Maryland, My Maryland

At the Balmer Sun, Analysis: Wes Moore’s Bronze Star was a political rescue mission "Evidence suggests the mission was launched under a false premise."

Most veterans who were wrongly denied a military award do not get a three-star general to personally intervene for them.

They do not get direct access to the Secretary of the Army.

They do not get a U.S. senator from a state they don’t live in to sponsor the award.

They do not get a politically damaging controversy transformed into a retroactive military honor, almost without question, nearly 20 years later.

And they do not get it done from start to finish in seven days.

But Maryland Gov. Wes Moore did.

Spotlight on Maryland has learned that Moore’s pursuit of the Bronze Star medal in 2024 relied heavily on political favors, special access, inaccurate information about his Afghanistan deployment and involved the deliberate concealment of key facts regarding Moore’s end-of-deployment awards in 2006.

These revelations raise serious questions about the process used to obtain the Bronze Star presented to Moore in 2024 and whether it violated federal law.

Read the rest. I don't know enough about military procedure and customs to know how egregious this is, but I know plenty of people to ask. 

Forget It Jake, It's Baltimore

Baltimore Pride 2024

The Balmer Sun, Several injuries reported after suspected ‘chemical agent’ released at Pride event, Baltimore Police say

A “mass exodus” led to numerous injuries after a “possible chemical agent” was released during a Baltimore Pride event Saturday, according to police.

Baltimore Police confirmed Sunday that the incident occurred around 7 p.m. and that the possible chemical agent released in front of the event’s main music stage near North Avenue and Charles Street, was not released by police.

The event was closed as the Baltimore City Fire Department tended to several injuries caused by the crowd.

Police did not say what occurred prior to the chemical agent being released or how many attendees were treated for injuries.

So something smelled really bad, and they trampled each other attempting to get away from it? It must have been pretty awful, considering that Baltimore is the only city I know that you can smell before you can see it.

Forget It Jake, It's Baltimore

When it rains, shit pours. Capital News Service, Months after costly civil lawsuit settlement, Baltimore City’s rivers still polluting

In one of his most viral videos to date, with over three million views on Instagram and close to a million views on TikTok, Baltimore crabber and social media influencer Luke McFadden addresses the camera while standing on his boat in the Chesapeake Bay.

“Every time it rains in Maryland, at least where I’m at, we have garbage like this tire that washes down from places like the Conowingo Dam,” McFadden says.

Using his reach pole, he hoists a massive rubber tire from the water and brings it aboard.

“In addition to the trash, we get this lovely brown, foamy slime on the top, which happens to be raw sewage that dumps out from the Baltimore City wastewater treatment plants,” he says.

McFadden then gestures toward the water, where there is indeed a dark layer of sludge instead of a pale blue hue that most would expect.

“The issue we have here in the Chesapeake Bay is a water quality issue,” he says. “You can catch and throw back as many of whatever it is you want, but nothing is gonna live in a stagnant puddle — not one that gets sewage dumped in it every time it rains.”

Posted to Instagram and TikTok just two months after Baltimore City settled a $4.75 million lawsuit for violations at each of its two wastewater treatment plants, the Jan. 21 video combined for over 4500 comments on both platforms.

“Your city tax dollars at work,” one comment read.

“It does stink at the harbor when it rains,” said another.

But the reality is, sewage is supposed to enter the Chesapeake Bay through the Back and Patapsco Rivers only after it’s been properly treated by the plants which happen to be the largest in Maryland.

And as for “raw sewage,” experts say that’s not exactly the case.

“That’s kind of a misconception – it’s still sewage, but it’s partially treated a lot of times because there is such an influx of rain,” Desiree Greaver, project manager for the Back River Restoration Committee (BRRC), told Capital News Service. “We have these rain events where there’s tons of rain, and the plant can’t handle it so they’ll skip certain steps.”

At this point, one must simply conclude that in Baltimore, graft and corruption are much more important to the local politicians than pollution.

