If you’ve ever been to the Dorchester County Public Library, you already know Bill Epps. He’s the imposing yet affable septuagenarian behind the desk ... [Continue Story]
Public Affairs
Cambridge Gets Clean Audit; City Reserves Continue to Grow
The City of Cambridge’s finances earned the highest possible rating this year, with independent auditors reporting that the city’s budgets, grants and ... [Continue Story]
Spy Highlights
From and Fuller: The Trump 2026 Election Strategy and FIFA Peace Prize
Every Thursday, the Spy hosts a conversation with Al From and Craig Fuller on the most topical political news. This week, From and Fuller discuss ... [Continue Story]
- Maryland Caucus with Foxwell and Mitchell: An Annapolis Future with a Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk
- From & Fuller: Unpacking Trump’s Attacks on Alleged Venezuelan Drug Boats
- From & Fuller: Epstein Files Fallout and the Future of the GOP
- The Maryland Caucus: Maryland’s Budget Crisis + Redistricting Plans Set in Motion
- From & Fuller: What Was Lost During The Government Shutdown?
- From and Fuller: The Real Impact of the Big Democrat Election Victories
Brevities
Resilience, After All, Is a Gift By Katherine Emery General
Much of my recent writing has been concentrating on the fact that 2025 has been a difficult year for almost everyone. There is a heaviness in the air ... [Continue Story]
- Cambridge Time Machine: The Christmas Parade
- Finding Light in a Heavy December By Katherine Emery General
- December 2025 Sky-Watch By Dennis Herrmann
- Cambridge Time Machine: Working Linden Dairy Farm
- The Slow Unfurling of Christmas By Katherine Emery General
- Cambridge Time Machine: Shopping at reliable Webster’s
Community Notes
Vienna Readies for 44th Annual Luminaria
The quaint 300-year-old riverside town of Vienna, Maryland, is always a special place, but it is magical on the night of the luminaries. So, the ... [Continue Story]
- Rivers & Roads Consulting Completes Strategic Plan for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Easton
- Fur Your Consideration: Meet Longclaw and Leo
- Dr. Theresa Stafford Lives On Through New Beginnings
- Mistletoe on Main December 7 in Downtown Cambridge
- Pet Adoption Event at RFC Train Garden 12/14 & 20
- Oxford Holiday Market Returns December 12-14 to Oxford, Maryland
The Arts
Spy Review: A Choral Rose for Christmas by Steve Parks
Easton Choral Arts Society played its annual Christmastime songfest, “A Winter Rose,” before a full house in its new concert venue, St. Mark’s United ... [Continue Story]
- Spy Review: MSO’s Opera-Flavored ‘Holiday Joy’ by Steve Parks
- AI is Coming for the Music Industry
- Spy Review: Cinematic Classical Gas, by Steve Parks
- A Waterfowl Weekend with Artist Sandy Alanko
- Spy Review: MSO Salutes 3 of the All-Time Greats by Steve Parks
- ESWA Launches First Holiday Book Festival at Cult Classic Brewery, Dec. 13
Ecosystem
It’s Official: Oysters Making Historic Comeback
Oysters are officially back in the Chesapeake, according to the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science at Cambridge and the ... [Continue Story]
- Westward Ho! Easton’s Rails to Trails Expansion with Project Manager Kody Cario
- Election 2022: Environmental Forum For Talbot County Council Election
- ShoreRivers Safe to Swim Weekend Report
- Md. Lawmakers Check In with new Agency Leaders on Bay Cleanup Progress
- Keeping the Soul of Cambridge’s Packing House with ESLC’s Carol Bean
- Bay Ecosystem: A Chat with Riverkeeper Annie Richards
Health
Demystifying Palliative Care with Shore Regional Health’s Christina Ball
In a recent Spy conversation, Christina Ball, MS, AGACNP-BC, the director of UM Shore Medical Group-Palliative Care, broke down one of the most ... [Continue Story]
- Mobile Dental Care Team Expands Access for Dorchester County Students
- Lets Talk about It with Beth Anne Dorman: Making Sure Our Veterans Get the Help They Need
- Senior Nation: Nature’s Multicolored Autumn Farewell by Susan Covey
- A Spy Chat with Shore Regional Health’s New Clark Breast Center Director Dr. Kathryn Kelley
- Lets Talk about It with Beth Anne Dorman: The Riddle and Some Answers for ADHD
- A Bad Diagnosis, Remarkable Recovery, and Giving Back: A Chat with Andrew Dorbin
Opinion
Character Is Policy by Johnny O’Brien
Perhaps you—like me and most of my friends—have a grave difficulty discussing politics in our hyper-partisan nation. We often report that civil debates with right-leaning ... [Continue Story]
Letters to Editor
The Harmful Impact of Excessive Social Media Negativity on Cambridge Harbor
The Cambridge Harbor project is a 30-acre waterfront development along Maryland’s Choptank River, bringing homes, retail, a boutique hotel, and public parks to the city. Managed by Cambridge Waterfront Development, Inc. (CWDI), it mirrors the success of other revitalized waterfronts. Recent milestones, including the promenade groundbreaking in December 2024 and ongoing hotel negotiations, show real […]
Congrats to Dr. Thompson
Dear Editor: I would like to congratulate Dorchester County Public Schools and Dr. Jymil Thompson for the significant improvement we have all seen in the academic scores of the school system. The hard work that obviously took place is commendable. Dr. Thompson set a goal for the community and has stuck to it. Dorchester is […]
Letter to Editor: An Abundance of Cruelty
Have you noticed how often, how persistently, the word “cruelty” is showing up in the news? I was reading about the prison built in the Everglades by the State of Florida to house people being rounded up by ICE. Built in a hurry, it is made up of cages for imprisoning humans and tarps for […]
