Last week I experienced firsthand an increasingly rare, but extraordinarily positive event in the ever-changing political arena. The event was the 46th annual Tawes Crab & Clam Bake in Crisfield ... [Continue Story]
Public Affairs
Looming Federal Shutdown could Destabilize State Budget Outlook
A looming federal government shutdown could destabilize Maryland’s budget outlook. Minor decreases in projected revenues announced Thursday by the ... [Continue Story]
- The Waiting is Almost Over: New Queen Anne’s County YMCA Set to Open Doors October 9
- Dorchester County Woes: Moody’s Withdraws County Credit Rating
- New Regional Hospital Takes Big Step Forward: Certificate of Need Now on the Books
- Increased Tolls May Be on the Horizon for Bay Bridge
- Frank Gunsallus Wins Council Presidency
- Easton Election Tuesday: Spy-Avalon Council President Candidate Profiles
Spy Highlights
Is the “Tree of Heaven” a Problem on the Eastern Shore?
In a recent Capital News Service article, Cecelia Shilling focused on what she called a “worrisome invasive species,” the tree of heaven. This deciduous tree kills native plants, threatens habitats, and damages infrastructure. It also provides a home and food for the spotted lanternfly, another pesky invader and enemy of plants and fruit crops. But, […]
- Spy Booknotes: A Chat with Author Harvey Sloane
- Easton Turns Its Attention to the Dover Corridor: A Chat with Planning Director Miguel Salinas
- From and Fuller: GOP Debate Round Two and Democratic Bob Menendez Blues
- Design with Jenn Martella: The Smith-Ringgold House
- Let Us Now Praise Footner’s Rivers of the Eastern Shore: A Chat with Author Tom Horton
- From and Fuller: Shutdown Blues, McCarthy’s Fate, and Trump Poll Numbers
The Arts and Local Design
Riding with Chakras: A Chat with Christina Stinchcomb
The Book Plate Bookstore and The Kitchen Restaurant will host first-time author Christina Stinchcomb on Wednesday at 6 pm. A riding instructor at ... [Continue Story]
- Spy Music Review: MSO Season Opener Spans Centuries by Steve Parks
- Spy Arts Diary: Tributes, Tributaries and Transcontinental Art by Steve Parks
- Don Buxton Retires as Executive Director of Chesapeake Music
- CFF Spotlight: Karen Carpenter Starving for Perfection with Randy Schmidt
- Looking at the Masters: Asters and Ravens
- Human Rights and a Right-on Vibe at the Avalon by Steve Parks
Chesapeake Ecosystem
A View of the Chesapeake Bay’s Health from its Headwaters
On a recent rainy afternoon, a dozen educators and environmentalists from Central New York were standing ankle deep in Charlotte Creek here, ... [Continue Story]
- PSC Chair Wants To ‘Lower The Temperature’ on Disputes over Renewable Energy Projects
- Sweet: To preserve the Bay, EPA and Hershey commit $2 million for Pennsylvania Farmers
- How a Wharf Went to the Park on a Bus by Marion Arnold
- Supreme Court Wetlands Ruling ‘Serious Setback’ for Bay
- Hollen and Sabanes Introduce Chesapeake National Recreation Area Act
- Introducing New Washington College CES’s Director Dr. Valerie Imbruce
Maryland News
What’s that Smell? Centreville Tackles Commercial Cannabis Odor Problems
Very few towns on the Eastern Shore have been more welcoming to Maryland's new era of legal cannabis use than Centreville. As one of the first on the ... [Continue Story]
Health
Medical Debt Leads to Compounding Troubles for Low-income Marylanders, Particularly for Black Families
In the United States, health concerns that land someone in the hospital or require multiple visits to the doctor can be a taxing experience on ... [Continue Story]
- How a Three-digit Phone Number has Changed Mental Health Services in MD
- Qlarant Foundation Awards $440,500 to Charitable Organizations
- Pulling It All Together: Mid-Shore Health Improvement Coalition
- Celebrating Women & Girls Fund’s Two Decades of Action: Compass
- Certificate Of Need Officially Filed For New Regional Medical Center
Education
Board of Education may Change how the State Tracks Students’ College Readiness
An analysis of Maryland’s current “college readiness” metrics meant to determine whether high school students are properly prepared for college may be ... [Continue Story]
- Mid-Shore Education:Talbot Schools Education Foundation Receives $3 Million Bequest
- Mid-Shore Education: Facing the Challenge of Maryland’s Blueprint with QAC Superintendent Patricia Saelens
- Kent Island High School’s Andrea Schulte Named Finalist for Teacher of the Year
- First Faculty Unions Form at Two Maryland Community Colleges
- Washington College Appoints Kiho Kim as Provost and Dean of the College
Brevities
October by Kate Emery General
October was originally the eighth month of the Roman calendar. It comes from the Latin word “octo” meaning eight. Later it became the tenth month when ... [Continue Story]
Community Notes
Talbot Paramedic Foundation Fund Drive Under Way For 2023!
