Today’s Democratic party is no longer shaped by realities. In a broad sense, today’s Party is still attuned to President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society programs. The Great Society legislation was ... [Continue Story]
Public Affairs

Invasive Catfish, West Coast Oyster Shells Fueling Chesapeake Renaissance
“At Tilghman Island Seafood, we collaborate closely with watermen who are dedicated to the Chesapeake Bay’s unique ecosystem. These local watermen ... [Continue Story]
- Easton Council Highlights: The future of inclusionary zoning
- Public Engagement: A chat with Talbot County’s Sarah Kilmon on new era of community Input
- A new president and immigration policies changes: A chat with ChesMRC’s Matthew Peters
- Maryland deploys icebreaker to clear channels for watermen
- Easton cannabis store location debate: Should dispensaries be only 150 feet apart from each other?
- Easton Town Council Highlights: Meeting the new chief of the Easton Volunteer Fire Department
Spy Highlights

From and Fuller: The Real Impact of DOGE
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 political and financial impact of the Trump Administration’s use of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by billionaire Elon Musk. This video podcast […]
- A Target at Target: A Seasonal Job at the Bullseye
- From and Fuller: Trump Gazaland and the Muse DOGE Peeks into Federal Payment Systems
- Chicken Scratch: What Do We Do Now?
- From and Fuller: Trump chaos and RFK Jr. confusion
- Have another? By Roger Vaughan
- From and Fuller: The Trump executive order blitzkrieg
The Arts and Local Design

A Work of Heart: How Museums Can Strengthen Your Relationship by Daedelus Hoffman
It's a Tuesday night in February. The dinner plates have been cleared, the glow of the TV remote feels uninspiring, and the winter chill outside makes ... [Continue Story]
- TAP Takes on Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite: A Chat with Maureen Curtin and Brian McGunigle
- Elizabethan and chamber music virtuosity by Steve Parks
- MSO International Concerto Competition and more by Steve Parks
- Cars as movie co-stars and museum artworks by Steve Parks
- Ten new things at the Academy Art Museum to kick off the new year by Daedelus Hoffman
- The Avalon is alive with the Sound of Music for the holidays
Chesapeake Ecosystem

Intense Maryland Energy Debates in Annapolis Fill a Single Afternoon
For the last few years, the nuclear energy industry has stood on the precipice of the Maryland energy policy debate, waiting for its ... [Continue Story]
- 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
- Blue Crab Populations are Down, But Experts are Not Worried
Maryland News

How did we get here?: Analysts, officials unsure how disability agency overspent
Gov. Wes Moore’s proposal to slash $200 million in funding for a state administration that supports residents with developmental disabilities sent ... [Continue Story]
- Moore delivers State of the State address that lays out ‘tough choices’ for lawmakers
- Hundreds of developmental disability advocates rally against DDA budget cuts
- O’Malley’s bid for DNC chair falls well short; Ken Martin new chair
- No survivors found in crash between military helicopter and jet over Potomac
- State leaders scramble to understand impact of Trump’s surprise funding freeze
Health

Let’s Talk About It: A Different kind of Valentine with For All Seasons CEO Beth Anne Dorman
For All Seasons is bringing love and generosity with its annual Valentine’s Day Silent Auction, running online from February 8 to February ... [Continue Story]
- Mid-Shore Health: The role of forensic nursing with survivors of sexual and physical assault
- Qlarant Foundation takes a big step forward with first executive director Amanda Neal
- Mid-Shore Health: The war against lung cancer with Drs. Rashmi Benda and David Oliver
- Health advocates: Maryland needs to improve screening efforts for lung cancer
- Mid-Shore Health: Domestic violence on the Mid-Shore with Angie Price and Jeanne Yeager
Education

Wood Foundation awards $100K grant to Radcliffe Creek School
Radcliffe Creek School (RCS) was recently awarded a generous grant from the Kathy and Jerry Wood Foundation to support needs-based scholarships for ... [Continue Story]
- 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
- Spy-WHCP Check in with Dorchester Schools Superintendent Jymil Thompson
- Prekindergarten Expansion For Private Providers Off To A Slow Start
Food & Garden Highlights

Wine of the Week: PutzenHof Bodzer Leiten
Ciao Tutti! Happy Valentine's Weekend-Piazza is well stocked with chocolates and bubbly for your celebrations! If you are celebrating at home, ... [Continue Story]
Brevities

Talbot Historical Society Project Rewind: Going out to Lunch for Valentine’s Day
Happy Valentine’s Day! This unidentified couple are standing in front of a 1940’s Plymouth sedan across the street from a Texaco gas station probably ... [Continue Story]
- A Talbot County Act of Kindness: Making a Deposit in Easton
- Superbowl by Katherine Emery
- Talbot Historical Society Project Rewind: Heading over to Dawkins Market
- Lunar New Year by Katherine Emery
- Talbot Historical Society Project Rewind: Grabbing some gas at Esso
- Talbot Historical Society Project Rewind: Time to get to work
Commerce

