Katfish for Kiddos?

WBAL TV, Maryland schools partner with Bay2Tray to serve blue catfish in effort to help Chesapeake Bay

A new lunch menu item in Cecil County Public Schools helps control an invasive species in the Chesapeake Bay.

Cecil County Public Schools staff began serving blue catfish sandwiches in mid-February. At Cherry Hill Middle School, the sandwiches are called catty patties, a play on Crabby Patties from SpongeBob.

"The catty patty is actually really good, said Grayson Jezyk, a sixth-grade student at the school. "I like it a lot."

"It tastes very similar to a crab cake," said Chrisanna Teahl, another sixth-grade student.

 

The school's kitchen manager said the catty patties have been a hit among many students.

"It was very popular," the kitchen manager said. "The kids that like it really like it."

The initiative is part of the Bay2Tray program, which started 12 years ago in California as an initiative through Real Good Fish.

Real Good Fish sources sustainable seafood directly from fishermen. The Maryland Department of Agriculture partnered with the program to get blue catfish on the menu at more schools along the East Coast. It's part of an effort to control the population in the Chesapeake Bay.

Blue Catfish are, indeed, a mild, white and flaky fine tasting fish. I'm still shocked that sixth graders would welcome fish for lunch.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: From Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave You Pearl Harbor up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Maryland, My Maryland

 From PM, Maryland school district asks 11-year-olds to define trans terms like 'gender expression' and 'sex assigned at birth'

A lesson at Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland asked 12-year-old students to match vocabulary terms, including “Sex Assigned at Birth,” “Gender Identity,” “Transgender,” “Gender Expression,” and “Cisgender.”

The worksheet, revealed by the group Defending Education, defined “gender identity” as referring "to a person’s internal sense of being male, female, or transgender… How you feel. Girl, boy, both or neither.” The definition for “transgender” read: “When your gender identity (how you feel) is different than what doctors/midwives assigned to you when you were born…”

The matching definition for “sex assigned at birth” stated, “when a baby is born, a doctor or midwife looks at the baby’s body/anatomy and says they are a girl, boy, or intersex.” The lesson was part of a “family life” instruction conducted last month for middle school students in the district, ages 11-12.

The revelation of this lesson comes despite the fact that Montgomery County Public Schools has faced scrutiny recently for its emphasis on radical gender and LGBT ideology. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of parents who objected on religious grounds to LGBTQ books being used in elementary schools. The parents sued, arguing they should be permitted to pull their children from lessons that use such books. The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of parental freedom.

"Without an injunction, the parents will continue to suffer an unconstitutional burden on their religious exercise, and such a burden unquestionably constitutes irreparable injury,” the opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, stated.

Hey, the parents can't ask to opt their kids out if the school won't tell them what they're teaching. 

Maryland, My Maryland

 John Sexton at Hat Hair, A Foster Care Scandal in Maryland

Last week the Office of Legislative Affairs for Maryland's General Assembly released a 70 page report which documented a real scandal taking place within the state's foster care system. There are over 13,000 children in this system but in Maryland it was so poorly run that some of the kids were being placed in homes with convicted sex offenders.

Auditors found seven people on the Maryland Sex Offender Registry whose listed addresses were the same as approved “guardianship homes” where a total of 10 children were living...

In one case, an individual convicted of sexual misconduct with a minor had the same address as a home where four children between the ages of 4 and 8 were living, according to the report.

And in another case, auditors found an employee of a group foster home who was on the Maryland Sex Offender Registry after being convicted years ago of sexually abusing a child. The employee “allegedly transported three foster care children for an inappropriate activity” and an investigation determined “there was evidence of abuse.”

This seems like the most basic and obvious check a foster care system should be running but in Maryland it apparently wasn't happening. Even in cases where a home was checked once, there was no follow up later to see if any new adults had moved into the homes.

The system was also supposed to do follow-up medical checks on children but fell behind in hundreds of cases.

State regulations require foster children to have a health assessment within 60 days of entering the system, and annual medical exams and dental exams every six months after that.

As of May 2024, 540 children had not received a medical exam in the prior year, and 110 of them hadn’t had a medical exam in multiple years.

And 1,635 children hadn’t had a dental exam in the prior six months, including 140 who had never had a dental exam.

Hundreds of children were being placed in hotels rather than in homes. The cost for caring for those kids was exorbitant and the staff working with those kids were also not being given background checks.

Under the supervision of the unlicensed vendors, the agency placed 280 foster children in hotels, some for as long as two years.

According to the report, those placements increased the level of risk the children faced and cost the state dramatically more than traditional foster care.

Daily costs for one child are said to have reached $1,259, compared to $281 for a treatment foster...

These vendors were tasked with daily supervision, transportation and medical assistance.

One vendor employed an individual convicted of murder in 1990, raising additional concerns about oversight.

That wasn't the only case of financial failures associated with the system.

Beyond safety, the audit pointed to chronic management problems. The agency reportedly failed to implement a comprehensive quality assurance program across Maryland’s 24 local social service departments and struggled with its case management system (CJAMS), which didn't flag inaccurate or missing data.

Financial failures cost the state millions. SSA reportedly didn't look into or recover $34.5 million in overpayments and was fined nearly $700,000 for falling short of federal foster care standards. From federal funding, SSA lost out on at least $2.6 million in federal reimbursements because the audit says the agency didn't apply for them, and potentially further lost out on up to $23 million because eligibility determinations weren't done correctly or on time. 

As I said, it's a genuine scandal. The state assembly has called for hearings into the matter. Department of Human Services Secretary Rafael López, who is in charge of the program, is facing DUI charges after he was seen running a red light in January and swerving across the road.

