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November 30, 2025

Centreville Spy

Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Centreville

1C Commerce

Mid-Shore Real Estate with Chuck Mangold: 2025 Still Looking Pretty Darn Good

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Eastern Shore real estate continues to surprise. In this quarter’s Spy interview, Chuck Mangold of Benson & Mangold Realty sits down to share why 2025 has been another strong year—despite national uncertainty in housing and the economy. From retirees and remote workers rediscovering the Mid-Shore to the growing presence of younger, affluent buyers, Mangold describes a market still fueled by migration and lifestyle choices rather than speculation.

He also weighs in on Easton’s commercial evolution, where triple-net leases and a maturing business mix reflect a more “urban” market reality. The conversation turns to local affordability challenges, shifting inventory levels, and what’s next for key parcels such as the current hospital site.

For those tracking how prosperity, planning, and small-town character intersect on the Mid-Shore, Mangold’s perspective offers a grounded snapshot of where the market stands—and what’s likely ahead for the region.

This video is approximately nine minutes in length. For more information about Chuck Mangold, please go to his website here. 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

A Spy Chat with Shore Regional Health’s New Clark Breast Center Director Dr. Kathryn Kelley

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Dr. Kathryn Kelley didn’t grow up dreaming of a career in medicine. The daughter of a teacher and a businessman, she found her way to surgery by following her curiosity—first toward science, then toward people. A Philadelphia native and Temple University graduate, she began her career as a college student exploring the sciences and ended up in an operating room, drawn to the mix of precision, problem-solving, and human connection that defines her work today.

Now, the new breast surgical oncologist at UM Shore Regional Health’s Clark Comprehensive Breast Center, Dr. Kelley, steps into the role formerly held by the beloved Dr. Roberta Lilly for many years. Leading a team that serves five Eastern Shore counties, she provides a comprehensive range of services, from early detection to reconstructive options. In this conversation, she reflects on how far breast cancer care has come, why early diagnosis matters more than ever, and what it means to help patients move from fear to recovery—without having to cross the bridge for world-class care.

This video is approximately nine minutes in length. For more information about UM Shore Regional Health’s Clark Comprehensive Breast Center, please go here. 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

From and Fuller: The Government Shutdown and a Dangerous Political Game of Chicken

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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 Fuller discuss the dangerous game of chicken that President Trump and Republicans in Congress are playing during the federal government shutdown as pressure builds on both sides as hundreds of thousands of federal employees are furloughed or forced to work without pay, impacting food safety and airport security, among other services, and and programs like SNAP (food stamps) face funding interruptions.

This video podcast is approximately 13 minutes in length.

To listen to the audio podcast version, please use this link:

Background

While the Spy’s public affairs mission has always been hyper-local, it has never limited us from covering national, or even international issues, that impact the communities we serve. With that in mind, we were delighted that Al From and Craig Fuller, both highly respected Washington insiders, have agreed to a new Spy video project called “The Analysis of From and Fuller” over the next year.

The Spy and our region are very lucky to have such an accomplished duo volunteer for this experiment. While one is a devoted Democrat and the other a lifetime Republican, both had long careers that sought out the middle ground of the American political spectrum.

Al From, the genius behind the Democratic Leadership Council’s moderate agenda which would eventually lead to the election of Bill Clinton, has never compromised from this middle-of-the-road philosophy. This did not go unnoticed in a party that was moving quickly to the left in the 1980s. Including progressive Howard Dean saying that From’s DLC was the Republican wing of the Democratic Party.

From’s boss, Bill Clinton, had a different perspective. He said it would be hard to think of a single American citizen who, as a private citizen, has had a more positive impact on the progress of American life in the last 25 years than Al From.”

Al now lives in Annapolis and spends his semi-retirement as a board member of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University (his alma mater) and authoring New Democrats and the Return to Power. He also is an adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins’ Krieger School and recently agreed to serve on the Annapolis Spy’s Board of Visitors. He is the author of “New Democrats and the Return to Power.”

For Craig Fuller, his moderation in the Republican party was a rare phenomenon. With deep roots in California’s GOP culture of centralism, Fuller, starting with a long history with Ronald Reagan, leading to his appointment as Reagan’s cabinet secretary at the White House, and later as George Bush’s chief-of-staff and presidential campaign manager was known for his instincts to find the middle ground. Even more noted was his reputation of being a nice guy in Washington, a rare characteristic for a successful tenure in the White House.

