Does anyone really like Edgar Allan Poe? Or is it just a Baltimore dream? Edgar Allan Poe would have loathed and loved what Baltimore has done with him. “I have great faith in fools,” he wrote. “My friends call it self-confidence.”

In Maryland’s largest city, Edgar Allan Poe is the stuff of stage productions and street festivals, wreath layings and end zone dances. He is the rubber duck “Edgar Mallard Poe.” Is all this Poe-ishness real, or just another thing to sell Baltimore?
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As the shutdown stretches on, say thank you to the civil servant Before the president and his party continue their wanton disassembly of the federal workforce, it’s a good moment to appreciate what we’re about to lose.

Just like men and women in military uniform, federal civil servants take an oath. Just like them, they promise to support and defend the Constitution. How did we forget that?
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7 things to do in Annapolis: The fall boat shows have arrived When the Annapolis boat shows are in town, it can seem as if there’s nothing else going on. That’s far from true.

The longtime lore of the show has been that buyers tend to follow the boat show circuit, window-shopping for an expensive luxury. Because it is one of the last in-water shows on the East Coast, closing the deal is a big feature of the four October days at City Dock.
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Wait, what?

No Moore drops the AI bomb on Maryland politics, dressed as a clown The messenger, whoever he or she or they are, matters less than the medium. AI-generated images have arrived in Maryland, and there’s no going back.

The messenger, whoever he or she or they may be, matters less than the medium. AI-generated images have arrived in Maryland, and there’s no going back.
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A good Chesapeake Bay Bridge yarn can't be stopped by facts The picture was alarming. A Dundalk woman posted a photo of a Bay Bridge deck support looking off-center, askew atop the pilings. And so, another Bay Bridge myth is born — it’s slipping!

Bodies in concrete. Planes beneath the spans. It can’t stand straight in a breeze. And now, a new Bay Bridge legend is born. It’s slipping!
No matter the facts, a good story about the bridge takes on a life of its own. Stories with facts? Even better.
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To sell the looming shutdown, Maryland Democrats settle on affordability When the federal government shuts down, and it will either this time or the next, Maryland’s Democrats will have to explain why. The Constitution is burning, but they’ve settled on an old political st...

Are Democrats on the patriot road, making a shutdown a fight to stop President Donald Trump’s unconstitutional power grab, or are they in the driveway selling affordability? It's more than the economy, stupid.
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Naval Academy ‘shooter’ scare perfectly reflected American fear The terror spread by half-truths and careless disregard for the impact after reports of a shooting at the Naval Academy was a snapshot of the American industry of fear.

Lies, damned lies and social media are destroying our republic.
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Littmann takes lead over Pindell Charles in Annapolis Democratic mayoral primary Annapolis hardware store owner Jared Littmann opened up a commanding lead over longtime Alderwoman Rhonda Pindell Charles in the Democratic primary for mayor.

Jared Littmann offered thanks to the invitation-only crowd with prepared remarks that sounded a lot like a victory speech.
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Ex-midshipman charged with threat following Naval Academy active shooter scare The threat against the Naval Academy last week set off panic and confusion and resulted in a midshipman being shot and wounded in a case of mistaken identity.

The threat against the Naval Academy set off panic and confusion and resulted in a midshipman mistakenly engaging a law enforcement officer and being shot and wounded. From Tim Prudente.
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As RFK Jr. blows up public health, some states are rushing to save it A growing number of Democrat-led states are joining together to protect common-sense safeguards against infectious disease with vaccines. Maryland has yet to join these partnerships, but the idea is u...

Maryland has yet to join one of these partnerships, but the idea is under discussion. It should be.
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Meet The Banner Montgomery newsroom For the past two months, we have been putting together a team of journalists who can cover the issues that matter most to residents.

This is new.
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Another assassination, another step toward an American dissolution Assassinations, by their nature, are destabilizing. In the spinning top of American political life at this moment, Charlie Kirk's death may prove to be the thing that irretrievably knocks us over.

The indefensible actions of a shooter unbalanced by Charlie Kirk’s vitriol — if that’s what this was — are not justification to threaten retribution. Both are symptoms of our insanity.
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Adultery is still a crime in Maryland. It’s punishable by a $10 fine. Since 2015, at least eight people have been charged with the offense, according to data from the Maryland Judiciary.

Maryland is one of more than a dozen states that still criminalize adultery. It's a misdemeanor — punishable by a $10 fine.

Since 2015, at least eight people have been charged with the offense, according to data from the Maryland Judiciary. (🎨: Yifan Luo) (via @thebaltimorebanner.com)

The father of small-government politics in Annapolis calls it quits For 17 years, Bill Kardash has been the intellectual power behind the idea of shrinking city government. This will be his last hurrah in Annapolis.

Ask him why, and Bill Kardash struggles for an answer. He sees less bureaucracy in other small cities and ruefully settles on “provincialism” as an explanation for why Annapolis hasn’t adopted his ideas.
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7 things in Annapolis: Here’s what they’re singing at the festival What are the local and emerging songwriters singing about during the four-day Annapolis Songwriters Festival? I asked more than 60 of them, and here’s some of what they shared.