I wonder how much this has to do with the flood illegal immigrants under Biden. 

Flotsam and Jetsam - Minneapolis Shooter Tired of Trans Life

From NYPo, Minneapolis school shooter Robin Westman confessed he was ‘tired of being trans’: ‘I wish I never brain-washed myself’. But it was so cool to be different in High School. Mary Chastain at LI, Minneapolis School Shooter Admitted He was ‘Tired of Being Trans’. At Althouse, "I only keep [the long hair] because it is pretty much my last shred of being trans. I am tired of being trans, I wish I never brain-washed myself..." "I can’t cut my hair now as it would be embarrassing defeat, and it might be a concerning change of character that could get me reported. It just always gets in my way. I will probably chop it on the day of the attack.... I don’t want to dress girly all the time but I guess sometimes I really like it. I know I am not a woman but I definitely don’t feel like a man." Wrote Robin Westman, more or less rejecting trans identity, quoted in "Minneapolis school shooter Robin Westman confessed he was 'tired of being trans': 'I wish I never brain-washed myself'" (NY Post). I don't understand why we are calling this person trans. If you're saying you "brain-washed" yourself, you've implicitly consigned the belief to the past. You might not reveal the loss of belief to others, but you've put it in writing — albeit in code — and we can read it. Why are people pretending to believe that he believed what he said he didn't believe? And he wrote it explicitly: "I know I am not a woman." Would you prefer him being called a failed trans? And "This kind of violence is very recent. It's a new thing in human history. There was no time in the past when people would walk into a church or a classroom and start shooting people.", ""It is not happening in other countries. It's happening here and we need to look at all of the potential culprits that might be contributing to that." Said RFK Jr. on "Fox & Friends" yesterday, when he was asked about whether "drugs" used in transgender treatment might have had a effect on the Minneapolis shooter. RFK Jr.'s answer broadened the topic to "SSRI drugs and other psychiatric drugs," some of which come with warnings about homicidal and suicidal ideation." He's not wrong to ask the question. Andy Ngo @MrAndyNgo "This is literally what the Minneapolis mass sh—ter of church children believed. In his manifesto, he has a page expressing some regret about transitioning (he was a minor), but that it was too late for him, and he was going to kill and die. Death before detransition." Jim Treacher says The Man Who Shot Those Kids in Minneapolis Was Not a Woman Dave Strom at Hat Hair, As Expected, Trantifa Celebrates; UPDATE: Another Trans Shooting. Amy Curtis @RantyAmyCurtis, "We have a manifesto. We have pictures. We have video. Democrats: “We may never know why he did this.” Quote Alpha News @AlphaNewsMN "Sen. Klobuchar after Annunciation Church shooting in Minneapolis: "There's no way to pin an ideology on this"" Kurt Schlichter @KurtSchlichter "How do the things that weirdo freak scrawled on his gun differ from Dem talking points?" Driscoll at Insty, ITS ORIGIN AND PURPOSE, STILL A TOTAL MYSTERY: "The Leftwing Propaganda Media Vows, “We Will Never Know the Trans Shooter’s Motive.” Related: Minneapolis school shooter Robin Westman’s mother Mary Grace not cooperating with cops." The Patriarch Tree @PatriarchTree "Nearly an hour later, credible journalists (including @karol) have ID'd the Minneapolis shooter as Robert Paul "Robin" Westman, whose motives are known. @ABCNewsLive continues to play dumb" Quote The Patriarch Tree @PatriarchTree, "Right now, my office TV is on @ABCNewsLive and it's ALL ABOUT GUN CONTROL, including a lot of "blame Trump" rhetoric. Meanwhile, some accounts here are offering evidence that the, uh, identity of the shooter ain't exactly MAGA. Patience, my friends. We shall see." Matt Vespa at TownHall reports FBI admits Minneapolis Shooting Was an Act of Anti-Catholic Domestic Terrorism. At PJM, Trans-ing Hurts Young People: Gender Clinic Ex-Employee Speaks Out After School Shooting. Insty, GUN FREE ZONES ATTRACT SHOOTERS, BECAUSE THEY’RE CRAZY, NOT STUPID: Andy Ngo @MrAndyNgo, "Disturbing decoded parts of the Minneapolis trans mass sh—ter’s manifesto reveals he picked the Annunciation Catholic Church and school, where he once went and where his mother had worked, because it’s a “liberal school [that] does not allow teachers to carry [firearms].”" Quote Diana Nerozzi @diana_nerozzi, Replying to @diana_nerozzi "He liked that the school would likely not have counter shooters: "It also seems like the kind of school to not arm their teachers." Mark Hemingway @Heminator "It's not at all beside the point, if you've been paying any attention to the trans community's violent rhetoric. Nor is the possibility that giving young people cross sex hormones mentally unbalancing." Quote Stephen King @StephenKing, "Whether he was transgender is beside the point. The point is he had a gun. x.com/elonmusk/statu…" Sex hormones are unbalancing enough to those of us following our own gender. Greg Price @greg_price11, "He immediately gets on the internet and blames Republicans for a shooting that occurred in a Democrat city, in a Democrat state, and was committed by person who became mentally ill because of the gender ideology that Democrats supports." Quote Gavin Newsom @GavinNewsom, "We cannot even make it through the first week of school without mass shootings. And the @GOP will continue to do absolutely nothing while our kids are being gunned down."

