Since the Republicans reclaimed a majority of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in the last election cycle, a recurring issue has been the impact of conservative Republican members (notably ... [Continue Story]
Public Affairs
The Campaign to Expunge Old Cannabis Convictions: A Chat with Shore Legal Access’s Laura Chafey
In a recent interview, Laura Chafey, Legal Director at Shore Legal Access, shed light on the hoped-to-be transformative expungement campaign they are ... [Continue Story]
- Revenue Rumble: House and Senate Take Sides on Tax Increases After Revenue Write-Down
- Dreams Realized: One Woman’s Inspiring Journey to Citizenship with the Help of ChesMRC
- Pressure Mounting for Oyster Sanctuary Changes
- Talbot Council Highlights: A New Resolution on Lakeside and Mike Detmer Joins Congressman Harris’ Office
- Medical Aid-in-Dying Legislation Teetering as Senators Deliberate How They’ll Vote
- Mid-Shore Local Towns Face ‘Hundreds of Millions’ in Lost Property Tax Revenue Due to Mailing Snafu
Spy Highlights
America’s Oldest Operating Inn Gets a New Vision at the Robert Morris Inn
The next chapter has been added to Oxford’s Robert Morris Inn (RMI). New owner David Snyder is not promising to return the home to its original splendor; he is, however, intent on making it usable and memorable, catering to visitors across the Shore and beyond. Built in 1710 as “River View House,” the Robert Morris […]
- From and Fuller: Biden’s SOTU Doesn’t Change Polls and the RFK, Jr. Third Party Threat
- From Farmers’ Markets to Greek Gourmet: The Greek Food Dream of Peter and Lucka
- Sanctuary Changes Inching Amidst Astounding Oyster Efforts
- From and Fuller: A Super Tuesday Download and the High Stakes of Biden’s State of the Union Address
- The Arc Mission for Behavioral Health: A Chat with Cindy Lindgren
- Saints Peter and Paul Takes the Trophy Home: A Chat with Players Garrett Hemingway, Braden Smith, and Coach Gary Gould
The Arts and Local Design
Spy Review: Jonathan Richman at the Avalon by Mark Pelavin
Rock icon Jonathan Richman, who delighted an appreciative crowd at the Avalon Theatre last week, was dancing like no one was watching long before most ... [Continue Story]
- Spy Art Review: Something(s) New in Downtown Easton by Steve Parks
- Spy Concert Review: A Classical Interlude with Ensemble 132 by Steve Parks
- Concert Review: Alaina Stacey and Madeleine Kelson Bring Nashville to the Avalon
- Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra’s March 24 International Competition Attracts 155 Global Contestants to Chesapeake College Competition Concert
- Harmonies of Excellence: The 3rd Loker Concerto Competition with Michael Repper
- Unlock the Art of Storytelling: Writers Gather at Chesapeake College
Chesapeake Ecosystem
Maryland’s Oyster Sanctuaries Show Promising Signs by Joe Zimmermann
At first, oyster biologists were concerned. Monitoring efforts at some restoration sanctuary reefs in 2022 weren’t pulling up many oysters, even ... [Continue Story]
- Deena Kilmon Appointed Executive Director of Waterfowl
- The Eagle’s Owl Nest: After Years of Teasing, This Great Horned Owl Couple Finally Delivers
- Mid-Shore Ecosystem: Record Breaking Farm Land Saved by QAC but Future Funding Looks Bleak
- Md. Offshore Wind Project Loses Energy: Developer Announces ‘Repositioning’ Of Project
- A Conservation Journey From Cordova to Palaka and Back to Delmarva by Norman Greenhawk
- Environmental Reclamation and Sustainability for the Bay: The Poplar Island Project
Maryland News
No Room for Compromise for Maryland Senate on $1.2 Billion House Revenue Proposal
Democrats in the House are pressing a nearly $1.2 billion package they say will pay for both a multi-billion expansion of education funding and a ... [Continue Story]
- A Tax Bill Cometh?
