It’s hard to imagine an institution more vital to the Mid-Shore’s economic future than Chesapeake College. For nearly 60 years, the region’s community college has played a central role in educating, training, and launching thousands of students into careers essential to the growth of the five counties it serves.

Despite a strong track record, Chesapeake has faced no shortage of challenges—from shifting demographics and uncertain state funding to the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic. As President Cliff Coppersmith enters his seventh year at the helm, he remains focused on navigating these headwinds while building for the future.

In our annual interview, Coppersmith emphasized the college’s local momentum, underscored by unanimous county support for a $56 million capital project to expand skilled trades education. The planned facility—twice the size of the current Queen Anne’s tech building—will break ground in 2026.

He also spotlighted recent advances, including a $1.2 million mobile welding lab, a new marine trades vessel, and a $500,000 annual investment in nursing programs. With 37% of students now dual-enrolled high schoolers, and federal programs like Pell Grants and Upward Bound under scrutiny, Coppersmith is alert but optimistic—confident in the college’s enduring role as a regional engine of talent and opportunity.

This video is approximately 24 minutes in length. For more information about Chesapeake College please go here.

While it may be true that the land conservation movement has faced tough times before, particularly on the Eastern Shore, according to Steve Kline, the president of the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, it’s hard to remember a more dire moment for preserving essential landscapes.  The combination of a significant drop in state funding for such critical programs like Maryland’s Open Space, coupled with Annapolis’s recent move to supersede local government control of solar farm permitting, will make it more difficult than ever before for organizations and individuals to preserve the Eastern Shore’s most important assets; its rich agricultural soil.

During our annual check-in with Steve, he discusses these real threats to land conservation and the sobering outlook for the Mid-Shore, highlighting the short-term challenges in the region’s ongoing battle to preserve its heritage.

This video is approximately 15 minutes in length. For more information about the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy or to make a donation, please visit their website here.

Judge John North, who has assembled one of a handful of internationally recognized car collections globally (think Jay Leno), admits to two major love affairs with automobiles. The first was the legendary American Duesenberg, which manufactured America’s top-performing cars from 1920 to 1938 out of Indiana. With the help of his father, he purchased his first one after graduating from Harvard Law School in the 1950s, which led to a lifetime of collecting these rare examples of American technology and craftsmanship.

The second affair started ten years later when Judge North became infatuated with the European-based Bugattis in the 1960s. Drawn to their delicate design and breathtaking technical innovations, North purchased his first one sight unseen in 1965 and now has four in his collection. Those models are now on view at the Academy Art Museum’s current exhibition, Bugatti: Reaching for Perfection, which allowed the Spy to talk to the judge about this lifelong passion for automobiles.

That passion is undoubtedly on display when North, at the ripe age of 93, begins to talk about what makes the Bugatti so unique. Consequently, the Spy has made our conversation a long form interview so readers and those who love cars can hear his rich stories of the Bugatti legacy and the family’s everlasting contributions to industrial design and art.

This video is approximately 18 minutes in length. For more information about the Academy Art Museum please go here.

Bugatti: Reaching for Perfection
Until Apr 13, 2025

Academy Art Museum
106 South Street
Easton, Maryland 21601
410.822.2787 or [email protected]

Many families are impacted by dementia and Alzheimer’s, a new program piloted at the YMCA, TANDEM, hopes to support the individuals with the diagnosis and the caregiver that is often struggling with stress, depression and anxiety.

Tandem is a loving community for individuals diagnosed with Dementia/Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. The Tandem program includes gentle and safe exercise therapy, music therapy and art therapy, all of which bring joy, provide social interaction and improve quality of life for all. This 16- week pilot program was the first of its kind in our area and is offered at no charge to the family. Tandem meets twice a week and offers several sessions for the caregivers to connect for support and respite. We do it all with encouragement and love.

“I look forward to serving families impacted by dementia and Alzheimer’s. As we know caregivers experience higher levels of stress, depression, and anxiety.  If we can support them through love, support and encouragement in Tandem, we can be a lifeline to families that are in survival mode.”

 The YMCA hopes to replicate this program in all of our communities. Please contact Wendy Palmer if you would like to hear more about becoming a TANDEM Coach, volunteer or if your family needs the support.  [email protected]

This video is approximately six minutes in length. For more information about the YMCA of the Chesapeake, please go here. 

For many on the Mid-Shore, particularly in Talbot Couty, Chuck Mangold is the go-to guy to turn to when real estate comes up. For over two decades. Chuck at Benson and Mangold, the multi-generational real estate giant on the Shore, has seen the local market in good and bad times, enjoying the remarkable highs and surviving the low moments. So, when the Spy was thinking of an ongoing series devoted to one of the region’s most important economic sectors, Mr. Mangold was our first choice. And we are particularly grateful Chuck has agreed to participate.

In the first of our quarterly conversations, Chuck shares his insights on the local commercial real estate market, the multi-million dollar sector, and the industry’s general health. Chuck also discusses the challenges of determining a reasonable growth rate for Easton and other communities on the Mid-Shore.

This video is approximately 12 minutes in length. For more information about Chuck Mangold please go to his website here. 

Over the coming months, community leaders from across the Mid-Shore will gather in various festive ways to celebrate the extraordinary contributions of YMCA of the Chesapeake CEO Robbie Gill.

When Robbie arrived in Talbot County in 2005, the YMCA at the Easton Peachbossom site was already a success story. Through the generosity of the W. Alton Jones Foundation and the dedication of visionary board members, the Y’s presence has since then significantly improved the lives of countless families in and around Talbot County. However, that transformative impact was primarily limited to the county, leaving many nearby counties – particularly further north – without access to similar opportunities.

While others had recognized this gap in mission delivery, it was Robbie’s leadership skills and strategic vision that made these much-needed changes. His ability to unite teams and mobilize resources has brought the YMCA to life in Kent and Queen Anne’s Counties. Today, with two new campuses in Chestertown and Centreville, representing nearly $50 million in funding, the Y has expanded its reach and delivered life-changing programs and services to even more communities.

The Spy recently invited Robbie to our studio to reflect on these remarkable achievements and to share his thoughts on the future. During our conversation, we asked him to explore the question that never seems fully answered: “What’s next for YMCA?”

This video is approximately eight minutes in length. For more information about the YMCA of the Chesapeake please go here.