Da Fetched reports the FBI Seizes More Evidence as John Bolton’s Legal Troubles Deepen. Sundance at CTH takes note the Bolton Investigation Began During Biden Administration, but they played the "no reasonable prosecutor" card. Matt Vespa, The 'John Bolton Raid Was Politically Motivated' Narrative Just Imploded. Streiff at RedState thinks John Bolton Is Really Cooked As Media Abandons the 'Retaliation' Narrative. At Althouse, "The investigation into President Trump’s former national security adviser, John R. Bolton, began to pick up momentum during the Biden administration..." From "John Bolton Inquiry Eyes Emails Obtained by Foreign Government/It is not clear what country intercepted Mr. Bolton’s private emails, but the investigation into President Trump’s former national security adviser picked up momentum under the Biden administration" (NYT)." Ace too cites the NYT: A Foreign Intelligence Service Intercepted Emails In Which John Bolton Shared Classified Information With Friends and Family Members. "No one is, as they say, above the law. This investigation began during the Biden Captivity. Of course, they declined to prosecute. But they did investigate." From Driscoll, GREAT MOMENTS IN GASLIGHTING: Tom Elliott @tomselliott "A very incomplete list of prominent Republicans prosecuted during the Biden Admin: Donald Trump (4 separate jurisdictions) Rudy Giuliani Mark Meadows John Eastman Sidney Powell George Santos Jeff Fortenberry Steve Bannon Peter Navarro Kenneth Chesebro Jenna Ellis Jeffrey Clark Boris Epshteyn Christina Bobb Mike Roman" Quote Tom Elliott @tomselliott, "CNN's @JeffreyToobin on Trump Admin prosecuting prominent Democrats: "This criminal crusade against political adversaries is completely unprecedented in, in, in all of American history." From NewsBusters, GAME ON: Trump Calls for RICO Charges to Be Filed Against George Soros. Ace hears Trump: We Should Prosecute George and Alex Soros for Funding Violent Riots. "It's an idea, though I imagine they fund groups who in turn fund groups who in turn fund the violent extremists. Just like Fauci employing multiple cut-out subgrantees to fund the creation of covid-19 in China. In other words: They'd never be able to prove the case, and don't even get me started on Blue City Juries."

Sundance at CTH sees IC Leakers Target Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard Again and explores The CIA -vs- DNI Tulsi Gabbard. LifeZette, Tulsi Gabbard Recovers Stashed ‘Corrupt’ 2020 Election Files: ‘Burn Bags’ Not Burned. Nick Sortor @nicksortor " BREAKING: Tulsi Gabbard confirms she located documents in BURN BAGS related to CORRUPTION in the 2020 election Expose it ALL, @TulsiGabbard! "We are finding documents literally tucked away in the back of safes in random offices in these bags and in other areas which again speaks to the intent of those who are trying to hide the truth from the American people." Steve Richards at JTN has a list of the Ten most important revelations about the Obama-Biden era of weaponization "The previously classified documents are the focus of the current investigation into weaponization of American intelligence agencies against Donald Trump. Ironically, Democrats and deep-staters caught in the crosshairs are claiming that they are victims of weaponization and revenge."

Sundance reports Bureau of Economic Analysis Revises 2nd Quarter GDP Upward to 3.3 Percent Growth. Joseph Lavorgna @Lavorgnanomics, "Strong growth and no inflation! Q2 real #GDP revised up to 3.3% on the back of stronger than previously reported business investment. The CapEx comeback, the direct result of @POTUS’ OBBB, continues. It has soared over 15% annualized in the first half of 2025. The 2026 economic outlook continues to brighten." Ace, Trust the "Experts:" GDP Revised Upwards (What a Shock) from a Healthy 3% to a Very Healthy 3.3%; Inflation Revised Down from Just Above the Fed Target Rate, 2.3%, to 2%, Which Is Exactly the Fed Target Rate. "Remember the media shrieking that GDP hadn't grown much except due to "technical" reasons (a fall in imports), and that inflation was increasing? Wrong. Inflation just clocked in at 2%, which is exactly the Fed's target. As I've mentioned before, the Fed does not attempt to get inflation down to 0%, as they believe some inflation is actually good for the economy." Scott Jennings @ScottJenningsKY, "We were assured that recession was imminent... . @bloomberg: "The US economy expanded in the second quarter at a slightly faster pace than initially estimated on a pickup in business investment and an outsize boost from trade. Inflation-adjusted gross domestic product, which measures the value of goods and services produced in the US, increased at a 3.3% annualized pace...That compared with an initially reported 3% increase." From Sundancc, Important Information from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Sea Island Hits President Trump and Tech Bros on H1B Vulnerability and India Rejects President Trump Tariff Pressure, Pledges to Continue Purchasing Russian Oil.

WSJ, The Ukrainian Attacks That Are Forcing Russia to Ration Its Fuel. "Kyiv’s drones are becoming more efficient against the Russian oil-and-gas industry." Sundance again reports Ukraine (CIA) Build Drone Factory Next to Buildings Housing EU and British Delegations – Putin Blows It up Anyway. 

From NRO, Trump Administration to Retake Control of D.C.’s Union Station amid Crime Crackdown. From ET, Federal Government Will Take Over DC’s Union Station "‘We think that we can manage the property better, bring in more tenants, bring in more revenue,’ Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said." Rusty Weiss at RedState, Karoline Leavitt Slaps Crime Deniers in Dem-Run Cities Back to Reality: 'Your Leaders Are Lying to You'. Western Lensman @WesternLensman "Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson: Putting people in prison is racist, unholy and doesn’t lower violent crime rates. Please stick with this message, Democrats." Driscoll at Insty, CONSERVING CONSERVATISM MOST CONSERVATIVELY: David French Proposes Democrats Fight Trump On Crime By Blaming Him For 2020 Crime Spree. Althouse, "Unfortunately, when you have a society where you do have ubiquitous crime, you do need some kind of an authoritarian leadership." ""Not saying you need tyranny, not saying you need a dictator, but you need fucking laws and you need rule of law. And sometimes those people come off very harsh and very uncaring and unloving and you know, the total opposite for, like, the reason why people voted for Jimmy Carter, I think, 'cause Jimmy Carter represented like a, like, a genuinely sweet good guy. . . Said Joe Rogan, on his #2370 podcast, transcript and audio, here, at Podscribe."