- Juvenile Justice Reform Bills Approved, Work To Resolve Differences Begins
- Annapolis Notes: House Approves Juvenile Justice Bill, Aid-in-Dying Stalled, Electricity Bill Advances
- Senate Grants Preliminary Approval To Juvenile Justice Measure
- General Assembly Panels Revise Juvenile Justice Reform Measures
Health
Working Together on Senior Care: A Chat with Talbot Health’s Carrie Ottey and Upper Shore Aging’s Andy Hollis
In a recent discussion with the Spy, Carrie Ottey from the Talbot Health Department and Andy Hollis, the CEO of Upper Shore Aging, discussed how these ... [Continue Story]
- Mid-Shore Health: The Road to Recovery at Shore Medical Center’s Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Clinics
- Mid Shore Health Improvement Coalition Launches Health Careers Website
- Mid-Shore Health: The New Science of Orthopedic Care with Drs. Myron Szczukowski and Dr. Sheila Taylor
- The Moore Budget Shows $100M for Proposed Medical Center
- The Plan for For All Seasons Best Girlfriends Weekend
Education
Chesapeake Forum’s New Era of Lifelong Learning with James Adams and Claudia Dziobek
In 2019, when the Chesapeake Forum (then the Academy for Lifelong Learning) left its home base of 15 years, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, to chart a ... [Continue Story]
- Building a Pathway to Serve with MD’s Service and Civic Innovation Secretary Paul Monteiro
- CBMM Panel to Feature Growing Her Helm Community
- Kent County Schools Superintendent Dr. Couch Announces Retirement
- Washington College’s Remarkable Turnaround Story: A Chat with President Mike Sosulski by Craig Fuller
- Mid-Shore Education: A Tribute to Dr. Theresa Stafford
Food & Garden Highlights
Mid-Shore Commerce: Getting to Know Green Thumb Industries in Centreville
It would be understandable if most of those living on the Mid-Shore had never heard of Green Thumb Industries, let alone the fact it is Centreville's ... [Continue Story]
- The General Assembly Divide on Taxes Continues and a Way Forward by David Reel
- America’s Oldest Operating Inn Gets a New Vision at the Robert Morris Inn
- Voices Unsilenced: Celebrating Women in March and Forever by Kate Emery General
- The Del-Mar-Va Council Presents the Gathering of Heroes
- St. Michaels Library Spring Lunch & Learn featuring Poet Sue Ellen Thompson
Brevities
Voices Unsilenced: Celebrating Women in March and Forever by Kate Emery General
“We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced.” - Malala Yousafzai March is Women’s History Month; this year’s theme is Women ... [Continue Story]
- Talbot Historical Society Project Rewind: Picking Up after Highway Litterbugs
- St. Patrick from Sacred Roots to Global Greening by Kate Emery General
- Piazza Provides Sanctuary in a Storm
- Talbot Historical Society Project Rewind: Taking a Gander at the Nannie
- Saturday by Kate Emery General
- Talbot Historical Society Project Rewind: Driving Over to the Hospital
Commerce
Mid-Shore Commerce: Getting to Know Green Thumb Industries in Centreville
It would be understandable if most of those living on the Mid-Shore had never heard of Green Thumb Industries, let alone the fact it is Centreville's ... [Continue Story]
- The General Assembly Divide on Taxes Continues and a Way Forward by David Reel
- America’s Oldest Operating Inn Gets a New Vision at the Robert Morris Inn
- Voices Unsilenced: Celebrating Women in March and Forever by Kate Emery General
- The Del-Mar-Va Council Presents the Gathering of Heroes
- St. Michaels Library Spring Lunch & Learn featuring Poet Sue Ellen Thompson
Community Notes
The Del-Mar-Va Council Presents the Gathering of Heroes
The Del-Mar-Va Council is pleased to announce the 2024 Gathering of Heroes will be located at The Oaks Waterfront Hotel in Royal Oak, MD in late ... [Continue Story]
- Tidewater Rotary Club Strikes Success at Bowling Fundraiser for Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center
- Talbot County Council Highlights for March 12
- Election of Commissioners of St. Michaels May 6
- CBMM Offers New Opportunities To Explore on the Water This Year
- Department of Parks and Recreation is Ready for First Pickleball Tournament
- Talbot Schools Announce 2024-2025 Teacher and Support Staff of the Year Finalists
Senior Life Highlights
Working Together on Senior Care: A Chat with Talbot Health’s Carrie Ottey and Upper Shore Aging’s Andy Hollis
In a recent discussion with the Spy, Carrie Ottey from the Talbot Health Department and Andy Hollis, the CEO of Upper Shore Aging, discussed how these ... [Continue Story]
- Senior Life: Stepping Out by Susan Covey
- Cruisin’ with Christine: For the Love of Rotary at Londonderry with Robert Grill
- Londonderry on the Tred Avon Welcomes Brian Cotter to Board of Directors
- Housekeeping Team Contributes to Superior Lifestyle at Londonderry on the Tred Avon
- Cruisin’ with Christine: A Kitchen Inspection at Londonderry
- Valentines For Your Heart by Susan Covey
Arts Notes
St. Michaels Library Spring Lunch & Learn featuring Poet Sue Ellen Thompson