Forget It Jake, It's Baltimore

NewsBusters, GET OVER IT: Lefty Media Freak Over Conservative Baltimore Exec Saving Newspaper

After it was announced Monday that local businessman and Sinclair Broadcasting Group executive Chairman David Smith had rescued The Sun with plans to revitalize it to a robust status, the left is apoplectic. Why? Sinclair, the local news behemoth Smith runs, has been accused for years of tilting right. Based on the hissy fits pitched by the AP, the Baltimore Banner (an online site started after the Alden purchase), CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, it seems like journalists would rather the paper die all together than be run by someone who’s not a leftist.

An initial AP story said Smith told staffer “he will focus on local news and investigations, and he plans to use video and social media to attract new subscribers”, but a follow-up warned Smith was not to be praised and instead scorned since Smith’s “an active contributor to conservative causes” 
. . .
CNN reacted the way you’d expect. Oliver Darcy, their deranged liberal media hall monitor, whined in his media newsletter that it’s a “deal that has set off alarm bells” since Smith’s local stations around the country “has previously inserted right-wing editorial segments into its local news broadcasts.”

Writing on Threads and X, NPR media writer and former Sun reporter David Folkenflik huffed that “Smith was dismissive of the Sun's journalism” and “deflected questions about his own political activities.” He also seethed that “Smith has been a major funder of GOP candidates; more recently he has funded far-right outfits like Project Veritas and Turning Point USA & financed local ballot initiatives.” Folkenflik made sure to take a swipe at Sinclair stations: “Sinclair...has pulled the news coverage and commentaries on those stations markedly to the right, ultimately becoming quite supportive of Trump.” “Unclear what the current moment holds,” he added.

The Banner story reeked of scorn. “In a tense, three-hour meeting with staff Tuesday afternoon, new Baltimore Sun owner David Smith told employees he has only read the paper four times in the past few months, insulted the quality of their journalism and encouraged them to emulate a TV station owned by his broadcasting company,” the story began, written by former Sun reporters Cody Boteler, Lee Sanderlin, and Giacomo Bologna.

The Balmer Sun,  After Baltimore Sun sale to David Smith, part-owner Armstrong Williams offers vision 

Williams, a well-known conservative talk show host, syndicated columnist and author who founded one of the nation’s largest minority-owned television broadcasting firms, said in his first extensive interview about the sale that he sees himself and Smith as “the next caretakers of this paper.”

“A caretaker is not really about the money but who will preserve it, who will appreciate what it really means,” Williams said. “I’ve owned many things in my life. This, to me, being in the print [business] with one of the top newspapers in the country, one of the top 10 cities in the country, it just swells my heart with such responsibility.”

Williams, 61, said he envisions the publications as vehicles for expanding — not limiting — viewpoints and coverage that’s important to the community, strives to be fair and objective, avoids bias and builds on trust with readers. He described the ownership as ambitious, aggressive and open to hiring.

“We want to do what’s best for the community, what’s best for the paper, the continued legacy. We have no agenda,” he said, other than “making The Baltimore Sun the prize of this region.”

Sounds like a dangerous firebrand to me! Streiff at RedState reports  Conservative Billionaire Buys Leftwing Newspaper and the First Meeting Goes As You Might Expect

In a three-hour meeting last Tuesday, David Smith, the owner of Sinclair Media Group, told employees that he'd read the paper four times in the last few months and told them they'd have to up their game. In partnership with conservative commentator Armstrong Williams, Smith bought the venerable Sun for "nine figures."
. . .
According to accounts of the meeting published in the Baltimore Banner, whose leftist founder lost a bid to buy the Sun, these are some of the highlights.

The in-person meeting ran nearly three hours and was full of tense exchanges, people at the meeting said. Smith was noncommittal about both the long-term continuation of a print edition and retention of current staff.

Smith seemed to try and pit reporters against each other, asking them to rank who was the best in the newsroom. Several times throughout the meeting, he said he has “no idea what you do.”