I asked more than 60 of the local and emerging songwriters performing over the next four days at the Rams Head Annapolis Songwriter Festival, and here’s some of what they shared.
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For Gov. Moore: What’s wrong with vacationing in OC, and other nonsense Columnist Rick Hutzell has a few questions for Maryland Gov. Wes Moore after he was photographed sunbathing topless with his wife on George's Clooney's boat?

Dear Gov. Moore: How was Italy? Is George Clooney nice?
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Trump's threat to send the National Guard into Baltimore isn't about crime President Donald Trump’s threat is not about crime. It's not even about Baltimore or Chicago or any other of his favorite municipal punching bags. It is about power.

President Trump’s threat is not about crime; it’s not even about Baltimore or Chicago or any other of his favorite municipal punching bags, all run by Democratic mayors who happen to be people of color. It is about power.
www.thebanner.com/opinion/dona...

Annapolis’ next mayor will finish City Dock. But what then? When Annapolis voters elect a new mayor this fall, he or she will need to focus on finishing the reinvention of City Dock, a project that awaits federal funding.

If the money comes through, the candidate picked by voters this fall to be the next mayor will complete City Dock’s remake, probably in 2027. And if it doesn’t, one of the three candidates will figure out what happens next. www.thebanner.com/opinion/colu...

What Washington D.C.’s occupation can teach Baltimore With President Donald Trump threatening to send the military to Baltimore, the situation in Washington is instructive to how things may unfold here.

What Washington D.C.’s occupation can teach Baltimore

She'll resolve 'who’s your daddy.' Her raise might be illegal. Orphans' Court judges convinced the Baltimore County executive and council to give them $30,000 raises. It may have violated the Maryland Constitution.

By boosting the Orphans' Court judges’ salaries 18 months before their four-year terms end, Baltimore County may have violated the Maryland Constitution. Welcome to the most obscure part of our judiciary.
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When a journalist dies in Gaza, does it somehow matter more? When a colleague urged me to write about the death of Anas Al-Sharif, a correspondent covering the war in Gaza for Al Jazeera Arabic, he hoped I would be outraged. I didn’t. Because, frankly, I don’t ...

Maybe this war is too horrific for me to understand. So, I asked someone who was there for help. U.S. Rep. Johnny Olszewski Jr. was in Israel on Aug. 10 when Anas Al-Sharif was killed in Gaza.
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Remember that ugly Annapolis billboard? Now, it’s Bannerific! That billboard is still in downtown Annapolis. But wait. Is that an ad for The Baltimore Banner I see, floating majestically over City Dock? Why yes! Beauty, as I have just been reminded, is in the ey...

Beauty, I have just been reminded, is in the eye. Sometimes in Annapolis, it's a poke.
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7 things to do in Annapolis, from Navy football to the symphony at Quiet Waters The Navy Midshipmen open their football season Saturday in Annapolis against the VMI Keydets, the first time the two schools have met since 2014. Both schools could use the diversion.

The Naval Academy Midshipmen open their football season Saturday in Annapolis against the Virginia Military Institute Keydets, the first time the two schools have met since 2014. Both schools could use the diversion.
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Trump admin plans to revoke permit for offshore Maryland wind farm The Trump administration has taken aggressive steps to curtail the offshore wind industry nationally.

Trump administration plans to revoke permit for Maryland offshore wind farm

In Baltimore County, Oblate Sisters of Providence welcome a rare addition: A new nun There were roughly 35,000 nuns in 2024 in the United States, compared to nearly 80,000 in 2000 and 102,000 in 1990.

Last week, we joined Sister Delphine as she made her final vow to officially serve alongside her fellow sisters at the Oblate Sisters of Providence.

@thebaltimorebanner.com

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In Baltimore’s ‘hope desert,’ a mass drug overdose exposes deeper problems To Baltimore Penn North neighborhood residents, it felt like the beginning of a familiar cycle: Crisis strikes, troubling woes are in the spotlight and then the cameras and immediate attention are gone.

In Baltimore’s ‘hope desert,’ mass overdoses overshadow residents’ struggle for survival

Maryland students struggle with math, leaving a generation in trouble From wealthy suburbs to rural hillsides, Maryland public school students on average aren’t great at math.

Maryland students struggle with math, leaving a generation in trouble

The Democrats are coming for Andy Harris. This time they might succeed. An unpopular Republican president, a budget bill that busts the deficit while hurting many Marylanders and election rigging in Texas could change the political fortunes of Rep. Andy Harris.

Maryland Democrats could join the wave of gerrymandering congressional districts, but the math is murky. Or, they could get behind a candidate who can beat Andy Harris when the political moment makes him vulnerable.
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Baltimore seeks at least $30M from store accused of profiting off ghost guns The city filed the lawsuit in 2022 and previously reached a settlement with Polymer80, one of the largest manufacturers of ghost gun parts.

Baltimore seeks at least $30M from store accused of profiting off ghost guns. (via @thebaltimorebanner.com)