Craig has called Easton his permanent home for the last eight years, where he now chairs the board of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and is a former board member of the Academy Art Museum and Benedictine.  He also serves on the Spy’s Board of Visitors and writes an e-newsletter available by clicking on DECADE SEVEN.

With their rich experience and long history of friendship, now joined by their love of the Chesapeake Bay, they have agreed through the magic of Zoom, to talk inside politics and policy with the Spy every Thursday.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

A Bad Diagnosis, Remarkable Recovery, and Giving Back: A Chat with Andrew Dorbin

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According to Johns Hopkins Brady Urological Institute, testicular cancer is one of the most common cancers among young men, with nearly 10,000 new cases diagnosed each year in the United States. Although highly curable when caught early, it can spread rapidly if left untreated. For Preston’s Andrew Dorbin, this reality became personal in 2023 when he was diagnosed with late-stage testicular cancer that had already spread to his lungs and abdomen.

In our Spy chat, Andrew talks candidly about this unexpected moment in his early life, as he and his family coped with a rare life-endangering disease while welcoming a new baby.  After a two-year battle, with the help of family and a team of experts, He is in remission now, and he talks about his future in a different way than when the cancer was first discovered. To such an extent that he has decided to give back.

Andrew recently launched the Wayfinders Testicular Health Fund, a new initiative under Chesapeake Charities, to raise awareness, provide education, and ensure that no man faces cancer alone. His first effort is the upcoming “Putts Fore! Nuts” miniature golf tournament on October 18 in Ocean City, Maryland—a mix of laughter, competition, and serious conversation about men’s health.

This video is approximately nine minutes in length. To sign up for the event, please go here. 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Remembering Judge John C. North In his Own Words

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Last Friday brought the sad news that Judge John C. North had passed away at the ripe age of 94

Just a few months ago, I had interviewed the judge to help spread the word about the Bugatti exhibition at the Academy Art Museum. We talked at length that day about the show and his contributions of both cars and knowledge to what has been the AAM’s most successful exhibit to date, which celebrated the famed automobile designer family. But before we began that conversation, the judge was in a reflective mood, and we spent nearly as much time talking about his own life and his love for log canoes.

It was a rare moment with this native son of the Eastern Shore. The only child of a Talbot County lawyer, he earned his law degree at Harvard before returning home to practice and eventually joining the Maryland bench. With his rich vocabulary and formal manners, he carried one back to another era in his telling of his upbringing and love of boats.

That unplanned digression, before the “real” interview, lasted nearly 20 minutes. At the time, I told him I would someday produce another video that included this material, and he was delighted by the idea. That “someday” came sooner than expected. For a man known for his love of precision in language, it feels fitting that he told his story in his own words.

This video is approximately 18 minutes in length.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Spy Special Report: Inside Arthur Houghton’s Fallout Shelter

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According the his stepson, Jeff Horstman,  the late Arthur Houghton was not a doomsdayer per say, but it could be said he was a man of his times. When the former president of Corning Glass laid out his plans for the Wye River Plantation in Queen Anne’s County for his beloved Black Angus cattle and the Wye Institute, (later to be incorporated into the Aspen Institute) in the early 1960s, it was not inconceivable that the DC region might be the target of a nuclear attack. With the Cuban Missile Crisis fresh in the minds of many Americans, some of the country’s wealthiest began building fallout shelters as a reasonable precaution to remain alive if such an event took place.

But unlike other shelters that were built to house only a handful of people, the Houghton fortress was a massive underground complex of dorm rooms, a dining area, a social space, kitchen, and endless space for food storage. At its core were twin Kohler generators, fed by massive oil tanks, ready to keep up to 40 people supplied with air exchangers with radiation filters. Rows of bunk beds, each once sealed with fresh sheets in protective wrapping, lined the bedrooms. And Houghton maintained a survival list of those who would be admitted on short notice.

Horstman, who serves on the board of the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, who owns the property, was taking this spy around the property to tour the organization’s new facilities to host children with extremely serious illnesses and their families a special getaway throughout the year. That will be the subject of another Spy story in September but we did take a side trip that day to explore this one-of-a-kind facility.

