One of my favorite folk anthems from back in the day was Judy Collins’ rendition of Joni Mitchell’s haunting song “Both Sides Now.” Remember ... [Continue Story]
Public Affairs
Maryland Unveils ‘Historic’ $340 Million Settlement with Conowingo Dam Owner
Maryland officials unveiled a $340 million settlement Thursday and issued a new water quality certification to the Conowingo Dam, clearing the way for ... [Continue Story]
- Spy Chat: The Release of Pastor Daniel Fuentes Espinal and his Future with Len Foxwell
- Update: Pastor Daniel Fuentes Espinal is Home
- Protest for Detained Pastor Draws Dozens in Easton
- Longtime and Beloved Minister of Easton Church Arrested by ICE
- Governor Moore Launches “Just Communities” on Juneteenth to Address Racial Wealth Gap
- How Did the Mid-Shore Community Foundation Donate almost $4 Million for the new Regional Hospital?
Centreville Highlights
Kent Island Has Its Day by Brent Lewis
This year’s Kent Island Day, an annual family-friendly event organized by the Kent Island Heritage Society to celebrate the historical and cultural ... [Continue Story]
- Spy Minute: Is the Millstream Trail One of the Best on the Mid-Shore?
- Hitting the Mark: QAC’s 4-H Marksmanship Club at 50
- “God of Carnage”: A Chat With CHT Director Michael Whitehill
- Eastern Shore Democratic Summit Held
- Mrs. Madelyn Hollis Takes a Bow: A Celebration of a Teacher’s Life
- The Road from Here: A Chat with Eastern Shore Land Conservancy President Steve Kline
Spy Highlights
The Power of Clay and Repetition: A Chat with AAM Guest Curator Rebecca Cross
In 2022, at the tail end of the pandemic, the American University Museum invited curator Rebecca Cross to organize a show on contemporary ceramics. ... [Continue Story]
- From and Fuller: Trump and Hegseth Address the Generals and the Shutdown Begins
- Maryland Caucus Podcast with Foxwell and Corchiarino: Maryland’s Emerging Financial Perfect Storm
- Spies In Search of a Proper Breakfast: Three Mid-Shore Favorites
- The Spy and Maryland Public Television Share the Avalon Stage to Share “Maryland by Air”
- From and Fuller: Should Democrats Allow a Government Shutdown and a Pending Comey Indictment
- Maryland Caucus Podcast with Foxwell and Corchiarino: The Public School Building Mess and Data Center Pushback
The Arts and Design
The Spy-Chesapeake Film Festival Podcast: A Chat with Filmmaker Lance Kramer
This year, the Spy is expanding its commitment to the Chesapeake Film Festival by co-producing a monthly podcast with CFF Executive Director Cid ... [Continue Story]
- Spy Review: A Rousing Chesapeake Season Opener by Steve Parks
- Mark Dion and Alexis Rockman: Journey to Nature’s Underworld
- Spy Review: A Bold MSO Season Opener by Steve Parks
- The Spy-Chesapeake Film Festival Podcast: A Chat with Filmmaker and CFF Artistic Director Cid Collins Walker
- A Different Kind of Realism at the Zebra Gallery: A Chat with Artist Fred Calleri
- Over the Shore with Hunter: A Screening of “Maryland by Air” hosted by MPT and the Spy
Ecosystem
ShoreRivers Hiring Executive Director
ShoreRivers protects Maryland’s Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, education, and engagement. We are seeking a ... [Continue Story]
- ShoreRivers Director to Step Down, Search for Successor Begins
- Washington College Earns High Flyer Status for Bird Conservation
- Bay Journal: FEMA Cancels $1 Billion for Flood Prevention Projects in Chesapeake Bay Region
- The Solar Land Rush—A farmer’s perspective with Judy Gifford
- Intense Maryland Energy Debates in Annapolis Fill a Single Afternoon
