How Can We Make Every Day Earth Day? (Sponsored)

Here are some family activities you can do to foster environmentalism. Sponsored by Sony.

Very few events are celebrated around the globe, but Earth Day is. This year, it’s come and gone. But we’re here to ask: What can we do to show our love of the earth on that day, and every day? On May 31st, Sony will release After Earth, an action-packed movie that takes place 1,000 years after cataclysmic events forced humanity to leave. It’s the kind of scenario that makes you want to donate to Greenpeace, recycle everything, and start biking every where, immediately. So, in honor of Earth Day, Patch has teamed up with Sony to present these ideas for making every day Earth Day. How can we make every day Earth Day? Begin with little things. Easy things. Obvious things. Things we take for granted each day, and use and/or abuse because of …

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FDA Approves OTC Emergency Contraception for 15-year-olds

But the FDA's decision does not satisfy a recent court ruling that emergency contraception be made available without age restrictions.

The FDA announced Tuesday it had approved over-the-counter sale of an emergency contraceptive for women and teenagers 15 and older. Plan B One-Step is now the third emergency contraceptive on the market in the United States, according to the FDA. It is the only one available to women younger than 17 without a prescription. Proof of age will still be required to purchase Plan B One-Step, which is manufactured by Teva Women’s Health Inc. It will be available in stores that have pharmacies, but will be on the shelves in the family planning or female health aisles. The FDA’s announcement comes a few weeks after a judge’s ruling that emergency contraception be made available to all ages. Tuesday’s decision, which doesn’t allow sales to girls …

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Students Forego Parties, Dedicate Spring Break to Volunteering

Is your student using spring break as an opportunity to volunteer in Eldersburg? Let us know in the comments.

Proposal Day: Share Your Engagement Story, Sykesville

Wednesday is National Proposal Day and Patch wants to know how your proposal went, or how your dream proposal would go.

Wednesday is Proposal Day. This one seems like it may be more dreamt up by the jewelry stores than by Hallmark, right? Seriously though: this holiday does exist. As Huffington Post tells it: "A man named John Michael O'Loughlin invented the holiday after his cousin's boyfriend strung her along for years without sealing the deal decades ago, Holidash says. Enough already, he thought, and dedicated a day to marriage proposals." We'd love to hear your proposal stories—maybe it was romantic, funny or a disaster, or maybe it just hasn't happened yet. Let us know. Did you or your significant other tie in the Sykesville-area with your proposal? And if you're planning to propose tomorrow, let us know, too—email kym.byrnes@patch.com and we'll …

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Patch's Poll: Do You Worry About Your Kids' Social Media Behavior?

Many children from 8 to 18 are immersed all day in social media.

A Neilsen survey says that, on average, a teenager sends 3,400 texts a month, and a Kaiser Family Foundation study shows that youth from 8 to 18 spend almost eight hours a day in front of electronic screens, according to CNN.com. "As pediatricians who are trying to help children behave in ways that keep them healthy and safe, we have to pay a lot of attention to what's happening in social media," Dr. David Hill, chairman-elect of the American Academy of Pediatrics' council on communications and media, told CNN.com. "This is an uncontrolled experiment we're running right now. How does the human organism — particularly the developing brain — adapt to this kind of input? These are questions we are tackling." The media reports almost daily on …

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Letter to the Editor

Delegate Ready Outlines Key Priorities

A letter to the editor submitted by Delegate Justin Ready.

The 2013 Session of the Maryland General Assembly is now at the halfway point. Throughout my first two years serving in the House, I’ve tried to keep a few key priorities in mind even as we legislators have to deal with a myriad of issues.  My goals this Session include making our state more affordable for families, improving our business climate to help job creators, and ensuring that taxpayers are getting the most out of the money we send to Annapolis. That means focusing like a laser on eliminating wasteful spending and ensuring that government is transparent and open. I sponsored House Bill 181 to reduce the corporate business tax rate by 12% (from 8.25% to 7.25%). Maryland must do more to encourage job growth and attract businesses to…

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You Said It!

Comment: 'Why Can't Suicidal People Stop Committing Homicide First?'

Patch rounds up the top comments of the week in Carroll County.

Readers took their opinions to Carroll County Patch sites this week and we have rounded up the most poignant, interesting, clever, funny and interesting of them. Carroll County Going to Court Over Newspaper Request "The State wants to disarm you; track you; tax you; and control you. I, on the other hand, want to respect your freedom. You're very welcome." --Commissioner Richard Rothschild "Is the wasted cost or the intent more disconcerting? The fact that some of these Commissioners apparently have something so terrible to hide that it necessitates such a ridiculous showing, should be very concerning to citizens." --JoeEldersburg Commissioner Howard Not Optimistic About Funding Adopted Education Budget "No, we don't need any more new taxes…

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Sequestration, Papal Retirement and the Best of Maryland Local Voices

Here are the best of this week's Local Voices posts from Maryland Patch sites.

Here are some of the best Local Voices posts in the past week from around Maryland's Patch sites. Remember, if you have something on your mind, it's quick and easy to join the conversation. Just click "Start a Blog" under the top story on our front page. Sequestration: We Have a Choice: U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin talks about the impact budget cuts mandated by sequestration will have on Maryland. Gratia Benedictus XVI: In Montgomery County, a reader wonders what the legacy of Pope Benedict XVI will be. Benedict stepped down from the papacy on Thursday. Starting School Later Does Not Have to Cost More: A Howard County dad points out other jurisdictions that have later start times for schools. Marks Changes Position On County Cars for …

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Letter to the Editor

The Value of Public Education

Submitted by Stephen Guthrie, Superintendent of Carroll County Public Schools.

Over the past several years, much has been written and discussed about the value of Carroll County Public Schools to our community.  Lately, the conversation has become more heated and intense. This is not only a result of our evolving economic situation.  It is also because public schools have been caught up in a much broader discussion about the appropriate level of government spending.   The importance of a good education is evident and does not need to be defended here.  However, the community debate appears to center on the relationship of academic achievement to education spending.  To put it simply, what should we be paying for a quality public education? This question is dividing our community and each group is becoming entrenched …

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Poll: Which Football Team is Baltimore’s Best?

Vote on the team that you think is the best in the city’s history.

Choose the Baltimore football team you think was the best.

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