Is all the bad news getting you down? Yeah, we feel that too, which is why we’ve created The Feel Good. Each month, we’re rounding up good news and positive vibes—all of which are reminders that we live in a great place where plenty of awesome stuff happens every day.
Here’s what’s happy for June:
Going, going, GONE! Gunnar Henderson Scores Record-Breaking Homer
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Gunnar Henderson’s record-breaking home run that soared over Eutaw Street on Sunday, June 12. In a game against the Kansas City Royals, the Oriole’s rookie infielder hit the longest home run ever to land on Eutaw Street at Camden Yards. The ball reportedly left the bat going an astounding 113.8 mph and flew 462 feet out of right field.
Major League Baseball notes that “Sunday’s record-breaking blast off Royals right-hander Jackson Kowar was the longest of Henderson’s 91-game big league career and the longest hit by a Baltimore player this season. It was also the hardest-hit homer from an Oriole this year.” Henderson capped off his performance with the honor of being named the American League’s “Player of the Week.”
Also worth noting: When Henderson’s ball landed on Eutaw Street, it fell just three feet shy of Ken Griffey Jr.’s record set in the 1993 Home Run Derby. At 465 feet, that ball hit not the street, but the wall of the warehouse. One can only wonder if Henderson, just 21-years-old, will be shattering some windows, along with more records, in the near future.
Governor Moore Gives the Greenlight for the Red Line
Speaking of the ballpark, if you’ve ever tried to efficiently get from Camden Yards to Fells Point for a celebratory beer after the game, you know that traveling across the city from east to west involves either getting back in your car, finding an Uber, or a seriously strenuous walk.
No more!
On June 15, Governor Wes Moore announced that the Redline transit project will relaunch. Derailed nearly a decade ago despite more than 10 years of study, analysis, and engineering, the Redline will not only connect the east and west sides of the city, but it will also connect to other forms of transport in hopes of creating the modern, efficient transit system the city has lacked.
With environmental concerns more pressing now than they were when the project was sidelined in 2015 (and certainly more so than when initial studies began in 2002), the time seems right to double down on public transit. The Redline has the potential to reduce traffic snarls and remove unnecessary car traffic from roadways. It will also open new corridors of opportunity for workers, people with disabilities, and seniors who struggle with transportation access.
Bear with Us: Local Bear Sightings Mean Conservation Efforts are Working
If it feels like black bear sightings have been in the news more this month, your hunch is correct. Bears have been spotted meandering from Howard to Harford County, and even the MoCo suburbs of Washington, D.C.
So, how is all this bear business good news? Prior to European settlement, the entire state of Maryland had a healthy population of the fuzzy beasts, but with westward development, bears got pushed to the far western counties where their numbers dangerously declined. Conservation efforts and habitat protection has built the population back to about 2,000. While they stay mostly in Garrett, Frederick, Allegany, and Washington counties, young males tend to wander in June looking for mates and food.
According to BearWise—a program managed by North American bear biologists that seeks to educate the public about co-existing with the animals—we may be seeing more bears now because of development. “If a bear denned up in the woods last winter and woke up next to a housing development this spring, people notice when it lumbers off through the neighborhood in search of quieter quarters,” the website explains. Also, with more people working from home and using technology like video doorbells, bears that once wandered through yards unnoticed are now in the limelight.
Perhaps the most important takeaway here is that bear attacks are extremely rare. Bears usually saunter off on their own. If you see a bear, slowly back away (do not run). Keep dogs inside. If a bear has been reported in your neighborhood, keep snackables like birdfeeders inside and secure garbage. For more tips, visit the Department of Natural Resources website.
black bear 🐻 and two cubs as seen in Western Maryland #Bears #MDbears pic.twitter.com/X1KUCKHNRf — WashSyndicate (@WashSyndicate) June 19, 2023
Start Me Up: Introducing Morgan State’s New Center for Magnet and Semiconductor Research
Whether you’re reading this good news on your smartphone or laptop, you are able to do so because it contains components made possible by a semiconductor— aka an electronic chip made for a variety of electronic devices.
Most chip manufacturing, as much as 75 percent, takes place overseas in countries like China. But thanks to a recent $5 million investment announced by U.S. Congressman Kweisi Mfume, some of that chip technology can soon say that it’s not only made in America, but that it’s made in Maryland. The federal funds will establish a new CREST Center for advanced magnet and semiconductor research at Morgan State University.
Part of the National Science Foundation, the CREST program supports research capabilities at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority-Serving Institutions. Encouraging workforce development and manufacturing capabilities in this area of STEM research is good news for everyone, creating opportunities for student, youth, and university advancement while improving national security and the country’s competitive edge in the electronic chip marketplace.
Plus, this kind of investment is a sign that decades of underfunding at HBCUs may be coming to an end, enabling them to expand their programs and bring talent to the national and international stage.
The Sound of Music: Baltimore Symphony Youth Musicians Take Europe
Several days ago, the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestra (BSYO) played Bernstein to a standing room only audience in Chiesa di Santo Stefano Mariano Comense located in the Lombardy region of Northern Italy. The once-in-a-lifetime concert is part of the BSYO’s first-ever international tour.
About 80 teen musicians traveled to Europe this month on a tour that mark’s the 10th anniversary of the BSYO. Under the baton of BSYO’s charismatic associate conductor and artistic director Jonathan Rush, Maryland’s musical ambassadors will play in some of the most renowned capitols of classical music from Italy to the Czech Republic.
One of the most prestigious youth orchestras in the country, BSYO is composed of middle- and high school-age musicians. It provides the most talented and dedicated students the opportunity to perform symphonic masterworks, as well as exciting new repertoire by living composers. (It also allows for the occasional mentoring opportunity with musicians from the BSO.) We couldn’t ask for better international representatives. Bravo!
Want to share some good news? Email Special Editions Editor Christianna McCausland at [email protected].