Lahman and Westerfield chosen for Leadership Maryland’s Emerging Leader Program 2nd Class
Leadership Maryland announced today that Lauren Lahman, Senior Staff Accountant and Edward Westerfield, III, Supervisor of Electrical Design and ... [Continue Story]
- Oxford Bellevue Ferry welcomes new Owner
- Fred Christie completes 2024 Department of Energy’s OT Defender Fellowship
- Registration begins for Easton’s St. Patrick’s Day parade
- Jordan Pearlstein chosen for Leadership Maryland’s Emerging Leader Program 2nd class
- Simonsen named Director, Corporate Communications
Community Notes

Descendants host 207th birthday celebration for Frederick Douglass in Easton: 2/22
February is not only Black History Month. It’s also the birthday of famous abolitionist Frederick Douglass, and his Eastern Shore descendants are ... [Continue Story]
- Advocates ‘frustrated,’ confused after meeting on proposed cut to DDA agency
- Descendants host 207th birthday celebration for Frederick Douglass in Easton on February 22
- Council Meeting Highlights, January 28, 2025
- Talbot County Government announces FY2025 Opioid Restitution Fund Community Micro Grant Program
- Miles River Yacht Club Speakers Series, Feb 9th
- Tidewater Rotary Club announces 2025 fundraising events benefiting Talbot Hospice
Senior Life Highlights

It’s American Heart Month by Susan Covey
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. Every year, one in four deaths are caused by heart disease. The ... [Continue Story]
- Londonderry’s Satellite Rotary Club continues support for senior supply drive
- Londonderry celebrates Team Service Awards
- December Fitness Feature: Leg Strength
- Cruisin’ with Christine: Protecting the Londonderry Community with Rich Williams
- Londonderry on the Tred Avon honors its Veterans
- Enjoy the health benefits of Thanksgiving Day by Susan Covey
Arts Notes

Rachel Franklin Celebrates Gershwin’s Extraordinary Creative Output During the 1920s
Coming to Temple B’nai Israel, the Satell Center for Jewish Life on the Eastern Shore, on Thursday, February 20, at 7 PM, Dr. Rachel Franklin will ... [Continue Story]
- Photographer John Rock to discuss log canoe photos at SMCC: 2/17
- Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra welcomes Kathleen Wise to Board of Directors
- MassoniArt Gallery presents new exhibition: Joe Karlik, Kathryn O’Grady and Blake M. Conroy
- Karen Somerville Trio celebrates Billie Holiday, Feb 11 at Brookletts Place c/o Carpe Diem Arts
- Academy Art Museum announces new Trustees
- Londonderry on the Tred Avon resident, Ken Sadler, wins People’s Choice Award in Queen Anne’s County art show
Ecosystem Notes

Tilghman Watermen’s Museum Speaker Series: Nick Hargrove
On Saturday, February 22, at 1:00 PM, the Tilghman Watermen’s Museum Speaker Series will host Nick Hargrove from Tilghman Island Seafood at the ... [Continue Story]
Education Notes

Underground Railroad’s maritime history highlights 2/24 program in St. Michaels
The special exhibition, Sailing to Freedom: Maritime Dimensions of the Underground Railroad will be the topic of discussion for a special Conversation ... [Continue Story]
- Smithsonian author to talk about Julia Child’s Kitchen at the library
- Gavyn Stebbins named “The 24: Maryland’s Emerging Scholars” 2025 award winner
- St. Michaels Middle High hosts “real world – Saints edition”
- SU announces new CHHS dean
- With a generous donation from Women Who Care Talbot County, Critchlow Adkins Children’s Centers expands yoga programming
- Governor’s education bill slows growth of per pupil funding, worrying advocates
Health Notes

UMB Pathways for Eastern Shore Healthcare Careers Event at Londonderry on Feb 18
In an ongoing effort to help alleviate the healthcare professional shortage on the Eastern Shore in Maryland, University of Maryland, Baltimore ... [Continue Story]
- Catherine Halen, SPHR, joins University of Maryland Shore Regional Health
- New laboratory equipment purchase for University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Chestertown funded by Chester River Health Foundations
- Kent SCOT wins award from Chamber of Commerce
- Choptank Health welcomes medical provider in Easton
- 12th Annual Spring Classic Bike Tour: Cycle for a Cause and enjoy great food
- Dawn Gordon named Medical Staff Office Director for University of Maryland Shore Regional Health
Commerce Notes

Lahman and Westerfield chosen for Leadership Maryland’s Emerging Leader Program 2nd Class
Leadership Maryland announced today that Lauren Lahman, Senior Staff Accountant and Edward Westerfield, III, Supervisor of Electrical Design and ... [Continue Story]
- Oxford Bellevue Ferry welcomes new Owner
- Fred Christie completes 2024 Department of Energy’s OT Defender Fellowship
- Registration begins for Easton’s St. Patrick’s Day parade
- Jordan Pearlstein chosen for Leadership Maryland’s Emerging Leader Program 2nd class
- Simonsen named Director, Corporate Communications
- Talbot County Business Center demolition scheduled for 2025
Food Friday

