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May 21, 2025

Talbot Spy

Nonpartisan Education-based News for Talbot County Community

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News COVID-19

COVID-19 Outbreak Reported at Angelica Nurseries in Kennedyville

March 22, 2021 by Spy Desk

A large increase in COVID-19 cases in Kent County, and the county’s high positivity rate, has been attributed to an outbreak among workers at a Kennedyville wholesale nursery.

On Wednesday, March 17, the Kent County Health Department (KCHD) was informed by Choptank Community Health System that 53 employees had tested positive for COVID-19 at Angelica Nurseries in Kennedyville, according to a KCHD statement posted Friday to Facebook.

Another 25 have been exposed but had tested negative, according to the statement. Five individuals had been hospitalized; two had been released.

“Angelica Nurseries has been working closely with KCHD and a multi agency team of healthcare providers to respond to the situation,” William Webb, Kent County’s health officer, said in the statement. “Management has been fully cooperative and engaged in addressing the healthcare needs of their employees and the risk this poses to the community.

“Their leadership has been receptive to the guidance offered by the Kent County Health Department, the Maryland Department of Health, University of Maryland Shore Regional Health, and Choptank Community Health.”

The Kent County Health Department has delivered personal protective equipment (PPE) and disinfection supplies, and is assisting the business with implementing enhanced safety protocols.

At this time, contact tracing indicates that the outbreak is contained to those residing on the grounds of Angelica Nurseries or its affiliated properties.

“I implore our community to continue to take this virus seriously and be vigilant to prevent its spread,” Webb said. “Continue to wear your mask, maintain at least six feet of distance, wash your hands frequently, and get the vaccine when it is your turn.

“We have been at this for a year and I know we are all tired of this message, but now is not the time to let down our guard.”

For more information, visit:

• Maryland Department of Health: covidlink.maryland.gov

• Kent County Health Department (kenthd.org): Testing offered Tuesdays by appointment, call 410-778-1350.

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

Filed Under: COVID-19 Tagged With: angelica nurseries, coronavirus, Covid-19, kennedyville, Kent County, outbreak

Mail-in Ballot Counts Put Biden Up in Kent County, Narrows Trump’s Lead in Talbot

November 8, 2020 by John Griep

As the nation has seen with the presidential vote count in several battleground swing states, election results may change after Election Day as mail-in ballots are counted by poll workers.

And the final certified results in most states are yet to come.

In Maryland, the first round of counting mail-in ballots was Thursday, Nov. 5. The unofficial results after that count show Kent County flipped from voting Donald Trump in 2016 to Joe Biden in 2020.

That result could change again as provisional ballots are counted Thursday, Nov. 12, and the last batch of mail-in ballots are counted Nov. 13. Mail-in ballots may be received by 10 a.m. that day postmarked by Nov. 3 or dated Nov. 3 with a voter’s oath.

Election results will be verified and certified Nov. 13 and sent to the state elections board.

The statewide certification of results will be Tuesday, Dec. 8, with presidential electors casting votes for president on Monday, Dec. 14.

After Thursday’s initial count of mail-in ballots, Biden is leading in Kent County by 49.4% to 48.2% for Trump. Trump was leading 53% to 45% after ballots were counted on Election Day.

In 2016, Trump won 48.7% of Kent County’s vote to 45.7% for Hillary Clinton.

Biden won about 70% of the mail-in ballot vote in Kent County this year, mirroring trends seen nationwide.

Trump urged his voters to go to the polls on Election Day and has falsely claimed mail-in ballots are fraudulent. The Biden campaign encouraged mail-in ballots so voters could avoid lines on Election Day during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trump’s numbers also slipped in Talbot County during Thursday’s count, but he still maintains a narrow lead over Biden.

The Republican president was leading Biden 50.5% to 47.3% on Election Day, but, as of Thursday, is only up 49.1% to 48.5%.

Trump’s vote margin dropped from 616 to 116 after the count of mail-in ballots.

In 2016, Trump won Talbot County 52.2% to 42.1% for Clinton.

In Dorchester County, Trump is faring better in 2020 than he did in 2016. He beat Clinton 55.3% to 41% four years ago and leads Biden 58.2% to 39.5%.

