There seems to be a significant reduction in the letters published in the Star Democrat since the appointment of a new editor and the change in format of the paper.

The paper appears to have dedicated less space to its reader’s “letter to the editors” than to its regular columnists.

Has its readers become less interested what happens in the County?

The letters to the editor section of the Star Democrat is an important voice to the community, as is the Talbot Spy. It is a way for the readership to make known some issues in the County that are not generally known and provide a way for the readership to express itself to the general population.

So – I’m just wondering – has anyone else noticed this trend?

Bill Mocarsky
Easton

Dear Ms. Mizeur:

Please accept this letter as a request to participate in a series of at least four debates across Maryland’s First Congressional District between now and the start of early voting in July.

Even in the steadiest of times, voters benefit from the chance to hear candidates for higher office speak in a direct and unfiltered manner about the most important issues of the day. This need for debates is particularly true in a congressional district as large and geographically diffuse as ours, where opportunities for citizens to engage substantively with their potential representative are relatively limited.

As you are well aware, these are not the steadiest of times. Vladimir Putin’s invasion and sustained campaign of genocide in Ukraine has served as a catalyst for a political realignment among traditional U.S. allies abroad and significant economic disruption here at home. We both agree that Representative Harris’ dereliction of leadership in this crisis – including his inexcusable refusal to acknowledge the indispensability of NATO in times of international conflict – has only reinforced why he must be defeated in November and replaced with a member of Congress who will actually act to defend America’s national security interests.

At the same time, our next representatives must provide meaningful solutions to challenges facing the children, families and small businesses of the First District. The soaring rate of inflation has made it difficult, if not impossible, for working people to fill their car with gas and put food on the table, while still setting money aside for college and retirement. This economy is particularly tough for low-to-moderate income residents, as well as those – such as watermen, farmers, restaurant owners and contractors – whose livelihoods are directly impacted by the rising costs of motor fuel, beef, poultry and other agricultural products.

The financial insecurity felt by residents of our district is matched by a growing sense of concern for their personal safety. Even in a rural district such as ours, voters are increasingly concerned about the recent murders in the district and the rising rate of both violent and property-related crimes. Our next member of Congress must stand ready to work with our state and local governments to provide the personnel, technology, and equipment our police officers need to make our neighborhoods safe.

Finally, our next member of Congress will be called upon to act and lead on issues that will determine the quality of life for our children and grandchildren. We must curb the rate of carbon emissions, achieve independence from imported oil, and support the development of alternative sources of energy. We must provide all Americans with a health care system that balances affordability, accessibility, and quality, while addressing the unacceptable absence of viable mental health care treatment for people in desperate need of help. We must also support local school systems throughout the First District with the resources to attract and retain the best teachers, build schools that create a suitable learning environment for our children, and keep teachers, students, and staff members safe from violence.

Given the breadth and magnitude of these issues, and the grotesque inadequacies of our incumbent congressman, I believe it is imperative that we provide the voters with our respective credentials and priorities as well as areas of agreement and differences. Now that the judicial process for determining the boundaries of our district has concluded, now is the time to organize these debates.

I propose that our respective campaign managers and staff begin to work through such details, including formats, subjects, and possible moderators. Given that we have a candidate forum in Salisbury on April 20th and are now less than three months away from the start of early voting, time is of the essence.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

R. David Harden
Candidate, Congressional 1st District

When voters choose which candidate for whom to vote, it is important to look at what he/she has accomplished in the past.  Heather Mizeur is running to be our next Congresswoman from the first district.  Mizeur’s many accomplishments indicate what kind of legislator she would be if elected. Two of the many areas in which she has excelled are better health care for Marylanders and environmental/farming issues. 

While serving 8 years as a Maryland delegate, Mizeur made tremendous contributions to ensure that Marylanders have access to health care.  She authored the Kids First Act, a law which has become a national model to enroll tens of thousands of qualified children in health care insurance plans.  Mizeur was able to work with both Republicans and Democrats to pass the Family Planning Works Act.  This legislation has reduced the number of abortions in Maryland, improved pregnancy outcomes, and lowered infant mortality rates.  Later, in her Family Coverage Expansion Act, Mizeur is credited with making Maryland one of the first states which allow young adults to remain on their families’ health plans until age 26.  (This later became a national law under the Affordable Care Act.)

Mizeur, a seventh-generation farmer, has been involved in protecting the environment her whole adult life. In 2011, she spearheaded a bill to prohibit fracking in Maryland.  Mizeur also served on our country’s state-led fracking commission.  The work of that commission helped to lead Maryland to permanently ban fracking in our state.  No wonder The Baltimore Sun has dubbed Mizeur as one of our state’s “leading environmental advocates!”

