When this school year began back in 2019, no one could have envisioned how it would end.

We would expect that anyone who has seen even just a handful of courtroom dramas, be it movies or television shows, has at some point heard a character — not a real lawyer, just an actor — object to the judge because the other not-real attorney was “leading the witness.”

Government crackdowns on journalists are unsurprising in places like China. What’s chilling lately is how many other governments — including some in countries with free-press traditions — are now using the global pandemic as an excuse to muzzle the media, stifling clear-eyed coverage of the crisis when and where it’s needed most.

In today’s edition of The Cecil Whig, intrepid reporter Jacqueline Covey has written an article that explains the concept of constant yield as it exists in the State of Maryland. The story was written to both educate citizens in Cecil County on the concept of constant yield, which has existed in the state since the late 1970s, and to clear up issues relating to an ongoing debate in the county about rising taxes.

“Newspapers are the Bibles of worldlings.

Social distancing is tough for most of us.

As part of the belt tightening forced by the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Larry Hogan (R) last weekend proclaimed a spending freeze by state government. And as the General Assembly pauses between its truncated session and a possible special section at the end of May, Hogan said with no ambiguity that if the Senate and House have pushed legislation that would cost more money, he would not endorse it.

We’re in the midst of a global pandemic, but its impact on America’s communities is local.

We’ve fielded some tough questions from our loyal readers over the past few weeks, as the coronavirus has tightened its grip on the daily work and personal lives of all of us.

Editor’s Note: Dan Divilio is the editor of the Kent County News, which is one of our sister papers.

“We know that our high-technology society is handling our environment in a way that will be lethal for us. What we don’t know — and had better make haste to test — is whether a high-technology society can achieve a safe, durable and improving relationship with its environment.”

Editor’s Note: Mr. William Carroll is the new Deputy Editor of the Cecil Whig. Please join us in welcoming him to the county and community. What follows is his first editorial. — B. Rae Perryman, Editor

Over the course of just a few short weeks, the coronavirus has twisted its tendrils into the fabric of our daily lives. Due to the threat of the pandemic in Maryland — and now, with its aggressive arrival — it controls commerce, social interaction and most everything else.