Cathy Salgado at PJM reports Trump Honors Victims of Afghanistan Withdrawal Terror Attack. Leah Barkoukis at TownHall sees Air Force Reverses This Biden Administration Decision on Ashli Babbitt, buried with full military honors. 

Kevin Dalton@TheKevinDalton "For a bit of perspective, 62 Amish dudes in Pennsylvania did in 48 hours what Gavin Newsom couldn’t do in 2 years. Oh yeah, and they did it at 4% of the cost."

Mark Hemingway @Heminator, "I hate to break it to you, but odds are pretty good your SSN is already for sale on the dark web -- and that was the case long before anyone had conceived of DOGE. The Feds have NEVER taken your privacy seriously, and to act like DOGE is worse than the status quo is absurd." Quote, West Wing Report (Edited by Paul Brandus) @WestWingReport "You may have to get a new Social Security number, because of a giant screwup by Trump's DOGE kids, a whistleblower charges https://marketwatch.com/story/your-soc". Ours were, several years ago, when the feds were hacked. 

From LifeZette, Obama Appointed Judge ‘Absolutely Forbids’ Deportation of Dems’ Favorite Illegal Alien. Shipwreckedcrew wonders Is The Abrego Garcia Case Headed To The Supreme Court? A Conflict With Prior 4th Circuit Decision Seems Dead Ahead. "New habeas petition cites 2019 4th Circuit case that adopted position of Mass. District Court for third country removal that was rejected by SCOTUS." WokeSpy, ICE Shackles Kilmar Abrego Garcia, He Goes Viral for What He Said Under His Breath. As an agent escorted him, he said, “it’s a corrupt government.” From Breitbart, Attorney Says Abrego Garcia Will Need Years of Therapy to Recover from Trauma.

Much more at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 08.26.25 and In The Mailbox: 8.27.25. The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: Agonizing Reappraisal up and at 'm at The Other McCain.

ial-security-number-was-exposed-by-doge-workers-whistleblower-says-along-with-every-single-ssn-in-america-df9292bc?mod=home_lead

Maryland, My Maryland

Tyler O'Neil at Da Signal, Supreme Court Rules on Parents’ Religious Freedom in LGBTQ School Book Opt-Out Case

The Supreme Court upheld the religious freedom of Maryland parents who challenged a school district policy that prevented them from opting their children out of lessons involving LGBTQ books. The court ruled, 6-3, that the Maryland parents were entitled to a preliminary injunction.

The case, Mahmoud v. Taylor, involved Maryland parents of various faith backgrounds—Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim—asking the court for a temporary injunction, allowing them to opt their kids out of instruction that utilize LGBTQ books that Montgomery County Public Schools has mandated schools teach.
. . .
Justice Samuel Alito delivered the Supreme Court’s opinion, in which Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett joined. Thomas filed a concurring opinion, and Justice Sonia Sotomayor filed a dissenting opinion, which Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson joined.

Ace gives it red italic font and the flaming skull, Supreme Court Rules that Public Schools Cannot Preach the Gay/Trans Agenda to Children Without Alerting Their Parents and Allowing Them an Opt-Out

You probably remember this dispute. Maryland, as deranged a progressive cesspit as there is, insists on teaching kids to be gay in grade school. Not middle school, grade school.

Initially, they permitted parents an opt-out of Lessons In Homosexuality, but then reversed themselves, denying parents that opt-out. It seems too many parents wanted to opt their children out, and that defeats the whole point of their gay and trans grooming.

Also, they said they couldn't just excuse kids when they were going to give lectures about changing your gender, because these lectures could come at literally any moment and who could plan for when teachers were going to start grooming children?

Which leads to a question that should be asked and answered: Just how often are teachers engaging in grooming behavior such that they cannot even say when the groomings will begin and end? Maryland's position seems to be that teachers are going to groom children nigh-constantly, so it's too much of a bureaucratic chore to excuse children every time a groomer teacher wants to tell them that gender is infinitely mutable and just "assigned at birth" as a guess by a bigoted doctor and isn't it wonderful to have gay sex?

The Court rejected these arguments, and found that bureaucratic convenience did not overrule the protections of the First Amendment, which guarantees parents the right to decide their children's religious upbringing.

And note that all parents are forced to pay for public school and also that schooling until age 16 (or whatever) is compulsory, so parents cannot just "remove their children from school," as -- guess who? -- Ketanji Brown Jackson asserted in oral arguments.

Good for the Montgomery County parents.  

Maryland, My Maryland

 John Sexton at Hat Hair, Maryland Teen Tied to 121 Car Break-Ins Arrested and Released Hours Later

The underlying incident in this case actually happened back on May 4th but it's getting some attention now because the local police chief came out and made some comments about how the system is handling it.

What happened is that a small group of teens, possibly just 3 people, ran rampant on a single night breaking into dozens of cars. Initial reports said there had been a total of 47 break-ins in Laurel, Maryland overnight.

"We had over 47 vehicle break-ins that we took reports for this morning," said Laura Guenin, a spokeswoman for the Laurel Police Department. "They happened in the early morning hours of today, May 4. We got our first call around 4 a.m."

Here's a local news report from the next day. 

