Lawyer’s Row on Court Street in Chestertown, a collection of distinctive one-story offices crowded together in the shadows of the nearby courthouse, for centuries has been witnessing wills, title ... [Continue Story]
Public Affairs
Sobering Community Needs Report Draws Questions from Councilmember Montgomery on Data Accuracy
The Talbot Family Network (TFN), the county’s Local Management Board, presented an update to the Easton Town Council last night on how families in ... [Continue Story]
- On the Street Where You Live: Easton’s Complete Streets Design to Fix Traffic Trouble Spots
- Talbot County Grapples with Contentious Short-Term Rental Bill
- Crab Season Fades, Oyster Harvesting in Full Swing
- Easton Council Approves 2026 Parks Plan
- Maryland Projects $1.4 B Shortfall for Next Year — Five Times April Estimate
- The Top 5 Things to Get Excited about Waterfowl Festival 2025 with Deena Kilman
Spy Highlights
From & Fuller: Unpacking Trump’s Attacks on Alleged Venezuelan Drug Boats
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 the Trump administration’s military strikes on vessels near Venezuela that Trump and senior officials claim are smuggling narcotics. Kat Engst is guest-hosting this week while Dave Wheelan […]
- Chicken Scratch: The Subtitle of Life — by Elizabeth Beggins
- From & Fuller: Epstein Files Fallout and the Future of the GOP
- The Maryland Caucus: Maryland’s Budget Crisis + Redistricting Plans Set in Motion
- From & Fuller: What Was Lost During The Government Shutdown?
- Maryland Caucus with Foxwell and Mitchell: Maryland Redistricting Gets Serious and How the 1st District Could be Cut Up
- From and Fuller: The Real Impact of the Big Democrat Election Victories
The Arts and Local Design
AI is Coming for the Music Industry
The song “Walk My Walk,” by the band Breaking Rust, recently hit number one on the Billboard Country Digital Song Sales chart in November 2025. What ... [Continue Story]
- Spy Review: Cinematic Classical Gas, by Steve Parks
- A Waterfowl Weekend with Artist Sandy Alanko
- Spy Review: MSO Salutes 3 of the All-Time Greats by Steve Parks
- ESWA Launches First Holiday Book Festival at Cult Classic Brewery, Dec. 13
- Spy Review: Dracula’s Brides Seek Vengeance by Steve Parks
- Dracula Reimagined: Cambridge’s Groove Theatre Returns with a Feminist Twist
Chesapeake Film Festival Podcast
The Spy-Chesapeake Film Festival Podcast: A Chat with Filmmaker Lance Kramer
This year, the Spy is expanding its commitment to the Chesapeake Film Festival by co-producing a monthly podcast with CFF Executive Director Cid ... [Continue Story]
- The Spy-Chesapeake Film Festival Podcast: A Chat with Filmmaker and CFF Artistic Director Cid Collins Walker
- The Spy-Chesapeake Film Festival Podcast: A Chat with Filmmaker Monda Raquel Webb
- The Spy-Chesapeake Film Festival Podcast: A Chat with Casting Director Kimberly Skyrme
- The Spy-Chesapeake Film Festival Podcast: A Chat with Director/Producer Ted Adams
- The Spy-Chesapeake Film Festival Podcast: A Chat with Rebekah Louisa Smith
Chesapeake Ecosystem
ShoreRivers Director to Step Down, Search for Successor Begins
ShoreRivers, a leading environmental organization dedicated to protecting the Eastern Shore waterways, announced that Executive Director Isabel ... [Continue Story]
- FEMA Cancels $1 Billion for Flood Prevention Projects in Chesapeake Bay Region
- Intense Maryland Energy Debates in Annapolis Fill a Single Afternoon
- Md. leads in carbon emissions reductions – Maryland Matters
- Maryland Levies Fines on Perdue, Valley Proteins for Environmental Violations
- 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
Maryland News
A Cambridge Power Couple
Bernard and Danielle Johnson in their High Street headquarters. The couple is making a mark on Cambridge as business and civic leaders, setting an ... [Continue Story]
- City Manager Glenn Steckman Talks Cambridge
- Low-income Marylanders, Local Officials Left to Navigate ‘Roller Coaster’ of SNAP Disruption
- Moore pushes for Congressional Redistricting, sets up Confrontation with Senate
- Judge Appears Skeptical of Claim that Unaffiliated Voters Can Sue Maryland Over Closed Primaries
- Maryland, 14 Other Democratic States Launch Public Health Alliance to Counter Trump, Rfk Jr.
