The Greater Rock Hall Business Association has hatched a possible community event to take flight in Rock Hall for Spring 2026!

The “Welcome Back Ospreys” event is all about celebrating the return of our feathered friends as well as the natural beauty that surroundsus here on the Eastern Shore of Kent County.

It’s a chance for neighbors to flock together, promote our town, and foster a deeper connection with our environment.

Whether you’re passionate about nature or birds, love organizing events, or simply want to get involved in something meaningful and fun, we’d love to have you be a part of the flock!  If you or your organization would like to participate or learn more, please contact them at [email protected].

There will be a gathering at Selkie Books of Rock Hall on Wednesday, July 16th at 3pm with representatives from Greater Rock Hall Business Association, Main Street Rock Hall, Friends of Eastern Neck, and anyone else who would like to attend. Please feel free to forward this email to those you think might be interested.

Come together to celebrate nature, community, and the returning of spring on the Shore!

In a major policy announcement aimed at addressing longstanding racial inequities in Maryland, Governor Wes Moore unveiled a series of actions Tuesday at Bethel AME Church in Cambridge. The centerpiece was the formal launch of the state’s Just Communities designation, a framework intended to steer up to $400 million in competitive state investment to communities that have been historically impacted by discriminatory policies.

Speaking before an audience of more than 200 attendees, Governor Moore emphasized the economic and social costs of racial inequality. “We know the racial wealth gap affects all of us. It hurts our economy, restrains job growth, and limits our potential as a state,” he said. “We cannot afford to delay progress—we need action.”

The Just Communities program, signed into law in 2024, uses racial equity and community-based metrics to identify and support areas disproportionately harmed by redlining, urban renewal, environmental injustice, and high incarceration rates. Following a yearlong review by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, 419 of Maryland’s 1,463 census tracts—across 17 counties and Baltimore City—have been formally designated for priority access to funding. These five-year designations take effect July 1, 2025.

“This is a first-of-its-kind designation,” said Housing Secretary Jake Day. “It is a critical step in lifting the barriers that create separate and unequal neighborhoods across our state.”

In tandem with the designation, Governor Moore also announced an expansion of his administration’s clemency actions. An additional 6,938 pardons for low-level cannabis possession convictions have been granted, extending the historic 2024 executive order that cleared more than 175,000 such convictions—the largest in the nation. The pardons will be reflected in criminal background checks, and all records will be removed from public view by January 31, 2026, per the Expungement Reform Act.

The announcement aligns with several other equity-focused initiatives from the Moore-Miller administration, including:

• The launch of a Community Investment Venture Fund for entrepreneurs of color;

• Funding through the UPLIFT initiative to address racial disparities in property appraisals;

• A $4 million expansion of the Roads to Careers program supporting high-skill workforce training;

• Previous investments of over $1.3 billion in Maryland’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities;

• Over $816 million in state procurement awards directed to Black-owned businesses;

• Expanded mortgage access for 1,500 first-time Black homebuyers; and

• The ENOUGH initiative is a state-level plan to end concentrated poverty.

The event took place within blocks of Long Wharf, a former site of the domestic slave trade, and in a church central to the Eastern Shore’s Black heritage. Officials and community leaders reflected on the symbolism of the Juneteenth announcement.

“This designation represents more than funding. It signals that Maryland is serious about repairing the damage of past injustices,” said Jaelon Moaney, Vice Chair of the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture. “This is how inclusive governance looks in practice.”

Cambridge Mayor Lajan Cephas and Dorchester County leaders echoed that sentiment, pointing to the ENOUGH initiative and its potential to foster generational change.

Governor Moore concluded the event by reaffirming his administration’s commitment to results-driven policy: “We are going to continue the work of repair with action that delivers results—not just rhetoric.”

The Spy is sure that more than a few Spy readers blinked their eyes the other day when they read the headline that the Mid-Shore Community Foundation (MSCF) had committed almost $4 million to support the building of the new UM Shore Regional Health hospital project. It was inevitable that the region’s largest community foundation would make a meaningful donation to this much-needed facility, but the Spy wanted to know how the MSCF could make such a significant commitment when historically their largest “stretch” grants were in the very low six figures.