This video is approximately two minutes in length.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

A New Restaurant Besides Piazza: A Chat with Emily Chandler

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As many Spy readers know, we’ve been periodically checking in with Emily Chandler, the owner of Piazza Italian Deli, over a decade now. Starting in December of 2008 with her relatively small first store in Talbottown, her move to her current location, coping with the pandemic, and a successful recovery, Emily has shown time and time again her unique gift of entrepreneurship mixed with a genuine passion for Italian food and culture. And the Mid-Shore has been the better for it each step along the way.

Now Chandler is taking another bold step with the opening of a new restaurant next door to Piazza called Accanto. In her recent chat with the Spy, Emily talks about the natural path she and her company have taken to get to this point. She also answers many questions about the logistics of the new dinner only establishment, and shares her thoughts about scaling her enterprise and in typical Emily Chandler fashion, talks candidly about the challenges of creating the right menu, the right ambitious,   and the right culture of her both herself and her staff going forward.

Just so you know, “Accanto” means “besides” in Italian.

This video is approximately six minutes in length.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

The Mid-Shore Welcomes a New Rabbi: A Chat with Temple B’nai Israel’s Jordan Goldson

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Rabbi Jordan Goldson traces his faith journey back to Long Island, where his family built a suburban Jewish life after the war. Friday nights meant synagogue, community, and late dinners with friends at the local diners that shaped a sense of belonging.  And when he was at Tulane University, far from home, he found himself drawn into the student organization Hillel, organizing Shabbat dinners, building a campus community, and unexpectedly found himself being nudged toward the rabbinate.

What began as curiosity about Jewish texts turned into rabbinical studies, first in Israel and then in Los Angeles and New York, culminating in his ordination in 1987. From his first pulpit in Calgary, through congregations in Arizona, Baton Rouge, New Jersey, and now Easton, his career has been marked by growth, resilience, and a deep commitment to community. Along the way he’s taught, counseled, and led through times of promise and times of struggle, always returning to the heart of what drew him in as a young man: the joy of creating and sustaining Jewish life.

Rabbi Goldson stopped by the Spy Studio a few weeks ago to chat about the challenge and opportunities in attracting younger people to Temple B’nai in an era of remarkable technology and the temple’s celebration of 75 years of service to the Mid-Shore. The Rabbi also talks about how a community processes the current tragedy in Gaza and growing anti-semitism. His answer begins with a 3,000 year old history of resilience and hope.

This video is approximately six minutes in length. For more information about Temple B’nai Israel please go here. 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Spy Chat: The Release of Pastor Daniel Fuentes Espinal and his Future with Len Foxwell

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The Spy sits down with Len Foxwell to discuss the release of Pastor Daniel Fuentes Espinal in Easton on Friday and what comes next for both the pastor and the community.

This video is approximately 10 minutes in length.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

The Search for Answers for the Annapolis Capital Gazette Murders: A Chat with Author Thomas Marquardt

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On June 28, 2018, Jarrod Ramos attacked the Capital Gazette newsroom in Annapolis. Armed with a shotgun and explosives, he opened fire, killing five members of the Capital’s editorial staff. It remains the deadliest workplace shooting in Maryland history.

Thomas Marquardt, the then-publisher and editor of the newspaper, remains severely traumatized to this day by this senseless act of violence. Still, unlike countless others who survive such an event, Tom’s career as a journalist provided him with unique skills and motivation to dig deeper, find better answers for this unforgivable act of terror. Years of research have finally resulted in the publication of Pressed to Kill: Inside Newspapers’ Worst Mass Murder.

Beyond the sometimes cathartic effects of writing the book to address his own lingering trauma from that tragic day,  Tom is also on a mission to use the book to put a spotlight on workplace violence and what businesses and their owners can do to help protect their employees.

The Spy spoke with Tom last week about this book in advance of his conversation with Spy publisher Dave Wheelan and For All Seasons CEO Beth Anne Dorman on August 6th, as part of the Leadership Maryland Alumni gathering at the Waterfowl Building.

This video is approximately eight minutes in length. To purchase Pressed to Kill please go here. 

Leadership Maryland Alumni Engagement Speaker Forum
August 6 at 6:30 p.m
Waterfowl Festival Building (40 S. Harrison St., Easton) 

In Conversation with author Tom Marquardt with Beth Anne Dorman, President & CEO of For All Seasons

Free and open to the public.
Register at leadershipmd.org.

Café-style seating with complimentary non-alcoholic beverages provided by Saucy Salamander Catering.
Venue sponsored by Deena Kilmon, Executive Director, Waterfowl Festival.

 

 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.