The news that the Washington Post and LA Times billionaire owners told their management not to endorse one of the presidential candidates caused a loud, primal media scream. Both newspapers have ... [Continue Story]
Public Affairs
Moore, GOP lawmakers and civil leaders celebrate groundbreaking on new hospital
Gov. Wes Moore (D) and the state’s top Republican leaders put partisanship aside Tuesday to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new medical facility ... [Continue Story]
- Cambridge election results: mayoral election heads to a runoff
- Alsobrooks, Hogan seek to frame the election narrative in snippy TV debate
- Easton Council Highlights: Neighborhood Service Center leaders warn of heating assistance crisis
- Spy Long Form Saturday: A Check-in with Eastern Shore Land Conservancy’s Steve Kline
- Watch Last Night’s Avalon-Spy Town Hall Meeting with School Board Candidates
- Avalon Spy Town Meeting Tonight with School Board Candidates and Guide to Voting
Spy Highlights
From and Fuller: Early clues on election night of a Harris or Trump victory and Donald Trump’s Arnold Palmer moment
Every Thursday, the Spy hosts a conversation with Al From and Craig Fuller on the most topical political news of the moment. This week, From and Fuller discuss whether there might be some early indications of a Harris or Trump victory on Election Night. Al and Craig also discuss the increasingly alarming rhetoric coming from […]
- Make Trappe Great Again: Tom Mitchell and the great Trappe recovery
- From and Fuller: F/F Live at the Avalon
- “CBMM’s ‘Sailing to Freedom’ explores maritime routes to liberty
- From and Fuller: The politics of natural disasters and will the Democrats lose the Senate?
- From and Fuller: The net-net of VP debates and did JD Vance really win?
- Illiteracy on the Mid-Shore: A Chat with Kevin Beverly and Richard Marks on “Sentenced”
The Arts and Local Design
Beyond black and white: Oerdy Hummel’s journey of art, freedom, and color
Like many artists, Erdmann "Oerdy" Hummel is a man whose life and art are deeply intertwined. But his story is also a journey through politics and ... [Continue Story]
- Spy Theater Review: Ghosts haunt the Avalon by Steve Parks
- 2024 Craft Show Featured Artist: Laura Baring-Gould
- The Avalon Foundation announces future plans for acquired space and entertainment venues
- Tred Avon Players BLITHE SPIRIT with Alison Lynch and Christina Underwood
- Spy Review: Isidore String Quartet Interlude by Steve Parks
- Spy Review: The Film SENTENCED takes on illiteracy
Chesapeake Ecosystem
Maryland Levies Fines on Perdue, Valley Proteins for Environmental Violations
Two major agricultural companies ramped up operations recently on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and the environment paid a price, according to the ... [Continue Story]
- Bay Climate Adaptation: The TNC Guide in Finding the Money for Major Infrastructure Change
- Mid-Shore Arts Plein Air Easton and ESLC Pair Up to Promote Land Conservation
- Wild-Caught Chesapeake Blue Catfish Phenomenon Booming: Thank Goodness
- Blue Crab Populations are Down, But Experts are Not Worried
- First Baby Eagles Hatch on Reborn Chesapeake Island
- Report dolphin sightings with Chesapeake Dolphin Watch and help scientists with Chesapeake Bay research
Maryland News
Poll workers are in high demand in Maryland – especially Republicans
As local election boards work around the clock to recruit and train workers before early voting starts this week, some Maryland counties are facing ... [Continue Story]
- Tens of millions pour into Maryland Senate race in past three months alone
- Advocates fear voter complacency amid broad support for abortion ballot measure
- Is ‘abortion’ actually on the November ballot? Breaking down Question 1
- The Maryland Department of Juvenile Services announces launch of commission on juvenile justice, reforms detention policies
- Spy Election Profiles: Candidates for Mayor of Cambridge
Health
Mid-Shore Health: Domestic violence on the Mid-Shore with Angie Price and Jeanne Yeager
Domestic violence isn’t always evident; it’s more common than you think, and often those experiencing it suffer in silence. October is Domestic ... [Continue Story]
- Let’s Talk About It: The reality of intergenerational trauma with For All Seasons CEO Beth Anne Dorman
- Let’s Talk About It: Suicide on the Mid-Shore with For All Seasons CEO Beth Anne Dorman
- Having a Baby in the 21st Century with Shore Health’s Jessica Genrich and Stephanie Blades
- Six Marylanders hospitalized so far in listeria outbreak tied to deli meats
- Easier, Shorter Radiation Treatment for Early Stage Breast Cancer Now Offered at Shore Regional Health Cancer Center
Education
Prekindergarten Expansion For Private Providers Off To A Slow Start
One of the requirements for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future 10-year education reform plan was to expand prekindergarten, but it’s off to a slow ... [Continue Story]
- Spy Survey Summary on Learning for a Lifetime on the Mid-Shore
- Talbot County STEM Camp Completes Another Excellent Summer
- Talbot County Library Hosts Youth STEAM Program
- Spy and WHCP New Series: Checking in with Superintendent of Dorchester Schools Dr. Jymil Thompson
- The CBMM PATRIOT’s Dynamic Duo: A Chat with Joyce and Matt Gauthier
Food & Garden Highlights
Adkins Arboretum Mystery Tuesday: Guess the photo!
