activation.

Among the proposals already floated are an amphitheater for small concerts, a wildlife conservatory, and a lakeside cafe. But Boarman hopes that these discussions will spark a bigger vision.

“In developing a vision plan, we want to gather feedback from the community, look at [the redevelopment] as a regional destination, and figure out what kind of amenities people are looking for,” Boarman says. “I feel that what is proposed now is somewhat vanilla in nature and has tremendous potential.”

Boarman is in favor of expanding upon the amphitheater, citing Frank Gehry’s work at Chicago’s Millennium Park as a precedent model to draw inspiration from. He also sees an opportunity to foster new habitats and introduce fish, native plants, and turtles into the reservoir.

Meanwhile, Pinkett envisions Baltimore Symphony Orchestra concerts and creating other ways to highlight city institutions. If all goes as planned, the renovations will also result in the park becoming more accessible for recreational activities like kayaking and fishing. Another hope is to introduce improved running and biking routes.

“Druid Hill Park is one of the greatest green spaces in our city,” Pinkett says. “It could benefit from having spaces that really allow for community gathering and activating some of that green space. This construction project presents a unique opportunity to really address some access issues that have long been neglected.”

Recently, the discourse about what the park can be has evolved into a broader conversation addressing how Baltimore should approach development in city spaces overall. In February, renovations to the Druid Hill Aquatic Center totaling $10 million were approved, but there has been controversy about the proposal to build an additional parking lot across East Drive along with it.

The proposal was approved by the Baltimore Board of Estimates, but will need conditional-use approval—a permit that allows for construction that is otherwise impermissible within a zoning district—from City Council in order to continue forward. At a time when many city leaders have been leading the charge to reduce the amount of cars on the road, additional parking being approved has caused frustration.

“There is a strongly misguided belief that if we are building more capacity for this aquatic center, then we must build more capacity for parking and driving automobiles,” says Councilman Ryan Dorsey of Baltimore’s 3rd District, who has been an outspoken critic of the proposal.

For his part, Pinkett is also opposed to the parking lot, adding that it’s important to consider all options before acting. “Especially with a park like Druid Hill Park, we need to make sure that we’ve explored every potential option available to us before we settle on paving for the purpose of parking,” Pinkett says. “We should be moving people toward using other modes of transportation besides automobiles.”

In many respects, what happens at Druid Hill Park throughout the next few years could be a launching point for the city and serve as a model for future public use projects. It’s this mindset that Boarman, Pinkett, and the Department of Public Works are adapting as they enter the next stage of the redevelopment.

“In this line of work there’s a fine line between being creative and being unfeasible,” Boarman says. “If we can tow that line, then maybe we can come up with something special that serves the Greater Baltimore area. All options are on the table at this point.”

As a doctor specializing in infectious diseases at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, Paul Eder works with hospitals to advise on diagnoses and the best course of action for medical offices to take. But throughout the past few weeks, amidst the spread of a new strain of coronavirus that has made its way to the United States, he’s found himself offering lots of informal advice.

“Everybody is calling me,” Eder says. “People stop me in the hall. I had a doctor who’s going to Iceland in a week call me and ask if it was OK. I told him to wipe down the plane seat and tabletop to be safe. Hopefully I’m a resource for people and can give them reassurance.”

The fervor surrounding coronavirus has reached a fever pitch in the last week, now that cases have been reported on both coasts. On Thursday evening, Governor Larry Hogan’s office confirmed the first three cases in Maryland. All three are from Montgomery County and contracted the virus while traveling abroad.

Additionally, three students at Baltimore all-girls Jewish school Bnos Yisroel were sent home this week for having potential indirect contact with a New Yorker suffering from the virus.

As for preventative measures to ensure a clean bill of health, Eder reiterated the suggestions that have been expressed widely—following basic hygiene, washing your hands throughout the day, and covering your mouth when you cough.

Though, at the moment, coronavirus isn’t as widespread in the United States as it is in other countries, there is a prevailing sense of foreboding surrounding just how worried people should be.

In a recent Atlantic report, Harvard epidemiology professor Marc Lipsitch suggested that 40 to 70 percent of the world population are more likely than not to get the virus in the coming year, though he noted that the majority of cases could be asymptomatic or pass without medical interference in people without chronic health problems.

But that doesn’t mean that those in positions to combat the virus aren’t being vigilant in their efforts to prevent its spread.

“We’re proceeding as if there’s going to be [a confirmed case in Maryland],” Dr. Gabor Kelen, the director of Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response (CEPAR), told us earlier this week. “Because this coronavirus has had such a high profile, there’s this other contagion going around—fear. Everybody is so afraid of this thing.”

However, Kelen is quick to put the virus in perspective, especially in comparing it to the “ubiquitous” nature of influenza, which tens of thousands of Americans die from every year. He speculates that, part of the reason why coronavirus has become top of mind is because of its newness. Adding to the concern is the fact that there is currently no vaccine for the virus, and Hopkins doctors suggest it could take 12 to 18 months for one to be fully developed.

“We don’t announce every death due to influenza,” Kelen notes. “We just live with it. “But because this is new and there’s no vaccine, we get very bent out of shape.”

Before the first three local cases were confirmed, Kelen said that, if and when someone tested positive for the virus in Maryland, he and his office would have the informal channels in place to learn about it in around an hour’s time.

With an illness as wide as coronavirus, there is a network of hundreds who are involved in the planning and execution of communication efforts and strategy to ensure proper steps are taken. Johns Hopkins is also developing its own test kits for the virus as government institutions work to disseminate them to state labs.

“In an instance like this, you have to be forthright,” Kelen says. “One of the interesting issues about messaging is if you communicate too much, then you start to become ignored, and if you don’t communicate enough, then people are wondering what you’re doing. It’s a fine line.”

As for the local government response, Maryland governor Larry Hogan has requested the authority from the state legislature to transfer $50 million from the state’s rainy day fund to support efforts to combat the virus. He has also submitted a supplemental budget that earmarks $10 million for coronavirus preparedness expenses.

“If the money is used for better planning or extra testing sites instead of sites being inundated, that would be terrific,” Kelen says. “If it’s used for sheltering strategies or helping patients who are sick but don’t really need big-deal hospitalizations, that could be tremendously helpful.”

It’s this period that is perhaps the most important locally and nationally when it comes to containing the virus. If efforts are taken now to limit the its ability to spread, ideally, hospitals won’t have a lot of work to do in the coming months when it comes to treatment.

“There’s a special way to deal with a special crisis like this,” Kelen says. “We’re just going to soldier on.”

When choosing where to attend college, Emmie Starchvick made a habit of responding to any East Coast school interested in recruiting her for its golf program with a polite, “no.”

Initially, she was only interested in going to school near her southern Oregon home. But that changed when she got an email from Goucher College, which had its inaugural golf season in 2017. She’s now a junior chemistry major at the school.

“I just happened to be sitting on my mom’s bed when I got an email from Goucher,” says Emmie, whose family has longstanding ties to the school. “I asked her if she had ever heard of Goucher College, and she lit up.”

Emmie, whose real name is Emilia, is named after Emilie Doestch—her great-great grandmother—who was the second woman ever admitted to the Maryland State Bar Association, the first woman to run for city council in Baltimore City, and a suffragette who, along with several other Goucher students and alumni, was a fierce advocate for women’s voting rights.

It’s Doetsch’s efforts on the front lines of the women’s suffrage movement that brought Emmie and her mother, Karen, together on Goucher’s campus last week, as the college received an official roadside marker from the National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites (NCWHS). The recognition places Goucher on the National Votes for Women Trail, which aims to tell the untold stories of suffrage for all women.

“One of the major themes of college life at Goucher is a commitment to social justice,” says Dr. Tina Sheller, an associate professor of visual and material culture at the school. “This [marker] refocuses the spotlight on an earlier social justice movement, and connects Goucher’s past and present to the same type of commitment.”

Goucher College was a women’s institution until 1987, when it became co-ed. However, Sheller says, prior to a few years ago, the breadth of the college’s ties to the suffrage movement had previously been underreported, even by the school itself.

“This is uncovering new information,” she says. “It was an area that was not well known at all at Goucher.”

Over the course of the last few years, the professor and a group of her students have sought to change that. In 2016, Sheller was approached by Thomas Dublin, a historian and professor at Binghamton University who helps oversee the college’s Center for the Historical Study of Women and Gender. Dublin, along with his colleague, Kathryn Sklar, was editing a report entitled Women and Social Movements in the United States. Through their studies, they wanted to detail the efforts of Goucher College student suffragettes who were present at a picket near the White House in 1917. The school’s delegation at the picket was the highest of any in the country.

Sheller’s students located 13 Goucher alumni who participated in the picket, and in 2017, they presented their research and staged a large presentation to commemorate the centennial anniversary of this event. In the audience that day was Diana Bailey from the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center, who nominated Goucher for the marker.