- Maryland Levies Fines on Perdue, Valley Proteins for Environmental Violations
Maryland News
Maryland Officials Work To Set Up Supports For Federal Workers During ‘Scary Time”
State officials have been doing what they can to connect Maryland residents with food, housing, health care and financial resources ahead of a looming ... [Continue Story]
- A Pilgrimage to Crisfield Serves Up Crabs with a Smattering of Primary Politics
- Maryland Democratic Leaders Tout Electricity Refund, Keep Grid Operator in the Hot Seat
- Baltimore Sun Puts Some Shade on Cambridge Harbor
- Harris Says FEMA Shouldn’t Be State’s First Resort, Senators Have Different Deadlines, More Notes
- State Lawmakers Reconsider Cost, Purpose of Serving After Minnesota Assassination
- Moore Makes Reelection Bid Official, Adds Staff; Hale is Now Officially a Republican; More Notes
Shore Health
A Bad Diagnosis, Remarkable Recovery, and Giving Back: A Chat with Andrew Dorbin
According to Johns Hopkins Brady Urological Institute, testicular cancer is one of the most common cancers among young men, with nearly 10,000 new ... [Continue Story]
- Let’s Talk About It with Beth Anne Dorman: Keeping your Mental Health During Tough Times
- Let’s Talk About It: Human Trafficking with For All Seasons’ Susan Ahlstrom
- A New Era in Women’s Health: A Chat with Shore Health’s Dr. Audrey Bowes Drummey
- Let’s Talk About It with Beth Anne Dorman: When Summertime is a Downer
- Tick Bites: There’s More to Worry about than just Lyme Disease
- Let’s Talk About It with Beth Anne Dorman: Adolescence on Film and About Parents
Mid-Shore Education
Washington College President Michael Sosulski Steps Down
Washington College announced Monday that President Michael J. Sosulski will step down later this summer to become president of Lake Forest College in ... [Continue Story]
- Wetlands 101: Sultana Education Foundation Presents an Evening of Interactive Science
- MD Senate Panel’s vote on Blueprint bill straddles House, Administration Versions
- Gunston celebrates Class of 2025 college-bound athletes
- Wood Foundation awards $100K grant to Radcliffe Creek School
- Morgan State professor fined for presenting himself as licensed architect
- Slight increases on Maryland’s annual report card, but changes could be coming
Brevities
Finding Faith in Stillness By Katherine Emery General
In the first days of our stay at Johns Hopkins Hospital, I wandered through every garden on the visitor’s map, searching for something to bring ... [Continue Story]
- Agent 86 Reconnaissance Footage: Rock Hall and Eastern Neck Island by Air
- Fall Planets October 2025 Sky-Watch By Dennis Herrmann
- John General’s Avalon Revival By Katherine Emery General
- Fall is the Best by Katherine Emery General
- Spy Agent 8 Report: The Oxford Road Rally Was a Roaring Success
- The Compass of Kindness By Katherine Emery General
Community News
The Mid-Shore Honors Frederick Douglass on September 27
On Saturday, September 27, Easton’s historic downtown will once again come alive as the Talbot County community gathers to celebrate the incredible ... [Continue Story]
- A New Minister Starts a New Era for Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Easton
- Actinic Traces: Photographic Works by Laurie Beck Peterson on View Through October 31 at Adkins Arboretum
- Community Invited to Support 2025 Talbot Resource Expo with Household & Personal Item Donations
- Invitational Corvette Class Adds Spark to Sept. 28 Concours Event on Kent Island
- New Venues, New Artists, and Champion of Champions at Waterfowl Festival 54!