But in fact it was worse than that. The number of break-ins in Laurel was eventually tallied as 54 and there were another 67 break-ins in surrounding counties, all carried out by the same group. We know it was one group because police arrested one of the teen suspects Wednesday and searched his home.

Laurel police arrested a 16-year-old boy Wednesday morning in connection to car break-ins on the night of May 4. He and two other teens smashed car windows and stole items from 54 cars in Laurel and 67 more in Prince George's, Anne Arundel and Howard counties, police said.

"They were just simply going through neighborhoods and targets of opportunity, breaking into cars. If there was something in there, they'd steal. If there was nothing in there, they'd move to another car," Laurel Police Chief Russ Hamill told News4.

At least he didn't spend all his time playing video games. 

Maryland, My Maryland

John Sexton at Hat Hair, Supreme Court Oral Arguments: Can Parents Opt Young Kids Out of LGBT Readings?

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments today in a case arising out of Montgomery County, Maryland. The case was brought by a group of religious parents who asked lower courts for the right to opt their kids out of the reading of certain LGBT-themed books which were being read in classrooms with children as young as 5-years-old.

The parents argue that Montgomery County schools had long allowed parents to opt their kids out of instruction involving sex and family life but claim that changed after there was a backlash to the adoption of the LGBT books in 2022.

Fox 45 Baltimore,  Former Maryland DJS employee indicted on 57 felony child sex abuse charges

A former Maryland Department of Juvenile Services employee accused of molesting dozens of boys at a state facility in Baltimore County decades ago was indicted on 57 felonies Monday.

Ronald P. Neverdon was initially arrested on 38 related charges earlier this month, a few weeks after being accused in a lawsuit of abusing 69 boys from the 1960s through the 1990s. The 78-year-old Baltimore man was initially denied bail because of the proximity of children to his retirement community, but was later allowed to reside with a relative in Woodstock while he awaits trial.
. . .
According to the DJS lawsuit, Neverdon worked in different roles at the Charles H. Hickey Jr. School, a youth detention facility near Loch Raven, for approximately three decades. During that time, as a housing supervisor and manager, he allegedly “bribed” and coerced children with “special privileges” to exploit them, the complaint states.

How do you hide that for 30 years? 

Maryland, My Maryland

Center Square MD, Feb 27, 2025, Maryland House backs bill to allow contraceptives in school vending machines

The House of Delegates voted 89-41 this month to approve HB 380, a bill that changes a decades-old state law that made these types of sales in schools a misdemeanor offense.

Under the current law, anyone who offers contraceptives via a vending machine at a school would be fined $1,000 per violation.

Del. Nicole Williams, D-Prince George's County, introduced the bill to eliminate the $1,000 penalty and allow schools to install vending machines that dispense contraceptives on campuses from elementary to high schools.

WMAR 2, Feb 28, 2025,  Maryland lawmakers nix bill allowing contraceptive vending machines in public schools

The Senate JPR Committee killed a bill that would allow condoms and other birth control contraceptives to be sold in vending machines in Maryland public schools.

Known as House Bill 380, it would've allowed contraceptive sales at a kindergarten, nursery school, elementary school or secondary school.

Maryland, My Maryland

Balmer Sun, After child’s bounce house death, Southern Maryland Blue Crabs issued over $4K in citations, sued by parents. Not real crabs, a local minor league baseball team.

The company that owns the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs was issued over $4,000 in citations last month by labor regulators who alleged that the club’s employees failed to properly secure a bounce house last August when wind swept the inflatable away, killing a child and injuring another.

The citations issued Jan. 31 come alongside a negligence lawsuit filed by the family of the 5-year-old who died, Declan Hicks, against the Waldorf-based minor league baseball team and the manufacturer of the bounce house.

The Maryland Department of Labor released the preliminary citations last week in response to a public records request from The Baltimore Sun but had not released its full investigative file, which was also requested.

The citations from the Labor Department’s Safety Inspection Unit accuse the Blue Crabs’ owners, Crabs on Deck LLC, of:

• Failing to follow restrictions on wind speeds.
• Only anchoring the bounce house using four of its eight tether points.
• Failing to properly train staff who operated the bounce house.

Winds swept the bounce house 20 feet into the air during the bottom of the sixth inning as the Blue Crabs hosted the York Revolution on the evening of Aug. 2, and the children inside fell to the field as the amusement landed.

Hicks, of La Plata, dropped 20 to 30 feet onto the field, according to his family’s lawsuit. He was taken to Children’s Hospital, where he died. Another child was airlifted after suffering non-life-threatening injuries.
. . .
The amusement’s manufacturer, Inflatable Design Group, had included in its specifications that the bounce house should not be operated if the wind speed exceeds 15 mph, the citations say. The National Weather Service measured steady winds of 15 mph, with gusts in the low 20s, near Regency Furniture Stadium that evening.

The Hicks family’s lawsuit, which names the inflatable firm as a defendant, notes that the manufacturer’s instructions were “unclear”; they say to “take down the inflatable in winds up to 15 MPH” but don’t explain what that means or why it’s necessary.

The lawsuit says that wind-related dangers were “known for many years” by the inflatable amusement industry. The suit alleges that the bounce house was defective and “unreasonably dangerous,” not including technology that would have made the amusement safer.

The suit says that that Blue Crabs’ staff was ultimately responsible for safely operating the bounce house and that the company should have understood those risks, as the same bounce house, or a similar one, had been blown onto the field during a Charles County Youth League event “several years” prior to Hicks’ death.

I'm surprised there's not a criminal charge in there somewhere. 