Since the spring of last year, Sheller has been collaborating with the NCWHS to help inform the context behind the marker. Goucher’s designation is made all the more special in 2020, as this year marks the centennial anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment, which gave women the right to vote.

“This is a new way to revisit Goucher’s early and distinguished history,” Sheller says. “It’s a very important story that needs to be told. I’m hoping this will spur more research and publicity about Goucher’s early years.”

As for the Starchvick women, who were both acknowledged at the ceremony, the honor is a visual representation of their family history. Karen was heavily influenced by the stories she grew up hearing about the determined and steadfast nature of her grandmother and four great aunts. All four women had college degrees, careers, and a family. Karen even became a CPA because her great aunt, Elsa, was one, too.

“I feel like a lot of the strength that I have as a person comes from hearing these stories as a child,” Karen says. “It really made me want to be like them and do what they had done. It’s helped me a lot in becoming the woman that I am today, to know that I came from that kind of stock and those kinds of roots.”

And now her daughter, whose name itself is a marker of her family’s past, will have a reminder of her ancestors’ efforts as she walks along the campus she fell in love with.

“I think about how all my relatives went here—all these women who had courage and dedication in a time where it was so hard for women to speak out,” Emmie says. “It really makes me want to do better and do as much as I can for women. It’s just so amazing to me.”

Former Baltimore City mayor Catherine Pugh was sentenced to three years in prison and three years probation Thursday as a result of conspiracy and tax evasion charges resulting from the sale of her Healthy Holly children’s books. Prosecutors were seeking a five-year sentence, and Pugh faced a maximum of 30 years in prison. Pugh will also be forced to pay restitution to the University of Maryland Medical Center and Maryland Auto Insurance, two of the organizations she sold books to. All copies of Healthy Holly in government custody will be destroyed.

Much has been speculated upon regarding how much time—if any—Pugh would serve in prison, and if the sentence delivered by U.S. District Judge Deborah Chasnow would send a message intended to prevent further political corruption in Baltimore.

“If you hold yourself up to a higher office, you’ve got to hold yourself up to a higher standard,” says Michael B. Runnels, associate professor of law and social responsibility at Loyola University Maryland. “Mayor Pugh is just the latest in a series of mayors who have run afoul in these types of getting a hand caught in the cookie jar dynamic.”

Pugh’s dealings are the latest in a series of corruption scandals involving local officials. In 2017, Gary Brown, a Pugh aide who has also been implicated in the Healthy Holly scandal, was charged with making illegal campaign contributions. In 2018, former Maryland senator Nathaniel Oaks was sentenced to three and half years in prison on corruption charges. Earlier this year, Tawanna Gaines, a former Maryland state lawmaker, was sentenced to six months in prison for wire fraud. Also earlier this year, Cheryl Glenn, a former Balitmore state delegate, pled guilty to taking bribes for political favors.

“It gets exhausting to see this unrelenting negative press in Baltimore,” Runnels says. “It’s almost like we take one step forward and two steps back.”

When asked his thoughts on Pugh’s sentencing earlier this week, Baltimore mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young offered no comment. In a statement, City Council President Brandon Scott did not specifically share his thoughts on Pugh’s sentencing, but offered that the occasion marked “an opportunity to move forward” for her and the city.
But in the past several weeks, local politicians including Kweisi Mfume, who recently won the Democratic nomination to succeed Congressman Elijah Cummings, and friends of the mayor, like former Baltimore mayor Kurt Schmoke, have requested leniency for Pugh. On the eve of the sentencing, Pugh’s lawyers released a 13-minute video in which she asks for forgiveness. At the sentencing hearing, they referenced Pugh’s public service to Baltimore and dedication to the city as reasons why she should not receive heavy prison time.

But in issuing her verdict, Chasanow sent a clear message that the extent and depth of Pugh’s crimes warranted multiple years of prison time.

“Public corruption should be treated with great scrutiny and seriousness,” says Roger Hartley, the dean of College of Public Affairs at the University of Baltimore. “Especially in a situation like this where there was some real forethought behind selling books to large donors who might then be in a position for currying favor for contracts later with the city.”

Pugh’s sentencing wraps up an almost year-long saga, as The Sun first reported on the scandal in March of 2019. For Hartley, the conclusion of the former mayor’s trial marks the closing of a chapter, as the city looks forward toward a mayoral election.

“After this decision, so many people in the city want to move forward with a strong new mayor and a strong government that is transparent, legitimate, and trustworthy,” he says. “I think that’s what the voters, businesses, and citizens of this city are looking for right now.”

A few weeks ago, at the dedication ceremony for the new statues of Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass at the Old House Chambers of the Maryland State House in Annapolis, one of Tubman’s descendants walked up to sculptor Ivan Schwartz, president and founder of StudioEIS in Brooklyn, New York.

Schwartz, whose studio had been tasked with crafting the pieces, started to get nervous. As he saw it, the descendant’s judgment would be a litmus test for how successful the years-long process had been. Thankfully, the reception was positive.

“She told me that the way the statue shows Harriet holding her hands is the way that all the women in her family stand when they have their photograph taken,” Schwartz says. “How amazing is that?”

The statues of acclaimed writer and abolitionist Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Tubman, a fearless conductor of the Underground Railroad, arrive as the national conversation around historical symbols continues to evolve. Their commissioning by then-House Speaker Michael E. Busch and then-Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller came in the wake of the 2017 removal of a statue outside the Capitol of Roger B. Taney, a staunch defender of slavery who, as a chief justice, wrote the Dred Scott decision that denied citizenship to African Americans.

“Where the void was created, there clearly was a new impetus to fill it,” says Schwartz, whose studio has made hundreds of historical sculptures, including a depiction of George Washington resigning his military commission that sits at the State House. “We are living in a time of changing symbols. What more appropriate symbol of changing times than to install sculptures of two of the most famous Marylanders in the history of the state in the very room slavery was abolished [in the state of Maryland]?”

Catherine Arthur, the senior curator and director of the Maryland Commission on Artistic Property at the Maryland Archives, which collaborated with StudioEIS on the project, calls the two pieces of artwork “forensic sculptures,” referring to a process in which the final product is generated by studying myriad photos and gathering historical research. Schwartz and StudioEIS first met with Arthur and other stakeholders in the project to discuss where the statues would be placed and exactly which photos would be used as reference points.

Douglass is one of the most photographed figures of the 19th century, so they had plenty to choose from. But when it came to Tubman, the group decided to take a chance and use a newly discovered photo of her at a young age as her statue’s framework.

“It’s a new view of Harriet,” Arthur says of the photo, which was a joint acquisition by the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture. “Most photos of her are of when she’s very old. This showed her at a younger age in a different costume.”

After that meeting, Schwartz and his team got to work. They hired actors to dress up in costumes relative to the time Tubman and Douglass lived, and took countless photographs to use as visual aids. Those photos were then the focal point of an all-hands-on-deck meeting at the state capitol where the final blueprint was designed.

In the midst of a months-long creation process that Schwartz estimates included 20 to 25 people, they even molded the hands of Ken Morris, Jr., Douglass’s third great-grandson, to obtain the closest approximation of what his hands might look like. Interestingly, there is both recent and historical precedent for this practice. Arthur notes that, in creating the first-ever Douglass statue in Rochester, New York, Douglass’s son’s hands were used as a model. Morris has also lent his hands to additional Douglass statues.

“This is a very orchestrated process,” Schwartz says. “The communication is scrupulous. We are not historians, but it’s very important that people working on our projects are not just coming in to do their jobs, but that they know something about the people that we’re working to create. You cannot afford missteps.”

There is, of course, the conversation surrounding exactly what historical symbols can and should mean in 2020.

For the state of Maryland, honoring Douglass and Tubman in a very public and outward way is an effort to highlight their struggle and remarkable achievements. Arthur says she has been blown away by the reception to the statues, noticing more foot traffic than in the past at the Old House Chambers.

“I’ve been down in the State House, and guards that I’ve walked by and said hello to five million times have literally come over and hugged me and thanked me for my role in making this kind of recognition possible,” Arthur says. “There’s a real sense of a more balanced story being told. To see the joy with which visitors—particularly African American visitors—feel like this is an important part of their story being told and acknowledged so many years after the heroism of these two individuals—it allows the conversation to deepen.”

Rich Croce—also known by his stage name, MC Bravado—is passionate about working with organizations that teach the intersectionality of hip-hop and education. One of the local groups he works with, Beats Not Bullets, brings in instructors to teach at-risk youth how to make music and gain industry experience. The organization once sent Croce to Lake Clifton High School in Clifton Park to pass on the wisdom he’s accrued in his 17 years as an artist, and he found himself drawn to a particularly gifted student in the program.

