MENU

Sections

  • Home
  • Arts
  • Food
  • Ecosystem
  • Education
  • Habitat
  • Health & Recovery
  • Local Life
  • News
  • P.O.V.
  • Senior Nation
  • Donate
  • About
    • The Chestertown Spy
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising & Underwriting
      • Advertising Terms & Conditions
    • Editors & Writers
    • Dedication & Acknowledgements
    • Code of Ethics
    • Chestertown Spy Terms of Service
    • Technical FAQ
    • Privacy

More

  • Support the Spy
  • About Spy Community Media
  • Advertising with the Spy
May 29, 2022

The Chestertown Spy

An Educational News Source for Chestertown Maryland

  • Home
  • Arts
  • Food
  • Ecosystem
  • Education
  • Habitat
  • Health & Recovery
  • Local Life
  • News
  • P.O.V.
  • Senior Nation
  • Donate
  • About
    • The Chestertown Spy
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising & Underwriting
      • Advertising Terms & Conditions
    • Editors & Writers
    • Dedication & Acknowledgements
    • Code of Ethics
    • Chestertown Spy Terms of Service
    • Technical FAQ
    • Privacy
News News Homepage News News Portal Highlights Spy Top Story

Justice Day in Chestertown: A Community Quest for Equality

May 17, 2022 by James Dissette Leave a Comment

Share

Sumner Hall’s James Taylor Justice Coalition welcomed the Kent community to Emmanuel Episcopal Church’s parish hall on Saturday in remembrance of James Taylor, an African American lynched across the street from the Kent County Courthouse 128 years ago.

Justice Day was produced by the James Taylor Justice Coalition of Sumner Hall in collaboration with the Community Remembrance Project, Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), Montgomery, Alabama.

“James Taylor was an African American farm worker who was incarcerated on May 12, 1892, for allegedly assaulting the daughter of his employer. Two days later, on May 14, 1892, he was denied justice when he was forcibly removed from a jail cell in the Chestertown Courthouse and lynched on a nearby tree by a mob of approximately 500 citizens. His innocence or guilt could never be determined.  No members of the mob who murdered him were ever identified or charged.”

The program recognized 16 Kent County High School students who participated in a essay contest sponsored by EJI and awarded $6,000 in prize money to the top six. Ruth Shoge presented the awards. Top prize went to Morgan Kendall who wrote eloquently about how racism is systemic inequality excludes so many from the “American Dream.”

The program’s Keynote Address, Bending Toward Justice, was delivered by E. Gregory Wells, Chief Judge, Court of Special Appeals and Chair, Equal Justice Committee.

“I applaud you for seeking to reconcile the past with the present, but sadly the present has been marred by the deaths of so many unarmed black people. This community, like so many across the nation, want change. This commemoration is an example of that,” Wells said.

Others included in the ceremony were Larry Wilson, Phil Dutton, Ruth Shoge, and Barbara Foster of Sumner Hall. Chestertown Mayor David Foster, poet, Robert Earl Price; Karen Somerville and the Sombarkin’ Trio; Judge Gale Rasin; Aniyah Tue and Ariel Purnell of GLOW (Girls Learning Our Worth); and Rashane Lee’s Dance Company;  Will Schwarz, President of the Maryland Lynching Memorial Project; and David Fakunle, Chair of the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

To document the history of this injustice, soil from the site of the lynching was collected for a permanent exhibition at Sumner Hall and will also be taken by a group of volunteers to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama for its national exhibition.

The Spy was on hand to record the event. A complete recording of the ceremony made by Sumner Hall will be made at a later date.

This video is approximately eight minutes in length. To find out more about Sumner Hall in Chestertown, go here.

 

Filed Under: News Homepage, News Portal Highlights, Spy Top Story

For Ryan Scannell, Getting to Work is Uplifting

May 12, 2022 by James Dissette 1 Comment

Share

When Cross Street Realtors principal owners Stacy Kendall and Joe Hickman knew they wanted to hire Ryan Scannell to join the tight-knight realty company, they also knew they would be adding an architectural change to their office on Cannon St.

A ramp for wheelchair access.

Scannell, like three million others who depend on wheelchairs for mobility, still finds access to some buildings in town a challenge despite the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In some cases, there may be a ramp up to business door only to be stymied by steps inside, a narrow corridor, or other obstructions. Restrooms may add additional challenges.

For Kendall and Hickman, the solution was easy: build a complete ADA approved ramp on the back of the building allowing Scannell easy access along with a wheelchair accessible restroom inside.

Richard Keaveney, Sales Associate at Cross Street Realtors sees the addition of the ramp as the necessary and right thing to do, and also to open up a town-wide conversation about accessibility.

“Both Joe and Stacy are problem solvers and obstacle removers on real estate deals for sure. I’ve admired their personal ethics and social consciousness since I’ve known them and believe it sets the tone of our small agency. Thankfully they have the means to do something, and I hope it moves our town forward as far as ADA access.”

“As you know most good projects are a group effort. For this one, Barton Ross, architect & designer, Zoning Administrator Kees de Mooy and Town Manager Bill Ingersoll at the town office, JT Thompson for the masonry work & Holman building for project management and the railing were all partners in accomplishing this, along with a special thanks to Chris Kendall for organizing it all,” Stacy Kendall says. “Also, any nonprofits who need an occasional meeting space requiring ADA access should give us a call.”