The Talbot Paramedic Foundation is conducting their annual direct mail fund drive appeal in Talbot County. The foundation is a national ... [Continue Story]
- YMCA of the Chesapeake Announces Membership Campaign; Joining Fee Waived!
- Talbot County Council Highlights
- Easton’s Fall Kickoff Weekend Set for Oct 6 & 7
- Save the Date: Nanticoke River Jamboree Set for October 14 at Handsell
- Opportunities Abound for Youth Learning & Fun at CBMM this Fall
- Young Professionals Bring Paddle-Jam to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
Senior Life Highlights
Upper Shore Aging Holds 20th Anniversary Celebration for Adult Activity Center
Upper Shore Aging recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Amy Lynn Ferris Adult Activity Center in Chestertown, Maryland. The Kent County ... [Continue Story]
- Senior Nation Fitness: Joyful Abandon
- Discover Bay Hundred Senior Center in St. Michaels
- Londonderry CEO Irma Toce Announces Retirement
- Bay Country Chorus at Bayleigh Chase
- Helen Matthews Pritchett Inducted into Satellite Club of the Rotary Club
- Senior Nation: Water, Water Everywhere for Drinking, Playing And Exercising by Susan Covey
Arts Notes
Easton Musicians present Concert
The Mid-Shore Maryland chapter of the American Guild of Organists will present a program of music for the organ, piano, both as a solo and in duet ... [Continue Story]
Ecosystem Notes
Adkins Mystery Monday: Do You Know Your Fruit?
Happy Mystery Monday! Can you guess what is pictured in photo #1? The answer to last week's mystery is the leopard slug, Limax maximus, pictured in ... [Continue Story]
Education Notes
Chesapeake Forum: Unlock Doors to Better Understanding
Have you ever wondered where your beliefs came from or whether the ideas behind them were actually solid? Join Deacon Kathy Garrison and the ... [Continue Story]
- What’s Coming Next? A look at Emerging Diseases
- Mt. Cuba Center Provides $1.5 million to WC for Land at Round Top Creek Lane
- More Than Meets the Eye: Astrophotography on the Eastern Shore
- Wye River Upper School Welcomes Michele DeFreece as the Newest Board Member
- Chesapeake Forum Launches new Speaker Series with Author Neil King
- Epic Tales, Lost Causes and New Perspectives on Tap at the Chesapeake Forum
Health Notes
Project Restart and Grace Street Offer Free Peer Certification Program
Project Restart and Grace Street announced this week a free peer recovery support specialist certification program starting soon in ... [Continue Story]
- UM Shore Regional Health Golf Tournament Nets Over $70,000 for Patient Care
- Breuer Joins UM Shore Medical Group – Women’s Health
- Choptank Health Names Contractor for Chestertown Health Center
- September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
- September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
- Choptank Health Provides Support for those Fighting Substance Abuse
Food Friday
Food Friday: It’s Time for Apples
We drove out to a large farm stand a few days ago, in search of atmosphere for the front porch. It seems that autumnal decorations are de rigueur, even if it is just barely ... [Continue Story]
Looking at the Masters with Beverly Smith
Looking at the Masters: Asters and Ravens
If you were born in the month of September, your birth flower is the aster. Its name is derived from the Greek word for star because the bloom is ... [Continue Story]
Design with Jenn Martella
Design with Jenn Martella: The Smith-Ringgold House
It takes a special person to undertake an extensive restoration/renovation of a historic home. Add the fact that this house and the prominent families who have called this very special house a home are interwoven into Kent County’s history since 1792, when this property was included in the first plat of Chestertown. This might have […]
From and Fuller Podcast
From and Fuller: GOP Debate Round Two and Democratic Bob Menendez Blues
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: Shutdown Blues, McCarthy’s Fate, and Trump Poll Numbers
- From and Fuller: McCarthy Begins Biden Impeachment and Romney Turns Down Second Term
- From and Fuller: Biden’s Low Poll Numbers and Democratic Strategies to Win in 2024
- From and Fuller: GOP Debate Winners and Larry Hogan’s Role in the Anti-Trump Movement
- From and Fuller: The Political Significance of Donald Trump’s 4th Indictment in Georgia
- From and Fuller: Lessons Learned From the Pro-Choice Win in Ohio
Columnist J.E. Dean
Why Senator Menendez’s Indictment Should Worry Us All by J.E. Dean
I am thinking positive thoughts about Maryland’s two Senators. Not only do they do an excellent job representing everyone in Maryland, but they do not ... [Continue Story]
- More Empathy Would Make America a Better Place by J.E. Dean
- What Can Be Done to Stop “Conduct Unbecoming” on Capitol Hill? Probably Nothing by J.E. Dean
- Should We Worry About Democracy? By J.E. Dean
- How Many People Have to Die Each Day Before We Address the Opioid Epidemic? by J.E. Dean
