Children

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has named an advocate for youth justice reform as the new director of Baltimore's crime policy office. Angela Johnese, an attorney who has served as juvenile justice policy director for Advocates for Children and Youth, will lead the Mayor's Office on Criminal Justice, coordinating criminal justice efforts across different agencies as well as administering state and federal grant money. In a statement, Rawlings-Blake said Johnese's "commitment to developing alternatives and solutions for young people will support our efforts to create long-term reductions in crime.

I am dismayed that Patuxent Publishing has only seen fit to publish anti-abortion responses to Maria Santo's My Word, "Murder is not condoned by civilized societies; abortion should be illegal" (Feb. 28). As a long-time "pro-choice" woman who has marched in support of pro-choice more than once, I am insulted by her editorial. "Civilized Societies do not kill children. " How juvenile; using the scare tactic of killing "children. " I believe that an embryo is a potential human and therefore, does not have the same rights as the mother.

In October 2011, the Court of Appeals, Maryland's highest court, struck down provisions of the Reduction of Lead Risk in Housing Act that gave landlords immunity from being sued in some circumstances when children were poisoned by lead based paint in their properties. The court left intact the safety provisions of the act that require landlords statewide to meet certain minimum safety standards with respect to lead based-paint hazards. The court said that the immunity provisions were unconstitutional because they denied brain-damaged children their day in court and denied them a remedy for their injuries.

Now that sequestration is upon us, our nation's leaders continue to debate which federal programs provide the best bang for the buck. When they ask how effective Head Start is, many legislators have cited the Head Start Impact Study. It concludes that although Head Start consistently closes the achievement gap and prepares many of America's poorest and neediest children for kindergarten, by third grade most children across the nation outperform and outscore children who attend Head Start.

Grace Callwood, a second-grader at William S. James Elementary School in Abingdon, donated many new and gently used toys and books to the homeless children at Harford Family House, a shelter for homeless families with children in Aberdeen. Grace has been battling cancer since 2011 and receives an abundance of toys as gifts from her friends, family and admirers. Grace had so many toys she thought she should share some of them with the families who reside at Harford Family House.

Cal Ripken Jr. stopped by The Baltimore Sun this morning as part of the promotional tour for his third children's novel, “Wild Pitch,” which came out today. The book - about a young pitcher who loses his confidence after beaning an opponent - was co-written by Sun columnist Kevin Cowherd. Before leaving on a book signing tour that will include stops in a number of spring training spots (including the Orioles' camp in Sarasota on Thursday), Ripken sat down for a quick Q&A touching on the O's, his color commentary, the late Earl Weaver and his son Ryan.

The month of February saw a wide variety of events being held on the campus of St. Vincent's Villa. The children at St. Vincent's were treated to a wonderful concert early in the month by the Pizzazz group of high school students who wish to share their musical gifts with others. The children sang along with many of the songs, showing their enjoyment of this special event. For the President's Day holiday, high school basketball teams from Mt. St. Joe's and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel came out to run a mini-basketball clinic with the children as part of a day of service organized by Catholic Charities.

Congratulations to the members of the Howard County Gifted and Talented High School Orchestra on their fine performance "Side by Side" with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra on Wednesday, Feb. 20 at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore. Howard County and Howard County Public Schools showed their support for our student musicians through the remarks and attendance of County Executive Ken Ulman, Superintendent Renee Foose and HCPSS Instructional Facilitator for Music, Rob White. Appreciation was expressed for the many involved in producing this remarkable experience, not the least of which was for the students' parents, who were praised for taking their children to many rehearsals.

A judge delivered a major blow Monday to the state's case against two men accused of fatally slashing the throats of three children nine years ago, ruling that the testimony of a key witness is inadmissible. As prosecutors try for a third time next month to convict Policarpio Espinoza Perez, 31, and Adan Canela, 26, they'll have to do so without some important evidence and witnesses they used to secure a 2006 guilty verdict that was later thrown out by Maryland's top court. Circuit Judge M. Brooke Murdock told the prosecution that it may not use the statements of the woman who said in the earlier trials that she drove the men from work to the crime scene.

100 Years Ago Yankee Doodle Dandy "Ford's Grand Opera House: Week, February 24th, Cohan and Harris offer, a new satirical comedy, The Children of Today, by Clara Lipman and Samuel Shipman. Representative Company. "Children of Today, a play which will appeal to all classes and to every parent, is a modern satirical comedy full of fun and good sense, entertaining from start to finish. It is by Clara Lipman and Samuel Shipman and produced under the auspices of Messrs Cohan and Harris.