No cake or candles; no cards or gifts; just a memory… It was the first Saturday of February 2016. I was walking over to the Farmers Market when I heard something high up in the sky. I craned my ... [Continue Story]
Public Affairs
Talbot Council Highlight: About 4,000 Talbot County Residents Receive SNAP Benefits
Few people in Talbot County realize how many of their neighbors depend on public assistance, or how serious the need is in a community often seen as ... [Continue Story]
- MD Senate Panel Advances Bills To Ban Agreements With Ice, Face Coverings For Law Enforcement
- Grading Policy Draws Scrutiny at Talbot School Board Meeting
- Maryland House Take Congressional Redistricting Bill with Big Changes for 1st District
- Council Highlights: Town of Easton Hits the Brakes on Parking Plan
- Concerns Mount Over Condemned Robert Morris Inn in Oxford
- ICE Activity Raises Community Concerns in Talbot County, Police Board Says
Spy Highlights
Caring for the Academy’s Collection at the Freeman Annex and Hormel Center: A Chat with Bianca Scialabba
While the addition of new gallery space is always exciting for museum staff and visitors alike, one of the clearest signs that a regional art center has truly matured is when it runs out of space to store its permanent collection. That has been the case for some time at the Academy Art Museum after […]
- From and Fuller: Will the GOP Pushback Against Trump’s ICE Hold and the FBI Raids a Georgia Election Office
- Foxwell and Mitchell: The Annapolis Politics of the High Costs of Energy
- From and Fuller: The Trump-Greenland TARFU
- Maryland Caucus with Foxwell and Mitchell: Should Maryland Start Melting ICE?
- Spy Spotlight: Checking in on Camp Wright
- Chicken Scratch: Sharp Shards — by Elizabeth Beggins
The Arts and Local Design
Scholarship Honors the Legacy of Mainstay Founder Tom McHugh
http:// A new scholarship honoring the life and legacy of beloved educator and arts advocate Tom McHugh has been established for graduating Kent ... [Continue Story]
- Looking the The Masters: Gustave Courbet and Nature
- Spy Art Review: Centennial Salute to a Printmaking Icon by Steve Parks
- Looking Back and Forward with Talbot Arts: A Chat with Director Joan Levy
- Shrek the Musical Comes to the Avalon Just in Time for the Holidays
- Spy Review: A Choral Rose for Christmas by Steve Parks
- Spy Review: MSO’s Opera-Flavored ‘Holiday Joy’ by Steve Parks
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
Conowingo Dam Appeal Dropped, Allowing $340M Settlement To Go Forward—Maryland Matters
Maryland’s $340 million settlement with the owner of the Conowingo Dam can now move forward, after a group of Eastern Shore counties dropped their ... [Continue Story]
- Dorchester and Kent Drop out of Challenge to $340 million Conowingo Settlement
- The Next Chapter for ShoreRivers
- ShoreRivers Director to Step Down, Search for Successor Begins
- 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 News
MD Senate gives Preliminary OK for Prohibiting mask Use by Law Enforcement
The Maryland Senate gave preliminary approval Thursday to two bills aimed at reining in immigration enforcement, by prohibiting cooperation agreements ... [Continue Story]
- Moore’s Budget Fixes Current Deficit, but Analysts Pessimistic about Future
- Eastern Shore Delegation Presses Harris on Local Concerns
- Moore’s Redistricting Commission Recommends ‘Congressional Map Concept’
- Moore, other PJM Governors Push for Changes at the Nation’s Biggest Electric Grid
- Poll: Moore Approval Numbers Continue Downward Trend Even as Most Voters Would OK Second Term
Health
Let’s Talk About It with For All Seasons’ Lesa Mulcahy: Loneliness at Every Age
Loneliness touches people at every stage of life, but it doesn’t always look the same. In this conversation, the latest installment of our "Let's Talk ... [Continue Story]
- Demystifying Palliative Care with Shore Regional Health’s Christina Ball
- 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
Brevities
Imbolc By Katherine Emery General
It’s been a challenging week weather-wise, ice everywhere. On my walk with my dog this afternoon, we moved carefully around the block, navigating ... [Continue Story]
- February 2026 Sky-Watch By Dennis Herrmann
- Talbot Historical Society Project Rewind: It’s Time to Start Shoveling Boys
- Ice Storms, Dismal Oyster Market and Frost’s Birches