Of course, we turned to Buck Duncan, president of MSCF, to answer that question, and it proved to be a lot more complicated than simply writing a check. The more one understands how Buck and his board assembled this commitment, the more one can appreciate the power and value of a community foundation, as well as the hundreds of its donors, who made such a meaningful gift possible.

And only Buck can make all of this such a good story to tell.

This video is approximately seven minutes in length. For more information about the Mid-Shore Community Foundation, please go here.

 

During last Thursday’s public safety meeting at town hall, Chestertown Police Chief Ron Dixon addressed a concerned community about a noticeable rise in crime, including a string of recent robberies, gun violence, and thefts that have shaken the town’s long-held sense of security.

Councilmembers Tom Herz (Ward 2), Sheila Austrian (Ward 1), Meghan Efland (Ward 4) and Mayor David Foster along with County Sheriff Dennis Hickman were also present. The town hall room was packed with standing room only.

Chief Dixon outlined how incidents have escalated over the past 18 months from vandalized flowerpots to vehicle thefts, and most recently, a spate of violent crimes, including three robberies in a 90-minute window on April 17, one involving a firearm.

On Tea Party weekend, there was another gun-related assault, and during the evening before the Wednesday forum, a knife-point robbery occurred at the 7-Eleven.

Despite the uptick in crimes, Dixon promised that “things we will be better.” He praised the collaboration among the Chestertown Police Department, the Kent County Sheriff’s Office, Maryland State Police, and the State’s Attorney’s Office, noting a recent arrest made within hours of the 7-Eleven incident.

“We’re not the biggest (department), but we’re pretty good,” Dixon said. “We’re increasing foot patrols, trying to be seen, and doing everything we can to build trust with this community.”

When questioned about juvenile crimes, Dixon said the challenges law enforcement faces under Maryland’s 2022 juvenile justice reforms, which restrict police interviews with minors, even with parental consent, and raise the threshold for prosecution. He expressed frustration that many juveniles now feel untouchable: “We’ve had kids say, ‘You can’t talk to me—I’m 12.’”

Several arrests tied to recent crimes span a wide age range, from a 16-year-old charged as an adult to a 32-year-old man found associating with minors and possessing illegal firearms. Four guns—three of them realistic airsoft replicas—were recovered in the past three months.

Residents raised questions about the town’s non-operational security cameras, urging the town to fast-track solutions using any available ARPA funds and push Delmarva Power for permissions for expedited installations on their poles. Chief Dixon said one possible workaround would be to use local buildings to mount the cameras rather than suffer delays with approvals from Delmarva Power.

Others, like Mayor David Foster, acknowledged the cameras exist but were delayed due to infrastructure and permitting issues. Questions remain about the lack of the council’s focus on activation of the cameras.

Several attendees emphasized the need to address the root causes of crime—poverty, housing insecurity, lack of youth engagement, and inadequate mental health resources. “We need more human support,” one resident said. “More cameras and arrests won’t fix what happens when young people are hungry, angry, and ignored.”

Others criticized the absence of recreational options and mentorship for local teens. “They’re not just bored—they’re desperate to be seen,” said another speaker. “And right now, the only people showing up for them are the wrong ones.”

Sheriff Dennis Hickman and State’s Attorney Bryan DiGregory echoed support for continued inter-agency coordination. DiGregory acknowledged the burden of addressing mental health through the justice system and shared that a local mental health task force was forming to improve response and resources.

Community members also pressed for data transparency. Chief Dixon noted a spike from the typical 350–400 monthly service calls to over 530 in May alone. Criminal cases, normally around 30 per month, also increased.

The discussion also turned to safety at the town’s waterfront, where non-working lights and limited patrols have made residents uneasy, particularly at night. Officials promised to review lighting and patrol patterns.

One of the more emotionally charged moments came as residents described being intimidated and threatened by an individual conducting unauthorized metal detecting in the historic district. Chief Dixon and Mayor Foster acknowledged legal gaps and pledged to address the matter through ordinance and enforcement.

Here are Chief Dixon’s opening remarks.

This video is approximately fourteen minutes in length.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security over the weekend took down a public list of cities and jurisdictions that the Trump administration labeled as “sanctuary” cities, after a sharp rebuke from a group representing 3,000 sheriffs and local law enforcement.

On Saturday, National Sheriffs’ Association President Sheriff Kieran Donahue slammed the list as an “unnecessary erosion of unity and collaboration with law enforcement.”