“I [developed] an affinity [for] him,” says Croce, a former teacher at Lake Clifton. “He was a leader and ahead of the curve in the program. However, he wasn’t coming to class. I invited him to a performance I had at Baltimore Soundstage and offered to get him involved. I asked him what he thought I wanted from him, and he knew I wanted him to go to school. His attendance went up.”

It’s stories like these that Croce and his partner, Brandon Lackey—another former teacher —are hoping to use as they prepare an panel, entitled “Hip-Hop’s Emerging Educational Industry,” for the South by Southwest (SXSW) education conference, part of the larger annual music and film festival returning to Austin, Texas next month. The panel, happening on March 11, will feature a representative from the Boys and Girls Club of Baltimore, as well as content creator Michell Clark of MTV News. It will be followed up by a hip-hop showcase at SXSW on March 18 featuring artists like Wordsworth and Baltimore’s own Ollie Voso.

“Our thing has always been presenting Baltimore in a positive light to counteract any negative narrative and draw attention to the programs that are using education to reach youth,” Lackey says. “We’re highlighting those who are really trying to help young folks.”

This year, Charm City will be well-supported at the festival, as both TT the Artist’s directorial debut, and Charm City Kings—a Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith-backed film about dirt bike culture in Baltimore—are set to be screened.

As for Croce and Lackey, their partnership is rooted in music. Lackey owns a studio at Maryland Art Place downtown, where he employs engineers and teaches interns the ins-and-outs of music production. The two bonded over their similar career paths, as Lackey taught at New Hope Academy a year before Croce. They attended SXSW together last year, but they went as attendees rather than presenters.

Ahead of their panel and showcase, we spoke with the local artists about their hopes for the festival, creating music together—Croce is working on an album with Lackey that they are producing on their own label—and the niche they’ve carved out for themselves.

Which came first: making music or the idea for the panel?
BL: We had the common bond of education from the jump. It was always something we talked about. We’ve been to SXSW a bunch of times separately, but just seeing the whole edu side of what the new trends are, and then conversely what we’re doing with hip-hop—we know there’s a place for this.

Has the fact that you’ve been to the festival before helped shape your panel?
BL: Absolutely. Because there’s so many panels. It’s the same thing with the show. If you go to South by, there’s 100 shows happening all the time. It can’t just not suck—you have to do a lot to stand out. I just want it to be super engaging. It’s going to be very easy in a convention format for people to be up there and talk. But we really want to engage and connect with people and show how this is something that is really useful.

RC: Last year through a connection, I was able to play a showcase at SXSW. We were down there and networked. We had to really get ahead of the curve. We wanted to do our own event that occupied edu and music space. We were able to get someone who worked at the festival to give us a timeline and what it should look like and told us how to figure out how to pitch.

What is the relationship between music and education? How does it factor in to what you’re trying to accomplish?
BL: There’s a couple of Nas records where he says words in a different way that is [technically] the incorrect way. But that’s just a perfect example of how culture ends up influencing language. I think that’s the basis of the interaction right there. That’s where it starts. They have to work together.

RC: You could do a lesson in dialect on that. Your English lesson could be “Oh, this is dialect. Why does he say it like that? Well, he’s from New York.” You could talk about what was happening in the city at the time that made him write an introspective record about it.

Naturally the student-teacher relationship creates a bit of a power imbalance—do you think that connecting with kids over a shared interest helps remove that?
RC: The duality of this is interesting. Because kids are the keepers of what’s new and what’s cool. That can inform—even if our music is classic golden era type hip-hop, it can help give a flair to it that maybe it didn’t have before, and we can be kind of a bridge showing them what our stuff is like.

You’re establishing a commonality and they’re not looking to you as foreign. I think a lot of people that teach try to get caught up in proving they know so much. I’ve seen brilliant people flame out for that reason. You are vulnerable and you are learning together. As you continue to build that culture, that informs the music and the common ground and lets the whole ecosystem flourish.

How do you think what you’re trying to do is perceived?
RC: Hip-hop at its inception had the punk and cultural disruptor thing going. I think people only recently have accepted it as mainstream. A lot of times the everyday person who doesn’t know much about it or only knows what they hear on the radio might dismiss it in terms of its content and not really know the depth of what it can do. Getting rid of that stigma and idea is a big part of [what we’re doing]. As that continues to happen in mainstream pop culture, people are starting to see how viable hip-hop can be as a formal education tool. It had to be accepted on a grander scale.

There are certain norms in place when it comes to teaching. Do you find it’s hard to break through because of them?RC: Absolutely. I left teaching for a variety of reasons, but one of the things that bothered me was the way they set the curriculum up. It’s lined up every day for what you’re supposed to be going over and if a representative from the city walks in, they want to see you’re doing that exact thing on that date. They take so much of the autonomy and creativity out of it. How do you expect students to be treated as individuals if you’re that rigid? I get accountability, but [what we’re trying to do] can be something that helps that middle ground.

What’s the best case scenario for you with this panel?
BL: Having enough connections to do this at other festivals would be ideal. For me, it would be really cool if we meet some people who are interested in getting involved in these programs in Baltimore and to have outside representation outside of the city talking about what’s going on. If someone wants to make a difference somewhere, Baltimore is a place that could really use it.

EDITOR’S NOTE: 3/20: The bill has passed through both the General Assembly and the House of Delegates. It now awaits the signature of Governor Larry Hogan.

As discussions ramp up in the Maryland General Assembly surrounding the proposals in the Kirwan Commission—sweeping reforms in the state’s education system based off three years of study—there is a palpable sense of urgency among all those fighting to see it through.

“We have leaders who are ready to act,” says Joe Francaviglia, executive director of Strong Schools Maryland, an education advocacy group in support of the legislation. “It’s a generational moment. This is Maryland’s chance. Either we’re going to seize it, or we’re not.”

The 26-member Kirwan Commission was created by the Maryland General Assembly in 2016 with the purpose of setting a standard for education across the state and preparing students for life beyond the classroom. Its namesake, William E. “Brit” Kirwan—former president of the University of Maryland, College Park and a former chancellor of the University System of Maryland—was appointed by Governor Larry Hogan, the state Senate president, and the state House speaker to lead these efforts.

What resulted was a lengthy report examining the best schools and education systems across the world, which allowed Kirwan and his team to develop several new key ideas to help Maryland become a nationwide education leader. The bill at hand, known as the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, is purposefully comprehensive, covering issues such as increasing teachers’ salaries to a baseline of $60,000, providing access to Pre-K for all 4-year-olds and 3-year olds in low-income families, and offering career and technical services for impending high school graduates.

The first three years of funding for these proposals was approved last year by the General Assembly. Getting that same approval—and funding—for the next 10 years is what’s currently on the table.

“One of the most exciting things about this whole package is that it is a package,” Francaviglia says. “Often in our state and nation’s history, we’ve tried to find silver bullets to very complex problems, and there are no silver bullets in education. It takes systemic reform. That’s exactly what this is.”

These proposals are crafted in a way that considers how they might work in concert with each other. Essentially, advocates say, one reform’s benefits can’t fully be realized without another. Cheryl Bost, president of the Maryland State Education Association, attended a marathon hearing in Annapolis Monday, where more than 150 business leaders, educators, and advocates testified on the bill’s behalf.

“When students come and they’ve had great Pre-K and kindergarten opportunities, they are really engaged and ready to learn the same as other peers,” says Bost, who has observed this relationship at work as a 4th and 5th grade teacher at Title I East Baltimore elementary school Mars Estates. “We can’t wait another year until we make an investment in our students. This is a once in a generation opportunity for our public schools in Maryland.”

However, much has been discussed as to how exactly a decade-spanning, revolutionary $4 billion annual bill like the Blueprint is to be funded. Baltimore City would have to contribute $340 million more annually, and the total amount of spending to fulfill the program in its full term amounts to around $32 billion. Elected Democratic officials in Baltimore, and the city’s delegation in Annapolis, have expressed their commitment to fully implementing the Kirwan plan—although where the increased city funding will come from remains a question.

The bill has faced opposition from Republican leaders including Governor Larry Hogan, who called the spending proposals “reckless and irresponsible” on Facebook. He has also floated a $6,000 increase in taxes per family figure that he claims the bill would initiate, though critics have said that the variables used to arrive at this figure are questionable.

As for how the bill’s programs could be funded, there are a variety of measures being considered, from legalizing sports betting to increasing the state tobacco tax. Those in support of the legislation feel that no price should be too high to provide world-class education to Maryland’s students.

“It’s disturbing, because we’re talking about children,” says Shamoyia Gardiner, a former educator and the education policy director at Advocates for Children and Youth. “People are so ready to skew the conversation that should be about placing children at the center and focusing it on taxes. If you have childrens’ best interests at heart, then you don’t see a problem and decide that’s the end of the line.”

