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January 24, 2026

Talbot Spy

Nonpartisan Education-based News for Talbot County Community

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ICE Enforcement Impact on Talbot Mentors Families with Kentavius Jones

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For Kentavius Jones, executive director of Talbot Mentors, the recent surge of immigration enforcement on the Mid-Shore by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is less about politics than humanity. Week after week, he’s confronted with the fear and disruption these actions bring to the families his organization serves—students coming home to find a parent gone, mentors trying to comfort children left adrift. Known to many simply as KJ, he speaks with quiet urgency about the need for compassion in public policy and a justice system that recognizes people, not just cases.

In our Spy interview, Jones acknowledges that America’s immigration system needs reform. But he argues that tearing apart families who have worked, contributed, and built lives here betrays the nation’s values. The America he knows, he says, is one that offers grace—one that protects rather than punishes those who’ve pursued its promise.

This video is approximately six minutes in length.

 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

A Bad Diagnosis, Remarkable Recovery, and Giving Back: A Chat with Andrew Dorbin

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According to Johns Hopkins Brady Urological Institute, testicular cancer is one of the most common cancers among young men, with nearly 10,000 new cases diagnosed each year in the United States. Although highly curable when caught early, it can spread rapidly if left untreated. For Preston’s Andrew Dorbin, this reality became personal in 2023 when he was diagnosed with late-stage testicular cancer that had already spread to his lungs and abdomen.

In our Spy chat, Andrew talks candidly about this unexpected moment in his early life, as he and his family coped with a rare life-endangering disease while welcoming a new baby.  After a two-year battle, with the help of family and a team of experts, He is in remission now, and he talks about his future in a different way than when the cancer was first discovered. To such an extent that he has decided to give back.

Andrew recently launched the Wayfinders Testicular Health Fund, a new initiative under Chesapeake Charities, to raise awareness, provide education, and ensure that no man faces cancer alone. His first effort is the upcoming “Putts Fore! Nuts” miniature golf tournament on October 18 in Ocean City, Maryland—a mix of laughter, competition, and serious conversation about men’s health.

This video is approximately nine minutes in length. To sign up for the event, please go here. 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Remembering Judge John C. North In his Own Words

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Last Friday brought the sad news that Judge John C. North had passed away at the ripe age of 94

Just a few months ago, I had interviewed the judge to help spread the word about the Bugatti exhibition at the Academy Art Museum. We talked at length that day about the show and his contributions of both cars and knowledge to what has been the AAM’s most successful exhibit to date, which celebrated the famed automobile designer family. But before we began that conversation, the judge was in a reflective mood, and we spent nearly as much time talking about his own life and his love for log canoes.

It was a rare moment with this native son of the Eastern Shore. The only child of a Talbot County lawyer, he earned his law degree at Harvard before returning home to practice and eventually joining the Maryland bench. With his rich vocabulary and formal manners, he carried one back to another era in his telling of his upbringing and love of boats.

That unplanned digression, before the “real” interview, lasted nearly 20 minutes. At the time, I told him I would someday produce another video that included this material, and he was delighted by the idea. That “someday” came sooner than expected. For a man known for his love of precision in language, it feels fitting that he told his story in his own words.

This video is approximately 18 minutes in length.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Spy Special Report: Inside Arthur Houghton’s Fallout Shelter

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According the his stepson, Jeff Horstman,  the late Arthur Houghton was not a doomsdayer per say, but it could be said he was a man of his times. When the former president of Corning Glass laid out his plans for the Wye River Plantation in Queen Anne’s County for his beloved Black Angus cattle and the Wye Institute, (later to be incorporated into the Aspen Institute) in the early 1960s, it was not inconceivable that the DC region might be the target of a nuclear attack. With the Cuban Missile Crisis fresh in the minds of many Americans, some of the country’s wealthiest began building fallout shelters as a reasonable precaution to remain alive if such an event took place.

But unlike other shelters that were built to house only a handful of people, the Houghton fortress was a massive underground complex of dorm rooms, a dining area, a social space, kitchen, and endless space for food storage. At its core were twin Kohler generators, fed by massive oil tanks, ready to keep up to 40 people supplied with air exchangers with radiation filters. Rows of bunk beds, each once sealed with fresh sheets in protective wrapping, lined the bedrooms. And Houghton maintained a survival list of those who would be admitted on short notice.

Horstman, who serves on the board of the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, who owns the property, was taking this spy around the property to tour the organization’s new facilities to host children with extremely serious illnesses and their families a special getaway throughout the year. That will be the subject of another Spy story in September but we did take a side trip that day to explore this one-of-a-kind facility.

This video is approximately two minutes in length.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

A New Restaurant Besides Piazza: A Chat with Emily Chandler

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As many Spy readers know, we’ve been periodically checking in with Emily Chandler, the owner of Piazza Italian Deli, over a decade now. Starting in December of 2008 with her relatively small first store in Talbottown, her move to her current location, coping with the pandemic, and a successful recovery, Emily has shown time and time again her unique gift of entrepreneurship mixed with a genuine passion for Italian food and culture. And the Mid-Shore has been the better for it each step along the way.

Now Chandler is taking another bold step with the opening of a new restaurant next door to Piazza called Accanto. In her recent chat with the Spy, Emily talks about the natural path she and her company have taken to get to this point. She also answers many questions about the logistics of the new dinner only establishment, and shares her thoughts about scaling her enterprise and in typical Emily Chandler fashion, talks candidly about the challenges of creating the right menu, the right ambitious,   and the right culture of her both herself and her staff going forward.

