How are your shoulders holding up? The world on the eve of Thanksgiving, 2020, is heavy. So too was the world of 1621; the world of the Pilgrims and ... [Continue Story]
Public Affairs
After Rejection, Advocates Continue Push to Remove Confederate Monument in Talbot
For Ryan Ewing, the debate over removing a Confederate statue from the Talbot County courthouse lawn is personal: One of his family members is among ... [Continue Story]
- Town Council: ESLC Presents Concept for More Pedestrian Space
- Biden Wins Talbot County in Final Unofficial Count; First Dem Victory Here Since 1964
- Chestertown is Looking Good Nine Months After COVID Hit: A Chat with Kay Macintosh
- Mail-in Ballot Counts Put Biden Up in Kent County, Narrows Trump’s Lead in Talbot
- Biden Elected 46th President of the United States
- Mid-Shore Counties Favor Trump, But Margins Differ From 2016
Spy Highlights
From and Fuller: Trump Denial Consequences and Biden New Appointees
Every Thursday, the Spy hosts a conversation with Al From and Craig Fuller on the most topical political news of the moment. But this week we get a ... [Continue Story]
- Art on Lockdown: Anne Watts
- Good Stuff: Social Coalition Gives Away 200 Thanksgiving Dinners
- Mid-Shore Community Foundation Honors Chestertown’s Larry Wilson and Others with 2020 Awards
- From and Fuller: Trump Still in Denial and GOP Keeps Base in Senate and State House Races
- What’s Next: The Equity Advisory Committee with John Queen
- Publisher’s Notes: Gratitude, the Spy’s Jim Dissette, COVID’s John Griep, and Cambridge
COVID-19
Spy COVID-19 Daily Update Nov. 26
Maryland added more than 2,300 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. The state has had more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases daily for 23 straight days. The 7-day ... [Continue Story]
- Spy COVID-19 Daily Update Nov. 25
- UMMS Survey: Majority of Marylanders Plan To Get COVID-19 Vaccine, Many Not Changing Thanksgiving Plans
- Spy COVID-19 Daily Update Nov. 24
- Citing COVID Surge, Hogan Announces ‘Wide-Scale’ Police Enforcement Efforts Over Holiday
- Spy COVID-19 Daily Update Nov. 23
- Spy COVID-19 Daily Update Nov. 22
The Arts
Looking at the Masters: Of Turkeys and Thanksgiving
The truth about Ben Franklin and the turkey: No he did not recommend it for the National seal. According to notes, he proposed “Moses standing on ... [Continue Story]
- Review: MSO Takes on Bartok’s Divertimento and Vivaldi’s Lute Concerto by Steve Parks
- Spy Arts Moment: Hegland Glass Wins in Philadelphia
- Mid-Shore Arts: Mainstay Keeps the Mojo Going with John Thomas
- Les Poissons Gallery: Plein-Air Salve for Our Time
- Keeping Art Alive and Selling During COVID with Carla Massoni
- Academy Art Museum Craft Show 2020 Profile: Jeweler Amanda Hagerman
Health
Exit Interview: Patti Willis Looks Back at Healthcare’s Transition on the Mid-Shore
The Spy "Exit Interview" series is part journalism and part oral history. Over the last eleven years, the Spy has interviewed dozen of local leaders ... [Continue Story]
- COVID-19: In the Vortex with Shore Regional Health’s Ken Kozel
- For All Seasons Initiates Texting Hotlines During COVID-19
- Grieving During a Pandemic: A Conversation with Talbot Hospice’s Becky DeMattia
- COVID-19 Preparations in Full Swing at UM Shore Regional Health
- Shore Regional Health Announces Imaging Changes due to COVID-19
- UMMS Announces Visitor Restrictions At All Facilities
Chesapeake Ecosystem
Hogan Signs Regional Compact to Promote Offshore Wind — But Md. Projects Move Slowly
The headline news is that the governors of Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia signed a compact on Thursday to collaborate and advance offshore wind projects and to promote ... [Continue Story]
- Covid-19 Restrictions Led to Drop in Maryland’s Air Pollution
- CBF Opposes Maryland Proposal to Limit Areas for Oyster Restoration
- Congress Extends Bay Program, Related Conservation Efforts
- Groups Fight for Maryland Forest on Chopping Block
- EPA hit with lawsuits over Chesapeake Bay cleanup
- Hogan Administration Backs Down in Md. Poultry Fee Fight
Maryland News
Trump Loses in Talbot by 116 Votes: That’s Not Good News for Republican Chair David Reel
For David Reel, Talbot County's Republican Central Committee Chair, it is remarkably complex to analyze the results of the 2020 election. That's due ... [Continue Story]
- State Police Deploys Troopers to Quash Super-Spreader Events Over the Holiday
- Biden Wins in Talbot by 116 Votes: That’s Good Enough for Democratic Chair Patrick Firth
- Citing COVID Surge, Hogan Announces ‘Wide-Scale’ Police Enforcement Efforts Over Holiday
- Report: Incarceration Destabilizes Neighborhood Economies, Doesn’t Increase Safety
- In the News: South Korean Coronavirus Tests Bought by Md.