Tuesday Tanlines

Columbus Dispatch, Ohio lawmakers want to prohibit children under 16 from using tanning beds

Ohio lawmakers want to prohibit businesses from allowing children younger than 16 to use tanning beds. Those between 16 and 18 are currently allowed to use tanning beds with parental consent, but Senate Bill 25 would also tighten those restrictions. There are stricter regulations for those under 16.

Teacher Legislator, leave those kids alone!

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Demure, Relaxed, & In Her Lane ready and waiting at The Other McCain.

The Wednesday Wetness

Health Day, Parents Call for Water Bead Ban After Child’s Brain Injury

They're small, colorful and marketed as safe sensory toys but water beads have sent thousands of kids to the emergency room -- and now, experts and parents want their sale to be banned.

Water beads can expand up to 100 times their size when exposed to water. If swallowed, they can cause intestinal blockages, breathing problems and even toxic effects on the brain, according to a study published Jan. 28 in the journal Pediatrics.

In fact, one of the study's authors, Ashley Haugen, knows the risks firsthand. When her daughter, Kipley, was a toddler, she developed a rash, began vomiting and started struggling with coordination. Doctors later discovered she had swallowed water beads, which caused a severe blockage in her intestines.

"Because the water beads were marketed as non-toxic eco-friendly and biodegradable, everybody thought that she would be fine," Haugen told CBS News. Instead, Kipley was diagnosed with toxic brain encephalopathy, a condition that can cause developmental delays and long-term neurological challenges.

"Water beads are made of poly acrylamide and acrylamide is a known neurotoxin. Our consumer products and the chemicals used to make them are not well regulated," study co-author Dr. Elizabeth Friedman, the medical director for environmental health at Children's Mercy Kansas City, told CBS News.

Yes, acrylamide is very toxic, but polyacrylamide, when the acrylamide monomers are linked together, is not. It's used in a variety of things as a solidish water holder.

An estimated 7,800 cases of water bead ingestion were treated in U.S. emergency rooms between 2016 and 2022, according to the study. In 2023, a 10-month-old child died after swallowing the beads, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Now 8 years old, Kipley is still recovering but has joined her mom in calling for banning water beads. "Please work together to ban water beads. Lots of kids like me got hurt," CBS News reported.

If we banned everything that kids have managed to hurt themselves with, there wouldn't much left on the shelves.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: F**k Art, Let’s Dance up and running at The Other McCain.

Sunday Sunrise

3WKTR Sunrise Brief

Missing Chesapeake teen found safe after Virginia State Police issued CODI Alert on Monday. 14-year-old Deborah Abigail Jenkins, who goes by Abby, has been found safe, according to police.

On Monday, Virginia State Police issued a CODI Alert for Abby. She was last seen with 41-year-old James Ronald Bell at a Comfort Inn off South Military Highway. News 3 has learned Bell is a registered sex offender. On Monday, News 3 reporter Danielle Saitta spoke with Abby's adoptive sister, who confirmed that Bell is the ex-boyfriend of Abby's biological mother. Her sister also described the relationship between Abby and her biological mother as complicated.

In a video posted on social media, Abby says she was not coerced into going with Bell and that she left to get away from abusive conditions. She alleges Bell helped her get away.

We're working to confirm if the allegations of abuse are true. Police say they are still searching for Bell.

Good news for now, but it sounds like trouble brewing. 

Linked at The Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Nothing’s Fishy ready at The Other McCain on time and under budget.

Oregon, My Oregon

The Statesman Journal, Oregon measles outbreak grows to state's largest since 1991

Oregon's measles outbreak is now the largest reported outbreak in the state since 1991, according to data from the Oregon Health Authority.

The number of cases in the state since mid-June increased to 30 as of Sunday, surpassing the last outbreak in 2019 when 28 cases were reported.
Oregon's 2024 measles outbreak

This summer's outbreak is centered in Marion County, which has seen 20 cases, with additional cases in Clackamas and Multnomah counties. In 2019, the majority of cases were reported in Multnomah and Clackamas counties.

All cases have been unvaccinated individuals, and two have been hospitalized.

“Our measles outbreak continues, with two new cases identified since Friday," said Paul Cieslak, medical director for communicable diseases and immunizations at the Oregon Health Authority's Public Health Division. "The disease is among the most contagious known, and the only way we know to stop it is to maintain very high immunization rates — upwards of 95%. Two doses of vaccine provide lifelong protection for about 97% of recipients. ”

When I was a kid, it was just assumed you'd get measles. Once it started going around in our school, my parents arranged for us to get gamma globulin injections that were supposed to mitigate the effects of the disease. Of course, I got it, as scheduled, and still remember being miserable for at least a week, with a high temperature and a headache, and the rash. The first measles vaccine was introduced in 1963, and virtually eliminate measles a rite of childhood, too late for me. Good riddance.

Forget It Jake, It's Baltimore

Or Glen Burnie, close enough. Jazz Shaw at Hat Hair, Baltimore Mall to Ban Unsupervised Teens on Weekends. Will it Work?

The Arundel Mills shopping mall located south of Baltimore has run into more than its fair share of trouble this year, frequently involving misbehaving or even criminal teenagers. Security services at the mall report that they have responded to 19 reports of assault, six robberies, eight disorderly conduct calls, and 18 thefts involving underage suspects just in 2024. Customers have been complaining and foot traffic is down significantly, particularly on weekends when most of these incidents take place. Now the mall is preparing to take action with a new policy aimed at curbing crime by unsupervised minors. Starting in a few weeks they will introduce a new "Youth Supervision Policy." On Fridays and Saturdays, anyone under the age of 18 will have to leave and stay out of the mall after 3 p.m. unless they are accompanied by an adult at least 21 years of age. ID will be required to enforce the new rules. But will this work? (CBS News)

No, next question. 