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

Filed Under: 2 News Homepage Tagged With: Biden, election, Kent County, mail-in ballots, provisional, results, Talbot County, Trump

Dorchester Voters Pick School Board Members; Kent, Talbot Races Unopposed

November 6, 2020 by Spy Desk

Voters in Dorchester, Talbot, and Kent counties elected candidates to 4-year terms on their county school boards.

Dorchester was the only county that had contested school board races.

In District 1, Mike D. Diaz defeated Phil Bramble to win a seat on the Dorchester County Board of Education. Diaz won 62% to 37%.

Susan Morgan ousted incumbent Philip W. Rice, the current school board president, in District 3, winning 68% to 31% for Rice.

Laura Hill Layton kept her District 5 seat, defeating Voncia L. Molock in a rematch of the 2016 election. Layton had 66% to 34% for Molock. In 2016, Layton won 73% to 27%.

In Talbot County, candidates for the three seats up for election ran unopposed.

Candace Henry won District 2, Susan Delean-Botkin was re-elected in District 5, and Mary Wheeler was re-elected in District 6.

In Kent County, Joe Goetz and Francoise Sullivan were unopposed in their bids for the two seats up for election.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

Filed Under: Ed Homepage Tagged With: board of education, dorchester county, election, Kent County, Talbot County, vote

Mid-Shore Counties Favor Trump, But Margins Differ From 2016

November 4, 2020 by John Griep

Voters in Talbot, Dorchester, and Kent counties again favored Republican Donald Trump for president.

Democratic challenger Joe Biden outperformed Hillary Clinton in one county, while the incumbent had a higher percentage of the vote in 2020 in the other two.

In Talbot County, Trump’s margin of victory slipped from 2016.

Unofficial 2020 results show Republican incumbent Trump with 50.5% of the vote in Talbot County. Democrat Joe Biden garnered 47.3% and Libertarian Jo Jorgensen had 1.1%.

Vice President Joe Biden (Photo by Gage Skidmore)

Biden is faring better in Talbot County than Hillary Clinton did in 2016. Trump took 53.06% of the county’s vote four years ago, Clinton had 42.81%, Libertarian Gary Johnson had 3.13%, and Green Jill Stein had 1 percent.

The 2020 numbers likely will shift as election officials count remaining ballots on Nov. 5 and Nov. 13.

Republican incumbent Rep. Andy Harris also saw his Talbot County support dip in the 2020 race for First District.

Harris sits at 54.9% in Talbot and Democratic challenger Mia Mason has 45%.

In 2016, Harris had 60.8% of the vote in Talbot County, with 35.79% for Democrat Joe Werner and 3.41% for Libertarian Matt Beers.

In Dorchester County, Biden underperforms Clinton; Harris maintains margin of victory

Trump leads Biden 58.2% to 39.5% in the county. In 2016, Trump had 55.7% to 41.35% for Clinton.

Harris currently has 62.1% of Dorchester’s vote, with 37.7% for Mason. In 2016, Harris had 61.27%, Werner had 35.82%, and Beers had 2.9%.

Biden polls lower in Kent County: Harris essentially unchanged

Trump has 52.5% of Kent’s vote this year; he had 49.36% in 2016.

Biden has 44.9% compared to 46.31% for Clinton four years ago.

Harris essentially maintained his margin of victory from 2016.

Four years ago, Harris had 56.36%, Werner had 40.44%, and Beers had 3.2%.

Harris currently has 55.4% of Kent’s vote this year and Mason has 44.4%.

This post has been updated to correct the election year in which Joe Werner challenged Andy Harris.

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

Filed Under: 2 News Homepage Tagged With: ballot, dorchester county, election, first district, Kent County, president, Talbot County, vote

New Bay Crossing Site Narrowed to Three Options

September 2, 2020 by Spy Desk

The best location for a third Bay Bridge would be adjacent to the current spans, according to a state agency report. Two other options — one north of the existing bridges and one south — out of the five remaining alternatives also will undergo additional study.

The Maryland Transportation Authority selected the three alternatives based on traffic congestion, safety, dependable and reliable travel times, flexibility for maintenance and incident management, and financial viability.

The ongoing study also will include a no-build alternative.

Phase 1 of the Chesapeake Bay Crossing Study outlined 14 possible alternatives. Corridors 1-4 and 10-14 were eliminated from further consideration because those locations would not provide adequate traffic capacity to reduce congestion at the current crossing.