Across the street from Cross Street Realtors, Jenn Baker, co-owner with her husband John at Chester River Wine & Cheese Company, speaks from her own experience about wheelchair mobility saying that all of us should be thinking in terms of wider access not only for those in wheelchairs but for universal access and equality including the elderly and people with baby strollers.

While some confusion exists about how the ADA relates to pre-1990 buildings and how an older building might meet the requirement “that architectural barriers be removed in existing facilities when readily achievable,” the “readily achievable” can leave some building owners perplexed.

In the case of Cross Street Realtors, however, the solution was a no-brainer. “Ryan fast became part of our team, and it was important to do what needed to be done,” Keaveney says.

For more about Cross Street Realtors go here. For more about applying ADA codes to older buildings, go here.

Filed Under: News Homepage, News Portal Highlights, Spy Top Story

The Fight Against the Chestertown Mosquitoes: A Chat with Darran Tilghman

May 9, 2022 by James Dissette 6 Comments

Share

Soon the droning hum of one of humanity’s most omnipresent predators and card-carrying dangerous nuisances will be wrecking outdoor activities everywhere a spoonful of standing water can sustain mosquito larvae. 

In other words, anytime we go outside we’ll likely become a blood host to a squadron of mosquitoes despite the industrial strength cloud recently left by pesticide laced fogging trucks.

And again, our perennial questions: Why does the mosquito population seem to grow each year after incessant pesticide use; is the pesticide safe and effective; and are there alternatives?

Chestertown Environmental Committee member Darran Tilghman recently presented the Chestertown Town Council with studies disputing the effectiveness and safety of mosquito fogging and offered a new approach to the problem, one she feels could make Chestertown a model for dealing with summer mosquito invasions.

Tilghman and the committee gathered data showing that the pesticides being sprayed in Chestertown—banned in the European Union—may be doing more harm than good and that there are more effective ways to deal with the seasonal mosquito onslaught than spraying residential areas with Permethrin, a neurotoxin “strongly linked to respiratory disease, ALS, cancers, and childhood brain damage.” 

The Chestertown Environmental Committee recommends that residents take ownership of the solution by maintaining healthy backyards. Eliminating mosquito habitats like standing water and also targeting mosquito larvae with the organic bacillus in “Mosquito Dunks” can keep a yard free of mosquitoes for the whole summer by targeting only the larvae of the mosquito, blackfly and fungus gnat. Mosquito Dunks are inexpensive and may be found locally.

Here, Darran Tilghman encapsulates her presentation to the town council. She encourages residents to email their ward councilmembers to support healthier and more effective alternatives to the fogging trucks. 

This video is approximately eight minutes in length.

#

More highlights of the Chestertown Environmental Committee, Water & Habitat Work Group report:

Current strategy: Adulticide fogging with neurotoxin Permethrin

  • Ineffective: Kills ~10% of adult mosquitos in spray range (only the ones alive that day); does not affect larvae or prevent mosquito-borne disease. Only about 0.0000001% of spray hits a target mosquito.
  • Kills indiscriminately: Toxic to critically important pollinators including bees, bats, and butterflies, as well as birds & fish (many of these are mosquito predators).
  • Impacts human health: Strongly linked to respiratory disease, ALS, cancers, and childhood brain damage; banned in the EU; spraying is not permitted near schools or restaurants (but it is permitted on my front lawn). In addition to Permethrin, PFAs (forever chemicals) were found at dangerously toxic levels in three pesticides used for mosquito control by the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA).
  • Degrades water quality: Neurotoxins and PFAs stay in soils and groundwater, entering and damaging the Chester and the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.
  • Expensive and creates dependence: Creates resistant “super skeeters”; the more mosquito predator population collapses, the more we pay to spray- $3,100 annually.

 

Emails addresses for Mayor and Councilmembers:

Mayor David Foster: chestertownmayor@gmail.com

Tim O’Brien, Ward 1, ward1@chestertown.com

Tom Herz, Ward 2: ward2@chestertown.com

Meghan Efland, Ward 4: ward4@chestertown.com

Jose Medrano, Ward 3, ward3@chestertown.com

 

 

Filed Under: Eco Portal Lead, News Homepage

After Leak of SCOTUS Opinion on Abortion, MD Lawmakers & Candidates Pledge Action

May 4, 2022 by Maryland Matters 10 Comments

Share

The U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down a nearly 50-year-old right to abortion would lead to strict restrictions or bans by states across nearly half the country almost immediately, though not in Maryland, where lawmakers ensured abortion access in state law three decades ago.

A Democratic majority in the General Assembly approved the most sweeping changes to the state’s abortion access laws this year — including to expand access to providers and insurance coverage — though those efforts didn’t go as far as many lawmakers wanted. The House of Delegates approved a bill from House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) that would have enshrined abortion rights in the Maryland Constitution — creating a higher bar to overturn Maryland’s statutory protections — but the measure failed to advance in the Maryland Senate.

Jones vowed Tuesday to pursue the legislation again.

“Without federal protection of abortion rights, it’s up to each state to preserve the gains we’ve made toward equality for every American,” Jones tweeted. “Here in Maryland, I’ll continue to sponsor the Constitutional Amendment to protect a woman’s right to reproductive liberty until it passes.”

The draft opinion is not final, and could change before the court issues a ruling, but the revelation ignited a push among Democrats to codify abortion protections under federal law.

