Laurel residents showed up wanting answers. They got silence.

By DARRELL EHRLICK | Editor-in-Chief

“It’s historic because the federal government, historically, has denied the existence of medical cannabis, even as a concept." – Paul Armentano, the deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, on the Trump administration reclassifying medical marijuana.

In an unexpected — and rather wonderful way — a plan to gut the Endangered Species Act received an unexpected rebuke as a few Republican members of the United States House of Representatives, including conservative Florida Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, broke with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson to thwart the legislation that would have allowed more pollution and fewer protections, says columnist George Ochenski.

President Donald J. Trump downgraded medical marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug, putting it on par with Tylenol. The move will help decriminalize the drug as well as allow for more testing and research. Advocates for the drug said this is another positive step at normalizing cannabis.

In a rebuke of the Trump plan to coordinate redistricting and gerrymandering, voters in Virginia approve a plan that would essentially neutralize any gains Republicans had planned during the 2026 midterm elections by trying to redraw voting maps.

In a move that would upend several centuries of practice, President Trump’s plan to halt some mail-in voting and ballots would be a historic switch for the United States Postal Service, which has been an independent branch of the federal government, outside the political reach of the presidency for most of its history. But Trump is trying to pressure the service to help him in the efforts to curtail mail-in ballots.

Republicans in Congress reveal their sweeping plans to fund the Department of Homeland Security, in particular Immigration and Customs Enforcement, through the reconciliation process.

For most American music fans, Lulu, the first name and stage name for Scottish-born singer and performer Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, is known for one song “To Sir With Love,” which took its title and lyrics from a popular movie of the same title starring Sidney Poitier. It was a coming-of-age movie about a stern teacher and a group of students.

One of the great tragedies is that the song, at least in America, always hemmed in Lulu, who would go on to have worldwide success and fame, charting dozens of hits, mostly in the United Kingdom, while only having a streak of lesser hits in America. She had a total of four in the Top 40 in the U.S., according to Billboard, with none other hit cracking the Top 10 (“To Sir With Love” went all the way to the top of the charts in 1967). Lulu had a close alliance with David Bowie, and recorded many songs.

However, another group that enjoyed considerable popularity during the same time were the family group, The Cowsills. A good friend of mine who has been watching our conversation on "“The Hook” noted that one of his favorite covers ever is the Cowsills’ version of “To Sir With Love.”

While I have never been a huge fan of the song itself, I have to say that Lulu did a great job with the vocals, maintaining a sort of young woman innocence in the song without being juvenile. I have to admit though, this live version from the Cowsills is a terrific rendition that doesn’t stray too far from the original, and yet Susan Cowsill doesn’t hold back a damn note when it comes to belting out the song.

If you have a song that you’d like to share, or would like to get in touch with us, please send us a note at [email protected]

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