Health
Demystifying Palliative Care with Shore Regional Health’s Christina Ball
In a recent Spy conversation, Christina Ball, MS, AGACNP-BC, the director of UM Shore Medical Group-Palliative Care, broke down one of the most ... [Continue Story]
- Mobile Dental Care Team Expands Access for Dorchester County Students
- Lets Talk about It with Beth Anne Dorman: Making Sure Our Veterans Get the Help They Need
- Senior Nation: Nature’s Multicolored Autumn Farewell by Susan Covey
- A Spy Chat with Shore Regional Health’s New Clark Breast Center Director Dr. Kathryn Kelley
- Working on “The Conversation” about Dying : A Chat with Jo Merrill and Dot Mayorga
Brevities
Finding Light in a Heavy December By Katherine Emery General
This year has been an exceptionally challenging one for me and for many of the people I love. In October, I lost a dear friend to cancer, a loss that ... [Continue Story]
- December 2025 Sky-Watch By Dennis Herrmann
- Talbot Historical Society Project Rewind: It’s Time for Serious Football
- The Slow Unfurling of Christmas By Katherine Emery General
- Talbot Historical Society Project Rewind: Checking Out Where the New Dairy Queen is Going
- Using the Good China By Katherine Emery General
- Agent 86 Reconnaissance Footage: Waterfowl Festival 2025
Education
Dorchester Education Foundation Launches Wyatt Scholarship
The Dorchester Education Foundation launched its first major public event on Saturday, November 8, with a waterfront fundraiser that combined ... [Continue Story]
- Good News and Not So Good News: Talbot County Schools Gets their 2025 Report Card
- Benedictine’s Next Chapter: A Chat with Executive Director Scott Evans
- Bryan Matthews Returns to Steady the Helm at Washington College
- John Lewis: Guiding Gunston’s Next Generation
- Getting to Know The Country School’s New Head Jay Parker by India Smith
Food & Garden Highlights
Adkins Arboretum Mystery Monday: Guess the Photo!
Happy Mystery Monday! Can you guess what is pictured in photo #1? The answer to last week's mystery is inkberry holly, Ilex glabra, pictured in ... [Continue Story]
Commerce
Will Mapp Graduates from Leadership Maryland’s Executive Program
Leadership Maryland announced today that Will Mapp, CTO at Qlarant, Inc., has completed Leadership Maryland’s Executive Program, a professional ... [Continue Story]
- A Delightful December! — Shopping, Exhibits and Events at The Market at Dover Station
- CWDI Announces Hire of Tracy Ward as Chief Administrative Officer
- Easton Prepares For Shop Small Saturday 2025
- Mid-Shore Real Estate with Chuck Mangold: 2025 Still Looking Pretty Darn Good
- A Thankful November — Shopping, Exhibits and Events at The Market at Dover Station
Community Notes
Town and Country’s Sixth Annual Rare Bourbon Raffle is Underway!