If made final, the court opinion would create a patchwork of legal abortion access across the country by leaving policymaking to the states, 26 of which are poised to ban the procedure immediately, or place severe restrictions on it, according to an analysis from the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-reproductive rights research group. Those states are concentrated in the South and Midwest.

Besides Maryland, six other states — including Colorado, New Jersey and Oregon — have enacted laws this year to protect abortion rights.

Congressional action promised — but will it be successful?

On the steps of the U.S. Capitol Tuesday, Senate Democrats condemned “right-wing justices” and vowed to bring a vote on the Senate floor to codify the abortion protections of Roe.

Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.) said Tuesday that Congress and the Biden administration should take “swift action” to create a “common standard for self-determination of health decisions for women and all individuals.”

“No level of government, whether federal, state or local, nor Congress, the President, or the Supreme Court, should interfere in personal health decisions,” he said in a written statement.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), an original cosponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would codify abortion rights nationwide, said Congress should move that bill or similar legislation.

“I am determined to fight with everything we’ve got to protect reproductive rights in our nation. We must act immediately to codify Roe v. Wade, and we can’t let anything stand in our way,” he said in a statement.

Federal lawmakers on Tuesday decried the Supreme Court nomination process that led to the court’s current conservative composition.

“Despite testifying before Congress under oath that Supreme Court precedents should stand, the recently appointed conservative members of the court arrived with an agenda to overturn Roe and now they are making that a reality,” Cardin said. “Senate Republicans bear responsibility for confirming justices far outside of the legal mainstream, as well as for changing the rules for considering vacancies after the death of Justice Scalia compared to the death of Justice Ginsburg.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said Tuesday he plans to release a new bill this week that senators will vote on next week to codify Roe v. Wade.

But in the evenly divided Senate, it will run into problems getting past a legislative filibuster that requires 60 votes for legislation to advance.

Looking to the midterms

Democrats, who likely won’t have the votes to advance a bill in Congress, also predicted that abortion will emerge as a major issue in the upcoming midterm elections.

A Democratic strategist said Tuesday there are 81,000 Democratic women in Maryland who voted in the 2016 presidential primary but did not vote in the 2018 primary for governor or the 2020 primary for president. The strategist suggested that at least some of these women, who likely were supporters of Hillary Clinton for president, may feel compelled to turn out this year in response to the anticipated erosion of abortion rights.

But a potentially bigger draw to the polls on the issue — from voters on all sides of the political spectrum — failed to pass in Maryland this legislative session.

The House of Delegates passed a proposed ballot referendum, introduced by the speaker, that would put a question on the 2022 general election ballot asking voters whether they want amend the Maryland Constitution to include the right to access abortion services. But the bill stalled in the Senate Finance Committee.

Senate Democratic leaders, at various times this year, suggested that they did not move the abortion referendum bill because they did not want to tie up the Senate floor in the final days of the legislative session with a possible Republican-led filibuster. Some privately warned that there might not be the votes in the Senate to pass the measure.

Either way, it’s apparent that some Democratic senators did not want to have to vote on the constitutional amendment legislation in an election year.

Under the long reign of Ferguson’s predecessor, the late Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D), the Senate frequently attempted to side-step controversial votes if they potentially caused political hardship for Democratic senators —particularly those serving in conservative districts.

Ferguson did not address the decision not to move forward with a vote on the proposed referendum in a statement on Tuesday.

“This session, the Maryland General Assembly passed the Abortion Care Access Act to ensure safe, equitable, and thoughtful access to reproductive care,” Ferguson said. “Although the regressive policy actions and rhetorical discussions at the national level are harrowing, we in Maryland have long stood for women and their right to make the best medical decisions for themselves and their families. We will continue to protect this right.”

Del. Ariana Kelly (D-Montgomery), lead sponsor of the Abortion Care Access Act, said the draft Supreme Court opinion could put more pressure on Maryland’s abortion provider network.

“This is what we were preparing for all session — coming up with legislation to protect Maryland women’s access to care while also preparing ourselves for an increase in patient load [from] out of state,” Kelly said in an interview.

The General Assembly overrode Republican Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan’s veto of the Abortion Access Care Act, which expands who can perform abortions and expands insurance coverage. The law also earmarks $3.5 million in the state budget to train providers who attend medical schools in other states that do not train them to perform abortion procedures.

“We had to fill that gap or else we were going to see a real workforce shortage,” Kelly said. Maryland is the first state to allocate funding to train clinicians who want to provide abortion care, according to Kelly.

“One small glimmer of hope is that Maryland passed this legislation and showed support for our provider community, for our patients — I’m glad that we did that because it’s going to be a tough road ahead and it’s nice to be starting from this place,” Kelly said.

Sen. Sarah Elfreth (D-Anne Arundel), a supporter of abortion rights, said that the recent draft Supreme Court opinion marked a “dark time in our nation,” but praised the bill that lawmakers passed this year.

“I’m happy that we took that preemptive move forward, but it’s unfortunate that it was needed,” Elfreth said.

When asked why the Senate chamber did not take up the ballot referendum, Elfreth said she could not speak for the Senate, but the most immediate issue this year was to expand access to abortion care and both chambers were united in that.

“This is going to be a never-ending battle, unfortunately. It’s not a one-and-done — we pass the bill and walk away. There has to be a concerted effort moving forward,” Elfreth said.

Kelly said she expects an abortion rights referendum to pass out of the House of Delegates again next year. She said the Senate had a “narrower pro-choice margin” than the House, which could change after the 2022 elections.