- Endurance, Patience, and Lessons from the Snow
- Talbot Historical Society Project Rewind: A Few Answers at the YMCA
- Select Agent 86 Reconnaissance Footage: Taylors Island by Air
Education
Scholarship Honors the Legacy of Mainstay Founder Tom McHugh
http:// A new scholarship honoring the life and legacy of beloved educator and arts advocate Tom McHugh has been established for graduating Kent ... [Continue Story]
- Dorchester Education Foundation Launches Wyatt Scholarship
- 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
Food & Garden Highlights
Wine of the Week: Grosjean Torrette Vallee d’Aoste
Ciao Tutti! This weekend at Piazza Italian Market, we will taste the Torrette Vallee d ’Aoste DOC ($28.50, 13.5% ABV) from the Grosjean Vins ... [Continue Story]
Commerce
Mr. Arnold Williams, CPA Selected as Board Chair for Qlarant, Inc. By Board of Directors
The Board of Directors for Qlarant, Inc. have selected Mr. Arnold Williams, CPA as Board Chair. Mr. Williams began his Qlarant board experience when ... [Continue Story]
- A Great New Year — Shopping, Exhibits and Events at The Market at Dover Station
- Maryland Lost 25,000 Federal Jobs in 2025, Latest Data Show
- Chesapeake Fire & Ice is Back For 2026
- Fello Secures $500,000 State Grant for Easton Crossing Community
- Business Owners Encouraged to Enroll in Talbot Works Business Academy
Community Notes
Talbot County Announces Inaugural Community Repair and Reinvestment Fund Funding Round
Talbot County has opened the inaugural round of funding through its Community Repair and Reinvestment Fund (CRRF), a state-established program created ... [Continue Story]
- Newly Expanded St. Michaels Library to Reopen March 2026
- Hold the Mustard: Easton Parks Board Pulls the Plug on Food Trucks at Town Sports Complex
- Important Dates Set for 2026 St. Michaels Commissioner Election
- Hunger in Talbot County: Community Response Meets a Growing Need
- Strong Community Response to Bridging the Divide Forum Prompts Venue Change to Easton Firehouse
- Delmarva Pride Center Hosts Second Annual Town Hall on the Future of LGBTQ+ Protections in Maryland
Senior Life Highlights
Cruisin’ with Christine: A Group Chat with Duval Mills, Jennifer Hughes, and Ericka Taylor
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]
- Cruisin’ with Christine: A Chat with Londonderry’s Susan Andrews
- 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
Arts Notes
Chesapeake Music Presents Jazz and Chamber Music this Winter
Chesapeake Music is delighted to host two exciting Winter Interlude Concerts on back-to-back weekends: an evening of jazz with the Stephen Philip ... [Continue Story]
- Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra Announces Finalists for the Elizabeth Loker International Concerto Competition
- Call to Artists: Art in Motion Seeks Work for Its 2026 Exhibition
- Disney’s NEWSIES JR. Playing at The Country School in Easton
- Academy Art Museum to Host Membership Open House on January 31
- Academy Art Museum Welcomes Five New Members to it’s Board of Trustees
- Leon Fleisher Academy Students Child Prodigies in Concert
Ecosystem Notes
Film Screening to Spotlight Hidden Dangers of Microplastics
A free public screening of the documentary Plastic People: The Hidden Crisis of Microplastics will be held Thursday, January 29, at the Hyatt Regency ... [Continue Story]
Education Notes
Now Accepting Applications: R. Gordon Graves Community Service Scholarship
The Town of Oxford is accepting applications for the 2026 R. Gordon Graves Community Service Scholarship. This scholarship program is aimed at ... [Continue Story]
- The United States Colored Troops from Queen Anne’s County: Additional Stories of USCT from the Eastern Shore” with Chris Pupke
- Critchlow Adkins Expands Pre-K Programming Through the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future
- Chesapeake Forum Launches a Diverse Lineup of February Courses for Inquiring Minds
- Reza Jafari Appointed to Association of Community College Trustees Board of Directors
- Gunston Joins Top 7% of Schools Nationally with AP Platinum Honors
- New Year, New Courses at Chesapeake Forum
Health Notes
For All Seasons: 40 Years of Meeting Community Needs
What began in 1986 as one woman’s determination to serve children who had experienced sexual assault has grown into a mental health lifeline for ... [Continue Story]