Now through December 30th, tickets can be purchased for a chance to win one of three highly sought-after, and collectable bourbons: a Russell’s ... [Continue Story]
- Oxford Prepares Festive Welcome for Christmas on the Creek
- Oxford Holiday Market Returns December 12-14 to Oxford, Maryland
- 80-Plus Trees to Shine Along Oxford’s Docks this December
- Tidewater Rotary’s “Discover Rotary Night” Unites Community Leaders to Tackle Food Insecurity
- Caroline Foundation Awards $1 Million in Grants to 26 Caroline County Nonprofits
- Chesapeake Cycling Club’s 2025 Cranksgiving Food Donation Event By David Mansfield, Club Member
Senior Life Highlights
Cruisin’ with Christine: A Chat with Londonderry’s Susan Andrews
Over the last ten years, the Spy and Londonderry on the Tred Avon have collaborated on stories about this unique retirement community, which educates ... [Continue Story]
- Londonderry on the Tred Avon Welcomes Chef, Brendan Keegan, Jr.
- Senior Nation: Embrace Your Age, Live Your Best Life by Susan Covey
- Cruisin’ with Christine: A Chat with Londonderry’s Jennifer Hughes
- The Difference Between Try And Triumph Is A Little Umph! By Susan Covey
- Cruisin’ with Christine: A Chat with Londonderry’s Ken Sadler
- State Officials Launch 10-Year Plan to Boost Supports for Growing Senior Population
Arts Notes
The Art of the Small Painting at The Trippe Gallery
Call them miniatures, thumbnails or petits peintures, the name denotes an elegance and intricacy. This type of art draws the viewer in, creating an ... [Continue Story]
- Academy Art Museum Breaks Ground On Henny and James Freeman Annex and Hormel Research Center at Historic Property on Talbot Lane
- SMAL Presents “Mix It Up” Exhibit at the Saint Michaels Community Center
- Zebra Gallery Hosts Opening Reception for The Way Home By Artist Ingrid Matuszewski
- Studio B Art Gallery Showcases Award-Winning Art & “Small Treasures” This Holiday Season
- Oxford’s Dan Weiss Becomes New Director of Philadelphia Museum of Art
- New Class at the Fiber Arts Center of the Eastern Shore in January
Ecosystem Notes
Pickering Creek Revitalizes Junior Naturalist Program
A key part of the success of Pickering Creek’s annual EcoCamp is its Junior Naturalists (JNs). JNs, who are middle and high school students, form a ... [Continue Story]
Education Notes
Benedictine Community Celebrates Construction Milestone
Staff, supported students and adults and community members came together to celebrate the construction of new residential buildings on ... [Continue Story]
- Blueprint Board Approves Legislative Recommendations for 2026 Session
- Shaper’s Poinsettia Sale To Benefit Critchlow Adkins Returns
- Gunston Welcomes 47 Students to the National Honor Society
- Foundation of HOPE Breaks Ground on HOPE Center
- Gunston School Transforms Education into Action with Civic Learning Day
- Gunston School’s 10th Annual Bull & Oyster Roast Raises $150,000 for Campus Technology Overhaul
Health Notes
Mobile Dental Care Team Expands Access for Dorchester County Students
In Dorchester County, where many families face increasingly demanding work schedules, limited transportation options, and other barriers to accessing ... [Continue Story]
- For All Seasons Participates in National Rural Health Day Bus Tour
- Frosty’s Holiday Village Event Expands to Offer More Family Fun and Resources
- Talisman Therapeutic Riding Sleigh Celebration is Bringing Broadway to Maryland
- Choptank Health Recognizes National Rural Health Day
- UM Shore Medical Group-Cardiology Welcomes New Interventional Cardiologist
- McKenna Gillen, MS, OT, Joins University of Maryland Shore Regional Health Outpatient Rehabilitation Teams at Denton and Queenstown Locations
Commerce Notes
Will Mapp Graduates from Leadership Maryland’s Executive Program
Leadership Maryland announced today that Will Mapp, CTO at Qlarant, Inc., has completed Leadership Maryland’s Executive Program, a professional ... [Continue Story]
- A Delightful December! — Shopping, Exhibits and Events at The Market at Dover Station
- CWDI Announces Hire of Tracy Ward as Chief Administrative Officer
- Easton Prepares For Shop Small Saturday 2025
- Mid-Shore Real Estate with Chuck Mangold: 2025 Still Looking Pretty Darn Good
- A Thankful November — Shopping, Exhibits and Events at The Market at Dover Station
- Junkin Recognized as CFO of the Year
Food Friday
Food Friday: Thanksgiving Redux
This is a repeat of our almost-annual Food Friday Thanksgiving column, because we are still trying to recover from yesterday’s holiday feast. NPR still has Susan ... [Continue Story]
Looking at the Masters with Beverly Smith
Looking at the Masters: Grandma Moses
Anna Mary Robertson Moses was born on September 7, 1860, in Greenwich, New York. Her family worked on farms, and she described herself as a life-long ... [Continue Story]
Spy Poetry
Spy Poetry: From Our House to Your House by Jack Ridl
Editor’s Note: Many of us will remember these halcyon days of our 1950’s youth. Yes, there was the Cold War, your better-off neighbors were building bomb shelters and we practiced hiding under our desks during nuclear bomb drills. But after-school afternoons spread out ahead of us like lazy Sundays. We’d ride our bikes to buy […]
Food and Garden Notes
Adkins Arboretum Mystery Monday: Guess the Photo!