As a farmer, Mizeur has long pondered possible solutions for saltwater intrusion, coastal flooding, and managing severe weather events.  She is extremely focused on creating healthy soil. In fact, one of her goals is to start a new project called the “National Soil Health Initiative (NSHI) through the USDA to address agricultural problems such as these.  To read more about Mizeur’s “Agri-Climate Solutions for Maryland’s Eastern Shore” plan, go to:  Mizeur’s Agri-Climate Plan — Promoting Agricultural Policies That Can Help Solve The Climate Crisis – Heather Mizeur

Mizeur also authored this op-ed about farmers:   Opinion: Shore Farmers Should Be Priority Partners in Combating limate Crisis By Heather Mizeur (talbotspy.org)

Mizeur has tremendous acumen for other issues as well, including the economy, jobs, and social justice.  She has had 25 years of experience, providing the working relationships she needs in Congress to pass legislation favorable to the Eastern Shore.  This is what I want in my House Representative in Congress.

Rev. Dr. Katie Day
Cambridge

Developing a children’s ability to hear the sounds of words is an important step toward learning to read. Learning to identify rhymes is an important component of this. Reading research has proven that students benefit from direct instruction on rhyme recognition paired with fun activities that target this skill.  Parents do not have to buy anything to teach rhymes; however, there are many fun rhyming games, books, and other activities that parents can use to assist their children.

In this video, a classroom teacher describes what she does with students in her classroom; however, these activities can easily be done at home one-on-one with your child.  skill tutorial video from Heggerty,

When should you start to teach your child to rhyme?  Actually, there are rhyming books for as young as 1-3.  One of them is Llama Llama Red Pajama which is available on Amazon for $7.27.  Used editions are $1.44.

Of course, parents are not going to start by using written words.  For a very young child, they should start with pictures or even just saying the rhyming words.  Here is a link to a free online rhyming dictionary that can help you find words that rhyme:  Rhymer • FREE Online Rhyming Dictionary  There are many other rhyming dictionaries on the market if you prefer.

There are also lists of rhyming words such as:  Rhyming Words | List of 70+ Interesting Words that Rhyme in English – English Study Online

In addition, there are online videos. Just search for “rhyming words for kids” on You-Tube.

Rhyming Words with Mr. Gaston Woodland – YouTube

The Rhyming Words Game | Rhyming Song for Kids | Reading & Writing Skills | Jack Hartmann – YouTube

Students can also draw pictures of objects that rhyme or cut out rhyming pictures found in magazines and place them in their books.

Last, please check out www.readingrockets.org for ideas about how you can help any age child with reading.

Instilling the joy of reading in your children is something for which they will always be grateful. Besides, it is fun!

P.S. Do not forget to read your children a bedtime story!

Susan Olsen, M.A., M.Ed.
Dorchester Moving Forward

 

Susan Olsen’s March 21 letter to the Spy, in which she criticized First Congressional District candidate Dave Harden for his emphasis on national security issues, ignored the three fundamental points of the upcoming Democratic primary election.  

First, Andy Harris has been a terrible congressman and has repeatedly embarrassed the First District with his far-right, extremist actions.  On this point, I think we can agree.  He has sided against law enforcement, against emergency responders, against offshore wind and even against cost relief at the gas pump.  Andy Harris must go.

Second, Heather Mizeur simply cannot win a general election in our moderate-to-conservative district.  Contrary to Ms. Olsen’s mischaracterizations, the fact that former delegate Mizeur used to live in Takoma Park isn’t the issue here.  What is relevant is that she represented Takoma Park for more than a decade as an elected official and has the far-left voting record to show for it.  

Ignoring the fact that Delegate Mizeur voted for higher income taxes, higher sales taxes, higher business taxes and higher gas taxes, or pretending that these votes simply never occurred, won’t make them go away.  Nor can we pretend that she never criticized the American experience as one of “toxic individuality” and bashes capitalism as a system that “promotes scarcity and hordes supplies.”

We can either have this conversation during the primary, while we still have our choice of candidates.  Or we can wait until the general, when Andy Harris will have millions of dollars to define her as a far-left Takoma Park transplant whose mindset is fundamentally different than that of the typical First District resident.

Finally, Dave Harden can win.  He is a moderate Democrat whose career as an American foreign service officer and diplomat will serve us well in a time of such uncertainty around the world.  The humanitarian, economic and political consequences of the Russian slaughter in Ukraine will affect the U.S. in so many ways.  It will be so important to have in Congress a man who has negotiated peaceful outcomes and preserved our national interests in some of the world’s most dangerous places.  He is a man of the First District who, when elected to Congress, will only answer to the families of the First District and not the political bosses on Capitol Hill and Annapolis.  

Dave Harden is my choice.  I encourage everyone to take an in-depth look at his vision at www.hardenforcongress.com.  

