Articles by Steven Gilchrist

2019 marked the 5 th consecutive year that there were over 300 homicides in the city of Baltimore, Maryland. In 2015 there were 342 homicides. In 2016 there were 318 homicides. Prior to 2015, the city had experienced a significant span of time with less than 300 homicides per year. 2015 marked the first time Baltimore had over 300 homicides since the 1990s, which was the deadliest decade in the city’s history in terms of overall homicides. In 2017, Baltimore had a homicide rate of 56 per every 100,000 residents. In that year, there were 342 homicides. 2017 marked the highest per-capita homicide rate in the history of the city. In 2017 Baltimore also had the highest per-capita homicide rate of any American city with a population greater than 500,000 people. For more information about the city of Baltimore’s efforts to reduce violent crimes visit these resources: https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/crime/bs-md-ci-cr-300-homicides-2019-20191114-zwu7nn5dpjf2nf5h6u5jxpqrh4-...

Puerto Rican Veterans Memorial - Boston, MA. Boston, MA. – Located in the south end section of Boston, the Puerto Rican Veterans Memorial is dedicated to all Puerto Rican veterans who have served in the United States military. The memorial site and sculptures were created by Robert Shure and Skylight Studios, Inc. The focal point of the memorial is a statue of two soldiers. One soldier is wearing a contemporary Army combat uniform and the other soldier is wearing a desert camouflage uniform. At the base of the statue it reads: “La libertad no es gratis,” which means in English: “Freedom is not free.” In addition to the statue of the two soldiers, the memorial includes a bust of Roberto Clemente and a Purple Heart Monument. Roberto Clemente was a U.S. Marine Corps reservist and the first Latin American to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. One section of the Memorial reads: “In honor of all Puerto Rican Veterans who have served our country: In 1999, Boston’s ...

George Frisbie Hoar statue - Boston, MA. Boston, MA. – George Frisbie Hoar (1826 – 1904) was a well-known American political figure during the 19 th century. During his time in elected office, Hoar was on the forefront of several contemporary social issues. Hoar was born in Concord, Massachusetts. In 1846, he graduated from Harvard University and in 1849 he graduated from Harvard Law School. After completing law school, Hoar went on to run for elected office. Eventually, he would serve in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the Massachusetts Senate. Later, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for four terms and the U.S. Senate from 1877 – 1904. In 1865, Hoar was one of the co-founders of the Worcester County Free Institute of Industrial Science – which eventually became the Worcester Polytechnic Institute.   In addition to writing the Presidential Succession Act of 1886, Hoar was an advocate for the inclusion of African Americans and Nativ...

Theodore Roosevelt bust by Gutzon Borglum. Boston, MA. – In the State Library at the Massachusetts State House there is a sculpture of Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. (1858 – 1919), who served as the 26 th President of the United States. Roosevelt was born in Manhattan, New York City. In addition to serving as president from 1901 – 1909, Roosevelt served as Vice President of the United States, Governor of New York, and Assistant Secretary of the US Navy. The bronze bust of Roosevelt was sculpted in 1919 by John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum. Borglum is best known for designing the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in Keystone, South Dakota. On the bottom of the Roosevelt sculpture it reads: Theodore Roosevelt (1858 – 1919). 26 th President of the United States. Nobel Peace Prize Recipient, Environmentalist. “It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.” Sculpted by Gutzon Borglum (1867 – 1941).

On January 7, 2019, five rebels in the west African nation of Gabon attempted a hostile takeover in Libreville – the capital of Gabon. The five rebels were Gabonese Army soldiers. The coup attempt occurred at the national radio station. In a statement made while seizing power of the radio station, the insurgents called for a “National Restoration Council.” The rebels argued for other soldiers to seize control of Gabon’s airports, transportation systems, and weapons depots. The coup attempt was thwarted and two of the rebel soldiers were killed. Gabon, a former French colony, is a major producer of oil. Since 1960, Gabon has had only three presidents. Approximately 1/3 rd of Gabonese citizens live in poverty. In 2009 Ali Ben Bongo Ondimba — the current president of Gabon, succeeded his father Omar Bongo as head of state. Omar Bongo spent 41 years in office, winning seven consecutive terms. President Ali Bongo’s time in office has been marred by a French government investigation in...

In 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom proposed legislation to drastically increase funding and staffing levels in order to deal with drug overdoses within the state prison system. Governor Newsom’s plan would create an initiative that would offer medications to treat opioid addiction for California prisoners. These medications include: buprenorphine, methadone, naloxone, and naltrexone. The Governor’s proposed treatment initiative would make California the third state in the US to provide comprehensive drug and alcohol treatment in prisons. Massachusetts and Rhode Island are the other states with comprehensive treatment programs for inmates. Despite spending millions of dollars to restrict the flow of drugs into state prisons, the California state prison system has the highest rate of drug overdoses among any state prison system in the United States. Opioid overdoses are not only a problem that is confined to the California prison system.   Nationwide, 47,600 people died...

Later this year, from October 18, 2020  –  October 24, 2020, National Retirement Security Week will take place.  Since 2006, National Retirement Security Week has taken place  annually during the 3rd week of October.  The goal of this campaign is to help raise awareness among the American workforce regarding retirement best practices and to encourage people to take steps towards these best practices. In 2006, U.S. Senators Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Kent Conrad (D-ND) introduced Congressional legislation enacting the first resolution establishing National Save for Retirement Week.  According to a survey from National Today.com, approximately 2/3rds of Americans are worried that they won't be able to save enough money for retirement. For more National Today.com retirement survey results visit:  https://nationaltoday.com/national-retirement-security-week/