“If a Maryland resident is concerned about abortion rights, then they need to make sure that we have a strong pro-choice majority in the Maryland Senate,” Kelly said. “Every vote counts if we want to pass that constitutional amendment.”

On the campaign trail

Maryland lawmakers and political candidates were among the crowd that gathered outside the Supreme Court late Monday and throughout the day Tuesday.

Katie Curran O’Malley, a candidate for Maryland Attorney General, recorded a video from the rally.

“Today is a shockingly dark day in our country’s history,” she said in a statement. “…As Maryland’s first female Attorney General, I will never waver in my fight to ensure that our laws protect a person’s right to choose. I will make Maryland a safe haven for individuals seeking abortion by expanding reproductive rights access and advocating for a state constitutional amendment to guarantee abortion.”

Rep. Anthony Brown (D-Md.), who is also running for attorney general, tweeted that policy makers need to “act now to defend women’s rights and health care.”

“We need to codify Roe in Congress, now. We need AGs to take up the cause, now,” he wrote. “Maryland needs to hold strong for women, now. Maryland law protects a woman’s right to choose and I will fight to protect it.”

Several Democratic candidates for governor issued statements Monday and Tuesday condemning the draft opinion.

“It cannot be overstated how many people will die as a result of this decision,” Democrat Wes Moore said in a statement. “This is precisely why, if I am elected governor, I will fight to defend Marylanders’ right to access safe and legal abortions — including through constitutional amendment — and oppose any efforts to restrict access to reproductive care in Maryland.”

Former Attorney General Doug Gansler (D) promised to be a “brick wall against any attack on women’s reproductive rights” and said he would work to help women from other states come to Maryland for care.

His running mate, Candace Hollingsworth, who worked as a counselor to women seeking abortion care said her own path “would be drastically different without the access to abortion services.”

“The United States should stand as a beacon of hope for freedom and that includes — unequivocally — reproductive freedom, and it would be a catastrophic failure for [Roe vs. Wade] to be overturned,” Hollingsworth said in a statement. “This is an example of why local leadership matters, and in Maryland, why it’s all the more important that the state is led by those who value the voice and the autonomy of women.”

Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot (D) tweeted that Maryland needs to push back against attacks on reproductive rights and pass an amendment to the state constitution.

“As Maryland’s next Governor, I will strongly oppose any attempts to roll back reproductive rights,” he wrote. “I’ll work hand-in-hand with activists, allies, and fellow elected officials to ensure that Maryland will forever remain a state which protects a woman’s right to choose.”

Jon Baron also called for a constitutional amendment. Ashwani Jain tweeted that he would ensure “full access to reproductive justice” in Maryland, which would be an “abortion sanctuary.”

Tom Perez said Maryland should establish a constitutional protection and become a sanctuary to people seeking abortion care, in addition to taking other actions.

“As governor, we can ensure that everyone can access to safe and affordable reproductive health care by integrating reproductive services into primary care, increasing the number of trained abortion providers, and providing equitable access for coverage,” he tweeted.

The Democratic ticket of Rushern Baker and Nancy Navarro issued a joint statement: “A woman’s right to choose is sacred and must be protected at all costs. This decision may be the majority opinion of today’s Court, but it is not the majority opinion of our country, and certainly not that of Marylanders. Should this opinion go into effect, our administration will guarantee that anyone seeking care in our State will be able to receive it.”

Former U.S. Education Secretary John King organized a 30-minute Facebook Live chat on Tuesday morning, saying that securing the right to abortion in Maryland’s constitution is at the top of his agenda.

“We’ve got the statutory right, but we can’t take for granted that our legislative body won’t change in some ways — statutes are very easy to overturn,” said Michelle Siri, a women’s rights advocate and King’s running mate.

As a first generation Iranian American, Siri said that she was raised with a “backdrop of how fragile our women’s rights are,” which propelled her into a career advocating for women’s rights.

The anticipated Supreme Court ruling to end a half-century guarantee of federal constitutional protection of abortion rights shows that “elections matter,” Siri said. “We need to make sure that we are not taking our rights here in Maryland for granted.”

Since this was a draft Supreme Court decision, there is still an opportunity for people to organize and demand Supreme Court justices to do something different, King said, urging Marylanders to participate in protests in favor of abortion rights and “vote like we’ve never voted before.”

The court is expected to release its official ruling in the case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, within the next two months.

By Danielle E. Gaines and Elizabeth Shwe. Josh Kurtz, Ariana Figueroa, Jacob Fischler and Jennifer Shutt contributed to this story.

 

 

Filed Under: News Homepage

St. Michaels Commission Election to Take Place Tomorrow

May 2, 2022 by Spy Staff Leave a Comment

Share

St. Michaels will be holding an election to select two town commissioners. election on May 2 at the Edgar M. Bosley Municipal Building (Town Office), 300 Mill Street, St. Michaels, Maryland between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.

The Spy has interviewed three out of the four candidates in the race (Commissioner Bibb did not respond to the Spy’s invitation.) These conversations can be found here.

Election 2022 Profiles: Aida Khalil for St. Michaels Town Commission

Election 2022 Profiles: Al Mercier for St. Michaels Town Commission

Election 2022 Profiles: Katrina Whittington for St. Michaels Town Commission

Filed Under: News Homepage, News Portal Highlights

Local Leaders Urge MDTA to Replace Bay Bridge With New 8-Lane Span

April 29, 2022 by Maryland Matters 1 Comment

Share

In 2019, when transportation planners were studying more than a dozen potential locations for a new Chesapeake Bay crossing, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. made headlines when he declared there was only one option he would embrace.

