Chesapeake

High winds are forecast across the region Saturday with a gale warning in effect on the Chesapeake Bay until noon, according to the National Weather Service. A gale warning means winds of 34 to 47 knots (39 to 54 mph) are expected. Forecasters say that could mean dangerous conditions for anyone venturing out onto the bay, especially in smaller boats. Even after the gale subsides, condtions will remain treacherous for inexperienced sailors, according to the Weather Service. In response to conditions, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge is operating under a wind warning, with the Maryland Transportation Authority urging drivers to use caution while crossing.

Robert Prettyman walked along the uneven ground surrounding Anne Arundel Community College's resource management building and pointed to soil erosion, storm runoff and other evidence that the area is losing its battle against the elements. "You can see the erosion. It's a mess," said Prettyman, 51, a student at the college. He then ventured down a series of weather-beaten steps in the woods to a small waterway known as Divided Creek. Runoff from the resource management building flows through underground pipes and spills into the creek before heading to the Magothy River and Chesapeake Bay. Prettyman, a Glen Burnie resident studying ecosystem restoration and environmental monitoring, wants to stem that tide of erosion, and he recently came up with a project to reduce and naturally filter some of the runoff from the building.

The Chesapeake Bay is showing increased resilience in the face of natural and man-made abuses, though it's still seriously impaired, according to the latest official report on the regional restoration effort. The annual " Bay Barometer " released Thursday says that only 34 percent of the mainstem of the Chesapeake has enough oxygen in it during summer for fish and shellfish to thrive, oyster populations remain a fraction of what they once were and a majority of streams throughout the six-state watershed are in poor or very poor condition.

You're never far from water in Maryland, with the Chesapeake Bay nearly bisecting the state. Yet for all that, there's a surprising shortage of places where people can launch a boat, cast a fishing line or wade in. A coalition of recreational enthusiasts, small businesses, local governments and civic and nonprofit groups hopes to change that.  They've launched a " Freedom to Float " campaign, seeking to capitalize on the release this week of...

A trio of environmental groups warned Monday they would sue the operator of three coal-fired power plants in Maryland for allegedly discharging excessive amounts of nutrient pollution into Chesapeake Bay rivers and trying to mask their violations by transferring pollution "credits" among facilities. Food & Water Watch, the Patuxent Riverkeeper and the Potomac Riverkeeper contend that NRG Energy has been violating state-imposed pollution discharge limits for the past three years at its Chalk Point, Morgantown and Dickerson power plants.

Severn School and Chesapeake Academy will merge July 1 to create the largest independent school in Anne Arundel County, school officials said last week. The merged school will be known as the Severn School. Severn School in Severna Park, which will celebrate its centennial next school year, serves 600 students in grades six through 12. Chesapeake Academy in Arnold, which was founded in 1980, has more than 200 students in preschool through fifth grade. School officials said students in preschool through fifth grade will attend classes at the Chesapeake site, which will be renamed Severn School Chesapeake Campus, and will adopt Severn School's colors and uniforms, officials said.

Island View Waterfront Cafe is the kind of place that's made for summer. But that doesn't mean a wintertime visit is a bad idea. On a recent Friday night - cold and rainy - the summertime crowds were nowhere to be found. But the service was personable and efficient, the food comforting, and the space, with its Chesapeake tchotchkes and antique decoys, as charming as a seaside cottage. Located at the end of a long road in Essex, on a tip of land jutting out into the Chesapeake Bay near Hart-Miller Island, Island View Waterfront Cafe was built in 1920, originally as a dance hall and picnic spot for people escaping the city in the summer.

Editor: Kudos to Dr. Meghan Milburn and the Upper Chesapeake Multa-Disciplinary Breast Cancer Team! Gals—self check "is" the answer to safety plus!!!! If you want "the" best care and attention you can get—go to Upper Chesapeake and their awesome team!! A "self-check" in October led to the swiftness and best of professional care to breast cancer surgery by the end of December with roller coaster speed and a huge "Whew" with the post surgery follow up appointment from myself and my wonderful family and friends!

As she prepares to step down as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Lisa P. Jackson says one of the "prouder moments" of her tenure was President Obama's agreement to have the federal government take the lead in trying to ramp up the lagging Chesapeake Bay restoration effort. Jackson, whose agency's work to address climate change and reduce air pollution have drawn much more attention and controversy, recalled with pride her role in helping to renew a cleanup effort that had repeatedly failed to reach its goals in the decades before Obama took office.

Twenty-two outstanding educators from area schools were honored at a dinner Jan. 10 by the Chesapeake Gateway Chamber of Commerce, which honors teachers as part of their annual awards and installation dinner,. Superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools Dallas Dance was on hand to honor the Baltimore County Public School educators Teachers from Carney Elementary, to Kenwood High School, to the Community College of Baltimore County were selected on the basis of having five or more years of service in education, classroom leadership, involvement in extra-curricular activities, respect from colleagues and service as positive role model for students.