Oregon, My Oregon

Hamas on the Willamette:

 

EXCLUSIVE: The teachers union in Portland, Oregon, has created a curriculum that teaches kindergarteners that "Jewish people" are "settler-colonial" oppressors, prepares them to attend "protests," and celebrates Palestinian "martyrs."

Inside Portland's kindergarten Intifada. 🧵

— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) June 5, 2024

The curriculum, co-published by the Portland teachers union, is called "Teach Palestine!" The union promotes the curriculum to its 4,500 and provides them legal justification to include it in the classroom—beginning with children as young as four and five years old. pic.twitter.com/w9DgNUh9h5

— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) June 5, 2024

The Portland curriculum then provides pre-K students "a sensory guide" for attending pro-Palestinian protests. It prepares the children for "signs," "chanting," "counterprotestors," and "tear gas." Featured slogans include "Abolish Prisons" and "Save Gaza." pic.twitter.com/imzTUFKJwq

— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) June 5, 2024

Forget It Jake, It's Baltimore

 Jazz Shaw at Hat Hair, Baltimore Fights Against Prosecuting Juvenile Criminals

Baltimore, Maryland is a city with a higher per capita murder rate than Kabul and plenty of voters and elected officials have been sounding the alarm over this recently. Juvenile crime rates over the past couple of years have been increasingly worrisome, with armed auto thefts and carjackings increasing in number. Responding to the outcry, the Maryland legislature has prepared a package of crimefighting bills to send to Democratic Governor Wes Moore. But the plan has its opponents, driven by the usual list of suspects. They assembled near the Maryland State House on Thursday to raise their complaints about the legislature "targeting youths" unfairly. One public defender addressed the crowd, claiming that the bill fails to "provide the kind of help that kids need and deserve." (Baltimore Sun)

Civil rights advocates gathered in Annapolis on Thursday afternoon to call on lawmakers to strip the legislature’s intricate juvenile justice bill of its punitive measures.

“This bill is not backed by evidence-based practices, it does not have the endorsement of a credible commission of experts, and it does not provide the kind of help that kids need and deserve,” Erin Seagears, an assistant public defender for Anne Arundel County, said. “Our kids who need our help, this bill harms them.”

The small coalition of advocates assembled at Lawyers Mall outside of the Maryland State House to ask lawmakers to strike all of the bill’s measures aside from the creation of a commission to study juvenile justice best practices. Should the legislature decline, the bill’s opposition plans to demand that Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, vetoes it.

You can read some of the details about the changes to the law here. Most of the changes focus on accountability and tracking. One element would make it mandatory for police officers to fill out and complete a written record each time a juvenile is taken into custody. That doesn't happen today in too many cases, so when a repeat offender is picked up, they system may not be able to identify them as such. The goal is to increase the threshold for them to be released again and identify those who are potentially more dangerous or may require intervention at home to get them out of a bad situation.

The bill would also provide $43 million for a new tracking system that would identify youths who "interact" with multiple state agencies, including law enforcement. It would also double the amount of time that juveniles can be on parole after convictions and increase penalties for those as young as ten for possession of a firearm or having stolen a car, animal abuse, or a third-degree sex offense.

All of these seem like common sense approaches to an obvious problem, but there were still loud complaints. Zakiya Sankara-Jabar, the co-founder of Racial Justice NOW!, said she was "offended" by the bill. She went on to call it “completely uncivilized.” But what are these protesters blaming for the increase in juvenile offenses including carjackings and weapons charges? Amazingly, some blamed it on the pandemic and the "mental health impacts" the government's policies had on "at-risk youths."

What's truly "uncivilized" is a society that is in decay, particularly in Baltimore. Gang activity continues to expand, with the gangs recruiting children at younger and younger ages. They are given illegal firearms and sent out to "conduct business" knowing that the city's law enforcement system is a revolving door for minors. Many come from broken or dysfunctional homes, often without a father figure in their lives. Once they've been fed through the system for a certain amount of time, most will grow to see law enforcement as "the enemy" rather than public servants assigned to keep them safe and maintain order. At that point, the only future awaiting many will involve jail or worse.

Actually, the shocking part is that they're trying to do something at all.  

Tattoo Tuesday

Be an inclusive adult. Tell them about people with tattoos.… pic.twitter.com/ccMJ6QSNLQ

— Chanel Pfahl 🇨🇦 (@ChanLPfa) September 6, 2023

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Pre-Tax Double Scoop Edition ready and awaiting your digital pleasure.

Let's Face It, Women are Just Better at Everything

Hat Hair's Dave Strom is amused by claims that a New Study PROVES That Prehistoric Women Were Superior Hunters to Men

Racism, sexism, and homophobia explain why White men are wrong about everything.

Despite being incompetent boobs who have never contributed a thing to the world, somehow, we get all the credit.

It is a miracle. The stupidest, least capable people somehow run the world with an iron fist.

People in the comments claiming this is untrue yet are willing to ignore the photographic evidence provided https://t.co/6Vkybj3SMf

— Godfrey Elfwick™ (@GodfreyElfwick) November 28, 2023

The latest example of how White men have twisted reality like a pretzel is the false belief that in prehistoric times, men were generally the hunters and women the gatherers and caretakers.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Science has proven this beyond doubt.

If you envisage a prehistoric hunter, a vision of a caveman might spring to mind.

But a new study claims that these cavemen paled in comparison to their female counterparts.

While women have long been seen as child-rearers and gatherers and men as hunters, researchers from the Univeristy of Notre Dame have debunked this theory.