Throughout this process, there has been little to no opposition for the proposals contained within the bill. Rather, the disconnect is between those who want to make the legislation work at all costs, and those who have concerns about the amount of money it would take to do so.

As for when and if the bill could be passed, that will be up to the General Assembly, whose session runs through April. If the beginnings of conversations around the legislation are any indication, the passion that has engulfed the proceedings isn’t likely to die down anytime soon.

“This is not something where we can just meet halfway,” Francaviglia says. “These are fundamental and moral questions of our time. We have momentum and public opinion on our side, and a legislature who cares deeply. We can’t delay any further.”

When Raeya Linton first began gymnastics classes five years ago, her instructors knew she was a natural. They immediately recognized her talent, and had her excelling on the bar within the first few tries.

It’s this innate ability that Linton, an 11-year-old Ellicott City native, hoped would suit her well as she tried out for American Ninja Warrior Junior, a children’s spinoff of the popular obstacle course challenge show which will premiere its second season this Saturday, February 22 at 7 p.m. on Universal Kids.

Submitting an audition tape in which she conquered obstacles and showcased her gymnastics skills, Linton, who currently trains at Universal Gymnastix in Reisterstown, was chosen out of 12,000 total applicants. In a statement, American Ninja Warrior Jr. executive producer Matt Cahoon said that casting Linton was a “no brainer.” She is set to compete on the premiere episode this weekend, and should she advance into the show’s later stages, she could win up to $15,000—the prize given to its champion—with lower increments for second through fourth place.

For Linton to make it to the show’s finale, she would need to win one qualifying round and one quarterfinal round. The show has also introduced a wild card round, where a select few contestants will run the course again for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Linton first learned about the show by watching its first season on YouTube, and was encouraged by family friends to try out.

“I wanted to compete because I wanted to try something new,” she says. “It’s a way to have something different from gymnastics.”

American Ninja Warrior Junior is divided into three different age groups—9-10, 11-12, and 13-14—and one winner from each age group will square off later this summer in a finale championship round. Linton says she went into the competition without much traditional ninja preparation, but that her gymnastics training translated well onto the course—which demands dexterity, balance, and upper body strength.

“There is some muscle memory,” Linton says. “Everyone does ninja how I do gymnastics—I wasn’t thinking and just went for it.”

When Linton’s episode airs this weekend, she’ll be making a little history of her own as the first person to compete with lipodystrophy, a condition in which the body is unable to produce and maintain healthy fat tissue. For Linton, it doesn’t present any physical limitations. She hopes that by appearing on TV she can show others with her condition that they can participate in anything they set their minds to.

“If they believe in me that I can do it,” Linton says, “then they can believe in themselves.”

After filming the show, Linton has since become more involved in the local ninja community. She has been to three different gyms, and currently trains at Kinetic Ninja Warrior in Bel Air. Regardless of how she fares, Linton is still eligible to return to American Ninja Warrior Junior for a few more years, and has every intention of doing so.

“I’m doing ninja competitions to get ready for the next season,” says Linton, who can’t disclose her result until after the episode airs. “I learned that you have to practice. I definitely see myself doing this long term.”

When it comes to national politics, 2020 is a busy year. In addition to a presidential election and the selection of a new occupant of Elijah Cummings’ congressional seat, there will also be a nationwide census. The counting of every single person in America occurs once every 10 years, determining population density and dictating the amount of federal funding state and local governments receive for a wide range of programs including Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

In Maryland, preparations have long been underway to make sure every person gets counted. But the state is in a unique position, as its new census director, Lorena Rivera, has been on the job for only a few weeks. The role had been unoccupied since December, with the state’s planning department’s chief of staff, Adam Gruzs, filling in on an interim basis. Local politicians have been promoting census efforts, calling attention to just how essential getting the census right is for Baltimore and the state at large.

However, amidst criticism that Maryland is lagging behind in its efforts, Rivera—previously the Director of Hispanic Affairs in the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives—knows that there is a lot of work to do in her office, as well as across the four state Area Census Offices in Hanover, Hagerstown, Baltimore City, and Towson.

“I think this is going to be a positive census,” Rivera says. “We just want everyone to be counted—including undercounted communities that don’t know what the census is. They just need to be counted and to be able to say, ‘I’m here, I count, and I’m part of Maryland. I deserve to be here.’”

The official “Census Day,” is April 1, which is the suggested deadline for households to answer the questions on the census form to be mailed out in mid-March. As the target date approaches, we spoke with Rivera about her first few weeks on the job, what Maryland’s census efforts will look like under her leadership, and her overall goals for the weeks ahead.

Prior to stepping into your role, what had the state done to prepare for the 2020 census?
The Department of Planning has been very active for the last five years. They have been involved in projects and created a complete count committee. They have also provided support in the distribution of at least $5 million in funding and developed promotional materials in 23 languages, as well as an outreach toolkit. Me coming in is just a slice of the pie. Right now we’re just focusing on the homestretch.

What do you envision the census efforts will look like under your leadership?
What concerns us is that last census, 76 percent of people responded. We need to shrink that 24 percent. Some don’t know what the census is—a lot of that is because of fear. Our main goal is to count everyone, but we need to reach out to undercounted communities. We have our state agencies active. We have our coordinating offices active, and we are working with our interfaith leaders, county and local count committees, and local nonprofits.

Do you anticipate a learning curve?
I’ve never done a census before. I’ll be honest. But I’ve been doing community outreach and multicultural media and marketing outreach for the last 10 years. I know all the community leaders here and how this area works. I’ve been passionate about those underserved communities. I’m very aware of what’s going on and what the communities need, so I don’t think there’s a learning curve. I think me just jumping in was absolutely fine. I didn’t have to learn anything. I just had to learn the language of the census.

How do you plan to increase the amount of people counted?
This is really a grassroots effort. We are working from the ground up. We are out in the community, partnering with community leaders, providing them with resources, and identifying where those locations are. Right now that’s Prince George’s County, Baltimore City, and some areas in Montgomery County. We are also using our state agencies who interface with so many people. They have the information that can empower individuals.

Was there anything you wanted to come in and change in your assessment of the department’s efforts?
Absolutely not. I just knew that we had to get people counted. I knew that there were people that were undercounted. In the past, there was a lot of fear around the citizenship question, which is no longer on the form. Now it’s all about educating everyone that their information is not going to be shared. A lot of people don’t trust the government, but we are here to tell everyone that it’s alright not to trust us. But try listening to your community leaders and to those people that you trust. Compared to 10 years ago, I feel very comfortable and positive that our numbers are going to go up. I’ve only been in this role for a few weeks now and have been to a handful of [government] events. There’s nothing that I would change. I think that our timelines are exactly where they need to be.

How do you respond to the criticism about where efforts in Maryland stand?
We definitely take it into account. In my role, I’m here to listen to everyone. I like to listen to positive and negative feedback. We are here to work with everyone and find a solution. We are here to listen to all of their suggestions.

What do you want people to know about why the census is necessary?
We just want people to know that the census is important, easy, and safe. Every person in Maryland that is not counted costs the state $18,250 over ten years. That’s a lot of money. We want people to know that the fewer responses we have, the less funding we have for their communities. This type of funding is for healthcare services, children’s education, hospitals, libraries, services for seniors, and even for expanding businesses. It’s vital for us to grab onto these funds because it creates a livelihood for our community. And it’s not only for us at the present moment, but it’s for our children and our future.

Throughout the recent discussions surrounding the redevelopment of Lexington Market, led by Baltimore-based development firm Seawall, preserving its integrity and ensuring the safety of the community have been at the forefront. The longest continually running market in the United States has remained open—and will remain open during construction—in the midst of considerations about its next chapter.

That journey will officially begin with a groundbreaking ceremony featuring remarks by Governor Larry Hogan and Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young on Tuesday, February 18.

At the most recent in a series of public meetings in the market’s arcade building last week, city leaders and developers gave a status update on the project to 150 attendees. A panel featuring members of law enforcement and government officials, including councilman Eric Costello and City Council President Brandon Scott, addressed streetscape safety, environmental concerns, and stakeholders’ plans to tackle these issues.

“There’s fear and hope in the community,” says Pickett Slater Harrington, head of Seawall’s community engagement team who served as the meeting’s moderator. “There is this fear of things changing. Lexington Market has been around for 230 years, and it’s personal to people and part of the fabric of Baltimore.”

The transformation of Lexington Market is a $40 million dollar project funded by New Market Tax Credits, bank loans, city grants, and a $2 million contribution from the market itself. Plans call for a new market building constructed on the current south parking lot, the demolition of the arcade building to pave the way for a pedestrian plaza on Lexington Street, and the salvaging of the East Market in a phase two redevelopment. The current structure will remain open during renovations and the full revamp is slated to be completed by 2021.

