On Tuesday morning, we learned that Saint Mary’s transfer guard Aidan Mahaney was considering a visit to Kentucky. By the evening, a trip to Lexington was locked in.

According to TheFieldOf68’s Jeff Goodman, Mahaney is scheduled to visit the Wildcats and head coach Mark Pope this weekend. Goodman also reports that Mahaney will take a trip to two-time defending champion UConn this weekend.

The 6-foot-3 guard has taken a recent visit to Creighton and was at Virginia on Tuesday, Goodman adds. Mahaney was reportedly considering visits to Florida and Southern California, but for now, he’s headed to the Bluegrass.

A two-time First Team All-WCC performer, Mahaney averaged 13.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 33.3 minutes per game for Saint Mary’s this past season. He started all 34 games while shooting 38.6 percent overall, 35.5 percent from deep, and 81.3 percent from the line.

Mahaney is considered the No. 32 overall prospect to enter the transfer portal this offseason and the eighth-best point guard, per the On3 Industry Ranking. He will have two years of eligibility remaining at his next stop.

Out of Campolindo (CA) High School, Mahaney was a three-star recruit in the 2022 class before committing to Saint Mary’s over the likes of Xavier, Washington St., California, Northwestern, Princeton, and Yale. He is currently represented by Kluch Sports Group for NIL.

Sixteen-year-old Donald “Tré” Bishop lives by the motto, “Go out every day and change the world.”

That motto helped earn him the honor of being a 2024 Louisiana Young Hero, a program celebrating young people who have excelled in academics and public service.

Born and raised in Lafayette, Bishop has contributed to his community by doing small things that have made significant impacts, a news release said. He once saved his allowance to buy socks for the homeless. At 11 years old, he created a political sign recycling program. And in 2023, he raised $49,500 in three days to help St. Bernadette Clinic and the Lourdes Foundation.

Growing up with parents who were heavily involved in the community inspired him from a young age.

“I grew up around parents who help the community a lot,” he said. “My mom would volunteer for St. Jude and is a part of a lot of nonprofit boards, and my dad is in politics and fights for what is right. That one Christmas, I spent my allowance to buy socks for the homeless, I remember the faces of those I helped, and saw the impact of helping someone, from there knew I wanted to help others.”

Determined to keep Louisiana beautiful, Bishop worked with his peers, school, political candidates, local mayors, Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser and former Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin to create a program to recycle political signs and formed a sustainable collaborative to keep them out of landfills, according to Bishop’s LPB bio.

He partnered with Wreaths Across America to recycle the stakes for veterans’ graves. In 2021, he contributed to the passage of Bill HCR70 in the Louisiana Legislature, which encourages and assists with local collection and recycling of campaign signs.

“I am currently working on my recycling project which is a long-term project, and I am looking to run another bill to expand it further, but aside from that I am still working and volunteering for any good cause,” Bishop said.

He is a member of the Beta Club and English Honors Society as a sophomore at Ascension Episcopal School. Bishop said his spare time is dedicated to his community work.

“Balancing work and school is easy because school is my first priority and right after I focus on any free time I have with investing in my work,” he said. “My dad and my mom helped me become the person I am today. When I go to bed at night, I think, ‘Did I do something today that helps the world?’”

LPB website defines a Young Hero as an exceptional high school student who has excelled in academics, given significantly of themselves through public service, overcome personal adversity, exhibited extraordinary heroism, or inspired others through their deeds and strength of character to become better students, persons, and citizen.

Bishop said he hopes to study environmental law.

“Having my own firm is what I’d love, and later in life go into politics, because I love the environment, and come back to do Louisiana politics like my dad used to do,” he said.

“Seeing a young man do so remarkable, both his father and I are very proud of him,” his mother, Kimberly Bishop, said. “It’s so amazing to see that when you give your children a little bit of what you do in life, how that impacts them. My husband serves in the Legislature, and I’ve always been involved in volunteering and nonprofits. So to see how he utilizes and navigate the world is amazing, and I am so proud of him, and he is such a good son.”

“I can’t wait to see what the future holds for a child like this, and I can only imagine what the future holds for Louisiana and what he may bring and come back to do for his community.”

Louisiana Young Heroes recognize role models within the local communities with over 200 past honorees who have received this award, according to the program.

“It’s such an honor, and I am so happy to be represented as someone who has made an impact,” Bishop said. “For everyone who sees this I want them to feel like I want to go out and make a change like he did”

“LPB is excited to present the stories of this year’s Young Heroes. The resilience, tenacity, and bravery demonstrated by each serve as inspiration for all of us.” LPB President and CEO Clarence “C.C” Copeland said.