Asked about people’s job security, Smith said everyone “has a job today” and said he would not make wholesale changes until he better understood the operation.
...
Reporters repeatedly pressed Smith for answers about whether they would continue public service journalism that didn’t necessarily translate to page views or subscriptions. Smith maintained he was focused on money.

Clad in a suit, Smith spoke glowingly of Fox45, which is known for segments like “City in Crisis.” The news station, Sinclair’s flagship, regularly conducts unscientific online polls — with results that are likely not representative of the region — to gauge viewer interest.

People in failing, if not moribund, businesses are rarely happy when someone shakes things up. The Sun is no different.

“I think it will mean disaster,” John E. McIntyre, an editor at The Sun for 34 years, said of Mr. Smith’s ownership. Mr. McIntyre took a buyout in 2021 and now does occasional freelance work for the new crosstown rival, The Baltimore Banner.

“What I expect is that he will make good on what he said, to turn The Baltimore Sun into the same thing that his Fox45 TV station is: a megaphone for right-wing disinformation and contempt for the city of Baltimore,” Mr. McIntyre added.
...
The Baltimore Sun Guild, which represents journalists at the paper, said in a statement after the staff meeting: “The editorial direction that he described — focused on clicks rather than journalistic value — concerned many of our members, as did his attitude toward vulnerable communities in the city that we love.”

Imagine that. Being forced to write about stuff people want to read about rather than getting paid a damned good salary to engage in what amounts to public onanism.

Can they save the paper? We'll see. 

Forget It Jake, It's Baltimore

Da Sun, The Baltimore Sun purchased by Sinclair’s David D. Smith "Business leader uses own funds in deal, returns Sun to local ownership"

The Baltimore Sun, the largest newspaper in Maryland, has been acquired in a private deal by David D. Smith, executive chairman of Hunt Valley-based television station owner Sinclair Inc.

Smith said Monday that he acquired Baltimore Sun Media on Friday from investment firm Alden Global Capital, marking the first time in nearly four decades that The Sun will be in the hands of a local owner.

Smith decided to personally buy the newspaper, along with the Capital Gazette papers in Annapolis, Carroll County Times, Towson Times and several other Baltimore-area weeklies and magazines, because of the publications’ focus on local news in the Baltimore area.

“I’m in the news business because I believe … we have an absolute responsibility to serve the public interest,” Smith said in an interview. “I think the paper can be hugely profitable and successful and serve a greater public interest over time.
. . .
Smith would not disclose how much he paid for Baltimore Sun Media. He purchased the newspaper group independently of Sinclair, which is known for its ownership of television stations and local news programming across the U.S. and a recent failed foray into regional sports network ownership. The Sinclair empire started with Baltimore’s WBFF Fox 45 television station.

Through his purchase of The Sun, Smith said he aims to help turn around a struggling newspaper industry, a decline he blamed on the industry’s inability to adapt to a changing market and to the internet, which has upended consumption and delivery of news and advertising.

He said he believes he can grow subscriptions and advertising for The Sun and its other publications by focusing more heavily on local and community news and investigations, boosting the use of video and social media, and integrating technology in ways other print media companies have been unable to do.

Smith criticized “mainstream media” in general for focusing on issues he said affect only a few people as opposed to those affecting greater numbers, adding that he finds it “curious that the mainstream media in this town often chooses not to cover things that affect everybody,” in particular concerning problems and corruption in government.

He said his first step will be to meet with staff and management of The Sun and its affiliates Tuesday to begin to understand the publications’ mission and operations and start discussions around future vision.

Capt. Ed at Hat Hair comments  "This sounds exciting. It’s the first major newspaper purchase by a conservative owner that I can recall for a very long time. Smith says he wants to focus on local news and fact-based reporting as a model for profitability, almost exactly the opposite approach Jeff Bezos took with the Washington Post. It will be very much worth watching, especially for Williams’ contribution."

I usually have low cost leader e-subscription to the Sun which I use mostly for Chesapeake Bay related content. If it actually does become a more conservative  paper, we might have to drop the WaPoo and pick up the Sun. I'm not holding my breath, though.

