https://chestertownspy.org Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Chestertown Thu, 06 Feb 2025 14:20:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/01/the-political-is-personal-reflections-on-dei/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/01/the-political-is-personal-reflections-on-dei/#comments Sat, 01 Feb 2025 13:00:38 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/01/the-political-is-personal-reflections-on-dei/ As the women’s movement was unfolding in the late 1960s, all across the country women gathered in small, informal groups called consciousness raising (CR) groups—conversations that helped us identify the societal origins of problems we were facing in our individual lives. Domestic violence, rape, job discrimination, illegal abortion, the lack of birth control—you name it: […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/01/the-political-is-personal-reflections-on-dei/feed/ 5 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/30/new-report-reveals-value-of-resource-conservation-for-shore-businesses-by-john-horner/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/30/new-report-reveals-value-of-resource-conservation-for-shore-businesses-by-john-horner/#respond Thu, 30 Jan 2025 12:37:51 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/30/new-report-reveals-value-of-resource-conservation-for-shore-businesses-by-john-horner/ I consider it a privilege to live and work in a place so many Marylanders associate with vacations, retirement, recreation, and quiet retreats. But as good as our parks, rivers, beaches, and charming towns are for those very activities—the Eastern Shore is equally a place of everyday living and hard honest work, schools and small […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/30/new-report-reveals-value-of-resource-conservation-for-shore-businesses-by-john-horner/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/17/moores-misguided-tax-proposal-punishing-success-ignoring-reform-by-clayton-mitchell/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/17/moores-misguided-tax-proposal-punishing-success-ignoring-reform-by-clayton-mitchell/#comments Fri, 17 Jan 2025 13:30:07 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/16/moores-misguided-tax-proposal-punishing-success-ignoring-reform-by-clayton-mitchell/ Governor Wes Moore’s declaration that raising taxes would require a “high bar” seems to have been more rhetoric than reality. For many Maryland taxpayers, this supposed bar appears distressingly low. The governor’s plan to impose higher taxes on households earning over $1 million and individuals earning over $500,000 annually is a stark departure from his […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/17/moores-misguided-tax-proposal-punishing-success-ignoring-reform-by-clayton-mitchell/feed/ 3 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/12/marylands-fiscal-apocalypse-by-clayton-a-mitchell-sr/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/12/marylands-fiscal-apocalypse-by-clayton-a-mitchell-sr/#comments Sun, 12 Jan 2025 15:33:29 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/12/marylands-fiscal-apocalypse-by-clayton-a-mitchell-sr/ Maryland’s State Budget is teetering on the brink of an unprecedented financial collapse. The refusal to address formula-driven mandatory and entitlement spending threatens to thrust the state into a cycle of automatic “runaway” deficits, culminating in a financial “Extinction Level Event” in the near future. Despite the gravity of this crisis, political leaders have shied […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/12/marylands-fiscal-apocalypse-by-clayton-a-mitchell-sr/feed/ 6 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/11/19/reflections-on-cabinet-choices-by-j-t-smith/ https://chestertownspy.org/2024/11/19/reflections-on-cabinet-choices-by-j-t-smith/#comments Tue, 19 Nov 2024 13:30:29 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=180947 Last week President-elect Trump proved his wish to be a “disrupter” by announcing several capricious and extraordinary choices for some of the most important posts in his cabinet. They included Robert F Kennedy Jr. to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS); Peter Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense; and Matt Gaetz to […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2024/11/19/reflections-on-cabinet-choices-by-j-t-smith/feed/ 2 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/11/02/balancing-growth-and-green-chestertowns-greenbelt-plan-faces-a-solar-challenge-by-steve-kline/ https://chestertownspy.org/2024/11/02/balancing-growth-and-green-chestertowns-greenbelt-plan-faces-a-solar-challenge-by-steve-kline/#comments Sat, 02 Nov 2024 13:20:50 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/11/02/balancing-growth-and-green-chestertowns-greenbelt-plan-faces-a-solar-challenge-by-steve-kline/ My love for the Eastern Shore started in Chestertown. I used to visit each fall for the Chestertown Wildlife Art Festival and it was one of my favorite weekends of the year. Big groups of migrating Canada geese would hang in the air, as would that first real bite of autumn chill. The magic of […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2024/11/02/balancing-growth-and-green-chestertowns-greenbelt-plan-faces-a-solar-challenge-by-steve-kline/feed/ 3 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/08/31/governor-wes-moore-on-his-military-record/ https://chestertownspy.org/2024/08/31/governor-wes-moore-on-his-military-record/#respond Sat, 