- Choptank Health Joins National Campaign to Highlight School-Based Health Care
- For All Seasons Hosts One-of-a-Kind Valentine’s Auction
- University of Maryland Shore Regional Health Announces Winter Weather Closures
- UM Shore Regional Health Announces 2026 Safe Sitter® Dates
- All About Your Image: A Local Non-Profit Supporting Individuals Living with Mental Illness
- First Baby of 2026 Arrives at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton Birthing Center
Commerce Notes
Mr. Arnold Williams, CPA Selected as Board Chair for Qlarant, Inc. By Board of Directors
The Board of Directors for Qlarant, Inc. have selected Mr. Arnold Williams, CPA as Board Chair. Mr. Williams began his Qlarant board experience when ... [Continue Story]
- A Great New Year — Shopping, Exhibits and Events at The Market at Dover Station
- Maryland Lost 25,000 Federal Jobs in 2025, Latest Data Show
- Chesapeake Fire & Ice is Back For 2026
- Fello Secures $500,000 State Grant for Easton Crossing Community
- Business Owners Encouraged to Enroll in Talbot Works Business Academy
- Hines, Westerfield and Lahman Graduate from Leadership Maryland’s Programs
Food Friday
Food Friday: Hot Potatoes
We survived Winter Storm Fern! Hooray! Another storm is lurking out there now, soon to darken our doors, and ice the roads, but I am not going to worry about it. Mr. Sanders ... [Continue Story]
Looking at the Masters with Beverly Smith
Looking at the Masters: The National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
The National Gallery of Art (NGA) in Washington DC is one of the world’s finest museums. The collection contains works from the early Italian ... [Continue Story]
Spy Poetry
Spy Poetry: In This Brief World by Deidra Greenleaf Allan
Editor’s Note: In the spirit of the approaching new year and its opportunity for resolutions and personal change, this poem explores the poet’s journey toward self-acceptance and her understanding of the path to happiness. This is the last poem from Spy Poetry for the foreseeable future until more funding can be secured to support this […]
Food and Garden Notes
Wine of the Week: Grosjean Torrette Vallee d’Aoste
Ciao Tutti! This weekend at Piazza Italian Market, we will taste the Torrette Vallee d ’Aoste DOC ($28.50, 13.5% ABV) from the Grosjean Vins ... [Continue Story]
- Wine of the Week: Otto Uve
- Adkins Arboretum Mystery Monday: Guess the Photo!
- Wine of the Week: Barbera d’Alba 2024 DOC from the Albino Rocca Winery
- Maryland House & Garden Pilgrimage Opens Talbot Tour Ticket Sales
- Wine of the Week: Umbria IGT Grechetto from Argillae Winery
- Adkins Arboretum Mystery Monday: Guess the Photo!
Design with Jenn Martella
Design with Jenn Martella: Waterfront Haven
I always enjoy featuring a house in my neighborhood and this custom designed house is nestled in a clearing, surrounded by mature trees. There are only a few houses along this short lane so peace and privacy is ensured for the residents. This house’s rear yard gently slopes down to tranquil Harris Creek, where a […]
- Design with Jenn Martella: “Point Taken”
- Design with Jenn Martella: Small Changes Make a Big Impact
- Design with Jenn Martella: Old and New in Rock Hall
- Design with Jenn Martella: New Year-New Duplex
- Design with Jenn Martella: A Christmas Card: “The Snuggery”
- Design with Jenn Martella: Royal Oak Mid-Century Modern
From and Fuller Podcast
From and Fuller: Will the GOP Pushback Against Trump’s ICE Hold and the FBI Raids a Georgia Election Office
Every Thursday, the Spy hosts a conversation with Al From and Craig Fuller on the most topical political news of the moment. This week, Al and ... [Continue Story]
- From and Fuller: The Trump-Greenland TARFU
- From and Fuller Morning Brief: One Year of Trump
- From and Fuller: Trump Attacks on Federal Reserve Chairman Powell and Foreign Affairs Distractions
- From and Fuller: A New Year of Foreign Conflict and an ICE Shooting in Minneapolis
- Maryland Caucus with Foxwell and Mitchell: The 3 Top Maryland Issues to Watch in 2026
- From and Fuller: A 2025 Year in Review
Maryland Caucus with Foxwell and Mitchell
Maryland Caucus with Foxwell and Mitchell: Maryland Politics After Alex Pretti Death
Every week, Maryland political analysts Len Foxwell and Clayton Mitchell break down the politics and personalities shaping the state and the region on ... [Continue Story]