“There is only one option I will ever accept: adding a third span to our existing Bay Bridge,” tweeted Hogan, brushing aside the 14 official “corridor” options which stretched the entire length of the bay. “While the federal process requires multiple proposals, the data is indisputable — this option would maximize congestion relief & minimize environmental impact.”

Over the course of the last few months, however, officials from 12 of Maryland’s 23 counties have quietly embraced a new concept for easing congestion at the Bay Bridge: a new span, with eight or more lanes, to replace the existing spans.

The 12 counties, along with summer destination Ocean City, have passed resolutions or sent letters of support for the concept. Some jurisdictions have directed their letters to Hogan (R) and/or transportation secretary James F. Ports Jr. Others have sent letters of support directly to the Queen Anne’s County Commission, where the idea appears to have originated.

The letters of support are short — typically one page — and strike similar themes.

 CLICK HERE to read the letters. 

“Due to the numerous commuters who use this bridge and the lack of alternative routes, periods of congestion have resulted in major delays despite the rerouting of traffic,” wrote Dorchester County Council President Jay L. Newcomb (D). “This is particularly troubling since it provides vital access for emergency services, patient transports and fire response as well as to medical care, residents’ places of employment and the homes of their family and friends.”

Queen Anne’s Commission Chair James Moran (R) said he and his colleagues have made a concerted push to get local leaders to back the replacement bridge concept. He said the current congestion on and near the span, which impacts communities closest the bridge disproportionately, will only get worse as the Eastern Shore grows.

“We’re asking for an eight-lane crossing,” he said. “That’s why we’ve been lobbying all the other counties, because a project of this magnitude is going to take everybody being on board.”

Last week the Federal Highway Administration embraced the state’s preliminary conclusion that a new crossing in the general vicinity of the existing bridge would draw more traffic away from the current spans than other locations that were studied.

That finding clears the way for a second study that would consider where — within a two-mile “corridor” — a new bridge should go. A “Tier 2” study would cost approximately $40 million, officials have said. The state has yet to commit the funding, though Maryland has a massive surplus and Hogan has indicated that moving forward on a new crossing is a top priority.

The term-limited executive is set to leave office in January.

The two-lane eastbound span is nearly 70 years old. The three-lane westbound span opened in 1973.

Sen. Stephen S. Hershey Jr. (R-Upper Shore) said replacing the current spans with a single eight-lane bridge makes the most fiscal sense. “I don’t see a scenario where all three remain there. I think that’s not cost-effective,” he said. “I think you have to build something that can accommodate everything, without the cost of maintaining the other two.”

Moran has urged Hogan to fund the next second study immediately, as it would tackle the environmental and design considerations needed to move forward with construction. “Phase 2 of the [National Environmental Policy Act process] will tell you if, in fact, one bridge comes down, or two bridges come down,” he said. “But it is our understanding that one of those bridges will come down for sure — if not both.”

At the Maryland Transportation Authority’s monthly meeting on Thursday, Ports criticized the media for advancing a “false narrative” that Maryland was pursing a third span — what Hogan called the “only … option I will ever accept” in 2019.

“That’s something that’s never come from this organization,” he said. “It came from whomever and the press. But I want to make it clear that that has never come from us. We are not in a position to determine that at this time.”

In a subsequent interview, Ports stressed that, under federal rules, the state cannot pre-determine the best option for any project. “I cannot talk about what the bridge might look like,” he said. “I can’t say that because of the NEPA process. I can’t drive that narrative.”

Ports said persistent reports of a “third span” near the Bay Bridge have caused residents of nearby neighborhoods to “get really, really upset.” He said he and the authority’s executive director, Will Pines, “worked very hard with all of the communities, especially Anne Arundel County and Queen Anne’s County, on trying to get these resolutions from the counties to support this effort.”

Although most of the focus has been on the size and location of the new span, Pines told the authority’s board that planners are focusing on improving mobility in the entire 22-mile corridor that runs from the Severn River to the U.S. 301/50 split.

The study, he stressed, “included both on-land and over-water improvements.”

“This is not just a bridge study,” he added. “It also includes the entire corridor lanes of highway improvements as well.”

Pines said the first study’s selection of “Corridor 7,” the area around the current bridge, does not lock the state in to a third span. A single replacement bridge, he said, would remain a “viable” option.

By Bruce DePuyt

Filed Under: News Homepage, News Portal Highlights

Maryland Wins Approval to Design New Bay Crossing Near Existing Bridge

April 22, 2022 by Maryland Matters 1 Comment

Share

Federal highway officials have given the go-ahead for Maryland to move forward with plans to build a new Chesapeake Bay crossing near the existing Bay Bridge spans.

The Maryland Transportation Authority studied 14 potential options for a new bridge before selecting “Corridor 7,” the area adjacent to the two spans that connect the Annapolis area and Queen Anne’s County.

In approving Maryland’s “Tier 1” analysis, federal officials paved the way for the state to advance to the next phase in the process. A “Tier 2” study would produce an exact location for a third span, “within the two-mile-wide Selected Corridor Alternative.”