31 Aug 2024 20:51:15 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/08/31/governor-wes-moore-on-his-military-record/ “I am proud of my service in the U.S. Army, I am proud of the soldiers I served with in combat, and I love my country. I’m never going to back away from that. The military taught me to put the safety of others over my own, leave no one behind, and live “Mission First, […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2024/08/31/governor-wes-moore-on-his-military-record/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/05/30/the-student-debt-forgiveness-debate-applying-fairness-and-fiscal-responsibility-by-clayton-a-mitchell-sr/ https://chestertownspy.org/2024/05/30/the-student-debt-forgiveness-debate-applying-fairness-and-fiscal-responsibility-by-clayton-a-mitchell-sr/#comments Thu, 30 May 2024 11:43:50 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/05/30/the-student-debt-forgiveness-debate-applying-fairness-and-fiscal-responsibility-by-clayton-a-mitchell-sr/ We find ourselves at a crossroads where the principles of fairness and fiscal responsibility stand at odds with the allure of sweeping student loan forgiveness. The Biden administration’s ambitious plan to erase student debt, while undoubtedly appealing to many, raises profound questions about the nature of responsibility and equity in our society. Let us not […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2024/05/30/the-student-debt-forgiveness-debate-applying-fairness-and-fiscal-responsibility-by-clayton-a-mitchell-sr/feed/ 4 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/05/26/thinking-about-levin-newcombs-sacrifice-at-christ-episcopal-churchs-cemetery-in-cambridge-by-rick-stevens/ https://chestertownspy.org/2024/05/26/thinking-about-levin-newcombs-sacrifice-at-christ-episcopal-churchs-cemetery-in-cambridge-by-rick-stevens/#respond Sun, 26 May 2024 23:24:53 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/05/26/thinking-about-levin-newcombs-sacrifice-at-christ-episcopal-churchs-cemetery-in-cambridge-by-rick-stevens/ As Memorial Day approaches, I wish each of you a pleasant and safe holiday weekend. Recently, I attended a family wedding on Maryland’s eastern shore, staying overnight in the small village of Cambridge.  To pass the time between nuptial obligations, I decided to walk around the town. At the corner of Church and High Street, […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2024/05/26/thinking-about-levin-newcombs-sacrifice-at-christ-episcopal-churchs-cemetery-in-cambridge-by-rick-stevens/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/04/19/shaping-the-eastern-shores-future-at-chesapeake-college-by-cliff-coppersmith/ Fri, 19 Apr 2024 13:01:16 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/04/19/shaping-the-eastern-shores-future-at-chesapeake-college-by-cliff-coppersmith/ The new Chesapeake College brand, launched this academic year, highlights our role in preparing our students for “what’s next.” Our students choose their own goals—whether that is transfer to a bachelor’s degree program or entry into a career—but our job is to help them acquire the relevant skills, knowledge and experiences to be successful. This […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2024/04/13/thinking-about-women-arizona-and-abortion-by-margaret-andersen/ Sat, 13 Apr 2024 12:00:12 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/04/13/thinking-about-women-arizona-and-abortion-by-margaret-andersen/ The news that the Arizona Supreme Court has upheld an 1864 law outlawing abortion from the moment of conception (except to save a mother’s life), while also making abortion a felony (punishable by two to five years in prison for anyone who procures or assists with one) sent a shock wave last week through the […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2024/04/10/the-powerful-rise-of-speaker-adrienne-jones-by-clayton-a-mitchell-sr/ Wed, 10 Apr 2024 12:52:36 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/04/10/the-powerful-rise-of-speaker-adrienne-jones-by-clayton-a-mitchell-sr/ In the halls of power in Annapolis, where political tides ebb and flow with the speed and unpredictability of the Chesapeake Bay itself, a definitive powerful force has emerged. It is a force that has not only shaped the outcomes of the 2024 Maryland Legislative Session but has also cemented its place as the most […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2024/04/08/video-opinion-oxford-needs-a-forensic-audit-by-scott-rensberger/ https://chestertownspy.org/2024/04/08/video-opinion-oxford-needs-a-forensic-audit-by-scott-rensberger/#comments Mon, 08 Apr 2024 12:01:35 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/04/08/video-opinion-oxford-needs-a-forensic-audit-by-scott-rensberger/ Editor’s note: journalist and filmmaker Scott Rensberger has lived part-time in Oxford for the last eight years quite contently for most of that time. But last year, when a simple inquiry about a stormwater flood gate near his home went unanswered after several attempts to reach Town Hall, Scott began increasingly worried about the town’s […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2024/04/08/video-opinion-oxford-needs-a-forensic-audit-by-scott-rensberger/feed/ 3 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/03/25/whats-wrong-with-cambridge-waterfront-development-inc-by-chuck-mcfadden/ Mon, 25 Mar 2024 13:45:58 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/03/25/whats-wrong-with-cambridge-waterfront-development-inc-by-chuck-mcfadden/ Cambridge’s City Manager, Tom Carroll, resigned Monday over what he says is a lack of progress in changing the direction advanced by the Cambridge Waterfront Development Inc. (CWDI) for Cambridge Harbor. Mr. Carroll is the second City Manager to leave under this City Council in less than 3 years.  