Statement

Thanks to the Sun's recent mischaracterization of the Maryland Catholic bishops' statement on religious freedom ("Bishops assail same-sex marriage," Nov. 10), many readers responded to one element - only five paragraphs long - of a 12-page document well worth reading carefully. The statement, "The Most Sacred of All Property: Religious Freedom and the People of Maryland," cites several examples of the problems that arise when government policies conflict with the deeply held moral and religious beliefs of individual citizens and religious institutions.

Over the past few weeks, I have quietly waited for someone to write in a sensible argument regarding the issue of the White Student Union at Towson University. I can no longer remain quiet. Let us remind ourselves of a few facts. White people are still in the majority in this country and on the campus of TU. Black people are still in the minority in this country as well as on the campus of TU. Lest we forget the atrocities that have been committed against our black brothers and sisters in this country.

"I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to Peter Angelos and Andy MacPhail for the opportunity to serve as manager for the Baltimore Orioles for the past three years. The results on the field were not what any of us would have hoped for, and I understand that the organization felt the time was right to move in a different direction. While I am disappointed at the outcome, I feel it was a privilege to wear the Orioles uniform each day and I thank all the fans for their tremendous support.

A Baltimore Circuit Court judge ruled that a jury will be able to hear the taped confession of a teenage defendant in a murder case, rejecting his lawyers' claim that the police had coerced the statement from him. Markell Shelton Jones and his mother, Lakisha Jones, testified Monday that they had been influenced by police, an argument Robert Linthicum, Jones' attorney, made again Tuesday. "The whole thing basically reeks of coercion," he said. But Judge M. Brooke Murdock said police had done nothing improper in the way they conducted the interviews and said she did not find the defendant's mother credible.

Lefty Tsuyoshi Wada had season-ending elbow-ligament (Tommy John) surgery Friday in California. Dr. Lewis Yocum, who removed bone spurs from Wada's elbow in 2007, performed Friday's surgery. The Orioles issued the following statement from Wada: “The procedure went as planned and Dr. Yocum felt good about how it went. He predicts a full recovery,” Wada said. “I'm glad to have this over with and look forward to beginning my rehabilitation so I can get back to pitching for the Orioles as soon as possible.” There is no set timetable on when he will return to Sarasota, Fla., to begin his rehab.

The Ravens have just released a statement from John Harbaugh regarding comments he made during a radio interview Tuesday about the New England Patriots' championships being 'stained.' Following is the full statement: “While on the 98 Rock show this morning to talk about the run to honor O.J. Brigance and raise funds for ALS research, I answered a question about playing within the rules and referred to the perception that...

GP Sports Management is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our dear friend and client, Dan Wheldon. Dan was a winner. For the past 11 years we were privileged to watch Dan become a champion on the track and a devoted family man off it. He loved the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and was immensely proud to have his name etched twice on the Borg Warner trophy alongside some of the Indy 500 greats. He touched so many people in racing and around the world with his warm smile, his charming personality and his genuine good nature.

Ryan Ripken just released a statement through a family spokesman after being drafted by the Orioles in the 20th round this afternoon . “I am excited and honored to have been drafted by the Orioles," he said. "As everyone knows, the Orioles are tied so closely to my family through my grandfather, uncle and my dad.  They have been my team for as long as I can remember so that makes this moment that much more special.  Right now I am enjoying the moment with my mom, dad and sister as I prepare to graduate from Gilman this weekend.

In case you missed it yesterday, the campaign of Newt Gingrich sent out what's likely the most epic political press statement of all time . Gingrich press secretary Rick Tyler, clearly frustrated with media criticism of his candidate, sent to the Huffington Post the following statement replete with medieval imagery of hellfire and war.  Here it is, in its entirety:  “The literati sent out their minions to do their bidding,” Tyler...

Label 56, the Baltimore-based record label that released music by End Apathy - the band fronted by alleged Sikh temple shooter Wade Michael Page - released a statement Monday afternoon, regarding Page's relationship with the label. It reads: Label 56 is very sorry to hear about the tragedy in Wisconsin and our thoughts are with the families and friends of those who are affected. We have worked hard over the years to promote a positive image and have posted many articles encouraging people to take a positive path in life, to abstain from drugs, alcohol, and just general behavior that can affect ones life negatively.