Forget It Jake, It's Baltimore

Having run out of important problems to address, Baltimore County votes to ban plastic bags (Baltimore Sun)

Baltimore County residents will no longer be able to buy plastic bags when they go grocery shopping after a new law goes into effect later this year.

The County Council voted Monday evening to pass the Bring Your Own Bag Act. The vote was 5-2, with Councilman Todd Crandell, a Republican from Dundalk, and Chairman Julian Jones Jr., a Woodstock Democrat, casting dissenting votes.

Council members Mike Ertel and Izzy Patoka, Democrats from Towson and Pikesville, respectively, and David Marks, a Republican from Perry Hall, introduced the bill last month to incentivize people to begin using reusable bags.

Under the law, which takes effect Nov. 1, customers will be charged a minimum of 5 cents for any paper or reusable bag they buy, which was amended from a previous version that would have levied at least a 10-cent fee. Shoppers who bring reusable bags will not be charged a fee.

The bill is meant to curtail customers’ use of plastic bags and cut down on litter, after the three council members said they had heard complaints from residents about trash on the streets.

“I vote for the environment,” Marks previously told The Baltimore Sun after he, Patoka and Ertel introduced the bill at a Jan. 3 council meeting.

County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr., a Democrat, supported the measure.

Before the vote, Marks said: “I will support any efforts to reduce plastic pollution to try and make sure we can preserve the precious county resources we’re spending on removing litter and to preserve the vitality of our waterways and the Chesapeake Bay.”

Ertel also framed the act as a tool for reducing waste as Baltimore County’s sole landfill nears capacity.

But council opponents saw it as something else.

“This bill is a complete government overreach into the relationship consumers have with the establishments they patronize,” Crandell said. “I don’t think I’ve seen, in my eight-plus years on the council, a more convoluted piece of legislation. I think this puts an undue burden on our business community.”

Jones said the bill would be an added burden on customers, who already are paying inflated prices for eggs and other goods, and would force retailers to implement an unpopular rule on their consumers without recourse.

So, bring your own bag to buy fentanyl. 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Christina Ricci up on time an under budget at The Other McCain.

Forget it Jake, It's Baltimore

At another "mostly peaceful" demonstration, Baltimore FOP building vandalized by demonstrators Saturday night (Da Sun)

Demonstrators vandalized the Fraternal Order of Police Baltimore City Lodge 3 building Saturday night in North Baltimore.

The group started the evening in Hampden for an event advertised on social media as a sit-in in solidarity with protesters in Portland, Oregon, where federal agents fired tear gas to break up recent protests.

Protesters marched through the streets chanting “Black Lives Matter” and shouted the names of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, two Black people who both were killed by police and their deaths later turned into an igniting flame for city and nationwide protests.

The crowd of nearly 100 demonstrators then made their way to the Baltimore Police FOP Lodge on Buena Vista Avenue.

The group spray-painted the building and sidewalks with “Defund BPD” and other anti-police messages. An American flag was burned at the scene.

Demonstrators sprayed “Am I Next” in the middle of the street, a slogan coined following protests in the Black Lives Matter movement.

Several police officers and vehicles arrived to the scene and a stand-off between demonstrators and police persisted. As officers blocked protesters’ access to the FOP building parking lot when they arrived, leftover burned pieces of an American flag was placed on top of graffiti reading “Defund BPD” at the feet of a Baltimore police officer.
. . .
Baltimore activists have worked to be strategic in the city with keeping protests in the city peaceful but still getting their message across against police brutality.

With a little more effort, Baltimore (Murder Rate 0.51/1000) should be easily able to take the top spot for murders from such wannabes as Chester PA (Murder Rate 0.53/1000), Gary IN (Murder Rate 0.53/1000), St. Louis, MO, (Murder Rate 0.62/1000) and East St. Louis. IL, (0.87/1000). Stack a little George Floyd effect onto the already operational Freddy Gray effect, and you can do it!