The next study would also consider a broad range of environmental and traffic impacts associated with construction and operation of a new bridge and the state would be required to identify its funding source. There would also be an analysis of how traffic and the environment would be impacted by a decision not to expand capacity.

The Federal Highway Administration issued its “record of decision” in tandem with a final environment impact statement on April 14. The MDTA released it on Thursday.

Many Anne Arundel and Queen Anne’s residents oppose a third span near the existing crossings. They argue that Routes 50 and 301 and arterial roads are already jammed with “through” traffic, particularly during the morning and afternoon commutes and on weekends during beach season. They complain of being virtual prisoners in their neighborhoods and of emergency vehicles that get delayed in miles-long traffic backups.

In October, the Anne Arundel County Council approved a resolution to replace the currents spans with a single bridge, with at least eight lanes, at the same location. Council members said that option represented “the best solution to maintain forward progress, support the investments already made along the US Route 50/301 corridor… and address the existing and future traffic capacity shortfalls.”

But Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman (D) said on Thursday “we would have preferred a crossing that would draw traffic to other corridors.”

“[W]e must now work to ensure that the next phase of study protects our existing communities and environmentally-sensitive areas,” he said in a statement. “We must also explore future traffic patterns along the whole Route 50 corridor, including options for public transit, shifts from sprawl development to smart growth, and telecommuting. We must not build yesterday’s bridge tomorrow.”

The Federal Highway Administration, working with the Maryland Transportation Authority, chose “Corridor 7,” near the existing Bay Bridge, as the “preferred” corridor for a new span. Image from baycrossingstudy.com.

A new bridge near the existing spans would be significantly shorter than neighboring alignments because the bay is narrower there. A third span would run approximately four miles, roughly one-third of the length of the closest alternatives.In reaching their conclusion that Corridor 7 is the best option, analysts concluded that it would draw more vehicles away from the current crossings than a new bridge further north or south.

“Corridor 7 would require a much shorter crossing of the Chesapeake Bay compared to Corridors 6 and 8, which would potentially result in lower impacts to the open water of the Bay and other major waterways,” the study found. “A longer crossing would require greater impervious surfaces, more substantial construction, and a greater overall footprint of area impacted in the Chesapeake Bay and other major water bodies.”

A new bridge would cost between $5.4 billion and $8.9 billion, according to the study. A bridge-tunnel would cost between $8 bill and $13.1 billion.

Traffic is expected to grow as more housing developments go up on the Eastern Shore, though the growth in telework could blunt some of that increase. The study’s authors said “it is too soon to define or to accurately assess the long-term impacts” of pandemic-induced changes in commuting patterns.

Whether Maryland moves forward with a Tier 2 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis is unclear. Such studies run into the tens of millions of dollars and the Hogan administration has yet to commit the necessary funds.

An MDOT spokesperson declined to say on Thursday whether Maryland will move toward a Tier 2 study or leave it to the next administration. Two years ago, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) said he would only accept one of the 14 alignments being studied — Corridor 7.

“There is only one option I will ever accept: adding a third span to our existing Bay Bridge,” Hogan wrote on Twitter. “While the federal process requires multiple proposals, the data is indisputable — this option would maximize congestion relief & minimize environmental impact.”

A Tier 2 study would cost between $35 million and $45 million, said James Moran, chair of the Queen Anne’s Board of County Commissioners, who also favors a single replacement span. “We want the governor to put that in the budget,” he said. “We want no hesitation, because the longer this takes, the worse things get.”

Michael Ricci, a Hogan spokesman, said he “is pleased with this progress, and looks forward to reviewing next steps for moving the project forward.”

Moran also wants the state to seek federal funding for construction of the new span.

Jay Falstad, head of the Queen Anne’s Conservation Association, said the study’s acknowledgement that the future of telework remains unclear conflicts with the decision to move toward a third span. “If it’s too soon to define or accurately asses the long term impacts, then it’s too soon to move forward with a Tier 2 review,” he said.

A study commissioned by the conservation group and performed by Hanover, Md.-based AKRF concluded that the benefits of a new span would not last long because it would attract “new travelers.”

“The widening of the Bay Bridge would temporarily relieve congestion on the bridge itself, but not on the highways leading to it unless they were also widened,” the study’s authors concluded. “The additional traffic attracted to the wider bridge would correspondingly require widening of large stretches of US 50 in the years following the bridge project to avoid new traffic bottlenecks. Unfortunately, the extent and repercussions of this ‘induced traffic demand’ to roadways beyond the vicinity of the bridge were not considered in the DEIS.”

By Bruce DePuyt

Filed Under: News Homepage, News Portal Highlights

Checking up on Centreville: A Chat with Town Council President Steve Kline

April 11, 2022 by James Dissette Leave a Comment

Share

In an effort to know our sister communities and the challenges small Eastern Shore towns face, the Spy reached out to Centreville Town Council President Steve Kline to discuss how town councils grapple with growth, revenue, and making strategic plans for the future.

As Spy readers may recall from an earlier interview, Kline was recently elected President of the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, a fitting role for his more than a dozen years of conservation policy work in Washington DC and one that gives him a broad perspective on the value and preservation of the Shore’s natural resources.

Here, Steve Kline talks about the small-town dynamics; viewing a community’s success solely through the lens of “growth/no growth;” and the need for town governments to inform their communities during early stages of any building development. As he says, “so often what we see is that by the time the public understands what’s happening, the houses are going in.”

This video is approximately fifteen minutes in length.