- Compass’ Camp New Dawn Celebrates 31 Years of Hope and Healing for Grieving Children and Teens
Senior Life
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 contributions of older adults while encouraging active ... [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
- Strive for Independence, Not Just on the 4Th Of July! by Susan Covey
- Senior Nation: Gardening a Great Boost for Body and Soul by Susan Covey
- Senior Nation: April Is Parkinson’s Awareness Month by Susan Covey
- It’s American Heart Month by Susan Covey
Art Notes
Learn, Play, Jam!: Old-Time Music Workshop at Allegro Academy
Join the talented string trio Vandalia for an immersive Old-Time music workshop on Saturday, November 8th at Allegro Academy. Whether you're a ... [Continue Story]
- TAP Announces New Executive Director and Board Officers
- The Botanical Art League of the Eastern Shore Presents ‘Garden Companions’ at the Talbot County Library through October
- Join Film Industry VIP’s at Chesapeake Film Festival’s Exciting Weekend of Screenings, Q&As and Special Programs
- Agatha Christie’s Murder On The Orient Express at Church Hill Theatre Opens October 17
- Fall Fest At The Trippe Gallery Features Watercolors
- ShoreRivers Hosts Reading & Workshop on Power of Place
Ecosystem Notes
Support Local Birds This Winter: Pickering Creek Annual Birdseed Sale
Mark your calendar for birdfeeder season! As our feathered friends start building up fat reserves for the colder months ahead, now is the ideal time ... [Continue Story]
- ESLC & Tall Timbers Receive Cornell Grant, Bolstering Eastern Shore Bird Conservation with Prescribed Fire
- Chesapeake Monitoring Cooperative Celebrates 10 Years: Over 100 Organizations Contribute 1 Million Data Points To Support Restoration
- Pickering Creek Adds Three New Trustees to the Board
- Waterfowl Festival Invests $70,000 in Maryland Wetland Restoration Projects
- Ride for Clean Rivers Returns Sunday, September 21
- Pickering Installs New Avian Wildlife Tracking System
Education Notes
Celebrate OysterFest with CBMM on Oct. 25
The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum will host OysterFest on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 10am-4pm, inviting the community to celebrate the Bay’s favorite ... [Continue Story]
- Chrome City Fundraiser Raises Nearly $50K for Benedictine
- Mid-Shore College Fair & Financial Planning Evening set for October 28
- Nicole Sophocles Appointed Head of School at Wye River Upper School
- Gunston’s 10th Annual Bull & Oyster Roast Set for October 18
- State Education Leaders to Local Education Officials: Follow State Law
- CBMM’s Shipyard Celebrates Graduation of Shipwright Apprentice Daniel Gutierrez
Health Notes
Choptank Health Welcomes New Providers
Choptank Community Health System has recently welcomed Megan Harmer, MSN, CRNP, FNP-C, to its Bay Hundred Health Center’s medical team and Rebecca ... [Continue Story]
- Shore Community Outreach Team Offers Free Health Screenings Around Dorchester County
- Students Bring Hope to For All Seasons
- UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown Offers New State-of-the-Art MRI
- For All Seasons Launches Suicide Prevention Campaign: “I’m Fine” Isn’t the Whole Story
- UM Shore Regional Palliative Care Program Announces Christina Ball as Director
- Compass’ Camp New Dawn Celebrates 31 Years of Hope and Healing
Food Friday
Food Friday: Slow-Cooker Dinners
We have just moved into temporary quarters - a place too small for our many boxes of books, the hats, the scrapbooks, the baby treasures, our ... [Continue Story]
Looking at the Masters with Beverly Smith
Looking at the Masters: Judy Baca
Judith Francisca Baca was born in 1946 in Watts, a southern Los Angeles district. Her parents were Mexican-Americans, and Watts was largely a Latino ... [Continue Story]
- Looking at the Masters: Camille Pissarro
- Looking at the Masters: Mary Morris Vaux Walcott
- Looking at the Masters: Paul DiPasquale
- Looking at the Masters: Spain in the Golden Age – Granada’s Alhambra
- Looking at the Masters: Spain in the Golden Age – Seville
- Looking at the Masters: Spain in the Golden Age–Toledo and Seville
Design with Jenn Martella
Design with Jenn Martella: Tilghman Island Treasure
This aerial shot illustrates how the house’s octagonal shaped entry gable pays homage to the architectural element of the distinctive “wharf” houses ... [Continue Story]
- Design with Jenn Martella: Cottage & Garage/Guest Suite
- Design with Jenn Martella: “Leggacy”, circa 1880
- Design With Jenn Martella: “Lexon”, circa Third Quarter, 18th Century
- Design with Jenn Martella: Adaptive Re-Use in Chestertown
- Design with Jenn Martella: New Year, New Construction
- Design with Jenn Martella: Historic Victorian Gem, circa 1910
From and Fuller Podcast
From and Fuller: A Rough Week for Trump in Court, with Russia and China, as Epstein Returns as the Front Page Story
Every Thursday, the Spy hosts a conversation with Al From and Craig Fuller on the most topical political news of the moment. This week, From and ... [Continue Story]
- From and Fuller: Is Trump Winning the News Cycle and Governor Newsom Pulls the Trigger on Redistricting for 2026
- From and Fuller: The Political Impact of RFK Jr.s MAHA Agenda and Texas Redistricting Part 2
- From and Fuller: Ending ICE Madness and an Epstein Tipping Point?