Happy Mystery Tuesday! Can you guess what is pictured in photo below? The answer to last week's mystery is boogie woogie (or beech ... [Continue Story]
Brevities
Politeness by Katherine Emery
Politeness is more than a set of manners, although it is often perceived as a simple, “please” and “thank you” and holding the door open. I have ... [Continue Story]
- Reporting the weather on the Eastern Shore for 75 years: Swaine family honored by National Weather Service
- Talbot Historical Society Project Rewind: We all scream for Quality ice cream
- Habits by Katherine Emery
- Talbot Historical Society Project Rewind: How about those apples!
- The Tidewater Inn: History National Register of Historic Places Application
- Spy Night with From and Fuller Live Moves to Main Avalon Theatre
Commerce
Mid-Shore Health: Domestic violence on the Mid-Shore with Angie Price and Jeanne Yeager
Domestic violence isn’t always evident; it’s more common than you think, and often those experiencing it suffer in silence. October is Domestic ... [Continue Story]
Community Notes
Emily Gilmer promoted to Director; Ladarian Blake joins as Assistant Director at Talbot County Department of Parks and Recreation
Talbot County is pleased to announce the promotion of Emily Gilmer to Director of Talbot County Department of Parks and Recreation. Gilmer has been ... [Continue Story]
- Bistro St. Michaels claims top spot in CBMM’s Oyster Stew Competition
- Holiday magic returns to Talbot Humane
- The Great Duck Hunt in Easton—Starting October 25th
- Talbot County Bird Club meeting presents Rapturous Raptors at the Chesapeake Forum
- Talbot County Council meeting highlights for October 22, 2024
- 2024 YMCA Turkey Trot returns on Thanksgiving day
Senior Life Highlights
Cruisin’ with Christine: Serving the Londonderry Community with Pat Bradley
Over the last ten years, the Spy and Londonderry on the Tred Avon have worked together on stories about this unique retirement community that educates ... [Continue Story]
- Upper Shore Aging Hosts the Re-Dedication of the Amy Lynn Ferris Adult Activity Center
- Cruisin’ with Christine: Erica Hardeo and the Art of Engagement at Londonderry
- Cruisin’ with Christine: New Londonderry Residents Barbara Pratt and Phillip Gibson
- Herb Cain Appointed Executive Director of Upper Shore Aging
- Water, Water Everywhere…For Drinking, Playing And Exercising!
- Londonderry on the Tred Avon Named “Best Retirement Community” by What’s Up Eastern Shore for Ninth Consecutive Year
Arts Notes
Troika Gallery presents nationally acclaimed still life, realist artist, Matt Zoll
Troika Gallery presents nationally acclaimed still life, realist artist, Matt Zoll on First Friday, November 1, 2024. Painting professionally for ... [Continue Story]
- Zach Gallery Artist Talk, Paton Miller and Scott Bluedorn
- Studio B Art Gallery celebrates art and the holiday season with special events in November
- Easton Club East annual Autumn Artists & Crafters Show
- The Academy Art Museum Presents Two Fun-Filled Fall Events at the 2024 Craft Show
- Step into the dark: experience Stage Fright: Curtain Call this halloween
- December Tidewater Camera Club meeting with speaker, Edwin Remsberg
Ecosystem Notes
New solar panels power Pickering Creek campus
Pickering Creek has installed a 45-kW solar system consisting of 89 solar panels in two separate arrays this fall. The panels were installed by Solar ... [Continue Story]
- ESLC leads Maryland land trust response to potential solar legislation
- Shorerivers’ monitoring season includes first-ever bacteria blitz
- Eastern Shore Land Conservancy hosts “Sustainable by Design: Urban3 land use analysis on the Eastern Shore”
- Izaak Walton League of America’s, Mid-shore chapter to celebrate 75 years
Education Notes
Tilghman Elementary School receives Judy Center Early Learning Hub grant award to support early childhood education
Talbot County Public Schools is proud to announce that a Judy Center Early Learning Hub grant has been awarded to Tilghman Elementary School. This ... [Continue Story]
- Gunston’s 9th Bull & Oyster event sets record, raises $170,000
- TCPS announces Class of 2024 accomplishments
- The art of “The Short Story”
- The Country School kicks off its 90th anniversary and installs new Head of School, Jay Parker
- Americans are less engaged than ever, and that’s a problem
- Gunston cuts ribbon on new bermuda grass “Sollers Field”
Health Notes
Kathryn Kelley, MD, joins University of Maryland Shore Regional Health’s Clark Comprehensive Breast Center team
The Clark Comprehensive Breast Center at University of Maryland Shore Regional Health (UM SRH) recently welcomed a new surgeon, Kathryn Kelley, MD. UM ... [Continue Story]
- Anti-stigma lunch and learn highlights community role in recovery
- For All Seasons sponsors Maryland’s Child Trafficking Regional Navigator Program: A roundtable discussion
- Choptank Health welcomes three new dental providers
- Talbot County Health Department announces leadership transition: departing Health Officer and interim Health Officer welcomed
- Get ready for a SPOOKtacular night at Talbot County’s “BOOnanza” event!