At last week’s meeting, attendees submitted comment cards with pressing questions such as how to combat potential crime, create sustainable change in safety measures, and curb drug dealing in the area. The common thread of city leaders’ answers to these questions was a need for collaboration.

“Lexington Market is a Baltimore asset,” Slater Harrington says. “To have city leadership sit here and say that they’re invested in Lexington Market is huge symbolically. That’s important in developing a vision for an institutional icon.”

City leaders were also asked to share their vision for the market. Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young harkened back to memories of visiting the market in its “glory days” with his grandmother. Major Daryl Gaines, Commanding Officer of the Baltimore Police Department’s Central District, evoked Disney World in describing the type of attraction the market could become for locals and outside visitors.

Creating this type of environment is a multifaceted process, but it will perhaps be most defined by the vendors that inhabit the space.

“This is one of the most diverse communities in Baltimore City,” says Kristen Mitchell, executive director of Market Center Merchants Association, a nonprofit that promotes commerce and works to attract businesses in a 27-block area around Lexington Market. “We want to make sure that the vendors reflect that diversity.”

The vendor selection process will begin in March with two rounds of applications to fill the 60 permanent slots available. Seawall has said that it will place an emphasis on highlighting businesses run by women and those from African American and immigrant communities. Slater Harrington adds there will be three different types of vendors, including those who offer fresh food and produce, prepared food stalls, and specialty retail. Applications are open to anyone interested, and current vendors still in operation will have the opportunity to opt-in.

“Existing vendors love the market, and they’re ready for us to invest in them,” Slater Harrington says. “They’ve been with the market in its ups and downs—everything that we’re creating for the new market, we’re creating as a support system for those existing businesses so they can transition and move into the market.”

From the merchants’ perspective, Robert Thomas, executive director for Baltimore Public Markets, says that vendors are most concerned about the timeline moving forward and whether or not they will be accepted into the new building once it’s complete.

“Change is not something that people look forward to,” Thomas says. “[Some merchants] have routines that they’ve been in for 15 or 20 or 30 years, and it’s worked for them. This is a different animal now. We’re really trying to manage the transition so that people land on their feet or at least know in which direction they’re headed.”

Thomas also says that the renovation and subsequent opening of the new market could be a natural marker for longtime vendors to step aside. “There is a natural attrition we expect to take place,” he says.

As for the immediate future, following the groundbreaking ceremony next week will be the next quarterly meeting centered around community programming and preserving the market’s history in three months.

“Baltimore as a city is at a decision point,” Slater Harrington says. “We’re deciding what type of city we’re going to be. Are we going to be a city with opportunity and access to some, or a city with opportunity and access for all? We’re thinking about that every day in every decision that we make with Lexington Market.”

Chris Evans is perhaps best known for playing Captain America, and lately, he’s been placing the emphasis on the “America” part of that moniker.

Evans has been making the rounds on Capitol Hill in an effort to raise awareness about his new project, A Starting Point, which explains political concepts in the form of short video clips starring politicians across the country. He’s been connecting with lawmakers over the course of several months, and this past week, he met with Governor Larry Hogan.

In a tweet posted from his account, Hogan displayed his support for Evans’ efforts.

“I still believe that in spite of all that divides us in America today, there is far more that unites us,” Hogan wrote.

Hogan is the chair of the National Governors Association, and he was front and center at the organization’s winter meeting this past weekend. The event is a way for governors to meet with federal leaders and talk about the issues in their state, and it was there that Evans and Hogan crossed paths.

“I had a great time talking with Chris Evans during the NGA Winter Meeting,” Hogan said in a statement provided to Baltimore. “I’m looking forward to the launch of his project and glad I was able to represent the nation’s governors and our mission of bipartisan political discourse.”

In a Wired magazine cover story last month, the politically-minded Evans explained that he often found himself confused when trying to research the topics that made up the news of the day.

Partnering with actor and director Mark Kassen and Joe Kiani, founder and CEO of medical technology company, Masimo, Evans developed the initiative to divide big-picture political issues up by category (immigration or education, for example), and provide breakdowns on each.

The project’s format is centered around politicians explaining their position on these issues in digestible one-minute videos. It also provides links to contact local representatives and an updated list of “trending topics.” As for the extent of Governor Hogan’s involvement, that will be revealed when A Starting Point is officially up and running.

Evans has recorded more than 1,000 videos for the project, which is set to launch in March. If successful, he told Wired, the project will “reduce partisanship and promote respectful discourse.”

Esther Armstrong was ready to retire. For the woman fondly known as “Mama Kiki,” 25 years at the helm of Sankofa Africa & World Bazaar—which sold African artwork, relics, and cultural touchstones in Charles Village—had taken its toll.

But any time she brought up the idea of retirement in passing to her customers, they worriedly expressed their concerns about losing a place specifically devoted to their heritage.

For this reason, Armstrong felt that she couldn’t just close the store and leave it dormant, but she was ready for a change. While hosting an educational program for schoolchildren at the store in February 2016, Armstrong became inspired by the kids’ enthusiasm to connect with their African heritage, and started brainstorming what a permanent project centered around this idea could look like.

“I told [my husband, Jim Clemmer] that this is not something you do once a year,” Armstrong says. “These children were thirsty for knowledge. I watched them go on the drum and dance and feel like they were in heaven.”

Two weeks ago, her idea was realized when the Sankofa Children’s Museum of African Cultures officially opened its doors in Park Heights. The space is now open Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for school group tours in two independent sessions from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Weekend tours are also offered for visitors on the hour.

The museum is the lauded as the first of its kind in the United States dedicated to educating and inspiring African American children—and their families—to reconnect with their past, as well as teach the public about an often forgotten and misunderstood history.

“The idea is to give people some fundamental information about Africa,” Armstrong says. “We want to let these children know about ancient civilizations, but also take them into modern Africa.”

Sankofa’s main gallery is divided among different geographic regions of Africa, painting a wide-ranging picture of the continent’s culture. Exhibits include a life-sized hut you might see in Burkina Faso, a fish trap from Sierra Leone, and masks and cloth worn by different African tribes. Armstrong’s store also lives on as the museum’s gift shop, selling African clothes, artwork, and souvenirs.

Borrowed from Armstrong’s shop, the name “Sankofa” comes from Adinkra, which are symbols used extensively among the people of Armstrong’s homeland of Ghana. The sankofa symbol has multiple meanings, but the most popular is a bird with its head turned reaching for an egg, which represents “going back and learning from history in order to be able to move forward,” Armstrong says. The museum’s mission statement is rooted in this idea, providing a resource that filled a need locally.

Museum director Deborah Mason first connected with Armstrong about the project when Mason came to settle a contract for her late husband’s artwork, which was sold in the store. Together, the two want to bridge the gap for African Americans who haven’t had an outlet to connect with their culture and roots, as well as those who might need some convincing to engage with their mission.

“People fighting demons in their head about who they are are going to hold back until someone else tells them they should go,” Armstrong says. “Those more inclined to embrace their heritage and culture are the ones that will visit first.”

The organizers hope that those who are among the first wave of visitors will act as a buffer for anyone who might be reticent.

“As an African American, part of our history in this country has been to wipe our brains clean of who we were,” says Mason, who helped start Port Discovery Children’s Museum and the National Children’s Museum in the National Harbor. “And it worked in a lot of cases. But for children in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s—where freedom was fought for and gained in certain areas—their minds were freed and they were reaching back on their own. There are people who have always wanted this, but we don’t know each other. The museum gives the opportunity for folks to really have a place to blossom and to create a home where like minds are appreciated.”

For students who come on tours, organizers want to ensure that the museum experience isn’t just a lecture. Mason has dubbed a room adjacent to the gift shop the “Culturetorium,” which is stocked with African instruments and giant puzzle pieces in the shape of African countries as a way to quiz students on geography.

“I am very aware based on my experience running a culture shop for 25 years how little people know [about Africa],” Armstrong says. “There are many people who don’t have an identity. That’s part of the crisis with the children here—they don’t know who they are and have nothing to hold on to.”

In addition to the kids, Armstrong has noticed visceral reactions among adults who now have a space to see their culture reflected back to them. She and Mason are working on creating programming for those without kids to visit, as well.

Overall, the organizers want to spread the gospel of Africa for the community at large in an effort to inspire introspection into the culture.

“With my experience owning the shop and talking to people, I realized we have to tell our own story,” Armstrong says. “A lot of the good information about Africa is missing.”

Four months after Congressman Elijah E. Cummings passed away, a special primary is being held to fill his vacant seat on Tuesday, February 4. The 7th district seat has long been a Democratic stronghold, and its next holder will continue to build upon Cummings’ legacy. There have been a number of candidates, 24 Democrats and eight Republicans, who have declared their intention to run for the seat in the special election, for which voters can view polling places here.

“The fact that there’s 32 candidates is extraordinary,” says Matthew Crenson, a retired Johns Hopkins University political science professor and author of several books about Baltimore. “It suggests a degree of political entropy or disintegration.”

