Programs

Up to half of sexually active young people will get a sexually transmitted disease by the time they are 25, yet many don't seek testing because it may be difficult, costly or embarrassing. Public health officials nationally and in particularly affected cities like Baltimore, however, say they've found a method that seems to address the major hurdles — a website that supplies free in-home testing kits for three of the most commonly reported STDs. "The highest prevalence is in young adults, and we knew we had to reach these kids," said Charlotte A. Gaydos, a professor of infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

The Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore and the Maryland Department of Business of Economic Development announced Monday that they created a new program to help companies that have moved beyond the start-up phase to continue to grow. Advance Maryland is designed to assist these companies with developing markets, fine-tuning their business models and boosting growth with the help of a research specialist. Similar models have been adopted in other states, the groups said. "Maryland has a plethora of organizations and resources devoted to the start-up community, but we are limited when it comes to resources for second-stage companies," said Jen Gunner, the alliance's chief operating officer and co-program manager of Advance Maryland, in a statement.

Gun control doesn't stop bombings, and it doesn't prevent violent people from buying nails, BBs or pressure cookers. While I am supportive of gun control - and applaud Maryland for being one of the few states taking a strong stance on gun possession - tighter regulations will not prevent all violent attacks from occurring. In order to reach a real solution, the national discussion must go beyond gun control. For instance, how can we better predict who is likely to become a violent perpetrator?

Unimpressed with the elementary school in her Baltimore neighborhood, Bobbi Macdonald set out to create her own. She founded the City Neighborhoods Foundation in 2003, the year her oldest daughter started kindergarten and the state of Maryland began allowing charter schools. Ten years later, the nonprofit is running three schools: City Neighbors Charter School, City Neighbors Hamilton and City Neighbors High School. All are known for student engagement and attendance rates that top 90 percent.

One of the most frequent questions I get is, "Where can I find good software for my children?" Or grandchildren, as is often the case when grandma and grandpa give the family a personal computer as a present.There are plenty of fine programs on the shelves for children of all ages, and many of them don't involve kicking, punching or shooting anyone on screen. Some are strictly entertainment. Some are overtly educational, and many fall into a genre known )) as "edutainment," meaning that they're mostly fun but wind up teaching the kids something.

Kudos to all the programs that have contributed to the reduction in infant mortality in Baltimore. ("Md. infant mortality hits record low," August 24). I would like to mention two highly effective programs: Family Support Centers and Home Visiting programs, both of which build trusting relationships within communities in order to effectively engage women in prenatal care and partner with new mothers to ensure that their infants thrive. Located in five Baltimore neighborhoods with high rates of teen parenting and poverty, Family Support Centers reach out to pregnant women and new parents, engaging them in programs/services that increase the odds for child health and well-being.

The history, current state and future of oyster production in the Chesapeake region are the subject of a four-part Sunday afternoon discussion series at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels . State of the Oyster , the first in a planned annual series of public programming initiatives called Community Conversations, is being presented by the museum in conjunction with the Maryland Humanities Council. The program is accompanied by an art exhibition featuring work by Chesapeake artist Marc Catelli and photographer Heather Davidson.

Op-ed contributor Brian Gaines is right that we've got a long way to go when it comes to making sure Maryland's next generation is sufficiently educated in science, technology, engineering and mathematics ("No. 1 isn't good enough," Jan. 23). But he overlooks one outstanding way to help do the job: After-school programs. Ample research demonstrates that high-quality after-school programs can have a significant impact on students' attitudes about STEM fields and careers, their knowledge and skills in those areas and even their likelihood of graduating and pursuing a STEM career.

The vast majority of people who participate in gun buy back programs are like me. Law abiding people who are looking to unload worthless, unsafe firearms. Criminals do not turn in their illegally obtained and illegally possessed weapons. These are nothing more than feel good programs. I turned in my worthless firearm that was unsafe to fire and received a $100 dollar bill. I used this $100 to purchase so called "high capacity" magazines that are currently in the process of being banned in this state.

Several top programs from around the country will be in Baltimore this weekend for the Gilman Duals wrestling tournament. The meet, which will take place Saturday at the school, also features local teams No. 1 McDonogh and No. 4 Archbishop Spalding -- in addition to the host Greyhounds. Notable schools from out of the area in the one-day event include: Wyoming Seminary (Pa.), Germantown Academy (Pa.), St. Christopher's (Va.), St. Benedict's Prep (N.J.) and Northfield Mount Hermon (Mass.)

