Articles by Sandra Olivetti Martin

Standing Tall for Civil Rights

Delegate Bob Costa and his deciding vote for the Civil Marriage Protection Act ... A Bay Weekly Conversation

At first glance, it seems unlikely that a truck-loving, firefighting Republican from rural Anne Arundel County would give the Civil Marriage Protection Act its victory vote, moving same-sex marriage through the House of Delegates and a step closer to law in Maryland. Del. Bob Costa goes by the email handle truckkie and drives one of Anne Arundel County’s biggest fire trucks out of the Lothian fire station. Costa, 53, is one of eight Republicans in...

Article - Bay Weekly Interviews; by Sandra Olivetti Martin; 3/1/12

Readers Reply

Your say on taxes and the money problem

Where’s the money going to come from? If you say no new taxes, what are you willing to give up? To those questions, posed in my Editor’s Letter of February 23, readers had lots to say. Here are your replies, edited for succinctness. Don’t Forget the Teachers Steve Fletcher, Severna Park When you talk about police officers and firefighters scraping by while risking their lives, please include teachers. Whenever I write...

Article - Letter from the Editor; by Sandra Olivetti Martin; 3/1/12

Ballet Theatre of Maryland’s Double Feature

Scary forces fight for souls, all in elegant bodies

A tonic to warm up the blood would do good in these heavy days of Pisces, where we’re stuck till the first day of spring. You’ll find it at Ballet Theatre of Maryland’s double feature, The Firebird and The Scarlet Letter, this weekend only at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts. Don’t do ballet? Dianna Cuatto, artistic director since 2003 of Maryland’s only professional ballet company, gives you reason to stretch out of your comfort zone....

Article - Performing Arts; by Sandra Olivetti Martin; 2/23/12

Where’s the Money Going to Come From?

If you say no new taxes, what are you willing to give up?

Where’s the money coming from? If you haven’t asked that question this week, you’re in the 99 percent. And here come Uncle Sam and Uncle Peter, reminding us that tax day is just around the corner. Taxes are a chilling thought, whether you’re the kind of tea partier who curves your little finger or the kind who wants to burn the boat, cargo and all. If you’d like to pay more taxes, you...

Article - Letter from the Editor; by Sandra Olivetti Martin; 2/23/12

This Week’s Creature Feature ... Just What Kind of...

There’s a dark side to surgically implanted medical devices

“Watchdogs Want More Oversight of Artificial Knees and Hips.” So read the February 21 headline from Maryland News Connection, a startup statewide news service, leading us to wonder what kind of watchdogs they were talking about. We should have taken the story seriously, but we couldn’t get beyond the headline. In truth, this is serious business. Americans undergo nearly a million knee and hip replacements each year,...

Article - Creature Feature; by Sandra Olivetti Martin; 2/23/12

This Week’s Creature Feature ...

On Valentine’s Day, Dogs Shove Cupid off Center Stage

Dogs had a big day on Valentine’s. At Madison Square Garden in New York, 2,000 dogs strutted their stuff in the 136th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, won by a silky haired Pekingese as nearly 7.5 million people watched on television over two days. The audience was smaller but contact with the stars closer in Solomons. On Valentine’s Day at Annmarie Garden, 10 school kids cuddled with 11-day-old beagle puppies on a break at the...

Article - Creature Feature; by Sandra Olivetti Martin; 2/16/12

History Is a Book with Many Chapters

We’ve accepted this month’s invitation into Black History

Danita Boonchaisri, an aptly titled communications specialist with Calvert County, was once a student of mine. So our encounters, regardless of subject, are surrounded by a halo of memories. Insubstantial as ghosts, these memories are felt rather than seen. Would they reappear if we nudged them? “Do you remember if Sue Lee was in your class?” I asked as we ended a call on a story for this week’s paper. The woman I named had just appeared, by the magic of...

Article - Letter from the Editor; by Sandra Olivetti Martin; 2/16/12

Local Lives ... Jennie Grimm

AnnapolisVIP combines good living and good deeds

Live the life you love for less is the slogan for Jennie Grimm’s Annapolis VIP card. The $30-per-year card gives you unlimited access to discounts at more than 50 merchants in Anne Arundel County. Food and drink are the biggest category, with others including kids, pets, health and fitness. Browse them all at VIP’s website: www.AnnapolisVIP.com. Food discounts vary from 10 percent off lunch and 15 off dinner (Lemongrass) one breakfast paid,...

Article - People; by Sandra Olivetti Martin; 2/9/12

Mark Yourself a Fire Hydrant

Annmarie Garden’s newest public art challenge wants you to Make a Splash

Fire hydrants are the latest foray into public art at Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center in Solomons. Also the most practical, satisfying the Calvert County Commissioners’ desire for fresh paint on county hydrants. You, by yourself or with a team, are invited “to submit designs and compete for the privilege — and fun — of painting a fire hydrant in the Solomons-Dowell community,” says Garden director Stacey Hann-Ruff. ...

Article - Things; by Sandra Olivetti Martin; 2/9/12

This Week’s Creature Feature ... Monday Mutts...

Bring on some homeless Mutts and Mousers

A handsome array of dogs — plus a cat or two, running as Monday Mouser — have joined our weekly Facebook posting. As for other creatures, “we’re always hopeful,” says Bay Weekly’s Facebook mod Diana Beechener. “But we haven’t gotten any yet.” Monday Mutts have ranged from Nipper the Jack Russell through Martini the Great Dane; Olive the golden retriever; and Lola the Lab-Spinone mix. So far, all of our...

Article - Creature Feature; by Sandra Olivetti Martin; 2/9/12