 

 

Filed Under: News Homepage, News Portal Highlights

Willmer Park Playground Update

April 8, 2022 by James Dissette Leave a Comment

Share

Although delayed because of rain and accumulated groundwater, the new playground at Wilmer Park is now under construction and is projected to be finished in early May.

The layout has been slightly modified to better fit the west corner of the park and not interfere with the trees and walking path surrounding the area.

Last September, a subcommittee of the Chestertown Recreation Commission held a public call for designs for a new playground in Wilmer Park. 822 people responded, and by a margin of 210, one of the designs—the Burke design—was chosen.

Although there has been some public concern with the playground’s location, it conforms closely to the original plan.

 

Playground placement area.

 

Revised design.

Filed Under: News Homepage

MD Congressional Redistricting Comes To A Close; 1st District Remains Solidly Republican

April 5, 2022 by Maryland Matters 1 Comment

Share

Ten days after a judge tossed out Maryland’s congressional plan for “extreme partisan gerrymandering,” legislative leaders dropped their appeal and Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) signed a redrawn map into law Monday.

Hogan’s signature capped off an unprecedented scramble to craft a new proposal by lawmakers. Senior Judge Lynne A. Battaglia ruled on March 25 that the new map violated the Maryland constitution’s requirement that legislative districts be compact and respect natural and political boundaries, a new interpretation of the longstanding constitutional provision.

Legislative leaders unveiled a new map last Monday evening and it received approval from both the Maryland Senate and House of Delegates by Wednesday. Hogan didn’t act immediately when the new map reached his desk Thursday, and Battaglia said at a Friday hearing that she couldn’t definitively rule on the new proposal since the bill hadn’t been fully enacted.

The Attorney General’s office appealed Battaglia’s ruling to the Court of Appeals last week, but legislative leaders opted not to pursue that appeal in favor of the redrawn map. Hogan indicated over the weekend that he was having conversations with legislative leaders and the Attorney General’s office over the new map.

Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R), Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) and House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) sign a new congressional redistricting plan on Monday. Photo from the Executive Office of the Governor.

“We all came to an agreement that it was something they should not pursue, throwing out the judge’s order,” Hogan said.

Hogan was joined by House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) and Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) in a private signing ceremony Monday afternoon.

“This map is a huge step in the right direction,” Hogan said at a press conference afterward. “It’s not perfect, and there’s still some issues that I think could be corrected, but it’s miles away from the really incredibly gerrymandered map that was thrown out by court.”

In a joint statement about the decision to move forward this way, Jones and Ferguson said election officials “need to have certainty about what the Congressional districts look like” ahead of the already delayed July 19 primary.

Battaglia found that the congressional map enacted by lawmakers over Hogan’s veto during a December special session specifically violated Article III, Section 4 of the Maryland Constitution, which requires compactness and respect for natural and political boundaries in legislative districts. That provision has historically been interpreted to apply only to state legislative districts, though Battaglia noted that challenges to congressional maps hadn’t previously been brought in state courts.

“The trial judge’s novel interpretation of the Maryland Constitution, continued delays, and lack of clear direction in the appeals process are not in the public’s best interest,” Jones and Ferguson said in their statement.

“It is the job of the General Assembly to craft new maps after the census that comply with the law,” the joint statement reads. “We believe we have now done that with the Congressional map twice. In the interest of democracy, we have presented the Governor with this new Congressional map and believe it complies with the trial court judge’s brand new legal standards. We are hopeful the Governor’s signature will bring an end to the unnecessary confusion for everyone involved.”

Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D) reiterated the sentiment in a statement Monday morning. “This map, like the one previously passed by the General Assembly, is Constitutional and fair. Both sides have agreed to dismiss their appeals, and our state can move forward to the primary election.”

Maryland’s new congressional district map, as signed into law by Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R), House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) and Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) on Monday.

Maryland’s new congressional district map, as signed into law by Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R), House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) and Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) on Monday.

The new map includes major shakeups to longstanding district lines, including a 2nd District that now extends from Carroll County to northern Baltimore just south of Towson and a 5th District that no longer includes College Park with Southern Maryland.

The 1st District, which in a map enacted by lawmakers in December would’ve crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to include parts of Anne Arundel County with the Eastern Shore to be more competitive for Democrats, now includes all of Harford County and parts of eastern Baltimore County with the Eastern Shore to be solidly Republican.

And the 6th District would be more competitive for Republicans, including all of Frederick County and less of Montgomery County.

During debate last week, Democrats said that the average perimeter of new districts is more than 100 miles shorter than the average perimeter of districts in the previous map.

Battaglia also concluded that the original plan violated portions of the Maryland Declaration of Rights dealing with free speech, equal protection and “free and frequent” elections.

Battaglia’s ruling came after a four-day trial in the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court in March for a pair of challenges to Maryland’s congressional map. One of those lawsuits, Szeliga v. Lamone, was brought by Republican voters from all eight of Maryland’s congressional districts and contended that the new map violated the state constitution by diluting Republican votes; another challenge, brought by Del. Neil C. Parrott (R-Washington) and the national conservative group Judicial Watch, likewise contended that the map violated the state constitution.

Candidates respond

Parrott, a candidate for the Congress in the 6th District for the second straight election cycle, said the new map, though imperfect, “is much, much better than the map that was approved by the General Assembly in December.”

