The 29th Division Association, representing over 2,000 members, has expressed its support for community efforts to prevent the demolition of the historic Chestertown Armory. The association believes the armory is a cherished piece of history that deserves to be preserved for its significance and legacy. The 29th Infantry Division, also known as the “Blue and Gray Division” with their motto “29, Let’s Go!”, is an infantry division of the Army based at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. This division is currently a formation of the Army National...

More than 4 million people — including teams of astronomers and researchers — are expected to travel to parts of the U.S. that will see the moon completely block out the sun during the total solar eclipse Monday, April 8. That path of totality stretches from Texas to New England and includes parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Ohio and New York. Millions more will watch partial versions of eclipse across the...

The six Democratic senators representing the Delmarva Peninsula voted against a measure that would reverse the Biden administration’s decision to allow beef imports into the U.S. from Paraguay. The U.S. Senate voted 70-25 Thursday to reverse the administration’s move to lift longstanding prohibitions on Paraguayan beef imports in an effort led by U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana. The agricultural and trade battle has divided Democrats and comes as U.S. beef...

BALTIMORE — When Julie Rewers walked a few yards from her home in suburban Baltimore, she used to see the Francis Scott Key Bridge, its sprawling arch stretched majestically across the Patapsco River. The bridge was so ingrained in the community where the 28-year-old was born and raised that local businesses used it in their logos. It took Rewers to vacations in Ocean City and formed the backdrop of boating excursions with friends. When she commuted from an old job, the bridge signified that she...

DUNDALK — A few hours after Teresita Santana and her family drove across the Francis Scott Key Bridge, they felt their house shake. “As if something had exploded,” Santana said. Santana and her family, including her children and mother, got back to their home in Dundalk late Monday night after a trip to Washington, D.C., to get their passports and see the cherry blossoms. It was only a few hours...

QUEEN ANNE- The Town of Queen Anne is holding its election on April 1. One town commissioner seat is up for election, and it’s being contested by two candidates, incumbent Phil Starkey Jr. and Elizabeth Malasky. Moving to the Town of Queen Anne with her family in 2016, Malasky currently serves as Queen Anne public information officer. She is a Queen Anne’s County High School graduate and attended Mount Vernon...

CHESTERTOWN — Last year, the Kent County Board of Education agreed to construct a new state-of-the art building to replace the aging Kent County Middle School at 402 E. Campus Ave. Built in 1945, some of the reasons cited is it’s an outdated building with a leaky roof, little ventilation, rooms without windows and even asbestos tiles. The board voted Oct. 9 to build on the Chestertown campus of the...

From left, Miss Outdoors Laila Insley, Little Mister Outdoors Edwin Bramble and Little Miss Outdoors Rose Bloodsworth, crowned in the 2024 National Outdoor Show in Church Creek in February, are recognized at the Dorchester County Council meeting March 19.

A 39-year-old stabbing victim in Cambridge gave police a name just before losing consciousness early Saturday morning. Cambridge police canvassed the area and an officer on foot found the suspect hiding in a wooded area between Camper Street and the Board of Education building. The subject was identified as 31-year-old Charles Brandon McCourt of Cambridge. McCourt was arrested and transported to the Cambridge police station for further investigation. ...

CHESTERTOWN — Donning the latest styles from Houston’s Dockside Emporium and Jerry Moe’s, local models took to the red tile runway of the Kent County Elks Lodge Sunday afternoon for the second annual “Walking the Runway for Rescues.” Event organizer Michelle Timmons, owner of Houston’s Dockside Emporium, was inspired to combine her passion for fashion and love of animals to benefit the Animal Care Shelter of Kent County. “This has...

The Bookplate is continuing its 2024 season of author lectures on April 3 with Neil King Jr. for a 6 p.m. event at The Kitchen and Pub at The Imperial Hotel. Neil King Jr.’s desire to walk from Washington, D.C., to New York City began as a whim and soon became an obsession. By the spring of 2021, events had intervened that gave his desire greater urgency. His neighborhood still reeled from the Jan. 6 insurrection. COVID-19 lockdowns and a rancorous election had deepened America’s...

On Friday, April 5, The Mainstay once again presents piano accompanist and impresario Joe Holt in another of his popular and widely diverse “First Friday”” programs. The theme of the evening is a timely tribute to the beloved tunes of composer Burt Bacharach and vocalist Dionne Warwick. Bacharach passed away just over a year ago. His immensely popular works, such as “Walk on By”, “Anyone Who Had a Heart”, “Alfie”, and “Don’t Make Me Over”, made Warwick a superstar. Holt’s tribute program spotlights the passionate...

Fifth-grade teacher Melissa Carpenter works a 10-hour day on average during the week, and her job sometimes requires her to put in hours on weekends, too. “I feel like teaching is one of those jobs where we go to work to do more work — to do work after work,” said Carpenter, who teaches at William B. Wade Elementary School in Waldorf, in Charles County. Carpenter’s long hours are far...

QUEENSTOWN — On a trip to the Eastern Shore Friday, U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) heard from local farmers and members of agricultural organizations on what is most important to them when it comes to the Farm Bill. The Farm Bill is a package of legislation that includes various agriculture and nutrition programs, from crop insurance to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The federal bill needs to be reauthorized. In November, the bill was extended to allow programs to continue through Sept....

(Left to right) Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Kevin Atticks listen during a roundtable at Wye Research and Education Center in Queenstown on Marcch 15. At the roundtable, Eastern Shore farmers and members of organizations like the Maryland Farm Bureau and Horizon Farm Credit spoke about the Farm Bill.

Lindsay Thompson (left), owner of Thompson Ag Consulting, talks about technical assistance programming in the Farm Bill at a roundtable at Wye Research and Education Center in Queenstown on March 15.

CENTREVILLE — The Queen Anne’s County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved an emergency bill March 12 to regulate cannabis in the county ahead of state requirements. The ordinance outlined permitted consumption, growing, processing and dispensing of cannabis in the county and the location of cannabis dispensaries and processors. The state is considering preempting requirements of 500-foot setbacks while Queen Anne’s ordinance states similar to current liquor laws. Cannabis processors and...

The war in Gaza after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks inside Israel has birthed contentious protests on college campuses magnifying debates around free speech and how universities should handle ramped up and controversial rhetoric — including antisemitism. The debate can pitt students’ and staff’s free speech rights — especially at public universities — against safety and harassment concerns voiced by other students and employees. “I think we forget that there is...

CENTREVILLE — One year ago, Clayton Washington was in the hospital recuperating from a broken femur. While flipping through channels on his room’s TV he discovered a documentary about Black watermen and the seafood industry. “I was engrossed in the great story of our African American heritage,” he said. “When it ended I started making calls.” He contacted people who appeared in the documentary and asked them to join him...