- GOP Debates: The Circus Is Coming to Milwaukee, but Does Anyone Care? By J.E. Dean
- Georgia is on Donald Trump’s Mind by J.E. Dean
Columnist Howard Freedlander
Out and About (Sort of): Age of Rudeness by Howard Freedlander
Washington College students rudely disrupt a talk by a conservative scholar. Stanford University Law School students rudely interrupt a conservative federal judge. University of Pennsylvania students, disappointed by the school’s fossil fuels investments, rudely interrupt a Homecoming football game by storming the field at halftime and delaying the game for an hour. They hoped to […]
- Out and About (Sort of): Needed to Serve by Howard Freedlander
- Out and About (Sort of): Part of Us by Howard Freedlander
- Out and About (Sort of): Elite Misapplied, Legacies Demeaned by Howard Freedlander
- Out and About (Sort of): Hostile Blue Crabs? No Way! By Howard Freedlander
- Out and About (Sort of): Dog Days of Summer by Howard Freedlander
- Out and About (Sort of): Fatal Hate by Howard Freedlander
Columnist Hugh Panero
Make the Tech Noise Stop? By Hugh Panero
The Eastern Shore has a beautiful outdoor natural soundscape of birds, insects, rain, wind, and changing tides, making it a unique place to live. ... [Continue Story]
- Planning Your Digital Death and Other Happy Thoughts by Hugh Panero
- The Insidious Impact of Our Attention Economy by Hugh Panero
- Hollywood Workers Go on Strike by Hugh Panero
- Dumping Cable, Streaming Alternatives, and Password Crackdown by Hugh Panero
- Is Artificial Intelligence Coming for You? By Hugh Panero
- Broadband Expansion Finally Comes to The Eastern Shore by Hugh Panero
Columnist Craig Fuller
To EV or Not to EV? By Craig Fuller
This is a question for our time. I decided the best way to find out what the world of electric vehicles (EV) was all about would be to dive into the ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Jamie Kirkpatrick
Then and Now by Jamie Kirkpatrick
Sixty-three years ago today (September 26,1960), Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy participated in the first live television Presidential debate. ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Laura Oliver
Troubling a Star By Laura J. Oliver
I chose a college where freshmen could substitute a science course for the math requirement. It seemed like the lesser challenge. The first day of ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Angela Rieck
Planet Diamonds by Angela Rieck
Wedding season is in full swing. Last year, 43% of the weddings occurred between September and November. But before there are weddings, there are ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Al Sikes
A New Political Philosophy in America: Selfism by Al Sikes
We should all step back and understand what is going on in our most important expression of self-governance. A democracy gives us the right to select our most important leader. The leader who will have directly or indirectly effect or influence every instrument of government and who has the power to subordinate the institutions that […]
Opinion
How Durable is America’s Constitutional Representative Democracy? By Tom Timberman
The world, very much including the US, is confronting era-shaping challenges: global warming, pandemics, a major war in Europe, a belligerent China ... [Continue Story]
- The Work and Legacy of Historic Preservationist Michael Bourne by Chris Havemeyer
- An Educational Imperative by Washington College President Mike Sosulski
- Honored By Scouting by Howard Freedlander
- One Day in September of 1861 by Paul Callahan
- The Morning After: Reflections on 9/11 by Margaret Andersen
- Opinion: Talbot County’s Joe Trippi on the No Labels Threat in 2024
- My involvement in the March on Washington by Stan Salett
- Let’s Wipe the Slate Clean. A Girl Can Dream by Maria Grant
- Is America’s Political System Adrift? By Tom Timberman
- The value of MACo and Some Suggestions for Improvements by Josh Kurtz
- You Should Be Angry Too by Al Silverstein
- Rob is OK, Roberta is Not and Romeo and Juliet couldn’t have Sex by Tom Timberman
- The Chess Match by Bob Moores
- Sobriety is a Slippery Slope – Let’s Remember that Before Telling the Next Hunter Biden Joke by Maria Grant
- Why is 2023 the Year of the Ant? By Tom Timberman
Letters to the Editor
Letter to Editor: Teach Climate Science not Dogma
While I am all in on cleaning up the Bay, I wish that our education system actually taught climate science instead of acting as though there is only ... [Continue Story]
- Letter to Editor: 2024 and the American Enterprise Sandwich
- Letter to Editor: Talbot County Defying MDE On Lakeside Undermines Planning Commission
- An Open Letter to the Planning Commission
- Letter to Editor: Modestly Magnificent
- Open Letter to the Talbot County Planning Commision
- Letter to Editor: Shore Regional Health and the Future of the Current Hospital Site