Crenson also speculates that the large candidate pool might be due to the fact that the district expands beyond the city. The winner of each primary will become the party nominee for a special election to finish the remainder of Cummings’ term on April 28, the same day as Maryland’s primary elections.

However, since a regular primary will be held that same day, a candidate could lose the special primary today but still become the party nominee for a November election to determine a full two-year term congressperson.

As it stands, the presumptive favorites in tomorrow’s special primary are democrats including Congressman Cummings’ widow Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, former NAACP leader Kweisi Mfume, and Maryland state senator Jill Carter.

But Crenson says that there is not much that wouldn’t surprise him. The large field could even open the door for someone like University of Baltimore law professor F. Michael Higginbotham, a political unknown who has had a heavy television presence. Delegates Talmadge Branch and Terri Hill of Districts 45 and 12, respectively in the Maryland House of Delegates, are also in the running.

Though it is likely to be a tough climb, among the eight Republican challengers is Liz Matory, who ran an unsuccessful campaign for Congress against Dutch Ruppersberger in 2018, and Kimberly Klacik—who runs a nonprofit to assist disadvantaged women and has increased her media profile with appearances on Fox News and other conservative media networks.

“The winner will win with a relatively low percentage of the vote—maybe even with a minority or mere plurality,” Crenson says. “What would surprise me most is if somebody managed to win with a majority of the vote.”

Here, we break down the three Democratic frontrunners and the developments in their campaigns since they first entered the race.

Kweisi Mfume

Experience: Mfume, who held the 7th District Congressional seat from 1987-1996 before Congressman Cummings, was a national NAACP leader from 1996-2004. After an unsuccessful campaign for Senate in 2006, losing out to Ben Cardin, he moved on to his current roles as chairman of the board of regents at Morgan State University and as vice chair on the board of Research America.

Platforms: Mfume has said that his tenure would be marked by improving education and eradicating drugs. During his earlier congressional tenure, he was selected to chair the Congressional Black Caucus, fought for prorated rents in public housing on the basis of real income rather than net income, and fought against discrimination in its many forms.

In mid-January, a Baltimore Sun story highlighted previous sexual harassment and nepotism allegations during his leadership of the NAACP. Mfume has denied being forced out of his position.

Predictions: Despite the allegations, he remains a leading candidate for the seat. Mfume has also drawn strong female support—Cummings’ sisters have even endorsed their late brother’s longtime friend who spoke at their brother’s funeral.

“I sort of expected that one or another candidate would emerge by this time as the universal favorite but that’s not happened—I thought it would be Mfume,” Crenson says. “The fact that he’s held this seat before and has name recognition helps him. I wouldn’t count him out at all.”

Maya Rockeymoore Cummings

Experience: Rockeymoore Cummings is not running off the strength of her husband’s name alone. She has government experience, previously serving in the late 1990s as the chief of staff to former New York Rep. Charles B. Rangel. Prior to that, she also served in the House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee as a professional staffer.

In 2018, when Councilman Cummings was suffering from health problems, Rockeymoore Cummings dropped out of the race for Maryland governor. Later that year, she was elected as the chair of the Maryland Democratic Committee, though she was criticized for the party’s overspending during her tenure.

Platforms: In her campaign announcement in November, Rockeymoore Cummings pledged to tackle gun violence and education disparities, as well as expand social security.

Predictions: Despite her name recognition, Rockeymoore Cummings has failed to pull ahead in the race in the way many expected when she announced her candidacy.

“She is not perceived by many Baltimoreans as a local person,” Crensons says. “There’s also the perception that there’s a coolness between her and the Cummings family.”

Jill P. Carter

Experience: Senator Carter represents Maryland’s 41st legislative district. She is the daughter of the late civil rights leader Walter P. Carter and formerly acted as director of the Baltimore Office of Civil Rights. Given her resume, she is viewed by many of her progressive supporters as a potential successor to Cummings on civil rights issues.

There are currently no women serving in Maryland’s congressional delegation, and if elected, Carter—or Rockeymoore Cummings—would be the first woman to hold this representative seat.

Platforms: In announcing her candidacy, Carter said that, if elected, she hopes to fight for issues she has long been passionate about, including corrupt policing, education, mass incarceration, and eradicating lead from homes and water.

Predictions: This past weekend, Carter picked up an endorsement from the Baltimore Sun editorial board, who commended her advocacy in the criminal justice system and longtime service of the city. As Crenson sees it, Carter’s candidacy marks an inflection point that could be an illustration of where Democratic politics in the state of Maryland stand nationally.

“She’s a Bernie Sanders voice,” Crensons says. “There are probably many Baltimoreans who think we need something like that now—especially given the stagnation of most people’s incomes and the presidency of Donald Trump. For many people, Jill Carter represents something new.”

For Marylanders, the mere mention of Old Bay elicits an almost Pavlovian response. The state’s beloved McCormick & Co. seafood seasoning has inspired tons of hometown merchandise, made its way into local beers and desserts, and even become one of the most common tattoos inked onto passionate Baltimoreans.

And on Wednesday, when McCormick announced what was supposed to be a gradual month-long rollout of its new limited-edition Old Bay Hot Sauce, that loyalty was on display once again, as the company’s website crashed in the midst of selling out its entire online supply.

“I feel like we took down the Internet,” says Laurie Harrsen, senior director of public relations and consumer communications at McCormick & Co., which is based in Hunt Valley. “Old Bay fans are incredibly passionate. Anytime they can show their love for it—and in this case get their hands on something that’s limited edition—they will go to the ends of the Earth.”

By the afternoon, a resale market had popped up on eBay, with some listings selling the sauce for more than $100. “It’s a compliment, but we don’t want people to have to to get their hands on it,” Harrsen says.

Because of this, the team is quickly working to restock the online store as soon as possible—you can even sign up for stock updates. In addition to buying online, beginning in February, 10 oz. bottles of the hot sauce at a suggested retail price of $3.49 will appear at local retailers including Acme, Giant, Food Lion, Martin’s, Safeway, Wegmans, and Weis. It will also be featured at to-be-determined restaurants across town. Though, in the midst of the mania that surrounded the Wednesday launch, McCormick might have to reconsider supply and strategy.

“We might have a different conversation moving forward,” Harrsen says. “When we planned everything out, everything was going to be moving forward over the course of the next month or so.”

For McCormick, this is obviously a good problem to have. As for what to expect next, Harrsen says to watch Old Bay’s social channels, assuring that the hot sauce—which McCormick experts say pairs well chicken wings, nachos, dips, and Bloody Marys—supply will meet its demand.

“The Internet works so well for when people are passionate about something and they want to share and talk about it—it’s the sweet spot,” Harrsen says. “We understand that everyone is passionate about Old Bay and the hot sauce, and we’re going to do everything we can to fill that need.”

The list of things that President Trump has referenced on Twitter is so vast, that it has almost become a rite of passage for politicians and celebrities to draw his ire.

And on Tuesday morning, after an appearance on Fox News in which he called for witnesses in the president’s ongoing impeachment trial, Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen was added to that list. In a tweet calling Van Hollen a “no name Senator,” the president lamented both Van Hollen’s appearance, as well as his news channel of choice’s decision to have him on its airwaves.

“I thought it was interesting that he said ‘no name Senator’ and then provided my name,” Van Hollen says. “I know the president likes to watch Fox News, and apparently he was watching. I was saying that I thought it was important that we call key witnesses as part of getting to the truth in this [impeachment] trial. Apparently President Trump was offended.”

Van Hollen notes that he goes on Fox frequently, as he feels it’s important to reach people across different cable channels. He doesn’t think directly about the fact that the president might be watching when he does appear on Fox, but, as evidenced Tuesday, that is often the case. And a little more than an hour after the president’s tweet, Van Hollen issued a rebuttal.

“I think it’s important not to allow a tweet directed at me not to go unanswered,” Van Hollen says. “Obviously the president is trying to silence people like me by telling Fox not to let us go on. I think it’s important to respond and I also thought it was appropriate, since we’re engaged in the search for the truth, to welcome the president to the Senate and tell his story.”

Van Hollen and his Senate colleagues are currently mired in a testy impeachment trial, one in which Democrats are currently hoping to sway at least four Republicans to their side in order to get the votes to subpoena witnesses. Procedures and rules were set in place last week for the Senate trial, which has extended for hours each day. As Van Hollen notes, this mandates a reserve of endurance as senators weigh both sides’ arguments.

“Everyone needs their sugar fix after four or five hours straight on the Senate floor,” Van Hollen says. “They are long hours, but it’s an important moment for our country. I think everybody has a responsibility to pay attention, weigh the evidence, and make a decision.”