- An Internationally-Recognized Expert On Aging To Speak In Easton, Chestertown
Commerce Notes
Mid-Shore Health: Domestic violence on the Mid-Shore with Angie Price and Jeanne Yeager
Domestic violence isn’t always evident; it’s more common than you think, and often those experiencing it suffer in silence. October is Domestic ... [Continue Story]
Food Friday
Food Friday: Simply frightful
Halloween isn’t until next week, on a school night no less, so now is the time to celebrate, before you start eyeing the Trick or Treat candy in the bowl in the front hall. ... [Continue Story]
Looking at the Masters with Beverly Smith
Looking at the Masters: Winslow Homer
American artist Winslow Homer (1836-1910) was the son of Bostonians Charles and Henrietta Homer. She was an amateur watercolor painter and Winslow’s ... [Continue Story]
Design with Jenn Martella
A Tribute to Architect Peter Newlin
Almost two years to the day of my writing an article in the Spy, “A Tribute to Peter Newlin, FAIA,” to celebrate Peter’s retirement, his wife Gale contacted me with the very sad news that Peter had passed away on October 22. Our small architectural community here on the Eastern Shore has grown smaller but […]
From and Fuller Podcast
From & Fuller on voting
It turns out our weekly commentators created their own newsletter recently based on popular demand. Our online discussions in The Spy have been ... [Continue Story]
- From and Fuller: Early clues on election night of a Harris or Trump victory and Donald Trump’s Arnold Palmer moment
- From and Fuller: F/F Live at the Avalon
- From and Fuller: The Pennsylvania Challenge and is it the End of the Harris Honeymoon?
- From and Fuller: Politics and Rhetoric After 2nd Attempt on Donald Trump and Andy Harris’s Freedom Caucus
- From and Fuller: The Politics of Coattails and Endorsements in 2024
- From and Fuller: Does Policy Matter in 2024; Never-Trumpers Not Endorsing Harris, and RFK Jr. Exit
Columnist J.E. Dean
Is Elon Musk Trying to Buy the 2024 Election? by J.E. Dean
It is regrettable that Maryland is not a swing state. Billionaire Elon Musk has created a lottery to encourage voters to sign a petition that he ... [Continue Story]
- I don’t take Trump’s proposals seriously – here’s why by J.E. Dean
- The utter shamelessness of the Trump agenda by J.E. Dean
- J.D. Vance Wins the Vice-Presidential Debate, With Help from Walz by J.E. Dean
- A Second Assassination Attempt on Trump by J.E. Dean
- Remembering September 11—and January 6 by J.E. Dean
- The Foul Odor of the Trump-Kennedy Alliance by J.E. Dean
Columnist Howard Freedlander
Out and About, Sort Of: Unconscionable, Unsuccessful by Howard Freedlander
In the late 19th century, as Native American reservations faced dissolution at the soiled hands of White settlers, the Catholic Church decided to establish boarding schools for Indian children. The purpose was an ill-fated effort to assimilate, involuntarily, indigenous youth and decimate their culture. It was cruel. Schooling by the Catholic Church intended to impose […]
- Out and About (Sort of): Stars in Different Realms by Howard Freedlander
- Out and About (Sort of): Slavery of Thought by Howard Freedlander
- Out and About (Sort of): Higher Education on Edge by Howard Freedlander
- Strike for Democracy by Howard Freedlander
- Out and About (Sort of): American Voter by Howard Freedlander
- Out and About (Sort of): Hospice Heroes by Howard Freedlander
Columnist Hugh Panero
The Awkward Gentrification of Bellevue by Hugh Panero
In 2022, Talbot County first heard about a new fourteen-home luxury housing development in the Village of Bellevue, one of twenty-two unincorporated ... [Continue Story]
- Mr. Biden, It’s Time to Hand Over the Keys by Hugh Panero
- The Mess in Oxford Gets More Messy by Hugh Panero
- Be Like a Cicada and the Catharsis of Dreams by Hugh Panero