- Homelessness in Maryland Worsens During COVID-19 Pandemic
Brevities
Message in a Bottle: 1973 is Calling You
One November day 47 years ago a Chestertown middle-schooler sealed a note in a Coke bottle and cast it into the Chester River hoping for contact with someone in the future. ... [Continue Story]
Town & County Notes
Caroline Foundation Awards FY2021 Grants
The Caroline Foundation recently mailed grants totaling $568,500 to 21 organizations providing medical and/or health-related services to residents of ... [Continue Story]
- DCA Introduces Chestertown Cash
- Chestertown Lions Club Conducts Annual Shotgun Raffle Fundraiser
- Haven Ministries Expands Housing Assistance Program
- An Analysis of the 2020 Election
- Rebuilding Together Partners with KAH to Complete Garnet House
- Sailing Log Canoe Flying Cloud Re-Launched After Restoration
Education
Experts: Virtual Learning Can Work But Requires Time and Professional Training
While some parents are imploring school systems to return students to classrooms, experts argue that the sudden disruption to traditional schooling provides teachers a unique ... [Continue Story]
- Dorchester Voters Pick School Board Members; Kent, Talbot Races Unopposed
- QA’s School Board Names Janet Pauls as Acting Superintendent
- Washington College Issues Statement on School’s Financial Situation
- Report: QA’s Schools Chief Out on Sick Leave
- Washington College Faculty Seek Union
- Distance Learning Especially Challenging for Students With Disabilities
Commerce
SCORE of the Mid-Shore Profiles: Ed French
While the volunteer organization, SCORE, has been around since 1964, carrying on its mission is to foster vibrant small business communities through ... [Continue Story]
- What’s the Annual Economic Impact of the CBMM? Try $11.6 million. A Spy Chat with President Kristen Greenaway
- Corporate Philanthropy: Preston Motors Takes on COVID-19
- Kent County CARES Enough to Get Outside Help
- New Leadership Comes to Kent County Chamber of Commerce
- Hospitality: Tidewater Inn Adjusts to Post-COVID World
- Commerce: When an Alcohol Distillery Takes on COVID-19
Senior Nation
Senior Nation: After the Fall with Janet Pfeffer
Unlike many who reach retirement age, former nonprofit executive Janet Pfeffer knew precisely what she wanted to do when she stepped down. Motivated ... [Continue Story]
- Senior Nation: The COVID Challenge for Senior Centers on the Shore
- Back on Track: Eight Ways to Re-Establish a Healthy Routine in Uncertain Times
- Senior Nation: One Housing Option after 55
- At Compass: A Different Kind of Daughter and Father Story
- Ask Irma: COVID-19 and Social Isolation
- Ask Irma: How’s Londonderry during COVID-19?
Habitat
House of the Week: “Honest Point Farm”
This serene setting on twenty-six acres along Horner Cove off the West Fork of Langford Creek contains a main residence and two guest cottages. All ... [Continue Story]
Food
Adkins Mystery Monday
You guessed it! Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) produces sunny yellow blooms in November! It grows to about 20 (sometimes 30) feet tall and wide ... [Continue Story]
- Mid-Shore Food: Simmons Market Still Beating the Odds in Cambridge
- Adkins Arboretum’s Mystery Monday: Bright Pink Seeds
- Weather Looking Good for September First Friday
- Shore Food: A Master of Cakes Opens Up in Easton
- COVID Makes New Partners with the Avalon, Tidewater Inn, and Wylder Tilghman Island
- Sweet: Chestertown Farmers’ Market Comes Back to Downtown July 4
Arts Notes
The Garfield Center to Present the Online Holiday Event “(Stay) Home for the Holidays!”
