My daughter sends a viral video of beagles being released from a testing facility. They’ve never felt grass before. They step forward slowly, sniffing at the ground like it might swallow them ... [Continue Story]
Public Affairs
Governor Moore Launches “Just Communities” on Juneteenth to Address Racial Wealth Gap
In a major policy announcement aimed at addressing longstanding racial inequities in Maryland, Governor Wes Moore unveiled a series of actions Tuesday ... [Continue Story]
- No Kings in Easton: Hundreds Peacefully Protest against President Donald Trump
- How Did the Mid-Shore Community Foundation Donate almost $4 Million for the new Regional Hospital?
- Talbot County Repeals DEI Language to Ensure Airport Work Continues
- Oh Never Mind: Homeland Security Removes Talbot and QAC from Sanctuary List
- Talbot County Named a “Sanctuary Jurisdiction” by Trump Administration
- County Council Highlights: FY2026 Budget Approved
Spy Highlights
Chicken Scratch: Waiting to be Said – The radical power you might not know you have.
My daughter sends a viral video of beagles being released from a testing facility. They’ve never felt grass before. They step forward slowly, sniffing at the ground like it might swallow them whole.“The world is a bad place,” she writes. “And also a good place,” I reply. “Both are true.” The contradiction lives in me. […]
- From and Fuller: Is the Iran Bombing a Win for Trump and NYC Politics
- From and Fuller: Trump’s Big Iran Problem, Military Parades and No Kings
- From and Fuller: The Los Angeles Protests and the Rise of Gavin Newsom
- Maryland Caucus with Foxwell and Mitchell: Moore Budget Cuts and LA Protests Impact on MD Politics
- From and Fuller: The GOP Senate’s Big Beautiful Problem and Elon Musk Leaves the Building
- Publisher Note: Just Once for the Talbot Spy in 2025
The Arts and Local Design
The Spy-Chesapeake Film Festival Podcast: A Chat with Rebekah Louisa Smith
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]
- David A. Douglas Intersections at Katzen Arts Center at AU
- Spy Review: Two Mid-Shore Classical Music Celebrations by Steve Parks
- Spy Review: Steve Lowe’s “Salted Limes” Delivers a Taste of Eastern Shore Life
- Spy Concert Review: National Music Festival Opening Night by Steve Parks
- The Spy’s Laura Oliver Returns to the Avalon June 4th with More Stories
- Just in Time: The Juilliard String Quartet Comes to the Mid-Shore in June
Chesapeake Ecosystem
FEMA Cancels $1 Billion for Flood Prevention Projects in Chesapeake Bay Region
As Crisfield Mayor Darlene Taylor sees it, the low-lying Maryland town has no future unless it can hold back rising water. Computer models suggest ... [Continue Story]
- 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
- Wild-Caught Chesapeake Blue Catfish Phenomenon Booming: Thank Goodness
Maryland News
Buyout Offers, Hiring Freeze Coming for State Government Amid Budget Crunch
The Moore administration plans to slash about $121 million from the state’s personnel budget through a combination of buyouts to state employees, a ... [Continue Story]
- State Officials Urge People to Stay Vigilant, Use Caution Amid ‘Hazardous Heat Wave’
- Amid High Energy Bills, Moore Touts $19 Million in Ratepayer Relief From Exelon
- Embattled DJS Secretary Vincent Schiraldi Steps Down
- Potential 2028 Presidential Hopefuls Moore, Walz Steal Show at South Carolina Democratic Weekend
- Andy Harris stands alone as “Present” for vote on Budget Reconciliation Bill
Health
Let’s Talk About It with Beth Anne Dorman: Mental Health, Parents and Adolescence
This month, Beth Anne Dorman, CEO of For All Seasons, explores the profound challenges parents face as their children enter adolescence. While ... [Continue Story]
- Let’s Talk About It with Beth Anne Dorman: For All Seasons in All Seasons
- Let’s Talk about It: Dare to Lead Training Shapes Mid-Shore Leaders with For All Seasons Beth Anne Dorman
- Mid-Shore Health: Getting to the Heart of Heart Disease with Dr. Ian Davis
- Let’s Talk About It: A Different kind of Valentine with For All Seasons CEO Beth Anne Dorman
- Mid-Shore Health: The role of forensic nursing with survivors of sexual and physical assault
Education
7Sage and Talbot Mentors Team Up to Help Navigate the Journey to College
Jennifer Kott is a College Success Manager at Talbot Mentors and a consultant for 7Sage, an admissions consulting group specializing in college ... [Continue Story]
- MD Senate Panel’s vote on Blueprint bill straddles House, Administration Versions
- Wood Foundation awards $100K grant to Radcliffe Creek School
- Morgan State professor fined for presenting himself as licensed architect
- Slight increases on Maryland’s annual report card, but changes could be coming
- Radcliffe Creek School awarded grant to support students with ADHD and anxiety
Food & Garden Highlights
Wine of the Week: Rouge de Vallee
Ciao Tutti! This weekend at Piazza Italian Market, we will bring back a favorite red wine from our Valle d’Aosta wine dinner several years ago, the ... [Continue Story]