- Let’s Retire the Word “Retired” by Hugh Panero
- Top 15 Indicators That You Are Too Old For Technology by Hugh Panero
- Dune Part 2 and My Son Got Me Back Into a Movie Theater by Hugh Panero
Columnist Craig Fuller
A Community Town Hall focuses on education in Talbot County by Craig Fuller
The Avalon Foundation and The Spy collaborated on another in a series of candidate Town Halls with the most recent this week bringing together a live ... [Continue Story]
- MPT, the Chesapeake Bay and Viewers Like You: A Chat with Station Manager Steven Schupak
- So Much Money, So Little Time by Craig Fuller
- One Amazing Story by One Amazing Individual by Craig Fuller
- A Presidential Debate: No Commission / No Audience / Perhaps, No Gloves by Craig Fuller
- An Enjoyable and Important White House Story by Craig Fuller
- Biden’s Two Biggest Problems: Perception and Trust by Craig Fuller
Columnist Jamie Kirkpatrick
Showing Off By Jamie Kirkpatrick
Two couples—long-standing (not old)—friends came to visit us last weekend. None had ever been to Chestertown before. They had heard all the stories ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Laura Oliver
The Vanishing Point: where you’ll find the ones you’ve lost By Laura J. Oliver
My mother once shared with me a moment of altered reality she had experienced. The context of the conversation is lost to time, but I have carried the ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Angela Rieck
A chat with AI by Angela Rieck
I was trying to figure out what to write this week. So I went to ChatGPT and asked it for some topics. Chat GPT gave me: The psychology of sports ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Al Sikes
A Race to be Big Pumpkin by Al Sikes
Autumn comes—pumpkins arrive. Beyond those that decorate our houses, every four years, elaborately decorated pumpkins are featured in an intensely competitive race to be THE BIG PUMPKIN. The kind of gargantuan pumpkin that wins national prizes. In this case, the ultimate prize. As the big pumpkin race comes to a conclusion maybe there will be […]
Opinion
The Real Debate We Need by Heather R. Mizeur
It matters that the leader of the Free World has the faculties and mental acuity to perform the functions of such a demanding job. While it’s ... [Continue Story]
- When Peace Visited War: A Christmas Story by Tom Timberman
- A Christmas Carol 2023 by Maria Wood
- The Carbon Darwin Award by Bob Moores
- America’s Civil War of Weaponized Words and the Middle East by Tom Timberman
- Here’s a Test: Can You Recognize a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing? By Maria Grant
- What Happens Next to Israel, Hamas, Palestinians and the US? By Tom Timberman
- Still No Planning? By Carol Voyles
- America is Losing Control of the Israel/Palestinian Global Narrative by Tom Timberman
- Things To Do In A Deer Stand by Rob Etgen
- Towards A National Directory Of Gun Violence by Stan Salett
- Wars, Political Chaos, Confusion and Anger: What to Do? By Tom Timberman
- Are We Judged by the Company We Keep? By Maria Grant
- October 7 Perspective by Bob Moores
- Rockfish Conservation by Rob Etgen
- Thoughts from the Mayor Of Crisfield on the Tawes Crab Feast and Clam Bake by Darlene Taylor
Letters to the Editor
Letter to Editor: Faith tells us its our duty to vote
I am a Democrat who—perhaps surprisingly these days—has (non-MAGA) Republican and Independent friends. Not so surprising is that some dislike both ... [Continue Story]
- Open Letter to Talbot County Council: Illegal sewer connection was Lakeside linchpin
- Letter to Editor: Silo Square concerns
- Letter to Editor: Lakeside’s final victory, Maryland law Be damned
- Letter to Editor: Vote YES on Question A to Support Public Safety
- Letter to Editor: Gobbledygook
- Letter to Editor: Can You Pronounce Her Name, Donald?