Happy Mystery Monday! Can you guess what is pictured in photo #1? The answer to last week's mystery is inkberry holly, Ilex glabra, pictured in ... [Continue Story]
Design with Jenn Martella
Design with Jenn Martella: Contemporary on the Chesapeake Bay
Design with Jenn Martella: Contemporary on the Chesapeake Bay When I began my home search after moving to Talbot County twenty one years ago, I fell under the spell of the charming village of Neavitt. I liked both its location near St. Michaels’ amenities but also its privacy from being a peninsula surrounded by various […]
From and Fuller Podcast
From & Fuller: Unpacking Trump’s Attacks on Alleged Venezuelan Drug Boats
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 ... [Continue Story]
- From & Fuller: Epstein Files Fallout and the Future of the GOP
- From & Fuller: What Was Lost During The Government Shutdown?
- From and Fuller: The Real Impact of the Big Democrat Election Victories
- From and Fuller: A Rough Week for Trump in Court, with Russia and China, as Epstein Returns as the Front Page Story
- From and Fuller: Is Trump Winning the News Cycle and Governor Newsom Pulls the Trigger on Redistricting for 2026
- From and Fuller: The Political Impact of RFK Jr.s MAHA Agenda and Texas Redistricting Part 2
Maryland Caucus with Foxwell and Mitchell
The Maryland Caucus: Maryland’s Budget Crisis + Redistricting Plans Set in Motion
Every Wednesday, Maryland political analysts Len Foxwell and Clayton Mitchell discuss the politics and personalities of the state and region. This ... [Continue Story]
- Maryland Caucus with Foxwell and Mitchell: Maryland Redistricting Gets Serious and How the 1st District Could be Cut Up
- Maryland Caucus with Foxwell and Mitchell: Moore and Ferguson Not Eye-to-Eye on Redistricting
- Maryland Caucus Podcast with Foxwell and Corchiarino: Maryland’s Emerging Financial Perfect Storm
- Maryland Caucus with Foxwell and Mitchell: Can Maryland Democrats Redistrict Out Andy Harris?