Like the recent, successful edition of “Short Attention Span Theatre,” which reimagined the yearly live short play festival as an online presentation, ... [Continue Story]
- Mid-Atlantic Symphony to Share Holiday Joy With Festive December 3 Performance
- Easton Choral Arts Society Offers Free Virtual Christmas Concert
- The Artists’ Gallery’s November Featured Artist: Fred Sprock in “Races and Places”
- Virtual Dia de los Muertos Celebration and Concert Set for November 4
- November at the Trippe Gallery: Waterfowl Festival Artists
- Anniversary Show at Troika Gallery
Education Notes
Gunston’s Heron Hustle 5K/1M Run Raises Money for Annual Fund
The Gunston School’s Heron Hustle 5K/1M Virtual Run was held on November 21 & 22 with more than 140 participants hitting the pavement (or their ... [Continue Story]
- 150 Gunston Students Claim High Honors & Honors for First Quarter of 20-21 Academic Year
- Wye River Announces Head of School
- Aidan Myers ’21 Donates Hand-Crafted Picnic Tables for Eagle Scout Service Project
- Washington College SGA “Flock to the Polls” Final Challenge Results in 300 Voters
- Gunston School’s Sean Riley ’21 and Ethan Nuessle ’21 Receive Letter of Commendation from NMSC
- WRUS Makes Library Donation to Centreville
Health Notes
UMMS Survey Reveals While A Majority of Marylanders Plan To Get COVID-19 Vaccine, Many Not Changing Thanksgiving Plans Due To Pandemic
A new survey commissioned by the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) found that more than 4 in 10 Marylanders are unwilling to change their ... [Continue Story]
- Outside Fun at Talisman Therapeutic Riding
- Mid Shore Behavioral Health Honors Beasley for 10 Years’ Service
- University of Maryland Medical System Statement On Updated COVID-19 Visitation Policy
- Aslanidis Joins UM Shore Medical Group-ENT
- 6th Annual Sporting Clays Raises Funds for Clark Comprehensive Breast Center
- Rehab Care, Close to Home, Helps Caroline County Commissioner Recover from Farm Accident
Op-Ed
So Many Reasons to be Grateful this Thanksgiving by J.E. Dean and Maria Grant
As we celebrate our national day of Thanksgiving in a truly miserable year, we should set aside the negatives, even for a day. There is much to be ... [Continue Story]
- The Thanksgiving of Health by Steve Parks
- A Toast to America’s Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff by Maria Grant
- Note to Donald – Do the Right Thing by Steve Parks
- Is Greed Our Primary Motivator? By Maria Grant
- Op-Ed: Election Jitters by George Merrill
- Admitting that Sometimes We’re Deplorable is the First Step to Recovery by Maria Grant
Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor: The Ultimate Showman
T. Barnum would be jealous. Quoting Wikipedia, “Phineas Taylor Barnum (1810-1891) was an American showman, politician, and businessman, remembered ... [Continue Story]
- Letter to Editor: An Academy Art Museum Craft Show Like No Other
- Letter to Editor: Biden Sign Still Standing in Chestertown
- Letter to Editor: Name Those Leaders!
- Letter to Editor: Consider Joining the Chester River Health Foundation Board
- Letter to Editor: Introducing ‘Camp Trump’ at Ellis Island
- Letter to Editor: Democratic Club Statement on Farmers’ Market Political Booths
Columnist Craig Fuller
Election 2020: My Hopes After the Election by Craig Fuller
Again, the voters have spoken and one candidate won the necessary Electoral College votes sufficient to be elected President of the United ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Howard Freedlander
Out and About (Sort of): The Out and About (Sort of): National Security Threat by Howard Freedlander
If you believe, as I do, that military strength is paramount for peace, then petulance is the worst prescription. For that reason, the president’s ... [Continue Story]
- COVID Dims Democracy by Howard Freedlander
- Out and About (Sort of): Here, But Not Settled by Howard Freedlander
- Out and About (Sort of): Passage Across the Big Creek by Howard Freedlander
- Out and About (Sort of): Mission Implausible by Howard Freedlander
- Out and About (Sort of): Anger Unleashed by Howard Freedlander
- Out and About (Sort of): Socialism, Misused Criticism by Howard Freedlander
Columist George Merrill
Snapshots of Daily Life: Bumping by George Merrill
In this coronavirus era, bumping’s a way of life. Recently I saw a doctor. I’d never met him before. As I sat waiting in the examining room he came ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Angela Rieck
The Joy of Gratitude by Angela Rieck
I am researching another piece on COVID 19, but looking at my publication date, I realized that a timelier piece would be about this holiday. My ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Al Sikes
Lighten the Load, Thanksgiving 2020 by Al Sikes
How are your shoulders holding up? The world on the eve of Thanksgiving, 2020, is heavy. So too was the world of 1621; the world of the Pilgrims and ... [Continue Story]