At this point, no one should be allowed to hide behind the "mostly peaceful) bullshit. Even if you are not creating violence in such a mob, you are providing cover for those that do.

Trump Supporters Clean Baltimore, Sun Whines

Before

Baltimore Sun Attacks Trump Supporter Who Organized Massive City Clean Up

Last week, Townhall covered MAGA supporter Scott Presler's call to action in Baltimore by inviting "Americans to help Americans" and go clean up neighborhoods in Charm City. Presler at first kept secret when the event would occur for fear of retaliation from the far-left like Antifa. But, on Saturday, Presler and 100 other citizens from all over the country traveled to West Baltimore for the massive trash clean up. By all measures, it was hugely successful. However, on Monday, the Baltimore Sun's editorial board ran an op-ed, trashing Presler and his group saying they only did the event to embarrass Baltimore and its residents.

The op-ed was snarkily titled, "We assume it was pure motives that led a Trump supporter to launch a cleanup in Cummings’ district, right?"

After

Of course, it's a mere drop in the bucket in Baltimore's problems, but it demonstrates that all it takes to clean up a town is willing people, which are apparently lacking in Baltimore's populace and leadership.

"The effort was organized by pro-Trump activist Scott Presler. He claimed the event was not political. Yes, he was inspired to come by tweets from President Donald Trump describing the area, represented by U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, as a 'rodent infested mess,'" the editors wrote. "But the visit wasn’t about showing support or animosity for either man, he said."

"Call us skeptical," the paper remarked before going off on a litany of excuses, complaints, and verbal attacks as to why it was so wrong for out of towners to clean up the city.

"Look, we appreciate anyone who is willing to roll up their sleeves to help Baltimore. More than 170 people came from all over the country and cleaned up nearly 12 tons of trash, according to Mr. Presler’s Twitter feed." the paper claimed.

"But if this was all about 'Americans helping Americans,' why all the videos of Baltimore residents thanking Mr. Trump for bringing attention to the issue? We happen to know that not everybody in West Baltimore feels that way. And in the same posts as the videos, why the frequent reminders that this is in act Mr. Cummings’ district?," the editors pondered.

West Baltimore local says, "I'm really happy. I want to cry.

I truly appreciate it." #AmericansHelpingAmericans #Baltimore pic.twitter.com/KCXZUXH36x

— #ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) August 5, 2019

Of course it was a political statement, you asses! But you Baltimorons made it all possible with your own neglect. So wallow in it! Then, the Sun went on to blame the drug dealers:

But as for why the trash hasn't been cleaned up before, the editorial board blamed it on death threats from criminals, saying, "Does Mr. Presler know that drug dealers use trash to hide their product and have been known to threaten people who try to clean it up? The solutions are just not that simple." The paper also blamed people from out of town who dump trash in the city illegally.

Right, I routinely drive into the dangerous areas in Baltimore to throw my trash in sketchy alleys when I can simply drive it two miles to the local transfer station paid for by my own county. /sarc

No Good Dead Goes Unpunished

For about 100 years, Conowingo Dam protected the Chesapeake Bay from vast amounts of sediment that washed down from farms in Pennsylvania and New York. Now that it is at capacity, and can no longer hold back the sediment, the usual suspects want to penalize the dam owners for all the good years it saved the Bay. An editorial from the Balmer Sun: Conowingo tango

That doesn’t mean there isn’t room for Mr. Hogan to help reduce water pollution from the Susquehanna. There certainly is. He might, for instance, force the owner of the Conowingo Dam — Exelon Corp. — to contribute money toward anti-pollution efforts. The goal might be to at least reduce “scouring,” the tendency for severe weather to stir up sediment deposits behind the dam and worsen the situation. While we don’t expect the company to dredge all of the millions of tons of sediment, it might be able to do enough to reduce this effect.

He could also, say, for example, put a punitive tax on newsprint sold to the public to raise money for dredging the pool behind the damn.