“Debunked.” That’s a word that carries a lot of weight. Did they find a secret video that proves this theory or perhaps some other incontrovertible evidence? Clearly, there are no written records since, by definition, “prehistoric” is pre-writing.

No, their theory is based on hormones, which give women greater endurance than men–which is, in fact, true in general.

They need it. They take care of the kids. Usually more than one at a time. Let me try to run down a deer on foot anytime. The only reason men do all the hunting is to get away from the wife and kids, right? 

Maryland, My Maryland

 Jazz Shaw at Hot Hair, Maryland Asking Why Juvenile Criminals Are Immediately Released

Last week in Baltimore, a woman had stopped her car at a traffic light at the intersection of East Lombard Street and South Patterson Park Avenue. She was suddenly set upon by two suspects who dragged her out of her car, assaulted her violently, and attempted to steal her vehicle. The attack was caught on a security camera and the police were later able to track down and arrest the suspects. They were 12 and 14 years old respectively. The police took the boys to the Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center following their arrest. But they didn’t spend the night behind bars. That evening they were back home with their parents. Now both the police and some Maryland legislators have requested an investigation into why suspects like these are almost immediately released no matter how serious their crimes may be.

The Department of Juvenile Services has opened an internal investigation “with the intent of taking appropriate action” after several lawmakers raised concerns about issues that could be contributing to a crime trend involving juvenile suspects committing violent crimes.

In a letter to the Department of Juvenile Services Secretary Vincent Schiraldi and Baltimore Police Chief Richard Worley, the lawmakers drew attention to juvenile violent crime suspects being released shortly after their arrest without explanation. Baltimore City Councilman Zeke Cohen, State Sen. Bill Ferguson, State Del. Luke Clippinger, State Del. Robbyn Lewis, and State Del. Mark Edelson signed the letter.

Under Maryland’s lenient laws, children under the age of 13 cannot be criminally charged with a crime except in the most extraordinary cases. So they couldn’t charge the 12-year-old in the case above, but they could have charged the 14-year-old. And even the younger boy could have been held overnight for processing. But both were immediately released. (The only reason they failed to steal the car was that neither of them knew how to drive a stick shift.)

That’s hardly the only case of concern. The legislators pointed to a sharp uptick in both car thefts and gun crimes involving juveniles in recent years. Few if any are ever seriously prosecuted. But this has been going on for years in Baltimore. Are these officials only just now noticing the problem?

We vote poorly, for the most part. 

Forget It Jake, It's Baltimore

 Hat Hair's Jazz Shaw wonders Has Baltimore (almost) fixed the "squeegee boy" problem?

We’ve been covering the problem of the “squeegee kids” in Baltimore Maryland for years. Groups of young people, some of whom may or may not be associated with local gangs, hang around near traffic lights at busy intersections and approach cars when they are unable to move. They begin spraying and wiping down windshields and then demanding money from the drivers. If people refuse to pay for this unsolicited “work,” they frequently become violent, causing damage to vehicles and even assaulting drivers. Some of them have even been convicted of murder.

When Baltimore’s new mayor announced a plan to deal with the problem back in January, it appeared to fail almost immediately. Signs were put up indicating “no squeegee zones” and community work programs were launched to give the “squeegee workers” (as Mayor Brandon Scott likes to call them) other employment or educational opportunities, but most of them simply ignored the signs and kept doing what they were doing. But after almost a year, could it really be working? A new report from the local CBS News outlet suggests that it might.

There’s an updated Squeegee Collaborative report that details the effectiveness of efforts to change squeegeeing throughout Baltimore.

According to new data updated August 24, squeegee activity has dropped drastically in the city.

Leaders with the squeegee collaborative credit these numbers to there now being more opportunities provided for squeegee workers, including work and education alternatives.

If you watch the brief video report at the link, they offer what they describe as a “drastic” drop in “squeegee activity” in the city. They include one figure citing an 81% drop from the previous year. That’s an impressive figure and it would suggest that the work done by the “Squeegee Collaborative” is really getting the job done.

But is it really that much better? To be sure, there are at least some of the squeegee kids going elsewhere, including a few who are back in school and others taking day jobs from the city. So that’s an improvement. But we should first keep in mind that when they say there’s been a “drastic drop around the city,” they’re specifically talking about six intersections where the program was put in place. Baltimore has a lot more intersections than that, and the others are not being similarly monitored.

The program has received 1,633 calls from motorists so far since the program went into effect. That still seems like an awfully large number of complaints in less than a year, doesn’t it? The city proudly boasts that 98.2 percent of those calls were “handled” without warnings or citations being issued. 34 incidents did result in arrests or the issuance of citations. So does that mean that the squeegee kids are engaging in less abusive behavior or were the cops simply told to write fewer tickets and let most of them off with a verbal warning?

I have no trouble believing that fewer of the squeegee kids are engaging in direct, physical attacks on drivers in this zone when there are uniformed police officers standing around watching. But, again, we’re talking about six intersections here. How many of those other calls went unanswered if they came from different intersections?

If nothing else, we’ve heard of no serious injuries or deaths among motorists this year caused by the squeegee kids, so that’s an improvement to be sure. But this announcement from City Hall really does sound like it involves a lot of spin and seeks to paint some lipstick on a pig that really hasn’t lost all that much weight. We should keep in mind that the primary season for next year’s municipal elections is just getting underway and Mayor Scott has already drawn a challenger. We can’t exclude the possibility that he’s looking for some good headlines to shore up his numbers and this squeegee program might not be as much of an unqualified success as his office is making it sound.

So, yeah, maybe they made some progress, but then again, maybe they're cooking the books. It is Baltimore after all. Maybe if they fixed the schools and taught them something useful, they wouldn't have to shake down commuters for a living.