Letter to Editor: O’er the Land of the Free…
Are we a free people anymore? We were told ICE would begin seizing illegal immigrants who were convicted criminals, MS-13 members, drug dealers, murderers, human traffickers and people of that ilk. We wondered how there could be 12 million such people who needed to be deported as Trump claimed during his campaign. Maybe these were […]
Letter to Editor: A Vanishing Way of Life
I am currently reading the book, Chesapeake Requiem, which was recommended to me by a friend. It was written in 2016 and chronicles the year its author, Earl Swift, spent with the watermen and other residents of Tangier Island. I have found it to be a fascinating and disturbingly sad read. It has taught me […]
Letter to Editor: How the Big Beautiful Bill Would Affect the Mid-Shore
President Trump has all but demanded that his One Big Beautiful Bill Act pass both houses of Congress for his signature by July 4. The differences in the legislation approved by the House of Representatives and what has emerged from the Senate must be resolved in conference before the president can sign it into law. […]
Open Letters to Congressman Andy Harris
Dear Representative Harris, In your June 27th Capitol Hill Report, you discussed House passage of HR 875, the Protect Our Communities from DUIs Act. You indicated that this legislation: “…takes decisive action to ensure all illegal immigrants convicted of driving under the influence are eligible for deportation. Sparked by the tragic loss of American lives […]
Letter to Editor: Another Shameful Act by a Shameful Administration
“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the Navy to rename an oil ship named after gay rights activist Harvey Milk, a move that pointedly comes at the start of Pride Month.” So reported “The Hill” today. Well what a sad commentary on our current state of affairs. Said Pentagon spokesperson Sean Purnell: “Secretary Hegseth is committed […]
Letter to Editor: The “Big Beautiful Bill” is only Great for Billionaires
I’m certain you’ll receive numerous letters extolling the virtues of Mr Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ passed by the House. Well, it’s big, can’t deny that, and it’s a bill, which we’ll all end up paying, but as for beautiful, that’s in the eye of the beholder. Let’s start with Medicaid, which needs more funding rather […]
Letter to Editor: Trump and the Declaration of Independence
Last week the President hosted an interview with Terry Moran of ABC News in his newly gilded Oval Office. Trump drew Moran’s attention to a wall-mounted copy of the Declaration of Independence. Moran prompted the President to state his understanding of the significance of the Declaration. Trump disconcerted Moran by saying that the document stood […]
Maryland News
Field Of Hopefuls in Speaker’s Race Clears for Peña-Melnyk
The next speaker of the House of Delegates will likely be a woman and immigrant. Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D-Prince George’s and Anne Arundel) ... [Continue Story]
- Low-income Marylanders, Local Officials Left to Navigate ‘Roller Coaster’ of SNAP Disruption
- Moore pushes for Congressional Redistricting, sets up Confrontation with Senate
- Honoring Talbot County’s Uncle Nace Hopkins: The Day Freedom Came in Trappe
- Judge Appears Skeptical of Claim that Unaffiliated Voters Can Sue Maryland Over Closed Primaries
- ICE Enforcement Impact on Talbot Mentors Families with Kentavius Jones
- Maryland, 14 Other Democratic States Launch Public Health Alliance to Counter Trump, Rfk Jr.
Commerce
What you Need to Know about Maryland’s Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program
As prices for everyday necessities continue to rise, families with limited means are having to make tough choices on where to allocate their money. In ... [Continue Story]
- CWDI Completes Cambridge Harbor Demolition Phase
- Discovering Discover Easton’s Plans for 2023: A Chat with Director Holly DeKarske
- Mediation Room 8: Benefits of Using Mediation in Divorce
- CULTA Announces Partnership with National Cannabis Brand Old Pal
- The Mediation Room 7: Bad Debt – Getting Beyond It
- The Mediation Room: The Role of Lawyers in Mediation
Art Notes
AAM Joins the Fun of Artful Ingenuity at Easton’s Holiday Parade
The Academy Art Museum delivered one of the more imaginative moments at this year’s Easton Holiday Parade, presenting a float that blended ... [Continue Story]
- The Art of the Small Painting at The Trippe Gallery
- Academy Art Museum Breaks Ground On Henny and James Freeman Annex and Hormel Research Center at Historic Property on Talbot Lane
- Studio B Art Gallery Showcases Award-Winning Art & “Small Treasures” This Holiday Season
- Oxford’s Dan Weiss Becomes New Director of Philadelphia Museum of Art
- New Class at the Fiber Arts Center of the Eastern Shore in January
- Violist Paul Laraia Discusses The Catalyst Quartet’s “Cinematic Refuge” By Maria Grant
Senior Nation
Senior Nation: Embrace Your Age, Live Your Best Life by Susan Covey
According to Leading Age, “Active Aging is a worldwide initiative that honors the spirit and ... [Continue Story]
- The Difference Between Try And Triumph Is A Little Umph! By Susan Covey
- State Officials Launch 10-Year Plan to Boost Supports for Growing Senior Population
- Cruisin’ with Christine: A Chat with Londonderry’s La’Cree Brown
- Strive for Independence, Not Just on the 4Th Of July! by Susan Covey
- Senior Nation: Partners in Care Help Elders Age in Place
- Senior Nation: Gardening a Great Boost for Body and Soul by Susan Covey