Poet Sue Ellen Thompson will be the speaker for the St. Michaels Library Lunch & Learn on Monday April 1, 2024, at noon to discuss her book, “Sea ... [Continue Story]
- Washington College Invites Regional Musicians to Utilize its Open Studio Free of Charge
- The Garfield Center Calls for Director and Title Submissions for 2025 Season Productions
- 2024 Juried Art Show: Discover the Native Landscapes of Eastern Shore April 26
- CBMM hosts Eastern Shore Sea Glass & Coastal Arts Festival on April 20-21
- Announcing the 2024 Oxford Fine Arts Artists
- The Oxford Community Center to Celebrate 1944 Classic “Rivers of the Eastern Shore” March 19
Ecosystem Notes
Local Advocacy Groups to Celebrate National Trails Day
Mark your calendars for Celebrate Trails Day 2024 on April 27, 2024! Hosted annually on the fourth Saturday of April, this spring celebration ... [Continue Story]
Education Notes
Chesapeake Forum: A Conversation with Talbot County School Superintendent Pepukayi
Find out what’s happening at Talbot County Schools on March 26th when Superintendent of Schools Dr. Sharon Pepukayi holds a public conversation hosted ... [Continue Story]
- Get a Sneak Peek at Chesapeake Forum’s Spring Line Up
- Biscoe and Colbert Achieve Major Milestones at Critchlow Adkins
- Benedictine Bourbon Street Masquerade to be Held at Trident Aircraft Hanger
- Washington College Invites Regional Musicians to Utilize its Open Studio Free of Charge
- Registration Open for Golfing Fore Gunston V on May 3 at Queenstown
- Maryland Society Tench Tilghman Chapter Seeks Funds for Vets’ Music Therapy
Health Notes
Free Mental Health Screenings Offered in Easton This Month at Grace Street
Anyone needing a new mental health provider or access to substance use disorder treatment can receive a free screening at a wellness event in Easton ... [Continue Story]
- For All Seasons Offers Focused Staff Trainings Around Trauma
- UM Shore Regional Health’s Heart and Vascular Center Celebrates Cardiac Catheterization Lab Renovations
- Genrich Named Director of Women and Children’s Services at UM Shore Regional Health
- For All Seasons Sponsors Lunch & Learn – Human Trafficking 101
- Choptank Health marks 25 years of School-based Health
- Empower Your Soul: Compass Women’s Retreat Offers a Day of Renewal
Commerce Notes
Mid-Shore Commerce: Getting to Know Green Thumb Industries in Centreville
It would be understandable if most of those living on the Mid-Shore had never heard of Green Thumb Industries, let alone the fact it is Centreville's ... [Continue Story]
- The General Assembly Divide on Taxes Continues and a Way Forward by David Reel
- America’s Oldest Operating Inn Gets a New Vision at the Robert Morris Inn
- Voices Unsilenced: Celebrating Women in March and Forever by Kate Emery General
- The Del-Mar-Va Council Presents the Gathering of Heroes
- St. Michaels Library Spring Lunch & Learn featuring Poet Sue Ellen Thompson
- Chesapeake Forum: A Conversation with Talbot County School Superintendent Pepukayi
Food Friday
Food Friday: St. Patrick’s Day
Our family loves chocolate desserts. Birthdays call out for Boston cream pie. Christmas requires a flourless chocolate cake. Road trip? We need to bake a couple of batches of ... [Continue Story]
Looking at the Masters with Beverly Smith
Looking at the Masters: Rachael Breen
Rachael Breen is a Minnesotan artist of Jewish descent. After receiving a BA from Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, she became a ... [Continue Story]
Design with Jenn Martella
On Design by Jenn Martella: “Quail Hollow” of Kent County
I always enjoy an opportunity to feature a property in Kent County for its small and large farms that total 57% of the County’s land area are a serene backdrop for a leisurely drive. Dotted throughout this vernacular landscape are quintessential estate properties like today’s feature, named “Quail Hollow”, in the Little Neck Farm neighborhood. […]
- Design with Jenn Martella: “Sunnyside Up” by Architect Mark Beck
- On Design by Jenn Martella: House of the Week: The Water-Chestnut Cottage
- On Design by Jenn Martella: The Robert Morris Inn
- On Design by Jenn Martella: A Valentine’s Day Card in Miniature
- On Design by Jenn Martella: Choptank Charm in Cambridge
- On Design with Jenn Martella: The Keithley House
From and Fuller Podcast
From and Fuller: Biden’s SOTU Doesn’t Change Polls and the RFK, Jr. Third Party Threat
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: A Super Tuesday Download and the High Stakes of Biden’s State of the Union Address
- From and Fuller: The Politics of Isolationism and Commander’s Bites
- From and Fuller: Republicans Says No to Border Compromise, Fail to Impeach Mayorkas, and the Trump Defeat on Immunity
- From and Fuller: The Inevitable March of Trump to the GOP Nomination and Advice for Nikki Haley
- From and Fuller: Lessons from Iowa, Outlook for Haley, and Hogan Endorsement
- From and Fuller: Christie’s Exit and its Impact on DeSantis and Haley