Brevities
Spy Eye: The Community Gardens of Easton
Easton, Maryland, is renowned for its bucolic scenery and its quaint, warm atmosphere. In fact, Country Living recently named Easton one of the best ... [Continue Story]
- July 25 Sky-Watch Planets and Meteors by Dennis Herrmann
- Talbot Historical Society Project Rewind: Making Hay in Royal Oak
- Summer by Katherine Emery General
- Spy Eye: Juneteenth at the AAM for 14 Years and Counting
- Spy Surveillance: the Changing of the Grauls in St. Michaels
- Talbot Historical Society Project Rewind: Last One in is a Rotten Crab
Commerce
Mid-Shore Real Estate with Chuck Mangold: 2025 Looking Pretty Darn Good
Editor's Note: For many on the Mid-Shore, particularly in Talbot Couty, Chuck Mangold is the go-to guy to turn to when real estate comes up. For over ... [Continue Story]
- Richard Bodorff named Chair of Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission
- Easton Utilities Welcomes Summer Interns
- The Blue Crab Opens in St. Michaels Under New Ownership
- The Blue Crab Opens in St. Michaels Under New Ownership
- Scottish Highland Creamery Hosts Community Ice Cream Social to Celebrate 20 Years of Scooping Joy in Oxford
Community Notes
The Reverend Sue Browning Retires From Unitarian Fellowship
The Reverend Sue Browning, Minister at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Easton (UUFE), will be leaving the pulpit at the end of June. After 12 ... [Continue Story]
- Dover Station presents: “Brunch & Couture: An Afternoonwith Marc Randall”
- Extreme Heat and Cooling Centers
- St. Michaels Museum’s Traditional Independence Day Celebration
- The 3rd Annual St. Michaels Classic is September 20, 2025
- Talbot Interfaith Shelter Celebrates Its Volunteers
- Easton Police Department Graduates Two New Officers from Eastern Shore Criminal Justice Academy
Senior Life Highlights
Senior Nation: Partners in Care Help Elders Age in Place
How can older adults live independently and thrive in their own homes as they age? In our interview with Kathleen Dormody, the local director of ... [Continue Story]
- Talbot County’s Senior Resource Fair Welcomes Over 200 Attendees for a Day of Connection, Care, and Community
- It’s All Happening at the Talbot County Senior Fair May 21
- Senior Nation: Gardening a Great Boost for Body and Soul by Susan Covey
- Cruisin’ with Christine: Listening to the Nurse with Lorraine Flisher
- Senior Nation: April Is Parkinson’s Awareness Month by Susan Covey
- Will Orange Crush be the new State cocktail? By Lisa Gotto
Arts Notes
Fabulous Forgeries at Troika Gallery with Artist Talk on Opening Night
Back by popular demand, “Fabulous Forgeries” opens July 11, 2025 at Troika Gallery. Judged by Dr. Dan Weiss, former President, and CEO of The ... [Continue Story]
- The Anderson Twins Return to Oxford with a Tribute to Duke Ellington
- Maryland Public Television Wins 18 Capital Emmy® Awards During Regional Competition
- Zebra Gallery Opens New Shows in July
- Book Signing at Hummingbird Inn
- Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra Honors National Arts Leader Deborah Rutter and Conductor Julien Benichou with Legacy Awards
- Bayside Quilters Installation at Talbot County Free Library
Ecosystem Notes
ShoreRivers Safe to Swim Weekend Report 6/27
Along with summer swimming comes ShoreRivers Bacteria Monitoring season. It is advised that people not swim 24-48 hours after a major rain. Every ... [Continue Story]
Education Notes
114th Gunston School Commencement Celebrates The Class of 2025
The Gunston School celebrated its 114th commencement this past Saturday, June 7, honoring the Class of 2025 with a waterfront ... [Continue Story]
- Woman’s Club of Saint Michaels Awards Two Scholarships
- The 10th Annual Chesapeake Children’s Book Festival
- Schools Recognize Community Partners Of The Year
- Schools Recognize Community Partners Of The Year
- Blueprint Gets a Road Map: Two Agencies That Oversee School Reform Agree to Clarify Roles
- Easton Elementary Students Work to Enhance Oyster Habitat in the Chesapeake Bay
Health Notes
Choptank Health Welcomes Bridget Allison, CRNP, to Federalsburg Health Center
Choptank Community Health System’s medical and women’s health care team recently welcomed Family Nurse Practitioner Bridget Allison, CRNP, to the ... [Continue Story]
- Talbot Hospice and the Child Loss Community to Dedicate Healing Garden in Honor of Rhonda Higginbottom
- Prioritizing Children’s Mental Health in the Summer
- New $2.4 Million Investment in Medical Program to Put More Doctors on the Shore
- Choptank Health Welcomes Carmen Grant to Easton Health Center
- Talbot County Health Department Issues Clarification on 21 Matters Program
- Choptank Health Promotes Bill Baxendale to Facilities Director
Commerce Notes
Mid-Shore Real Estate with Chuck Mangold: 2025 Looking Pretty Darn Good
Editor's Note: For many on the Mid-Shore, particularly in Talbot Couty, Chuck Mangold is the go-to guy to turn to when real estate comes up. For over ... [Continue Story]