Van Hollen is also in a unique position in the trial. On the first day of the Senate portion, he offered an amendment to the resolution of the rules, in which the Chief Justice of the United States, John Roberts—who is presiding over the trial—would have first ruling on allowing witnesses and documents. This would not preclude the Senate from overruling the Chief Justice.

“The proposal does not take away the senate’s ability to override the chief justice by a majority vote,” he explains. “It would just require in the first instance the chief justice to make determinations on witnesses and documents.”

Though the amendment was struck down in its first introduction, Van Hollen says that, in the wake of new evidence uncovered in former National Security Advisor John Bolton’s upcoming book, he is considering reintroducing it. “[It’s] an impartial way to decide which witnesses have relevant testimony.”

The next two days of the trial will now consist of two, eight-hour question and answer sessions from each of the 100 senators. Van Hollen will ask at least one question of the many he has submitted to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office. But, as the day ends, he is taking stock of what has been a whirlwind—one in which he found himself in the president’s crosshairs.

“It’s a crazy day,” Van Hollen says. “When you get in an exchange with the president, it raises the stakes. If this results in more people watching my interview on Fox News, I welcome that.”

Over the course of 12 days in November 2016, United Maryland Muslim Council director Mubariz Razvi and his wife were camped at the University of Maryland Medical Center’s shock trauma ward. Their adopted 23-year-old son, Ali Shah, was suffering from sepsis, on life support, and unfortunately, didn’t have much time left to live.

Around a week into agonizing over Shah’s health, a woman saw that the ward doorway was clear, walked into the room, and rudely confronted Razvi.

“She blatantly stood a foot away from my face and said, ‘You don’t belong here,’ and ‘Get out of here,’” Razvi recounts. “The shocking thing was that, if she was in that area, that means that she had a family member in the same ward.”

The situation escalated to a point where the woman threatened to call hospital security on Razvi, who had simply been tending to his family. Razvi turned the tables, enlisting security himself. The woman fled before she could be questioned.

“That is an example of what security systems can do for you when they’re in place,” Razvi says. “It deterred her from going any further.”

Since that event almost three years ago, similar incidents and others much worse have become more commonplace. There has been a stark rise in hate crimes across the country, according to reporting by the FBI. It’s for this reason that religious institutions and community businesses have become more proactive in ensuring the safety of their congregants and patrons. More than $3 million in aid from the same grant program has been provided to these institutions in the past year. But as lawmakers see it, as the danger grows, so too does the need to increase funding to support these efforts.

Earlier this month, Maryland congressmen John Sarbanes, Ben Cardin, and Chris Van Hollen introduced a proposal to quadruple federal funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program from $90 million to $360 million in the 2021 fiscal year. The program, established in response to 9/11, is designed to provide security assistance to religious and community nonprofits at high risk of terrorist attacks across the country. Its promotion has been co-signed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

“Our overriding goal has to be to reduce the number of hate crimes that are being committed,” says Van Hollen, who served as a representative for Maryland’s 8th District from 2003-2017 before being elected to the U.S. Senate. “That’s the most important thing we can do to help reduce people’s fears. But, to the extent that you can provide a more secure environment, people can feel more safe in practicing their religion or going about their daily lives.”

Given the increasing prevalence of hate crimes across the country, government leaders say they need to both institute stronger measures to try to prevent such crimes, while also providing appropriate assistance to respond to attacks.

“It would be irresponsible not to take steps to protect places that we know have been targets of hate crimes,” Van Hollen says. “We need to be confronting [the increase] in two ways. One is to bring the different faith communities together in solidarity to speak out against hate crimes. The second thing we need to do is to provide protection for places of worship and other places that are targeted.”

One of the many reasons there is a sense of urgency surrounding this problem is that it’s not just affecting one community. Elissa Sachs-Kohen, the rabbi at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation for the last 16 years, says anti-Semitic crimes remain an increasing concern in the Jewish community. Baltimore Hebrew Congregation was one of many Maryland institutions that received part of the more than $3 million funds from the grant program in the past year.

“The Jewish community feels more at-risk than it has in many years,” Sachs-Kohen says. “In my Rabbinic tenure, there’s always been a very low-level hum. There are people who hate Jewish people and who might choose to do something about that hatred. It’s no longer a low-level hum.”

Among the suggestions for how to use the funds include increasing physical security presence and surveillance, as well as fencing around places of worship. Leaders also hope that talking about these issues will help members of their communities, and the community at-large, to understand why these attacks are happening and what they can do to combat them.

“I think that what [calls to increase funding] also point to is this has been a neglected area in the past,” Sachs-Kohen says. “Whenever you’re looking at something quadrupling, it suggests maybe that there wasn’t as much as a need before, but it also suggests that we were not doing our due diligence before.”

Van Hollen serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Maryland 2nd District Representative Dutch Ruppersberger, who has also been a part of this initiative, serves on the House Appropriations Committee. The two plan to collaborate with their colleagues to put together a workable funding resolution for the 2021 fiscal year, hoping for approval in both the House of Representatives and U.S. Senate later this year.

Even so, for Razvi, these ideas are short-term solutions to a larger problem, one that he hopes one day will be left in the past.

“With additional funding, I definitely believe it will help us keep houses of worship secure,” he says. “But at the same time, there has to be a change of opinion in the public’s mind that, we might speak a different language, we might look different, but we’re all one humanity and one human race.”

For producer Caleeb Pinkett, filmmaking is a bit of a family business. His half-sister is Jada Pinkett-Smith, and her husband, Will, happens to be one of the biggest movie stars in the world.

But when the time came to make Charm City Kings, a feature-length film depicting Baltimore’s dirt bike culture based on Lotfy Nathan’s acclaimed documentary 12 O’Clock Boys, the pair made it clear to Pinkett that it was his production to steer. A year and a half since production wrapped, that vision is paying off, as the film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27.

“[Jada and Will] were very supportive of what we were trying to do,” Pinkett says of the film, backed both by Sony Pictures Classics and Smith’s production company, Overbrook Entertainment. “They were also conscious in choosing not to come and be on the set because they really wanted me to take the reins.”

The team, led by director Angel Manuel Soto, filmed primarily in West Baltimore in the fall of 2018 for a month-long shoot. Calling upon Stand by Me and A Bronx Tale for inspiration, the story follows teenager Mouse (Jahi Di’Allo Winston), a 12 O’Clock Boy who dreams of joining the fictional Midnight Clique. Meek Mill—who shot the movie almost immediately after being released from prison—appears as Blax, the leader of the clique. Barry Jenkins, writer and director of the Oscar-winning film Moonlight, has a story credit.

“This movie had to be shot in Baltimore,” says Pinkett, who spent childhood summers in the city. “I hope the city loves it and we represented it in a light that people can be proud of.”

We caught up with Pinkett, stationed in Park City, Utah ahead of the film’s premiere, to talk about the movie, its production, and why Baltimore gave it the edge it needed.

What’s your Baltimore background?
My father was born and raised in Baltimore. His entire side of the family is from Baltimore, and my grandfather is from Salisbury.

How did you first get attached to Charm City Kings?
One of my employees that works for us over at Overbrook, Clarence Hammond, went to the screening of 12 O’Clock Boys at South by Southwest’s film festival [in Austin] years ago and thought it was great. I watched it and loved it. We had to get the rights to it. After that it took more than a few years to find a story that actually worked. The documentary was about a little boy who wanted to ride with the 12 O’Clock Boys. But it wasn’t a real story. We had to create a story completely separate from the documentary and make it its own creation.

What are the challenges of adapting a documentary versus writing a script from an original idea?
A documentary a lot of times is not a complete beginning, middle, and end story. It’s usually showcasing someone and their life and a particular challenge. Documentaries just need to tell you about the person. Because of that, we didn’t have a story, so we actually had to create one.

What’s it like to be selected for Sundance?
I was very surprised and pleased. Our movie is rated R. How real 13-year-old kids in Baltimore get down—that’s what this movie is showing. The head of Sundance called us directly and said it had to be at the festival. They put it in competition. I didn’t even want to put it in competition—I was just happy with it coming [to Sundance]. I’m really pleased with it, because it’s like having an explicit rap album nominated for album of the year against Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars.

Has Barry Jenkins been a part of the project from the beginning?
Barry came on the project around five years ago when he did his first draft. He had written our script and we really liked it. He planned to finish another draft, but first went to make his passion project, Moonlight. The rest is history. When we came back, he had a lot of things on his plate. By that time we were already moving full steam ahead with a draft that we believed worked, so that’s when we found [co-writer] Sherman Payne. He was able to accomplish some of the other things we wanted to do with the story.