A study of potential sites for a new crossing of the Chesapeake Bay initially included 14 options. Corridors 6-8, highlighted in yellow, remain under consideration.

Phase 2 looked in more detail at corridors 5-9 and further reduced the alternatives to Corridors 6, 7, and 8.

Corridor 7 is where the existing Bay Bridge spans are located.

Corridor 6 would be north of the current bridges, with the western end located east of Pasadena in Anne Arundel County and the eastern side connecting near Rock Hall in Kent County before crossing the Chester River into Queen Anne’s County and connecting with Route 213 south of Centreville.

Corridor 8 would be south of the current bridges, with the western end located south of Annapolis. The bridge would pass south of Kent Island, connecting with Talbot County and ultimately to U.S. Route 50 north of Easton.

The detailed traffic analysis for the five remaining corridors showed “Corridor 5 would not provide an acceptable level of flexibility for incident diversion and would cause potentially major indirect effects on the Eastern Shore. Corridor 9 would also require substantial additional travel time for incident diversion and would result in unreasonably long duration of queues on summer weekends at the existing crossing (six hours with queues of one mile or greater on non-summer weekdays),” according to the report. And both Corridors 5 and 9 would do little to improve congestion at the current crossing based on traffic projections for 2040.

Cost and environmental impacts also are factors and Corridor 7, with the shortest overall crossing, would likely cost the least and “would likely result in fewer overall direct impacts.”

“While Corridors 6, 7, and 8 are all recommended to be carried forward for further evaluation, the screening results show that Corridor 7 has advantages over Corridors 6 and 8,” according to the report. “The advantages of Corridor 7 include better congestion relief at the existing Bay Bridge, more effective reduction of duration of unacceptable LOS (level of service), more effective backup reduction at the Bay Bridge, the best diversion route, and better compatibility with existing land-use patterns likely resulting in fewer indirect effects.”

Read the full report here:

BCS Alternatives Report

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

Filed Under: 2 News Homepage Tagged With: Bay Bridge, bridge, crossing, Kent County, queen anne's county, study, Talbot County

Heron Point Resident Tests Positive for COVID-19, Fifth Case in Kent County

April 2, 2020 by John Griep

A resident of an independent living cottage at Heron Point Retirement Community has tested positive for COVID-19, making the county’s fifth patient, Kent County’s health officer confirmed.

William Webb said the Kent County Health Department is working with Heron Point on a contact investigation.

As a cottage resident, there is limited exposure to the broader facility, he said.

Heron Point, an Acts Retirement-Life Communities facility on Campus Avenue in Chestertown, includes cottages and apartment homes, as well as assisted living and skilled nursing care accommodations, on 66 acres along the Chester River.

Webb said Heron Point has been conducting the standard practices listed by the CDC and WHO, including frequent hand washing and disinfecting surfaces.

“They have been doing a lot of that already,” Webb said. “They’re very good at that over there.”

For the general community, Webb also encouraged frequent hand washing and following Gov. Larry Hogan’s stay-at-home order.

“Stay the course,” Webb said. “This is going to take longer than anybody wants. Stay at home if at all possible.”

 

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

Filed Under: 2 News Homepage, News Portal Lead Tagged With: coronavirus, Covid-19, Health, Heron Point, Kent County

Kirwan Conversations: A Chat with Kirwan Commission Member Karen Couch

March 2, 2020 by Dave Wheelan

Last week, the Spy started a series of interviews with senior stakeholders in the state and on the Eastern Shore to discuss the landmark recommendations of the Kirwan Commission and the resulting legislation now under consideration in Annapolis.

We began with Michael Sanderson, the director of Maryland Association of Counties, who stated very clearly that the proposed Kirwan recommendations would be the “most consequential policy decisions that any of these policymakers are going to make during their whole political career.”

Given how serious these reforms would mean on the Eastern Shore, we continue with our interview with Dr. Karen Couch, the superintendent  of Kent County Public Schools, and, more importantly, one of the few education professionals to serve on the commission. It is also noteworthy to point out the Dr. Couch represented the smallest county school system in the State.

In her Spy interview, we talk specifically about the five primary elements of what is now called the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and its impact on Kent County education.

This video is approximately twelve minutes in length. For more information about Kirwan and Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, please go here. 

 

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

Filed Under: Ed Portal Lead, Spy Chats Tagged With: Kent County, Kirwan

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