So, what is CWDI and what […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2024/03/19/democrat-house-delegates-are-putting-moore-in-a-bind-with-its-tax-hike-by-clayton-a-mitchell-sr/ https://chestertownspy.org/2024/03/19/democrat-house-delegates-are-putting-moore-in-a-bind-with-its-tax-hike-by-clayton-a-mitchell-sr/#comments Tue, 19 Mar 2024 11:35:31 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/03/19/democrat-house-delegates-are-putting-moore-in-a-bind-with-its-tax-hike-by-clayton-a-mitchell-sr/ In a notable twist of political dynamics, Governor Wes Moore, a fellow Democrat, finds himself at odds with members of his own party in the Maryland House of Delegates over budget priorities. Moore, who has consistently pledged not to raise taxes, now faces the daunting prospect of vetoing a budget bill proposed by fellow Democrats […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2024/03/19/democrat-house-delegates-are-putting-moore-in-a-bind-with-its-tax-hike-by-clayton-a-mitchell-sr/feed/ 7 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/03/07/the-divisive-impact-of-a-maryland-sales-tax-increase-on-the-shore-by-clayton-a-mitchell-sr/ https://chestertownspy.org/2024/03/07/the-divisive-impact-of-a-maryland-sales-tax-increase-on-the-shore-by-clayton-a-mitchell-sr/#comments Thu, 07 Mar 2024 13:59:56 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/03/07/the-divisive-impact-of-a-maryland-sales-tax-increase-on-the-shore-by-clayton-a-mitchell-sr/ In order to pay for upcoming structural deficits and increased spending in the Maryland operating and capital budgets, tax and fee increases have been informally discussed among some members of the General Assembly.  One such potential tax proposal is to increase the Maryland Sales and Use Tax. In the ongoing discourse over whether to increase […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2024/03/07/the-divisive-impact-of-a-maryland-sales-tax-increase-on-the-shore-by-clayton-a-mitchell-sr/feed/ 4 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/03/05/senate-bill-1-they-make-more-we-pay-more-by-len-foxwell/ https://chestertownspy.org/2024/03/05/senate-bill-1-they-make-more-we-pay-more-by-len-foxwell/#comments Tue, 05 Mar 2024 12:56:42 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/03/05/senate-bill-1-they-make-more-we-pay-more-by-len-foxwell/ Who is ready for more sticker shock at the grocery store? Well…get ready. It’s going to happen right here in Maryland.  On March 1, the Senate Committee on Education, Energy and the Environment voted favorably on Senate Bill 1, which means it will now go to the Senate for likely approval. If passed, it will […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2024/03/05/senate-bill-1-they-make-more-we-pay-more-by-len-foxwell/feed/ 3 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/02/22/power-for-themselves-the-truth-behind-the-big-utilities-claims-by-clayton-a-mitchell-sr/ https://chestertownspy.org/2024/02/22/power-for-themselves-the-truth-behind-the-big-utilities-claims-by-clayton-a-mitchell-sr/#comments Thu, 22 Feb 2024 13:03:28 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/02/22/power-for-themselves-the-truth-behind-the-big-utilities-claims-by-clayton-a-mitchell-sr/ In the corridors of legislative power in Maryland, a bill looms large, bearing the ominous moniker Senate Bill 1 / House Bill 267. This legislative concoction threatens to strip away the cherished right of choice from Maryland’s electricity and natural gas consumers. The intended consequence? Cementing the dominion of utility monopolies while muffling the voice […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2024/02/22/power-for-themselves-the-truth-behind-the-big-utilities-claims-by-clayton-a-mitchell-sr/feed/ 1 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/02/14/the-solar-industrys-giant-land-grab-of-maryland-farmland-by-jay-falstad/ https://chestertownspy.org/2024/02/14/the-solar-industrys-giant-land-grab-of-maryland-farmland-by-jay-falstad/#comments Wed, 14 Feb 2024 13:00:36 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/02/14/the-solar-industrys-giant-land-grab-of-maryland-farmland-by-jay-falstad/ Maryland’s farming lands, especially those on the Eastern Shore, are a crucially important food-producing asset of our State. Unfortunately, those rural lands and associated small-town economies are in the crosshairs of a giant land grab by the solar industry. The industry has weaponized ‘climate change’ as a low-cost way to capture tens of thousands of […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2024/02/14/the-solar-industrys-giant-land-grab-of-maryland-farmland-by-jay-falstad/feed/ 5 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/02/08/opinion-the-republican-perspective-on-the-state-of-the-state-by-senator-steve-hershey/ Thu, 08 Feb 2024 13:51:53 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/02/08/opinion-the-republican-perspective-on-the-state-of-the-state-by-senator-steve-hershey/ In my role as the Senate Republican Leader, a position bestowed upon me by my fellow Republican colleagues, I am here today to communicate our collective vision for the State of Maryland. This vision encompasses both an acknowledgment of where we stand currently and an approach for where we believe we should be heading in […]]]>