- Maryland Caucus with Foxwell and Mitchell: MD’s $1.5 Billion Deficit and the Land of No Easy Answers
- Maryland Caucus with Foxwell and Mitchell: Top Maryland Stories and a Few Winners and Losers in 2025
- Maryland Caucus with Foxwell and Mitchell: An Annapolis Future with a Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk
- Maryland Caucus with Len Foxwell and Clayton Mitchell: The Worrisome Case of Kelly Madigan
- The Maryland Caucus: Maryland’s Budget Crisis + Redistricting Plans Set in Motion
- Maryland Caucus with Foxwell and Mitchell: Maryland Redistricting Gets Serious and How the 1st District Could be Cut Up
Columnist J.E. Dean
Donald Trump Has Mastered Roy Cohn’s Three Rules by J.E. Dean
The nation is outraged by the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Neither victim deserved to die. And the images of both being ... [Continue Story]
- Why I Worry About War and a Lot More By J.E. Dean
- What Will Trump’s Legacy Be? By J.E. Dean
- Trump Has Killed the Kennedy Center, So Let’s Build a New One By J.E. Dean
- If You Can’t Say Anything Nice… By J.E. Dean
- The Self-Destruction of Trump by J.E. Dean
- The Hegseth “Kill Them All” Order is Trump’s—and America’s—Nightmare By J.E. Dean
Columnist Hugh Panero
The False Nostalgia of Movie Theaters by Hugh Panero
The battle over Netflix's bid to buy Warner Bros. has triggered fears that it will mean the end of the movie theater. The reaction is based on ... [Continue Story]
- Netflix Makes a Blockbuster Move for Warner Bros by Hugh Panero
- AI is Coming for the Music Industry
- 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
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
Ten By Jamie Kirkpatrick
No cake or candles; no cards or gifts; just a memory… It was the first Saturday of February 2016. I was walking over to the Farmers Market when I ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Laura Oliver
The Things You Carry By Laura J. Oliver
“Start with a list,” I tell them. “Like Tim O’Brien did in “The Things They Carried,” the title story in a collection about an American platoon in ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Angela Rieck
Move Over Sports Betting By Angela Rieck
Betting has become a national pastime. Each sports-related show includes a segment touting best bets. ESPN even offers a show dedicated to sports ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Al Sikes
Way Beyond Woke by Al Sikes
“Kings, and Persons of Sovereign authority, because of their Independency, are in continual jealousies… having their weapons pointing, and their eyes fixed on one another.” Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan International Relations is not some new term thought up by a “woke” celebrity. Thomas Hobbes, who is said to be the philosopher-mind behind strict realism in foreign […]
Opinion
Will Trump Immigration Policies Threaten the Eastern Shore Economy? By Wilson Dean
Since assuming office, President Trump has initiated several aggressive policies designed to remake (some say destroy) the entire U.S. immigration ... [Continue Story]
- Let’s Send the Message that Easton is Open for Business by Al Silverstein
- Donald the Red: The Modern Viking by Jim Bruce
- Election 2026: Heather Mizeur and Rick Hughes on Respectful Civic Engagement
- Horn Point Cuts Put Chesapeake Oyster Recovery at Risk by Sarah Gavian
- This Bears My Love to You Pooh by David Wheelan
- When Money Buys the Right to Be Heard, the People’s Voice Is Drowned Out by Tom Dennis
- “Fail First” is a Failure Always Ali Asghar Kassamali
- Remembering Mike Hiner by Robbie Gill
- 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
Letters to the Editor
Letter to Editor: Grade for Learning, Not Punishment in Talbot County
The way I understand it, supporters of minimum grade policies are not arguing for “free points,” but for keeping students engaged in learning rather ... [Continue Story]
- Letter to Editor: ICE Surges are Rehearsals for 2026 Midterms
- Letter to Editor: Questions Talbot Leaders Must Answer on Education
- Letter to Editor: Our Moral Test on Immigration
- Letter to Editor: When Does the Madness End?
- Letter to Editor: Renee Good needs a Talbot County Vigil
- Letter to Editor: Regarding a Dan Watson Candidacy for Talbot County Council