Food Friday: Valentine’s Day
It's Friday, the fourteenth of February, and you are reading this at your desk after a nice turkey sandwich, smugly looking forward to the weekend stretching before you. I ... [Continue Story]
Looking at the Masters with Beverly Smith

Looking at the Masters: Utagawa Hiroshige
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) was one of the most prolific and popular Ukiyo-e artists in Japan. The word Ukiyo-e means pictures of the floating ... [Continue Story]
Design with Jenn Martella

Design with Jenn Martella: Victorian Transformation
It is always gratifying for me to see an older house in need of renovation to be given a new life through renovation/restoration. This house’s eclectic mix of styles of its Victorian shape, 2/2 windows, full front porch and the Queen Anne accents of the multiple gables and the tower gives this house charming curb […]
From and Fuller Podcast

From and Fuller: The Real Impact of DOGE
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 Gazaland and the Muse DOGE Peeks into Federal Payment Systems
- From and Fuller: Trump chaos and RFK Jr. confusion
- From and Fuller: The Trump executive order blitzkrieg
- From and Fuller: A Middle East Cease Fire and the Legacy of the Biden Years
- From and Fuller: How Serious to Take Donald Trump and the Great Los Angeles Fire of 2025
- From and Fuller: Remembering Jimmy Carter and 2024 in review
Columnist J.E. Dean

Trump 2.0: The good, the bad, the ugly and the insane by J.E. Dean
Scroll back to 1967 when The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly was released. The film was an instant classic. I watched it again recently and enjoyed it ... [Continue Story]
- Trump’s dangerous tariff game is making the world a more dangerous place by J.E. Dean
- In praise of Inspectors General by J.E. Dean
- President Biden should have walked out by J.E. Dean
- Trump asks Congress to abdicate its constitutional responsibility by J.E. Dean
- Remembering Jimmy Carter by J. E. Dean
- Wishing You Non-Snarky Holidays by J.E. Dean
Columnist Hugh Panero

The Death of TikTok by Hugh Panero
On Sunday evening, TikTok, the popular social media platform, was executed in the US. Since 2016, swiping through endless short-form videos on your ... [Continue Story]
- The Awkward Gentrification of Bellevue by Hugh Panero
- 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
Columnist Craig Fuller

Midair collision over the Potomac: Week two update by Craig Fuller
There is news in every direction these days, but I still follow the press conferences by the National Traffic Safety Board (NTSB) concerning the ... [Continue Story]
- 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
- One Amazing Story by One Amazing Individual by Craig Fuller
Columnist Jamie Kirkpatrick

Your Side of the Bed by Jamie Kirkpatrick
You’re probably aware that we—that is to say, my wife and I—have a small home in Chestertown, so small, in fact, that we call it SRO: Standing Room ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Laura Oliver

The Reformer By Laura J. Oliver
My smart older sisters have blazed a trail through life for me by example. If I hadn’t received my driver’s license on my first try, for instance, I’d ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Angela Rieck

Butterflies are not just pretty by Angela Rieck
Butterflies and moths, with their vibrant colors and intricate patterns, are more than just enchanting creatures flitting through our world. They play ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Al Sikes

Where Is the 21st Century Democratic Party? By Al Sikes
Today’s Democratic party is no longer shaped by realities. In a broad sense, today’s Party is still attuned to President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society programs. The Great Society legislation was enacted in the mid-1960s during Johnson’s presidency. The promises: eliminate poverty and racial injustice. The cost in today’s dollars is estimated at $2T. The results […]
Opinion

The Political is Personal: Reflections on DEI by Margaret Andersen
As the women’s movement was unfolding in the late 1960s, all across the country women gathered in small, informal groups called consciousness raising ... [Continue Story]
- 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
- Andy Harris and our right to vote by Heather Mizeur
- Will our history repeat itself? The lessons of Civil War Maryland by Paul W. Callahan
- Striking Out at Camden: How Three Bad Seasons Sent A Once Proud Franchise Into A Decade Long Tailspin
- Moving Ahead on Cambridge Harbor
- Sunset for Sea Stars? By Rob Etgen
- I Have Concerns Over the Route 662 Closure in Hospital Plan by Lynn Mielke
Letters to the Editor

Letter to Editor: Easton Crossing Project to Big
The Easton Planning Commission will consider the Easton Crossing project for site plan approval at its meeting on February 20th. The Easton ... [Continue Story]
- Letter to the Editor: County Council Administrative Resolution
- Letter to Editor: The Legislative Branch
- Letter to Talbot County Council: Keep employee handbook DEI statement
- Open Letter to Talbot County Council: Keep our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Statement
- Letter to Editor: NFL Removal of “End Racism” Stencil from End Zones. Say What?
- Letter to Editor: Representative Harris snubs the ‘Beagle Brigade’