As he traveled through Baltimore to promote his jobs agenda on Friday, President Barack Obama found himself sitting near a 29-year-old man who was uncertain how to reset his life after being released from prison two years ago. In one of the few spontaneous moments of the president's visit, Marcus Dixon - father of two boys - told Obama how he connected in 2011 with a workforce development group called the Center for Urban Families, put his life...

Maryland's 2013 season could be compared to an exhilarating amusement-park ride that kept passengers highly entertained through the first half before sputtering out and leaving riders wanting more. After back-to-back appearances in the national title game, the Terps fell well short of that goal this spring, falling to Cornell, 16-8, in the first round of the NCAA tournament Sunday. With the loss, Maryland extended its national crown drought to 38 years. As frustrating as that is, however, coach John Tillman said the program will not lower the bar. “Our expectations will always be the same,” he said.

Only five programs have repeated as national champion - most recently in 2009 when Syracuse collected back-to-back NCAA titles. Loyola may have been one of the last teams to earn an at-large berth in the upcoming NCAA tournament, but the team has a chance to join the Orange, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, North Carolina and Princeton. “Obviously, that's the ultimate goal,” senior midfielder Davis Butts said Thursday. “The thing is, we have to take it one game at a time with the opponent that is ahead of us and not think about too far down the line because at this point, it's one game or you go home.

After seven years as director of the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, Jeffrey Sharkey is stepping down. He will remain with the conservatory until a successor is named. "So much of what I hoped to accomplish I feel I have accomplished," Sharkey, 48, said Friday. "But there's an arc to a leadership position. I think that fresh eyes are always a good thing. A new burst of energy will be good for Peabody, and for me, too. " Peabody, the nation's oldest conservatory, opened in 1866.

Navy's women's lacrosse players made it clear that they are not in the NCAA tournament this time to enjoy the experience. After three years of first-round losses, the eighth-seeded Mids are in it to win. Monmouth, which lost in a play-in game last season, apparently had the same idea. The Hawks made 11th-ranked Navy work for everything it got Friday, especially in the first half. Monmouth scored first and was within one until the final 7.1 seconds of the first half, when Mids senior attacker Jasmine DePompeo dished out the first her five assists and sparked a five-goal run that carried Navy to a 12-6 victory at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium for its first NCAA tournament win in six years as a Division I program.

Baltimore City public schools will not achieve the kind of excellence that will attract and keep families in the city until all schools in the system provide an education that will help every student reach her or his full potential. That is, every student including those with learning differences, English language learners, advanced learners, and those who fall squarely in the middle. Words used in The Sun editorial ("Education for everyone," April 29) such as "cream of the crop" and "elite" are divisive.

You recently carried an article describing the hardship that will be encountered by Maryland residents as a result of alcohol and gasoline tax increases and fee increases contemplated by the General Assembly ("With the state facing a $1.6 billion deficit, Marylanders are likely to feel the pinch," March 27). You failed however to discuss the much greater hardship and hazards encountered by our most vulnerable citizens as a result of budget cuts contemplated this session and enacted in recent years.

Maryland said Friday that it is extending the fundraising timeline in its effort to try to save at least a portion of the men's track program. The men's indoor, outdoor and cross country teams were among eight teams recommended for elimination by a university commission last year due to severe budget issues. Athletic director Kevin Anderson said in November that teams would be given the opportunity to raise money — eight years worth of total costs — by June 30 to remain in existence.

Critics of a federal program that provides free cellphones to thousands of Maryland residents who can't afford regular commercial service are right that some recipients who don't qualify for the benefit are taking advantage of the system. But there's no question the program serves an important need for the families it targets, and the solution to its problems lies in better oversight and management, not scrapping it altogether. The Lifeline program was created in 1984 to cushion the impact of telephone deregulation on poor families who otherwise might lose access to phone service.

More than 250 bicycles would be available for short-term rentals at 25 stations throughout Baltimore by this time next year under a bike-sharing program similar to those in Washington and London, city officials said. The city's financial oversight panel approved an agreement with the state Wednesday to establish Charm City Bikeshare. Stations — much like the drop-off and pick-up spots for "Zipcars" — are planned for downtown, midtown and Southeast Baltimore. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said the rental bikes build on the city's effort to bolster its renewable transportation system, including on-street bike lanes and bike parking in Charles Village.