Monday, May 6, 2013 Dear City Schools Partners and Friends, I am writing to you today to let you know that at the end of the current school year, I will retire and leave Baltimore City Public Schools and this great city to return to my home in New Jersey to care for my aging parents and begin an academic position at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. It has not been an easy decision, because what we have accomplished together in recent years has been both important and extremely gratifying to me, professionally and personally.

Four Israeli high-tech firms plan to soon open offices or add staff in Maryland, Gov. Martin O'Malley announced Tuesday, the third day of his eight-day economic development trip to Israel and Jordan. The four companies are Shekel Scales, Askimo, Roboteam and Hybrid Security, O'Malley said in a statement. Shekel Scales, which builds retail, industrial and healthcare scales for precision weighing, opened an office in Owings Mills earlier this year, according to the governor's statement.

If there were a dress code for visitors to the current exhibit in Howard Community College's Rouse Company Foundation Gallery, it would stipulate that people must wear blue jeans when going to see Julie van Hemert's "Peopled Jeans. " That's because the artist uses blue jean material for her wall-hanging fabric art. Van Hemert does not significantly alter or transform this material. Instead, she typically clusters a few pants legs together in order to suggest that several close friends are, er, hanging out together.

Anne Arundel County Police on Thursday arrested a Ferndale man who they said called 911 and threatened a bomb attack similar to that of Monday's explosions at the Boston Marathon that killed three people and left almost 200 others injured. Police officials said in a release that at approximately 12:38 p.m. on Wednesday a person called 911 and said, "I'm from Boston and I'm going to blow some more stuff up. " The caller then hung up, officials said. The dispatcher began researching calls in the area where the call originated - the 1300 block of Broadview Road, police said.

Despite being the defending national champion and winning nine of 11 games this season, Loyola needs to make a statement in 2013. The Greyhounds have had other opportunities to do that this season, but they lost by two goals to No. 4 Maryland and one to No. 2 Duke. No. 8 Loyola gets another chance when No. 1 Denver (9-2) comes to the Ridley Athletic Complex on Saturday afternon, and this outcome will be heard around the college lacrosse world. "We don't have a win against a Top 5 ranked team on our resume.

Baltimore County prosecutors will not be allowed to use information provided by James D. Laboard's lawyer on the night that the off-duty police officer allegedly killed a Randallstown teenager, a judge ruled Friday. During a criminal motions hearing, Circuit Judge Jan Marshall Alexander ruled that the lawyer's decision to talk to detectives violated attorney-client confidentiality. Prosecutors said the ruling would have little effect on the case. Laboard, a Baltimore County police officer, is charged with two counts of manslaughter in the death of 17-year-old Christopher Brown.

The following is a statement from INDYCAR CEO Randy Bernard: "INDYCAR is sad to announce that Dan Wheldon passed away from unsurvivable injuries. Our thoughts and prayers are with Dan and his family. INDYCAR, its drivers and teams have decided to end the race. We will run a five-lap salute in honor of Dan. "

Two points I would like to make regarding Mr. Rodricks' column ("To monitor farm pollution, use drones," Mar. 24). First, I generally agree that the governor and the legislature should stay out of the University of Maryland Law Clinic's business, but when the law clinic goes so far afield and acts in direct contravention to their stated mission, someone needs to hold them accountable. Their dean certainly isn't going to, nor is their Board of Visitors. Consider this: a core commitment of the law school's mission statement is, "The pursuit of justice through improving legal delivery systems and serving those who have been disadvantaged by the legal system or denied access to it. " The law clinic's client was the Waterkeeper Alliance, which was founded and is led by Robert Kennedy Jr. According to its annual report, its fiscal 2012 revenues were $4.6 million, and expenses were $3.4 million; that is a $1.2 million profit for one year (and they are a non-profit)

For the first time in three trials in the 2004 slashing deaths of three children in Northwest Baltimore, jurors on Monday heard a nine-year-old statement by one of the suspects describing his nephew emerging shirtless from a rear window of the apartment in which the victims were killed. The tape-recorded statement by Policarpio Espinoza Perez, charged in the killings with his nephew, Adan Espinoza Canela, was played in Baltimore Circuit Court for the first time since the May 2004 killings of three young relatives because he is now being tried separately.