- From and Fuller: Elon Musk’s 3rd Party and the Epstein Files MAGA Civil War
- From and Fuller: Is the Iran Bombing a Win for Trump and NYC Politics
- From and Fuller: Trump’s Big Iran Problem, Military Parades and No Kings
Columnist J.E. Dean
To Achieve the Highest Standards, Hegseth Must Go by J.E. Dean
Over the weekend, I watched the video Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s posted on social media X in which he declared that the Medals of Honor granted ... [Continue Story]
- Should Trump Prosecute the Person Who Posted the Spaghetti Picture? By J.E. Dean
- Tiptoeing Through the News By J.E. Dean
- The 2026 Mid-Term Elections and Stopping Trumpism by J.E. Dean
- Trump Fatigue is Real and It Shows By J.E. Dean
- Is There a Way Out of Our Political Crisis? By J.E. Dean
- About Last Friday in Anchorage . . . And Monday in Washington By J.E. Dean
Columnist Howard Freedlander
Out and About (Sort of): Stars in Different Realms by Howard Freedlander
What did Willie Mays and Donald Sutherland have in common? Nothing. Except an overriding desire to excel in each’s craft. Mays was a true wonder ... [Continue Story]
- Out and About (Sort of): Slavery of Thought by Howard Freedlander
- Out and About (Sort of): Higher Education on Edge by Howard Freedlander
- Strike for Democracy by Howard Freedlander
- Out and About (Sort of): American Voter by Howard Freedlander
- Out and About (Sort of): Hospice Heroes by Howard Freedlander
- Out and About (Sort of): An Apolitical Document Fails by Howard Freedlander
Columnist Craig Fuller
Conversations with Craig Fuller: Ambassador and Author Frank Lavin
My friend and former White House colleague Ambassador Frank Lavin has a book coming out in March about his experience in the White House and ... [Continue Story]
- Midair collision over the Potomac: Week two update by Craig Fuller
- A midair tragedy last night in Washington by Craig Fuller
- The Classic Motor Museum starts a new trip in St. Michaels: Craig Fuller talks to Mike Iandolo
- MPT, the Chesapeake Bay and Viewers Like You: A Chat with Station Manager Steven Schupak
- So Much Money, So Little Time by Craig Fuller
- One Amazing Story by One Amazing Individual by Craig Fuller
Columnist Jamie Kirkpatrick
Both Sides Now By Jamie Kirkpatrick
One of my favorite folk anthems from back in the day was Judy Collins’ rendition of Joni Mitchell’s haunting song “Both Sides Now.” Remember ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Laura Oliver
Can I Help You Find Something? By Laura J. Oliver
I spent the weekend with my two older sisters and their husbands in what has become a regular sister-gathering now that our parents are dead. As ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Angela Rieck
Need Inspiration? Call on Nature by Angela Rieck
People often ask me where I get my inspiration for my columns, and while there are many sources, most often it is nature. I wander along the St ... [Continue Story]
Columnist Al Sikes
Is There Room For The Long Game? By Al Sikes
Yes, day-by-day the minutes cancel the hours. The days the months and the months the years. The setting might be a restaurant or a dog park or just ... [Continue Story]
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 ... [Continue Story]
- Trump Policies Disrupt the Eastern Shore Soybean Market by Wilson Dean
- As the Supreme Court Term Begins… Some Reflections by Margaret Andersen
- Character Rot: Sounding the Alarm by Johnny O’Brien
- The Political is Personal: Reflections on DEI by Margaret Andersen
- New report reveals value of resource conservation for Shore businesses by John Horner
- History of US Territorial Acquisitions By Tom Timberman
Letters to the Editor
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 ... [Continue Story]
- Letter to Editor: A Vanishing Way of Life
- Letter to Editor: How the Big Beautiful Bill Would Affect the Mid-Shore
- These Republicans Are Right – Don’t Blame Governor Wes Moore For Maryland’s Long-Projected Budget Deficit
- Letter to the Editor: Maryland’s Legislature is failing rural communities By Janet Christensen-Lewis
- Letter to Talbot County Council: Keep employee handbook DEI statement
- Letter to Editor: Representative Harris snubs the ‘Beagle Brigade’