12 O’Clock Boys is very raw and deliberate in its pacing—were there efforts to emulate that with Charm City Kings? Or did you want it to exist by itself?
We wanted it to stand on its own. We’re getting a theatrical release, so we wanted to give it a little bit of that slight polish. But we still wanted the rawness, which is why I demanded we shoot in Baltimore. There’s a certain look and feel to Baltimore that you can’t do in Atlanta or Toronto, or Louisiana. It would be inauthentic for this story and reek of untruth. It had to be shot in Baltimore. That was a reason why everybody in the movie that rides are real riders in Baltimore.

That’s interesting—so there were no stunt doubles?
Ninety-eight percent of riders in the film are real Baltimore riders. Jada sent me the Instagram of [renowned local rider Wheelie Queen] and told me to put her in the movie. Wheelie Wayne was also instrumental in the making of this movie as far as getting riders. He’s the godfather. If he says show up, riders are showing up.

With a film like this that explores a niche culture native to one city, there is going to be a strong sense of place. How did this affect how you depicted Baltimore?
Baltimore is 100 percent a character in this movie. The same way that Gotham City is a character in Batman and there’s just a gothic looking feel to everything that makes it distinctly Gotham, Baltimore has that. There’s no other city that looks quite like it.

There’s a TV series called Lost Kings that addresses a similar subject matter to that of the film—were there any worries about creating confusion?
No, we actually didn’t [worry]. We were juggling what the name of the movie should be. And Will came up with Charm City Kings. I didn’t even think about Lost Kings.

What was it like filming in West Baltimore?
It was an adventure within itself. Baltimore is raw. We’re shooting and somebody comes out of their house and starts yelling in the middle of the shot—asking for money, walking through the shot and not caring. We just kept a lot of people in the movie. I allowed them to be in the background. The more inclusive we were, the better it was.

Did you have any favorite spots to eat or visit while you were on location?
We had catering, so I didn’t go to a lot of restaurants. My assistant on the movie, Shay Franklin, is from Baltimore. There was a guy that was doing our craft services. He was connected with a man who lived around the corner from our set who made the best Old Bay honey wings and crab cakes. Lord Have Mercy! I would just feed everybody. Old Bay makes everything taste better.

Charm City Kings had its world premiere January 27 at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won a U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast. It is set for limited release April 10 with a wide theatrical release April 17. There are plans for an advanced Baltimore screening in partnership with The Ed Reed Foundation. More details will be released in the weeks to come.

Most people know Connie Johnson as, “Chef Connie.” She’s earned the title after more than 20 years of experience in local kitchens, once serving as an executive chef at Ciao Bella—now known as Lew Gambino’s—in Little Italy.

But in her current position as the assistant manager of food and hospitality services at the University of Maryland Medical Center’s (UMMC) midtown campus, Johnson takes on more of a supervisor role. Her main focus is collaborating with chefs to ensure the food served is compatible with a given patient’s diet.

Johnson loves the work, but also enjoys being the person in charge of a kitchen. In one week’s time, she’ll have the opportunity to do that on a large scale as she heads to Miami to cater events leading up to Super Bowl LIV. It was announced last week that Johnson, through connections at Lew Gambino’s, was selected as one of several Baltimore-area chefs heading down south for the football festivities.

“I’m a woman who knows the art [of cooking] and puts her heart into it,” Johnson says. “I want this to be about Baltimore and all the chefs going to the Super Bowl.”

In Miami, she’ll focus mainly on appetizers. Fig prosciutto bruschetta, as well as a sirloin with horseradish cream sauce, shaved onions, and olives, are some of the menu highlights. She’ll be cooking at a party for wives of the National Football League, a celebrity gala, a dinner with NFL Legends, and other private events.

A West Baltimore native through and through, Johnson attended Western High School, and has spent most of her life in the city—which is why she’s made it a priority to give back to her hometown.

For a while, she ran a culinary program, “Vegetable Time,” at Calvin M. Rodwell Elementary School in West Baltimore to teach kids how to cook gourmet meals. An initiative that started with 25 students grew to 100-plus, drawing the attention of the Obama White House, which sent its chef to learn more. Subsequently, HBO sent a crew to film a segment on the program as part of its four-part obesity documentary, The Weight of the Nation.

These opportunities have allowed her to further her work helping kids understand how to cook and choose a healthy lifestyle. Through the publicity that came with the documentary, she was able to secure funding to start a free sports and culinary-focused summer camp at the Gwynn Oak United Church’s community center.

After a snag with funding, Johnson was forced to stop organizing the camp a few years ago, but she hopes that cooking at the Super Bowl will help boost her profile and get the program up and running again. And, with the recent renovation of Calvin M. Rodwell into a 21st-century school with brand new facilities, the timing is right.

“I’m not a celebrity chef,” Johnson says. “I don’t want the notoriety. This is a way for funders to know that I’m still here—having events for these children is my ultimate goal. I want my art to provide a safe place for children with nowhere to go in the summer.”

But before that can happen, Johnson has a full plate ahead of her. She says that, while it’s an honor to be selected, the high expectations she has for herself are no different as she prepares for the Super Bowl. In total, the events are a way for her to show off her skills to a larger audience, and do some good in the process.

“It means a lot to me to represent Baltimore,” Johnson says. “I believe in the good of this city. I just want to do what I do and make people smile through my food.”

For Karen Stokes, CEO of Strong City Baltimore—a 50-year-old nonprofit that prides itself on fostering civic engagement, job creation, and strengthening neighborhoods—there is one word that comes to mind when detailing the once-decrepit state of the organization’s new home at the A. Hoen & Co. Lithograph Building in East Baltimore. She describes its former condition as a huge “blight” on the neighborhood.

“There were literally trees growing on it and it was boarded up,” Stokes says of the local Collington Square landmark. “There are generations of mice that lived in the building.”

The A. Hoen & Co. Lithograph Building is more than 150 years old. It was most notably the home of the A. Hoen & Co. lithography business from 1902 to 1981. During its history, the innovative Baltimore company produced everything from National Geographic maps and food labels to Dr. Seuss books and Topps baseball cards.

“With all the places my father spent time, I feel his spirit most in that building,” says Tom Hoen, whose late father was at the helm of A. Hoen & Co. until it declared bankruptcy in 1981. “He recognized the value it had to Baltimore and to that community.”

The property, which surrounds an entire block on East Biddle Street, has been left dormant since the business shuttered nearly 40 years ago. Talk of its reconstruction dates back to 2016, when a 2018 target open date had been set, and the vision then has since evolved into what stands now.

However, with Strong City officially moved in as of this month, and more tenants on the way, the Hoen building is once again on its way to becoming a community anchor. This time around, the plan is for many different organizations to occupy the space and work together to create lasting change.

“This [project] has such potential,” Stokes says. “Strong City knows how to do neighborhood organizing. We are a place-based organization, so where we are physically located matters to us. We needed to show we had skin in the game in the neighborhood and physically be in a place where our mere presence could make a difference.”

The process to bring the building back to life involved nearly $30 million of private and public funding that included local, state, and federal capital and grants. For Strong City, the timing couldn’t have been better. When the organization—known as the Greater Homewood Community Corporation before 2015—recently turned 50, its staff began contemplating a move away from their longtime Charles Village headquarters. In its new home, Strong City will have a much larger space and multiple classrooms for its Adult Learning Center, which provides programs including GED studies, literacy training, and citizenship classes.

Stokes says the building won’t be completely full until the summer, when Associated Builders and Contractors, which will offer job training classes on site, City Life Community Builders, and Cross Street Partners, which oversaw the redevelopment of the building, take occupancy. Together, the organizations will form what will be known as the Center for Neighborhood Innovation (CNI), binding community leaders from all fields to solve problems in distressed neighborhoods.

“We want to find ways to create great new possibilities for neighborhood revitalization,” Stokes says. “Baltimore ought to be the best learning lab in the country for this.”

Strong City played a role in the renewal and commercial growth of Remington. In considering its move from the area, the organization saw an opportunity to take what it did in the now-bustling neighborhood—and what it does elsewhere in Baltimore—and apply it somewhere new.

That means educating the community about its efforts, eliminating housing vacancies, and collaborating with local businesses to help stimulate job growth. Stokes is encouraged by the recent rehabilitation of houses in the area in response to Collington Square activity, but cautions that it will take at least five years to see meaningful change.

“The first benchmark for us is doing a baseline analysis of where the vacants are—who owns what and how we can create a pathway for people to potentially buy and support small developers,” Stokes says. “We want to let people know that they can be a part of the rejuvenation of this neighborhood.”

Looking ahead, Stokes is excited to welcome all of the incoming tenants. There are also plans for a courtyard outside of the entrance, as well as a mini-museum in the lobby featuring lithographs and stone from the building’s past. It will be an homage to what the site once was, and point to what it can become.

“I’m excited by the idea that the physical plant that our family had been involved in for 150 years is being returned to a use that will provide value not only to the city, but to the community around it,” Hoen says. “It makes me smile to think that my father somehow feels that too. As a family, our only disappointment is that he isn’t around to see it.”