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The latest from Rick Hutzell
Hutzell: Bridges fast and slow: A reality check on building the new Key
COLUMN | China built a bridge in 42 hours. China built the world’s tallest bridge in four years. Why can’t America build more like China? Before we get any more freaked out on the latest Key Bridge setback, here’s some perspective on building bridges.
Hutzell: Financing a legacy, state senator pumps $574,000 into the primary
COLUMN |State Sen. Pam Beidle plans to donate $500,000 in campaign funds to a slate of at least 19 candidates she believes will continue her middle-of-the-road political philosophy in increasingly progressive Maryland. Her top priority is getting Allison Pickard elected county executive.
Hutzell: Hey, Southwest Airlines! Why do you want my wife and me to split up?
COLUMN | Two days after our 33rd wedding anniversary, Southwest Airlines decided that we should split up. We’d fallen prey to one of the dumber airline decisions in recent memory, annoying loyal flyers by charging more to sit together.
Hutzell: Excuses, excuses. What’s wrong with the Baltimore IG’s apology.
COLUMN | We are deep into the age of posting stupid and insensitive things online. It can cost you a friendship, standing in your community, a job or — and this is the fuzzy math bit — absolutely nothing.
Hutzell: Anne Arundel liquor board reform ends decades-old patronage perk
COLUMN | If Gov. Wes Moore signs a bill reforming appointments to the Anne Arundel County liquor board, it will end state senators’ power to dispense jobs as political favors.
Hutzell: Big, fake checks from Congress arrive in time for campaign season
COLUMN | Big, fake checks have no monetary value. But they are a priceless illustration as incumbents work to convince voters to send them back to Congress this fall. They illustrate just how much bacon they’ve brought home.
Hutzell: Annapolis mayor’s early priorities and style emerge in his calendar
COLUMN | Keys to understanding Annapolis Mayor Jared Littmann’s young administration are tucked into his work calendar. Access to the electronic diary, granted through a public records request, offers a view of his emerging priorities and style.
Hutzell: Liar, liar, pants on fire? The truth about Wes Moore’s dishonesty numbers
COLUMN | Is Wes Moore trustworthy? There's an argument out there that the governor is not, based on a misinterpretation of a recent UMBC poll. The truth about trust is much more complicated.
Hutzell: Andy Harris ♥ Viktor Orbán. Here’s why that’s bad for Maryland.
COLUMN | Why does Rep. Andy Harris love Viktor Orban? If you want to know who Maryland’s lone Republican in Congress is, take a look at the Hungarian strongman facing a tough reelection Sunday.
Hutzell: Anne Arundel retreats from humane policing, with little explanation
COLUMN |Anne Arundel County is retreating from its role as a leader in police response to mental health crises. The silence surrounding it is an insult to the public.
Hutzell: Baltimore County Orphans’ Court judges give up unconstitutional pay raise
COLUMN | Baltimore County violated the state constitution last year when it awarded $30,000 raises to its three orphans’ court judges. It should have known better. But when it comes to the orphans’ court, getting the law wrong is a common outcome.
Hutzell: Iran, the moon and $5 gas come together one night in Annapolis
COLUMN | There, like a $20 bill left on the sidewalk, former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton dropped a fragment of truth. “It hangs by a thread at this point,” he said in Annapolis, “whether we’re going to come out of this better after it’s over than we were before we went in.” He was more right than he knew.
Hutzell: Maryland Republican’s fraud charges started with Chasing Sunsets
COLUMN | By the time James Appel, a top Maryland Republican finance expert, set off for the Bahamas in November 2023, he and his wife had upgraded to a 65-foot luxury yacht. That’s what got the Annapolis man in trouble.
Hutzell: What’s it like being Frank Sinatra? Ask Wendell Rakosky.
COLUMN | Wendell Rakosky is a professional Sinatra tribute artist. What’s it like? I guess you could say he did it Frank’s way.
What to do this weekend, including Cardi B live and family Easter fun
Whether you want to rap along to Cardi B, go hunting for Easter eggs or sip a draft of Resurrection Ale one last time, we’ve got you covered.
Hutzell: Maryland loves mail-in voting. Brett Kavanaugh, maybe not.
COLUMN | If the U.S. Supreme Court decides to disqualify mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day, Maryland voters will mostly be OK. The unlikely hero? The U.S. Postal Service.
Hutzell: O say can you see ... another song that is not Maryland’s
COLUMN | Like that famous beat, the search for a Maryland state song goes on. The newest contender is “The Heart of Maryland.” It’s a little bit country and a little bit politics.
7 things to do in Annapolis: Film festival talks are the true star of the show
The Annapolis Film Festival will screen more than 70 films starting Thursday. The festival is one of seven great things to do in the coming week.
Hutzell: There’s still no art in Annapolis’ empty circle. Maybe this is progress.
COLUMN | Westgate Circle in Annapolis is more than an embarrassingly empty canvas for public art, a small round of grass that screams, “Fill this space!” It’s a symbol of what’s wrong with publicly funded art in Maryland’s small-town state capital.
Hutzell: Maryland deportations won’t stop, even when the ICE insanity ends
COLUMN | Most local governments don’t want you to know that they’re working with ICE. It’s not the horrific campaign to drag pregnant women and friendly neighbors to the border and give them a sharp kick. It’s the routine business of removing criminal aliens.
