CURRENT EDITION: baltimore (none)🔄 Loading BlueConic...EDITION HISTORY: No changes tracked
🔵 BlueConic: ___🍪 Cookie: ___ UNKNOWN🔗 Query: ___✏️ Composer: ___
You’re viewing the Baltimore Region experience. You can , or use the dropdown menu above to select another region.
Hey neighbor! We've set your experience to the Capital Region. If you'd prefer another region, use the dropdown menu above to select another region.

Childs Walker

Childs

Childs Walker is a contributor to The Baltimore Banner. He worked at The Baltimore Sun from 2001 to 2025 and covered Carroll County politics, Anne Arundel County land use, the Orioles, higher education, the 9/11 attacks, a Super Bowl and more. He grew up in Baltimore, learning to put Old Bay on everything and be suspicious of Washington, attended Gilman and graduated from Emory University.

The latest from Childs Walker

What we learned (and didn’t) from the Ravens’ offseason
COLUMN | There's much we don't know about the Ravens, but the trend is promising.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) gestures during NFL football practice, Wednesday, June 10, 2026, in Owings Mills, Md.
Taj Mahal flags late at Preakness, and a dramatic win for Maryland racing slips away
The dream of a hometown Preakness triumph at Laurel Park, where Brittany and Sheldon Russell have built Maryland’s most successful barn, did not materialize.
Jockey Sheldon Russell rides Taj Mahal to an early lead during the 151st Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park.
Horse dies after first race on Friday ahead of Preakness
Preakness weekend got off to a grim start as the horse, Hit Zero, collapsed and died at Laurel Park.
An equine ambulance works on the dirt track after a horse suddenly collapsed after the first race of Preakness Friday ahead of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Laurel Park racetrack.
Brittany and Sheldon Russell, Maryland racing’s power couple, prepare to take on the Preakness
Jockey Sheldon Russell, riding Mizner, is greeted by the team, including Russell’s wife and Mizner’s trainer, Brittany Russell, and their son.
Photos: With Preakness, Laurel Park gets its day in the sun
Laurel Park is about to be in the national spotlight as never before as it hosts the second jewel of the Triple Crown for the first time.
Guests dine at Tips Restaurant as horses run by during a race at Laurel Park.
What you need to know about every Preakness horse
It shapes up as a wide-open Preakness over the unfamiliar dirt at Laurel Park, which will host this year as a $400 million rebuild of Pimlico Race Course moves forward.
MAY 16, 2025 —  The third undercard race goes underway on Preakness Friday, May 16, 2025, at Pimlico Race Course.
The Preakness used to be the people’s race. Can it become that again?
The 2026 Preakness will be something else entirely. This was always going to be a strange year, with Maryland’s signature race displaced to Laurel Park as a $400 million Pimlico rebuild rumbles forward.
People celebrate from the apron as Journalism, ridden by Umberto Rispoli, wins the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, May 17, 2025.
This Preakness badly needs the Derby winner, and his star trainer, to show up
It will be up to Golden Tempo, DeVaux added, how fit he looks upon returning to the training track at Keeneland, where her stable is based.
Golden Tempo #19, ridden by jockey Jose Ortiz, heads into the first turn the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 02, 2026 in Louisville, Kentucky.
Childs Walker: 5 things we learned from the Ravens’ draft
The Ravens made themselves bigger and nastier with their first two draft picks of the Jesse Minter era. From there, they addressed some needs but left a few holes to be filled by other means.
The Ravens’ selection of Vega Ioane with their first pick shows their first priority was to protect their quarterback.
Even after licensing deal, Churchill Downs CEO says ‘Maryland is in control’ of Preakness
Maryland officials say their future rights to operate Preakness and negotiate new media deals around the race are unchanged by Churchill’s purchase of the race’s intellectual property. But they were caught off guard by the sale.
Horses take off from the gate for The Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday, May 17, 2025, in Baltimore.
Ranking every first-round pick in Ravens history
The Ravens drafted two Hall of Famers before they ever played a game in Baltimore, and neither of them tops this list.
Safety Malaki Starks is introduced with coach John Harbaugh and general manager Eric DeCosta at the Under Armour Performance Center as the Baltimore Ravens first round pick of the 2025 NFL football draft, Friday, April 25, 2025.
Childs Walker: The Ravens did what they could to salvage hopes for the season
COLUMN | In a five-day span, the Ravens made the most ambitious trade in franchise history, annulled it, got hitched to the No. 1 free-agent pass rusher and became the NFL’s villain of the moment.
In a five-day span, the Ravens made the most ambitious trade in franchise history, annulled it, got hitched to the No. 1 free-agent pass rusher and became the NFL’s villain of the moment.
Childs Walker: A drastic overhaul aims to get the Ravens back to where they were
This is what we’ve learned so far about how the new coaches in charge will try to create change.
New Ravens coach Jesse Minter, left, introduces his new coordinators, Anthony Levine Sr., special teams; Declan Doyle, offense; and Anthony Weaver, defense.
Expect Steve Bisciotti to be patient and unconventional in the Ravens’ coaching search
Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti will hire a head coach for the second time since he bought the team.
Childs Walker: To understand John Harbaugh, go back to the mutiny
Reflecting on the career of John Harbaugh and his 18 seasons as the head coach of Baltimore Ravens before he was fired.
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh watches the team during warmups as the Ravens prepare to play the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Childs Walker: The Ravens must reconsider everything
Here are five things we learned about where the Ravens might be headed after a colossally disappointing 2025.
Ravens President Sashi Brown walks off the field with Tyler Loop after the kicker missed a field goal at the end of Sunday night’s 26-24 loss in Pittsburgh.
Childs Walker: Simplicity was key for Ravens, but that doesn’t make Tyler Huntley the answer
No, there's no QB controversy in Baltimore. That's silly.
GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - DECEMBER 27: Derrick Henry #22 and head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens celebrate after scoring a touchdown in the second quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on December 27, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Childs Walker: The Ravens’ well-worn failings point to a need for change
The Ravens squandered an 11-point lead in a 28-24 loss to the New England Patriots. Their playoff hopes are hanging by a thread. Here are five things we learned from the game.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is slow to get up after being hit by Patriots safety Craig Woodson late in the second quarter Sunday night. He left the game shortly after and did not return.
Childs Walker: 5 things we learned from a Ravens win that was both reassuring and confusing
With smart, punishing defense and a pair of vintage drives from Lamar Jackson, the Ravens shut out the Bengals to ward off oblivion.
Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey and the rest of the defense shut down a potent Bengals offense as Baltimore played its most complete game of the year.
5 things we learned as the Ravens’ playoff hopes dimmed
The Ravens could not overcome a dysfunctional first half and sketchy officiating, losing 27-22 to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday and imperiling their playoff chances. Here are five things we learned.
Ravens running back Derrick Henry carried 25 times for 94 yards to go over 1,000 yards for the season.
Load More Stories
Oh no!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes. If the problem persists, please contact customer service at 443-843-0043 or customercare@thebaltimorebanner.com.