Columnist J.E. Dean
How is Joe Biden’s Reelection Campaign Going? By J.E. Dean
Assuming your friends are a politically diverse group, including liberals, moderates, and conservatives, if you ask about the 2024 election, you will ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Howard Freedlander
Out and About (Sort of): No Comparison by Howard Freedlander
In recent weeks, my Spy columns have celebrated a “Ritchie Boy” who used his linguistic and cultural skills as a German Jewish immigrant to excel as an intelligence operative during World War II—and a legendary University of Maryland basketball coach who coached and mentored young men and developed an acclaimed, winning program. Both of these […]
- Out and About (Sort of): Makeover Artist by Howard Freedlander
- Out and About (Sort of): Changing Politics by Howard Freedlander
- Out and About (Sort of): Dangerously Purposeful by Howard Freedlander
- Out and About (Sort of): Dicey Decisions by Howard Freedlander
- Out and About (Sort of): Fitting First by Howard Freedlander
- Out and About (Sort of): Partial Eclipse of the Sun by Howard Freedlander
Columnist Hugh Panero
Dune Part 2 and My Son Got Me Back Into a Movie Theater by Hugh Panero
Last week, I stepped into a movie theater for the first time in over three years. My son Liam lured me out of Easton with an invitation to see Dune ... [Continue Story]
- Governor Moore is About to Have a Moment by Hugh Panero
- The List of the 15 Most Upside-Down Things of 2023 by Hugh Panero
- New Hospital Dreams and Long ER Wait Time Nightmares by Hugh Panero
- New Hospital Dreams and Long ER Wait Time Nightmares by Hugh Panero
- America’s Crash Course on the Law by Hugh Panero
- Walking Back Hospital Bombing: Misinformation When the Media Gets it Wrong
Columnist Craig Fuller
A Technologically Driven Holistic Approach to Healthcare: Craig Fuller Chats with Dr. Rubin Pillay
In a recent insightful interview with Dr. Rubin Pillay, an innovative voice in modern healthcare, the Spy's Craig Fuller was offered a glimpse into ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Jamie Kirkpatrick
Talismans by Jamie Kirkpatrick
Yet another dank and dreary pre-spring day, the kind of weather my Scottish forebearers would refer to as dreich. I have to go out. I reach into the ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Laura Oliver
Entangled By Laura J. Oliver
I was born on St. Patrick’s Day, so today is my birthday. A lot of people wear green and get drunk on my birthday, but this celebration was a less ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Angela Rieck
It’s a Stretch… By Angela Rieck
My first foray to improve my health has been to follow a stretching program called Aging Backwards by Miranda Esmonde-White. I don’t find it ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Al Sikes
“The Other” by Al Sikes
In the fall of 2023, after Donald Trump called Nikki Haley a “bird brain” his campaign sent to her hotel room a bird cage and food. Signed: Trump Campaign. Bird brain defined: stupid person. Donald Trump is on several levels a savvy person. He sensed, for example, the deep frustration of a sizable chunk of […]
Opinion
When Peace Visited War: A Christmas Story by Tom Timberman
Americans approach Christmas 2023 in a dark angry environment that has divided millions, even families and friends. Bethlehem, even Santa Claus and ... [Continue Story]
- A Christmas Carol 2023 by Maria Wood
- The Carbon Darwin Award by Bob Moores
- America’s Civil War of Weaponized Words and the Middle East by Tom Timberman
- Here’s a Test: Can You Recognize a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing? By Maria Grant
- What Happens Next to Israel, Hamas, Palestinians and the US? By Tom Timberman
- Still No Planning? By Carol Voyles
- America is Losing Control of the Israel/Palestinian Global Narrative by Tom Timberman
- Things To Do In A Deer Stand by Rob Etgen
- Towards A National Directory Of Gun Violence by Stan Salett
- Wars, Political Chaos, Confusion and Anger: What to Do? By Tom Timberman
- Are We Judged by the Company We Keep? By Maria Grant
- October 7 Perspective by Bob Moores
- Rockfish Conservation by Rob Etgen
- Thoughts from the Mayor Of Crisfield on the Tawes Crab Feast and Clam Bake by Darlene Taylor
- The House is Dysfunctional; Where’s the Contingency Plan? By Tom Timberman
Letters to the Editor
Letter to Editor: Trust the Science; Listen To the Experts
Almost exactly four years ago, virtually every segment of American life was placed on indefinite hold as our nation and the world fell into a public ... [Continue Story]
- Letter to Editor: With Memories of Escaping Russia, A Plea for Aid to Ukraine
- Letter to Editor: We are Failing to Support the People of Ukraine
- Letter to Editor: Tench Tilghman Chapter Meeting Planned in Chestertown
- Letter to Editor: A Plea for Accountability to Prevent a Lakeside Disaster
- Letter to Editor: Confused about Lakeside?
- Letter to Editor: At Lakeside, The Emperor Stands Naked!