“The completion and publication of this list has not only violated the core principles of trust, cooperation, and partnership with fellow law enforcement, but it also has the potential to strain the relationship between Sheriffs and the White House administration,” Donahue said.

DHS published the list Thursday and it was unavailable by Sunday. It’s unclear when it was removed, but Internet archives indicate that Saturday was the last time the list was still active.

In a statement, DHS did not answer questions as to why the list was removed.

“As we have previously stated, the list is being constantly reviewed and can be changed at any time and will be updated regularly,” according to a DHS spokesperson. “Designation of a sanctuary jurisdiction is based on the evaluation of numerous factors, including self-identification as a Sanctuary Jurisdiction, noncompliance with Federal law enforcement in enforcing immigration laws, restrictions on information sharing, and legal protections for illegal aliens.”

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on Fox News Sunday did not acknowledge that the list was taken down, but said some localities had “pushed back.”

“They think because they don’t have one law or another on the books that they don’t qualify, but they do qualify,” Noem said. “They are giving sanctuary to criminals.”

Local law enforcement aids in immigration enforcement by holding immigrants in local jails until federal immigration officials can arrive.

The creation of the list stems from Donald Trump’s executive order in April that required DHS to produce a list of cities that do not cooperate with federal immigration officials in enforcement matters, in order to strip federal funding from those local governments.

Those jurisdictions are often dubbed “sanctuary cities,” but immigration enforcement still occurs in the city — there’s just no coordination between the local government and the federal government.

The jurisdictions are often a target for the Trump administration and Republicans, who support the President Donald Trump campaign promise of mass deportations of people without permanent legal status.

Congressional Republicans in March grilled mayors from Boston, Chicago and Denver, on their cities’ immigration policies during a six-hour hearing before the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

Local officials were puzzled by the list.

One law enforcement association in North Dakota questioned why several counties — Billings, Golden Valley, Grant, Morton, Ramsey, Sioux, and Slope — were listed as sanctuary jurisdictions because those areas cooperate with federal immigration officials.

In a statement, the North Dakota Sheriff’s and Deputies Association said the “methodology and criteria used to compile this list is unknown,” and there has been no communication from DHS “on how to rectify this finding.”

“The elected Sheriffs of these counties take strong objection with language in this release characterizing them as ‘deliberately and shamefully obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws endangering American communities,’” according to NDSDA.

“The North Dakota Sheriff’s and Deputies Association is working to gather more information regarding the lack of transparency and reasoning as to why the Department of Homeland Security did not fact check prior to incorrectly naming these North Dakota counties.”

Local advocacy groups also noted the problems with the DHS list.

“I assume they’ve removed (the list) because they were bombarded with complaints about inaccuracy and how and why these various jurisdictions got on the list,” Steven Brown, executive director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island, said in an interview Monday.

According to the Internet Archive website Wayback Machine, the states, as well as the District of Columbia, that were on the list included Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington state and Wisconsin.

By Ariana Figueroa Christopher Shea and Amy Dalrymple contributed to this story. 

A “Community Conversation” with Chestertown Police Chief Ron Dixon will be held 6 pm, Thursday, June 5 at Town Hall, 118 N Cross Street.

The meeting will discuss concerns with a recent uptick in crimes committed in Chestertown and share ideas and plans to make the community safer.

Talbot County has unexpectedly been named one of several Maryland jurisdictions designated as a “sanctuary” by the Trump administration—a move that could put federal funding at risk and place the county in the middle of a national immigration debate.

The announcement came Thursday as part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to pressure local governments into supporting federal immigration enforcement. The list includes Baltimore County, Montgomery County, Queen Anne’s County, and the cities of Annapolis, Rockville, and Takoma Park, among others.

The designation follows an executive order directing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to identify localities that, in the administration’s view, do not fully cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The purpose is to cut off federal funds to jurisdictions that limit their involvement in immigration enforcement.

Talbot County’s inclusion raises questions. The county has not adopted any formal policy that restricts cooperation with ICE, and immigration issues have rarely been a topic of discussion in local government or public debate. Still, the Trump administration appears to be interpreting “non-cooperation” broadly.

The designation carries potential consequences. Talbot, like many rural counties, relies on federal grants for programs ranging from public safety and infrastructure to housing and health services. Even the threat of losing those funds could complicate budget planning and long-term community investments.