Other Young Heroes for the 2024 year are:

These inspiring students will be celebrated during Louisiana Young Heroes Day with a special luncheon at the Governor’s Mansion, recognized on the legislative floor of the State Capitol, and have their remarkable journeys told at 8 p.m. June 14 on LPB.

Education mandate is blueprint for disaster

Recent polling indicates a broad-based endorsement of Maryland’s Blueprint for the Future, but beneath the surface, questions and concerns about this ambitious plan are mounting.

The Blueprint, designed to revamp Maryland’s education system, holds appeal in its promise to improve public education. The issue, however, isn’t with the idea of better education; who doesn’t want that? The real problem is with the Blueprint’s high cost and inadequate funding structure, leaving taxpayers and county governments grappling with how to foot the bill.

Gov. Larry Hogan’s initial veto of the Blueprint, which was overridden, foreshadowed the fiscal challenges we’re seeing today. With a Maryland General Assembly session that ended without substantial action to address these concerns, the looming question remains: How will we pay for the Blueprint? This is a question that state legislators and policymakers have yet to satisfactorily answer.

The Blueprint’s financial burden is being transferred to counties, which are forced to make cuts to crucial programs to meet the new mandates. In Harford County, this translates to reduced funding for safety and security, special education, magnet schools, class sizes, world languages, arts and music, athletics, and extracurricular activities. Harford County is not alone. Counties across Maryland are struggling to maintain these cherished education programs as limited resources are redirected to support Blueprint initiatives.

A fiscal briefing released in January by the state Department of Legislative Services paints a stark picture. It predicts that Maryland will confront a structural deficit commencing in fiscal 2025, which will skyrocket to nearly $2.93 billion by 2029. This aligns with the projected cost of implementing the Blueprint, which is set to surpass $4 billion by 2029. Maryland’s ranking of 46th in the 2023 State Business Tax Climate Index underscores the severe repercussions of raising taxes to meet these demands. Further tax hikes potentially could drive both businesses and residents out of the state, exacerbating the financial predicament.

The Blueprint is an unfunded mandate that strips local boards of education of their autonomy, imposing a one-size-fits-all approach to education that doesn’t consider the unique needs of different counties. It also risks bankrupting local governments and undercuts community-driven initiatives that could offer more tailored solutions to educational challenges.

As much as we all desire to enhance public education, the Blueprint in its current form is not the solution. It jeopardizes the very essence of local control and poses a significant financial threat to the state’s future. Maryland legislators must scrutinize this plan and strive to restore control to local boards of education. Otherwise, we will confront a much graver crisis in the future, with irreversible harm to both our education system and our economy. It’s high time for Annapolis to reevaluate and devise a blueprint that is sustainable, adaptable, and respects local governance.

— Aaron Poynton

Poynton is the president of the Harford County Board of Education. The opinions expressed here are personal and don’t necessarily represent the views of the board or Harford County Public Schools.

Dangers of tianeptine

“They’re selling that stuff at the smoke shop near us,” Bryan, my coworker said. “I’ve been told it’s highly addictive, causes seizures and many bad side effects, and overdoses, even death.”

Bryan taught me about tianeptine.  Marketed as a dietary supplement and energy drink (which means the federal Food & Drug Administration can’t regulate its sales), it’s sold in smoke shops, convenience stores, gas stations, and online right here in Harford County. Brand names include Za Za, Neptune’s Fix, Pegasus, Tianna Red, White Magic, and at least a half dozen others.  It’s sold in fancy flavors with appealing colors.

Outlawed in Florida, Ohio, Michigan and six other states, tianeptine pills and liquids are sold in Maryland.  There’s no age restriction to purchase, no health warnings on the labels and no warning signs at stores where it’s sold — often in boxes of 12 bottles each.

The FDA has issued alerts and press releases warning about the dangers of tianeptine.  Poison centers in many states report a dramatic increase in the number of calls from users and families about the life-threatening incidents of its use.

I purchased a 15-capsule bottle of Za Za in Aberdeen.  It cost $32.  A .338 fluid ounce of Neptune’s Fix costs $19.  Like most addictive substances, the more a person uses, the more tolerance he develops and has to use more the next time.

The encouraging news is that two of our delegates — Teresa Reilly and Steve Johnson — co-sponsored H.B. 1230, the “Tianeptine Consumer Protection Act.”  It passed the House and Senate and now awaits Gov. Wes Moore’s signature.

Our county and city councils, health departments, and all policymakers should consider immediate action to ban or restrict the sale of any tianeptine products.

— Don Mathis, Havre de Grace

Mathis is a certified peer recovery specialist at Voices of Hope in Aberdeen