Political cartoonist speaks out
A blond fellow in a blue suit charged with illegal drug possession stands next to the prosecuting attorney, who holds in his arms six bags of cocaine. They look up at the judge, who rules: “18 months in a medium-security facility.” A young Black fellow in a City Jail uniform, the same prosecutor by his side, this time holding just one packet of “crack,” stands before the same... READ MORE
The greening of Baltimore City
Look out your window. If you see a leafy, mature tree, count yourself lucky. You probably breathe cleaner air, use less energy to cool your home, and enjoy a shady place to relax outdoors. Statistically, you’re less likely to be prescribed antidepressants or experience crime, too. Unfortunately, many residents of Baltimore City don’t see trees outside their homes — too many,... READ MORE
Baker built her business from scratch
Richmond entrepreneur Joye B. Moore makes 70 homemade sweet potato pies at a time — 700 a week. Starting this fall, that number will more than double to 1,500. Using a recipe passed down for generations from her North Carolina great-great-great grandmother, Moore launched Joyebells Sweet Potato Pies less than two years ago. Moore touts her pies as “smooth, homemade, backwoods... READ MORE
From storyteller to bestseller
John Gilstrap has created stories for most of his life. As a child, he invented stories for neighborhood friends to inhabit while playing together. As an adult, he writes for hundreds of thousands of readers worldwide. Gilstrap, 64, is a New York Times bestselling author from Fairfax, Va., whose background in volunteer fire service and Master of Science degree in safety engineering help... READ MORE
Going solar in Howard County
Howard County resident Ari Silver-Isenstadt has spent the last decade trying to reduce his carbon footprint to protect the environment, including switching to renewable energy. He and his wife first got their feet wet with renewable energy more than 10 years ago, when they installed solar thermal panels that used the heat of the sun to warm their hot water tank. After that initial... READ MORE
Ballplayer now autism activist
When baseball great B.J. Surhoff’s son Mason was a year old, B.J. and his wife, Polly, started to notice that something was off. Mason didn’t seem to hear well and wasn’t as engaged as his brothers. “He was developing just as quickly, if not quicker. And then he wasn’t,” B.J., now 57, remembered. So he took his son to a neurologist, who diagnosed Mason with “classic... READ MORE
Why some Richmonders are going solar
Studying a computer screen on a warm, sunny day with temperatures in the low 70s, Richmond resident Michael Testerman announced, “I have a nice bell curve.” At the 6 a.m. sunrise, his home’s solar-powered system started generating electricity, according to the monitor. Around noon, production was highest, and then in the afternoon, the line started declining: a perfect bell... READ MORE
Athletes of all ages score gold
Dave Weicking and his buddies used to go to Grateful Dead concerts together when they were in their 20s. Now, four decades later, they play serious games of shuffleboard. “I don’t know if it’s cutthroat, but it’s definitely competitive,” said Weicking, 67, a retired U.S. patent examiner in Olney. In September, Weicking and his friends will participate in the Maryland Senior... READ MORE
Stay happy by staying connected
As the saying goes, no one is an island. We all need the counsel, support and friendship of other people to lead happy, healthy and productive lives. As we age, it’s especially important to avoid loneliness and isolation. That’s because, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “social isolation [is] associated with a 50% increased risk of dementia and other... READ MORE
State’s archaeologist digs Virginia’s past
It could be an 18th-century shipwreck half-buried in James River muck, a stone flake, a bone fragment, charred soil, a bead or a chunk of brick. Every artifact unearthed by archaeologists, along with its setting and the soil where it is found, tells a story or part of a story. Dr. Elizabeth Moore, the state archaeologist since 2019, leads efforts to document Virginia’s past — much of ... READ MORE
Cover Stories 2021
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