John Queen
Chestertown

Dave Harden’s open letter of March 14  in the Spy only underscores how well Heather Mizeur can represent the Eastern Shore in Congress.  While Harden picks a fight over who was born and raised in which jurisdiction, it is Mizeur, not Harden, who has dedicated her adult life to fighting for health care for uninsured children, working for paid sick leave and pushing for a $15 minimum wage. 

While Harden was born on the Eastern Shore and spent his formative years here, he spent his adult life overseas as a foreign diplomat.  He has impressive experience in remote conflict situations, but no legislative experience at home. Mizeur, on the other hand, has spent the last 25 years engaged in our bread and butter issues.  

Since she moved to Chestertown over 8 years ago to continue her family’s farming tradition, Mizeur has developed deep ties to her community and the rest of the Eastern Shore. We need someone with political experience to represent us in Congress.  I had the privilege of hearing Heather speak when she was a Delegate.  I remember thinking “If we only had someone like her to represent the Eastern Shore.”  Now we have that chance.

In his letter, Harden complains about all the Democratic leaders from across Maryland who have endorsed Mizeur. Perhaps he is jealous? Harden appears to have only one endorsement from the Eastern Shore while Heather has many.  Here is a list of just a few:

Wayne Gilchrist, former District One Representative

Todd Nock, Pocomoke City Council Member

Megan Cook, Easton Town Council President

Meghan Efland, Chestertown Councilmember

Rev. Ellsworth Tolliver, Chestertown Councilmember

Thomas Herz Jr., Chestertown Councilmember

Josh Nordstrom, Worcester County Commissioner

Bill McCain, Wicomico County Councilmember

Andre Johnson, Harford County Councilmember

Andrea Blake, Salisbury City Council

Michelle Gregory, Salisbury City Council

Nivek Johnson, Kent County Board of Education

Francoise Sullivan, Kent County Board of Education

Chris Cerino, former mayor of Chestertown

Jeff Powell, former Dorchester County Commissioner

David Dunmyer, former Queen Anne’s County Commissioner

Bob Hardy, former Centerville Town Councilmember

(Please go to: Endorsements – Heather Mizeur to see more of Mizeur’s endorsements.)

Dave Harden is wrong.  Heather Mizeur has chosen the Eastern Shore to be her home.  She is our friend, and we embrace her.

 

Susan Olsen
Cambridge

 

 

Parents are their children’s first and most significant teachers. Teaching reading begins before a child is born. A mother should read aloud to her baby as he/she grows in her womb. At this point, it doesn’t matter what the mother reads out loud. It could be a newspaper or an adult novel. The important thing is that her child becomes familiar with the rhythm of her voice, listening, and the soothing experience of being read to.

Reading aloud should continue as children grow. Newborn infants should be read to, and parents should continue the reading aloud process into high school, choosing books at increasingly difficult vocabulary levels. When they hear new vocabulary words repeatedly, it is easier for children to learn them in school.

Reading aloud to children creates a powerful bonding experience. They learn that when someone is reading to them, they are supposed to sit quietly and listen. Therefore, they are prepared for preschool and kindergarten, and they enjoy school more.

Please remember that other family members can join in this joyous responsibility. Older siblings (a third grader could read to a first grader, for example), fathers, and extended family and friends can all be recruited to read aloud to the children in the family.

Books written for ages 0 to 3 are readily available. You can find great teacher approved book titles here:

Parents can find a multitude of ways to help their children improve their reading skills at: www.readingrockets.org.

A good source to learn more about reading aloud is the Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease.

Susan Olsen, M.A., M.Ed.
Cambridge

The Move the Monument Coalition applauds the removal of the Confederate monument from Talbot County’s courthouse lawn.

According to Talbot County, work to move the statue to Cross Keys Battlefield in Virginia will begin this Sunday, March 13, and the statue will be moved on Monday.

The coalition, which included thousands of Talbot County residents from all walks of life, has worked hard to peacefully call for the removal of the statue, raising more than $80,000 to fund its relocation.

We commend our many supporters as well as the County Council for seeing that this symbol of the Jim Crow-era no longer sits on the site where justice for all is supposed to reign.

The coalition, formed after the death of George Floyd, held numerous rallies and educational seminars on the history of the Civil War and the Jim Crow era on the Eastern Shore, in particular focusing on the role of Black soldiers fighting for the Union.

Our Juneteenth rally attracted many hundreds of peaceful participants, all of them calling for moving the statue off the courthouse lawn. The coalition raised all the money to fund removal of the statue, the last one on nonfederal property in the state of Maryland. No taxpayer funds were used.

Again, we thank all those who contributed to this effort and continue to embrace our hope for equity and peace among all residents.

The Move the Monument Coalition
Talbot County