Just so you know, “Accanto” means “besides” in Italian.

This video is approximately six minutes in length.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

The Mid-Shore Welcomes a New Rabbi: A Chat with Temple B’nai Israel’s Jordan Goldson

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Rabbi Jordan Goldson traces his faith journey back to Long Island, where his family built a suburban Jewish life after the war. Friday nights meant synagogue, community, and late dinners with friends at the local diners that shaped a sense of belonging.  And when he was at Tulane University, far from home, he found himself drawn into the student organization Hillel, organizing Shabbat dinners, building a campus community, and unexpectedly found himself being nudged toward the rabbinate.

What began as curiosity about Jewish texts turned into rabbinical studies, first in Israel and then in Los Angeles and New York, culminating in his ordination in 1987. From his first pulpit in Calgary, through congregations in Arizona, Baton Rouge, New Jersey, and now Easton, his career has been marked by growth, resilience, and a deep commitment to community. Along the way he’s taught, counseled, and led through times of promise and times of struggle, always returning to the heart of what drew him in as a young man: the joy of creating and sustaining Jewish life.

Rabbi Goldson stopped by the Spy Studio a few weeks ago to chat about the challenge and opportunities in attracting younger people to Temple B’nai in an era of remarkable technology and the temple’s celebration of 75 years of service to the Mid-Shore. The Rabbi also talks about how a community processes the current tragedy in Gaza and growing anti-semitism. His answer begins with a 3,000 year old history of resilience and hope.

This video is approximately six minutes in length. For more information about Temple B’nai Israel please go here. 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Spy Chat: The Release of Pastor Daniel Fuentes Espinal and his Future with Len Foxwell

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The Spy sits down with Len Foxwell to discuss the release of Pastor Daniel Fuentes Espinal in Easton on Friday and what comes next for both the pastor and the community.

This video is approximately 10 minutes in length.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Breakingn

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is the best social media post I’ve ever had the privilege to write:
Pastor Daniel Fuentes Espinal is home. Back with with beautiful family in Easton.
He was granted bond earlier this week and his daughter, Clarissa, flew to Louisiana yesterday, picked him up and brought him back to the great State of Maryland. Given the political and social climate in which we now live, we decided not to announce his release until he was safe and secure within the comfort of his own home.
Obviously, there remains work to be done. Let it be said, however, that Pastor Fuentes Espinal and his family are together again for the first time since that terrible morning of July 21. When a pastor and father of three said goodbye to his wife and children, left for work and never came home.
May God bless and hold this beautiful family close on this priceless night of reunion.

 

All

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Easton’s Affordable Housing Recommendations: A Chat with Task Force Member Michael Ports

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During regular work hours, Michael Ports is the easement stewardship manager for the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy. Since 2020, he has been working with landowners and volunteers to help protect acres of critical open space throughout the Mid-Shore.

However, since August 2024, Michael has taken on another job, serving as one of 18 members of the Town of Easton’s Task Force on Attainable Housing in his free time. Over many long evenings and Zoom calls, he and his colleagues have discussed, debated, and ultimately voted on recommendations designed to guide the Town of Easton’s housing policies in addressing the growing problem of affordable homes within the town limits.

That involved digging into land-use policies, regulatory reforms, and scoping out funding sources to boost the creation of those affordable homes. And now, one year later, the Task Force is about to forward those final recommendations to Councilmembers, who will accept, reject, or postpone those suggestions.

Before our interview, Michael noted that not all the recommendations were unanimously endorsed by his fellow members. The other side note worth mentioning is that, while the Task Force was named using the word “Attainable housing,” the Task Force determined that the more accurate term was “affordable housing,” which matched federal and state policy and grant requirements.

In quick succession, Michael lists the significant recommendations that the Town Council and the greater Easton community will consider over the next several months.

This video is approximately six minutes in length. 

 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

The Search for Answers for the Annapolis Capital Gazette Murders: A Chat with Author Thomas Marquardt

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On June 28, 2018, Jarrod Ramos attacked the Capital Gazette newsroom in Annapolis. Armed with a shotgun and explosives, he opened fire, killing five members of the Capital’s editorial staff. It remains the deadliest workplace shooting in Maryland history.

Thomas Marquardt, the then-publisher and editor of the newspaper, remains severely traumatized to this day by this senseless act of violence. Still, unlike countless others who survive such an event, Tom’s career as a journalist provided him with unique skills and motivation to dig deeper, find better answers for this unforgivable act of terror. Years of research have finally resulted in the publication of Pressed to Kill: Inside Newspapers’ Worst Mass Murder.

Beyond the sometimes cathartic effects of writing the book to address his own lingering trauma from that tragic day,  Tom is also on a mission to use the book to put a spotlight on workplace violence and what businesses and their owners can do to help protect their employees.

The Spy spoke with Tom last week about this book in advance of his conversation with Spy publisher Dave Wheelan and For All Seasons CEO Beth Anne Dorman on August 6th, as part of the Leadership Maryland Alumni gathering at the Waterfowl Building.

This video is approximately eight minutes in length. To purchase Pressed to Kill please go here. 

Leadership Maryland Alumni Engagement Speaker Forum
August 6 at 6:30 p.m
Waterfowl Festival Building (40 S. Harrison St., Easton) 

In Conversation with author Tom Marquardt with Beth Anne Dorman, President & CEO of For All Seasons

Free and open to the public.
Register at leadershipmd.org.

Café-style seating with complimentary non-alcoholic beverages provided by Saucy Salamander Catering.
Venue sponsored by Deena Kilmon, Executive Director, Waterfowl Festival.

 

 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.