“I’ve been fighting this for 10 years,” he said. “I didn’t think there was any way they could make it worse than they did 10 years ago, but they did. So I think this is a victory for the state of Maryland.”

Asked if he was satisfied that the 6th District was sufficiently competitive, Parrott said he was sorry that Carroll County was cut out of the district, but was glad that Frederick County was unified back into the 6th, providing a “solid Western Maryland base” in the district.

“I think it’s a fairer map” for the 6th, Parrott said. “I’m really looking forward to running against David Trone. It’s going to be a competitive race and I think the people will finally have a say.”

Parrott also predicted that Battaglia’s court ruling could have some bearing on future redistricting battles in the state, even if it didn’t result in a precedent-setting Court of Appeals decision.

“Judge Battaglia’s ruling will stand and that will be part of the record on this case,” he said.

Last week, Trone (D) acknowledged that the redrawn congressional map could endanger him in future elections.

“Some have said that the new design of the Sixth District endangers my chance of being re-elected and makes this a swing district,” he said in a statement. “I don’t disagree. But my concern with the new district map has nothing to do with how it affects me but rather how it affects one particular group of voters.”

Trone argued that the redrawn map should have extended further south along the Potomac River in Montgomery County. He said those unincorporated areas in western Montgomery County “have constituted a community of interest since the earliest days of Maryland, an association that only increased when the C & O Canal was built beside the Potomac in the early 19th Century and, later, by the original path of the B&O Railroad.”

Trone has contributed an additional $2 million toward his re-election campaign, and lauded the new map in a Monday press release.

“With Governor Hogan’s agreement to sign the new map legislation and the agreement to withdraw appeals to the judge’s rulings, this round of congressional redistricting in Maryland apparently has reached its conclusion,” Trone said. “That’s a good thing. It’s a small but important step toward ending partisan gerrymandering. Being disadvantaged by this process is a price I am willing to pay to move Maryland and our country forward. What we now need is a national solution — and for all elected officials across the country to get back to dealing with issues important to those we were elected to represent.”

Democratic House Majority Leader U.S. Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D), who has represented the 5th District for more than 40 years, announced his expected reelection bid in the redrawn district Monday. Hoyer said he was “disappointed” that his district would no longer include College Park, he said he would continue to advocate for that community and others in Prince George’s County that are no longer in the district.

Heather R. Mizeur, a former state delegate and 1st District Democratic candidate, said in a statement that she still intends to unseat incumbent U.S. Rep. Andrew P. Harris, Maryland’s lone congressional Republican.

“The message of this campaign has been consistent from day one, and it has never relied on where the lines of a map are drawn,” Mizeur said. “We have gathered unprecedented support and momentum that includes all parties and ideologies.”

R. David Harden, a Democratic 1st District candidate and foreign policy strategist, called the redrawn map “constitutional and fair” in a statement.

Harden, who has positioned himself as a moderate, contended that Mizeur won’t be able to win in the newly redrawn, more conservative 1st District.

Precedent setting? 

Former Secretary of State John T. Willis, who testified on behalf of the state during the congressional redistricting trial, said he doesn’t think Battaglia’s ruling necessarily sets a precedent in Maryland. He expects their to be another decade of intense conversations about redistricting reform following this round of mapmaking.

“I’m not sure it’s precedent-setting,” Willis said. “I think what happened this cycle may lead to more change.”

He said one idea that could be floated in Maryland going forward is having a independent redistricting commission be entirely responsible for drawing maps, like in Arizona. Hogan has agitated and introduced legislation to establish such a process throughout his tenure.

Maryland saw two redistricting commissions conduct public hearing and propose maps last year:

  • The Legislative Redistricting Advisory Commission, convened by Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) and House speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County), put forward the map that Battaglia struck down. Jones and Ferguson were both members of that panel, alongside two other Democratic legislative leaders and two Republican legislative leaders.
  • The Maryland Citizens Redistricting Commission was convened by Hogan and included three Republicans, three Democrats and three unaffiliated voters. Hogan appointed the panel’s three co-chairs, who selected the other six members of the commission. That panel’s congressional and legislative maps received high marks from the Princeton Gerrymandering Project for compactness and partisan fairness, whereas analysts at Princeton gave the Legislative Redistricting Advisory Commission’s congressional map an “F” rating based on those same criteria.

In separate interviews, House Majority Leader Eric G. Luedtke (D-Montgomery), who was intimately involved in the redistricting process, and Del. Samuel I. Rosenberg (D-Baltimore City), an adjunct law professor at University of Baltimore and University of Maryland School of Law, said they weren’t sure Battaglia’s order would be cited as precedent in the future.

Both noted that Battaglia was acting as a senior judge on the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court, and that there was never a written opinion on the case from the Maryland Court of Appeals.

“It’s the opinion of a trial court judge,” Rosenberg said. “So it does not have the same precedential weight of a Court of Appeals opinion.”

“I’m not sure how courts will look at that a decade from now,” Luedtke said. “Bottom line is, we have a map.”

By Bennett Leckrone. Josh Kurtz contributed to this report. 

Filed Under: News Homepage, News Portal Highlights

Next Page »

Copyright © 2022

Affiliated News

  • The Cambridge Spy
  • The Talbot Spy

Sections

  • Arts
  • Culture
  • Ecosystem
  • Education
  • Health
  • Local Life
  • Spy Senior Nation

Spy Community Media

  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
  • Advertising & Underwriting

Copyright © 2022 · Spy Community Media Child Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in