- Maryland Caucus with Foxwell and Mitchell: A Pastor Espinal Update, Andy Harris MIA, and Van Hollen Shoutout
- Maryland Caucus with Foxwell and Mitchell: The ICE Detention of Talbot County’s Pastor Daniel Espinal
Columnist J.E. Dean
The Hegseth “Kill Them All” Order is Trump’s—and America’s—Nightmare By J.E. Dean
Just as the Epstein scandal was temporarily disappearing from the daily news, The Washington Post reported a more horrific story. Self-dubbed ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Hugh Panero
AI is Coming for the Music Industry
The song “Walk My Walk,” by the band Breaking Rust, recently hit number one on the Billboard Country Digital Song Sales chart in November 2025. What ... [Continue Story]
- ICE Trauma and Drama on the Shore by Hugh Panero
- Homeland Security Threatens Canada Goose Migration by Hugh Panero
- Balancing the Maryland Budget in Extraordinary Times by Hugh Panero
- The Death of TikTok by Hugh Panero
- The Awkward Gentrification of Bellevue by Hugh Panero
- Mr. Biden, It’s Time to Hand Over the Keys by Hugh Panero
Columnist Craig Fuller
Conversations with Craig Fuller: Ambassador and Author Frank Lavin
My friend and former White House colleague Ambassador Frank Lavin has a book coming out in March about his experience in the White House and ... [Continue Story]
- Midair collision over the Potomac: Week two update by Craig Fuller
- A midair tragedy last night in Washington by Craig Fuller
- The Classic Motor Museum starts a new trip in St. Michaels: Craig Fuller talks to Mike Iandolo
- A Community Town Hall focuses on education in Talbot County by Craig Fuller
- MPT, the Chesapeake Bay and Viewers Like You: A Chat with Station Manager Steven Schupak
- So Much Money, So Little Time by Craig Fuller
Columnist Jamie Kirkpatrick
My Newest Word By Jamie Kirkpatrick
I love words! If I were King Midas, I would turn all the world’s words to gold. If I were a miser, I would horde every word in the dictionary. If I ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Laura Oliver
Crossing to Safety By Laura J. Oliver
Our brain’s predilection for storytelling may be why, even now, every time I cross the Bay Bridge, that 4.4-mile-long arc spanning the Chesapeake, I ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Angela Rieck
America Divided By Angela Rieck
I watched the Ken Burns series, The American Revolution. It is his usual outstanding and comprehensive documentary film. The American Revolution is 12 ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Al Sikes
Will Humans Become History’s Losers? By Al Sikes
Is intuition obsolete? What about our accumulated layers of information and feelings or what we might call seasoning? Including, of course, the lessons from failures and the information-laden seams of character? Or, the fruits of relationships—the improvisational values of collaboration? It was 1959. One of the greatest jazz pieces ever composed, “Take Five”, was performed […]
Opinion
Remembering Mike Hiner by Robbie Gill
I was heartbroken to hear that Mike Hiner passed away last week. He was an incredible individual, and I was grateful to have the opportunity to work ... [Continue Story]
- Character Is Policy by Johnny O’Brien
- Trump Policies Disrupt the Eastern Shore Soybean Market by Wilson Dean
- As the Supreme Court Term Begins… Some Reflections by Margaret Andersen
- Opinion: Marylanders Need Pro-Business Policies by Jamie McNealy
- Spy Daybook: Just Because You Can; Does Not Mean You Should by Calvin Yowell
- Reflections on the YMCA Legacy of Ellen Rajacich by Robbie Gill
- The Imprisonment of Judge Carmichael and the Suspension of Habeas Corpus by Paul Callahan
- Character Rot: Sounding the Alarm by Johnny O’Brien
- A Conservative Look at the Trump Tariff Policy by David Montgomery
- The Need to Call Out Gunsallus Falsehoods by Megan Cook
- I Support Don Abbatiello for Easton Council President by David Montgomery
- Maryland’s Budget Crossroads Demands Unity, Not Division by Patrick Firth
- The Political is Personal: Reflections on DEI by Margaret Andersen
- New report reveals value of resource conservation for Shore businesses by John Horner
- Presidential pasts and an impending future by Steve Parks
Letters to the Editor
Letter to Editor: Councilmember Montgomery Wrong on Bias Claim
David Montgomery’s outburst at the recent Town Council meeting was revealing — not about the Talbot Family Network, but about himself. Presented ... [Continue Story]
- Letter to Editor: Protecting What Makes Easton, Easton
- Letter to Editor: Electricity Rates and Artificial Intelligence
- Letter to Editor: RIP Civility
- Letter to Editor: Two Councilpersons Walked Into a Bar… and Out Came Bill 1622
- Letter to Editor: When Did Antifa Become a Dirty Word?
- Letter to Editor: A Debt of Gratitude
