Regrouping and focusing on education while dropping plans near a school is the right direction for the organization looking to bring a recovery home to Berlin.
Hope4Recovery deserves credit for understanding its proposal for a recovery home on William Street near the Berlin Intermediate School was worrying parents and neighbors.
“We decided as a group that what’s more important is hearing the community’s concerns while also worrying about the safety and security and the recovery of the men that would be in that house,” Hope4Recovery Executive Director Tish Ottey said. “We want them to be a part of the community, and we want them to be accepted because that’s what works.”
While this particular property was not the right fit, I think recovery homes are critically important for those looking to rebuild their lives after the devastation that comes with addiction. The location came with too many legitimate concerns regarding the close proximity to the school. I hope the organization is successful in finding a new site in the near future while continuing to try and educate the community about recovery houses and their intentions.
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Most of the reactions to the Ocean City Police Department’s sting operation involving luring johns to the beach under the guise of prostitution are negative.
The general reaction, at least online, seems to be why lure these types of people to Ocean City to simply bust them for prostitution when there are other more important crimes police should be targeting.
While that’s an interesting watercooler conversation, one of the sites the police used to post their ads seeking the johns recently got shut down.
Craigslight, an online classifieds provider, has abandoned its personal pages because of pending litigation as well as federal laws targeting it.
In a statement, Craigslist said, “Any tool or service can be misused. We can’t take such risk without jeopardizing all our other services, so we are regretfully taking Craigslist personals offline. Hopefully we can bring them back some day. To the millions of spouses, partners, and couples who met through Craigslist, we wish you every happiness.”
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Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot, listed as a Democrat on the ballot, might as well change his party affiliation. He certainly has more in common with Republican Governor Larry Hogan these days than ranking Senate President Mike Miller, who ripped the comptroller this week. Miller and Franchot have been exchanging barbs over the last couple months after craft beer legislation as well as school funding.
Miller has called Franchot publicly a “chameleon, because he changes his colors. If they laid him on a plaid carpet, he wouldn’t know where to go.”
In an interview with MarylandMatters.org, Miller said, “Red, blue, green, yellow. Because he changes his colors to each day to meet the tone of the day, to assist himself in the eyes of the voters. It’s too bad, because it shouldn’t be like that. People need to look up to their elected officials and they need to respect them, and when you see somebody that says one thing one day, then something opposite the next day, [people wonder] do you have core values at all?
“You don’t have to be a Democratic or a Republican, but just follow your beliefs and stick … to a straight line. And if he does that, then things can be all well again. But until he gets away from the playing to the crowds on every single issue, rather than moving and voting on the substance of the bills… [it’s going to impact his ability to serve] on the Board of Public Works.”
In response, Franchot posted this on his Facebook page.
“My issues aren’t with the Democratic Party. I travel across the state and I’m always humbled and grateful for the warm reception I receive from my fellow Democrats. As well as, for that matter, Republicans and Independents who just want respectful, responsive taxpayer service from their elected officials.
“My issues are with the Annapolis insiders, who are apparently outraged by my advocacy for air conditioned classrooms, a fair shake for our craft brewers and Lord knows what else. I’ll take these hits any day if it means shining sunlight on a system where too many decisions are made in back rooms by poltiical bosses with no true public input.
“Rest assured that I plan to keep fighting for reform, because the issues are too important and the stakes are too high to be reduced to petty political games of this nature.”
Meanwhile, I’m guessing Hogan is loving all this infighting amongst the dominate party in the state as he eyes a second term.