- Richard Bodorff named Chair of Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission
- Easton Utilities Welcomes Summer Interns
- The Blue Crab Opens in St. Michaels Under New Ownership
- The Blue Crab Opens in St. Michaels Under New Ownership
- Scottish Highland Creamery Hosts Community Ice Cream Social to Celebrate 20 Years of Scooping Joy in Oxford
- Free Business Seminar at BAAM Academic Center on June 28
Food Friday
Food Friday: Home Grown
What a stinker of a week! The heat dome has been pressing down on us all this week, with temperatures in the high 90s. Sometimes I miss our old house in Florida, which had a ... [Continue Story]
Looking at the Masters with Beverly Smith
Looking at the Masters: Tom Deininger
Tom Deininger was born in Boston in 1970. He is a sculptor who works in the style known as assemblage: unrelated, found objects brought together to ... [Continue Story]
Design with Jenn Martella
Design with Jenn Martella: Mt. Pleasant
Mt. Pleasant was built in the early 1800’s for the happiest of reasons-Daniel Cox Hopper built this brick, one room deep, three-story house so he could carry his new bride over the threshold of the double doors into the center hall of their new home. As befitting a man who was a prominent local attorney […]
From and Fuller Podcast
From and Fuller: Is the Iran Bombing a Win for Trump and NYC Politics
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 and Fuller: Trump’s Big Iran Problem, Military Parades and No Kings
- From and Fuller: The Los Angeles Protests and the Rise of Gavin Newsom
- From and Fuller: The GOP Senate’s Big Beautiful Problem and Elon Musk Leaves the Building
- From and Fuller: Trump’s Beautiful Bill in the Senate and Presidential Pardons
- From and Fuller: The House Passes a Controversial Budget and the Biden Age Redux
- From and Fuller: Trump’s Big Beautiful 747 and Spotting Democratic Early Birds
Columnist J.E. Dean
Was the Attack on Iran a War? By J.E. Dean
Early Sunday morning, after I learned that the U.S. had bombed Iran, I commented to a friend, “We are at war.” My friend responded, “Are we?” The ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Hugh Panero
Balancing the Maryland Budget in Extraordinary Times by Hugh Panero
Balancing the state budget in extraordinary times is hard. It is an ugly game of Whack-a-Mole. A large percentage of the expenses are baked into the ... [Continue Story]
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
Morning, Noon, and Night By Jamie Kirkpatrick
Morning: I know a place where the view never gets old. The back deck faces almost due east, and at daybreak, the sky glows with promise, especially ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Laura Oliver
With Liberty and Justice for All By Laura J. Oliver
With the Fourth of July this Friday, I’m thinking about justice, or the lack thereof, specifically about crimes I’ve witnessed and can’t prove. Or ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Angela Rieck
We’re Having a Heat Dome by Angela Rieck
We’ve been in the middle of a heat dome. The term “heat dome” is not a scientific term; it is more of a media creation, but it effectively describes ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Al Sikes
Clashing Cross Currents by Al Sikes
Several days ago New York City’s dominant political party—Democrat—selected Zohran Mamdani to be its candidate in the general election for Mayor. Many were startled anticipating the much blemished Andrew Cuomo the likely winner. He, after all, had the support of big wigs including Bill Clinton and Michael Bloomberg. Mamdani by most accounts is charismatic. He […]
Opinion
The Imprisonment of Judge Carmichael and the Suspension of Habeas Corpus by Paul Callahan
163 years ago o,n May 27, 1862, the Talbot County courthouse was surrounded by Union troops to support federal Provost Marshals in the arrest of Judge ... [Continue Story]
- 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
- Gov. Wes Moore: Now’s the time to fix our fiscal crisis
- Maryland’s fiscal apocalypse by Clayton A. Mitchell, Sr.
- Consent first, investigate later by Aubrey Sarvis
- Analysis: Moore’s delicate balance as the session gets under way
- Electric Workboats on the Chesapeake? By Rob Etgen
- Reflections on cabinet choices by J.T. Smith
- Balancing Growth and Green: Chestertown’s Greenbelt Plan Faces a Solar Challenge by Steve Kline
Letters to the Editor
Open Letters to Congressman Andy Harris
Dear Representative Harris, In your June 27th Capitol Hill Report, you discussed House passage of HR 875, the Protect Our Communities from DUIs ... [Continue Story]
- Letter to Editor: Another Shameful Act by a Shameful Administration
- Letter to Editor: The “Big Beautiful Bill” is only Great for Billionaires
- Letter to Editor: Votes for Women – Bring Out the Sashes!
- Letter to Editor: When Civility Wins: A Victory for Easton
- Letter to Editor: Trump and the Declaration of Independence
- Letter to Editor: Protect Talbot County: Property Rights, Privacy, and Tourism at Risk
