Roughly Speaking

Local film critics Linda DeLibero and Christopher Llewellyn Reed join columnist Dan Rodricks to review the year's best movies. (PHOTO CREDIT: Lacey Terrell/TriStar Pictures).

Thirty years is a long, good run for any restaurant, and so attention must be paid: Saturday, Oct. 12 marks three full decades for Nancy Longo’s Pierpoint in Fells Point. It was early 1989 when Longo bought the Emma Giles Tavern, a rowhouse-barroom at 1822 Aliceanna Street, with an ambition to turn it into a restaurant serving “Maryland cuisine with a contemporary style.” As her 30th anniversary approached, Sun columnist Dan Rodricks paid a visit for the Roughly Speaking podcast and recorded a conversation with Longo in the Pierpoint kitchen.In this episode: Secrets of a great crab cake. Plus, something new: The Crab Corn Coddie, a mashup of a classic crab cake and the Baltimore coddie, with some sweet corn added for crunch. It was Dan’s idea, developed at home, and he asked Longo to bring her expertise to the evolving recipe. The chef was game to give it a try. In fact, Longo liked the concept so much she plans to put the Crab Corn Coddie on Pierpoint’s menu as a special on Wednesday evening, Oct. 23.

The Orioles have encouraged fans to have patience through he next few years of Baltimore baseball until the rebuild process shows results.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has voiced opposition to the ambitious Kirwan Commission proposals calling them “half baked” and “fiscally irresponsible.” With recommendations for how to pay for the plans slated to go public this month, lawmakers expect a clash between Hogan and his allies and supporters of education reform.

In Carroll County, Maryland, a years-old lawsuit that sought to bar the county’s commissioners from leading prayers at their meetings came to a dramatic close this month. But residents might not be content to let the fight end.

After a summer-long work stoppage and public back-and-forths with management, the BSO’s future appears more uncertain than ever.

Nearly two decades after his retirement from the Orioles, Cal Ripken Jr. remains an icon sports world, especially in the Baltimore area. But as it turns out, Ripken’s legacy has inspired more than just baseball fans.

Education advocates say that the difference between Baltimore County and Baltimore City test scores shouldn’t surprise anyone.

Baltimore Orioles star Cal Ripken has been honored in several rap songs.

On Baltimore streets for over a year, dockless scooters are no longer a novelty. And, with the city recently awarding permanent licenses to four vendors, they, along with dockless bikes now coming online, will be part of its transportation mix for the foreseeable future. So far, things have gone smoother than with their Baltimore Bike Share predecessor, but equity and safety issues raised during the pilot program remain. In this episode, Baltimore Sun interns Oyin Adedoyin and Christine Condon share what residents and doctors are saying about the vehicles and explain why Baltimore may be especially well suited for the dockless networks. They’re joined by Sun transportation reporter Colin Campbell.

Did the University of Maryland unnecessarily roll the dice by hiring Mike Locksley in the wake of a nationally-reaching scandal that involved the death of 19-year-old offensive lineman Jordan McNair and allegations of a “toxic” football culture fueled by the coaching staff and administration, or has the Washington, D.C. native demonstrated enough growth and potential to lead a Big Ten football team to a brighter future?

While Maryland gun rights advocates argue that the state’s attempts at curbing shootings have backfired, gun control supporters counter that the state hasn’t done nearly enough to save lives.

What role has the federal government played in Baltimore over the years, and what can it do now to move the city forward?

Editorial writer Peter Jensen reads The Sun's July 27 editorial, ----Better to have a few rats than to be one.----

An all-Asian American and Pacific Islander comedy troupe in Baltimore seeks to rewrite the script, carving out their own place on stage to promote visibility in a space where it’s traditionally been lacking.

The horrific slaying of Dominique Foster led to a weeks-long search for her killer. Police found the 43-year-old’s body hidden near a dumpster on May 12, missing a head, as well as hands, arms and lower legs.Foster’s own father, Lawrence Banks, is charged in her death. The 65-year-old Baltimore man was previously convicted of killing his son and another man. According to Foster’s husband and court records, Banks allegedly abused his daughter as a child, threw her through a window as an infant and continued to engage with sexual behavior with her as an adult.How did Banks avoid longer punishment and, after further accusations of violence, end up reconnecting with his daughter? In this episode, Baltimore Sun police reporter Jessica Anderson joins Newsroom Edition host Pamela Wood to retrace her reporting and research into the suspect’s past. **WARNING: Content may be explicit for some listeners.

Despite pledges on the campaign trail to remain a unifying force in Annapolis throughout his second term, Gov. Larry Hogan sparked outcry from Democrats last week as he announced he would not release $245 million that the legislature put into the state budget for programs and projects including school construction, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and summer jobs for city youth.

This week, you’re the producer, as breaking news and transportation reporter Colin Campbell shares four You Ask, We Answer stories inspired by Sun readers’ curiosity. Come underground, underwater, to the back of the restaurant, and back in time as we reveal lesser-known facts about Federal Hill Park, the Inner Harbor, carryout staple Lake Trout and two Baltimore neighborhoods.Related links:What do you wonder about the Baltimore area that you'd like us to investigate?https://www.baltimoresun.com/ask/bs-you-ask-we-answer-20190228-htmlstory.html'Secret' tunnels are hidden under Baltimore's Federal Hill. Where did they come from and what lies inside?https://www.baltimoresun.com/ask/bs-md-ci-federal-hill-tunnels-20190514-story.htmlYou asked: What's really in Baltimore's Inner Harbor? Here's what we found.https://www.baltimoresun.com/ask/bs-md-ci-what-is-in-inner-harbor-20190404-story.htmlYou asked: What is lake trout? The story behind the Baltimore delicacy with a misleading name.https://www.baltimoresun.com/ask/b

President Donald Trump spooked Baltimore’s immigrant community last week by announcing that millions of undocumented citizens would be arrested and deported in federal immigration raids across the country. The deployment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Howard County on Wednesday sparked further concern, fear and uncertainty.In this episode, Baltimore Sun reporter Thalia Juarez sheds light on Baltimore’s immigrant communities and how they’ve responded to the ongoing threat of deportation. She joins guest host John O’Connor, a former radio reporter with WNYC and a current Baltimore Sun politics editor, for an in-depth discussion about the state’s complex relationship with immigrants and the challenges that lie ahead for vulnerable communities.

With so much to do, see and taste this summer, many of Baltimore's hidden gems may get lost in the shuffle.