Eastern Shore

When area residents begin lining up outside the Nancy Hammond Editions art gallery in Annapolis early Sunday morning for copies of the artist's latest city poster, it will be a bittersweet time for fans of Hammond's work. Having moved to the Eastern Shore, Hammond will close her Annapolis gallery on State Circle Dec. 31 and end a brief but popular tradition of selling hundreds of copies of an annual limited-edition poster, many at a big discount, on a first-come, first-served basis. As she prepared for a celebration to mark the introduction of her latest work, Hammond said it was the right time to end the series.

Does it not rain in every part of the state of Maryland? Of course, it does ("Craig signs scaled down Harford 'rain tax' bill into law," May 3). That fact makes me wonder why only the 10 most populous jurisdictions are required to pay the so-called "rain tax. " The runoff in the western-most counties eventually flows into the Potomac River, which then empties into the Chesapeake Bay. The counties on the Eastern Shore are currently exempt from this...

Does it not rain in every part of the state of Maryland? Of course, it does ("Craig signs scaled down Harford 'rain tax' bill into law," May 3). That fact makes me wonder why only the 10 most populous jurisdictions are required to pay the so-called "rain tax. " The runoff in the western-most counties eventually flows into the Potomac River, which then empties into the Chesapeake Bay. The counties on the Eastern Shore are currently exempt from this...

Tryouts for the Maryland team in the second annual Big 26 Baseball Classic against Pennsylvania will be held at two locations in the state later this month. The first tryout is scheduled for May 18 at the Northern Worcester Athletic Complex in Berlin for players on the Eastern Shore, while the second tryout is set for May 19 at Joe Cannon Stadium in Hanover for local players. The top 26 players from Maryland will be selected to take on the Pennsylvania team in a three-game series at Metro Bank Park in Harrisburg, Pa., from July 26 to 28. Maryland won the first Big 26 Baseball Classic last year.

On the wave-tossed banks of the Eastern Shore, treasure washes onto the sand every day —ordinary glass thrown into the water decades ago, where it was broken and beaten by the sea for years, emerging finally as rare and beautiful "sea glass. " Some call sea glass "Tears of the Mermaids," and once you see its luminous glow against the sand, you understand why. My interest began last October, when my sister and niece proposed a sea-glass hunt at Tolchester Beach near Chestertown on the Eastern Shore.

Old Dominion Electric Cooperative said Tuesday that it will seek approval from Maryland regulators to build an electric power plant in Cecil County. The Virginia-based Old Dominion supplies power to about 550,000 households and businesses through 11 cooperatives in Maryland, Virginia and Delaware, including the 52,000-member Choptank Electric Cooperative on the Eastern Shore. The nonprofit said its proposed plant would be constructed near Rising Sun, at its Rock Springs facility.

Maryland environmental officials have placed the Eastern Shore under a drought warning, encouraging water systems, residents and businesses to restrict water use. The warning is based on rainfall levels slipping to 70 percent of normal and well levels dropping well below normal. Some streams measured as indicators are at less than 5 percent of normal flow, considered "emergency" levels, according to the Maryland Department of the Environment. Central Maryland, not including the area tapped into Baltimore's water system, remains under a drought watch.

Federal authorities said yesterday that they had shut down a crack cocaine ring operating on Maryland's Eastern Shore for more than seven years that collected more than $2 million in profits, which allegedly were laundered through the purchase of homes, cars and jewelry. Indictments unsealed in U.S. District Court in Baltimore described a far-reaching operation, with a steady customer base in rural Eastern Shore counties and inroads into some of the densely populated suburbs near Washington.

The new alcohol tax will harm businesses, especially on the Eastern Shore, where unemployment is already at 15 percent. The tax will also increase highway fatalities due to people driving to Delaware and other states to save 3 percent. M. Link, Baltimore

The recent guilty plea of a man accused of being part of the far-reaching South Side Brims Bloods gang reveals an Eastern Shore meeting between members of at least three gangs - a reminder that while gangs and drug organizations make news for warring over turf and debts, they also sometimes work together.  The meeting, according to the plea agreement, took place inQueen Anne's Countyin 2008 and included members of the Latin Kings, the Thunderguards (characterzied...

Like the proverbial "wolf in sheep's clothing," a Texas energy company is promoting a massive Eastern Shore wind farm as an environmentally friendly "green" project ("Eastern Shore wind project confronts eagles, Navy," April 29). In reality, this project will kill large numbers of birds, such as bald eagles and ospreys, which are attracted to the lights necessary for aircraft safety at night. Why do our politicians fall for these projects that are supposed to improve the economy?

Hurricane Sandy's rains caused 84 million gallons to run off into Maryland bodies of water, according to a report by research organization Climate Central. In New York and New Jersey, meanwhile, more than 5 billion gallons of sewage spills are estimated to have occurred. The District of Columbia also had more spillage than Maryland, with 475 million gallons from a single pumping station. Nearly half of Maryland's estimated total came from sewage overflows related to heavy precipitation.

A wind power project proposed on the lower Eastern Shore that's struggling to overcome objections from the Navy has a new, airborne worry - bald eagles. Federal wildlife biologists say the population of the once-rare national bird has grown so much that there are about 400 bald eagles along the mid-Atlantic coast, including 30 nests within 10 miles of the project in Somerset County, and three in the immediate vicinity. Declaring the area "extremely attractive" to the birds, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has warned the developer of the Great Bay wind project that it "appears to present significant risk to eagles" and urged it to scale back its plans.

The Grammy-nominated rapper 2 Chainz, who received a drug citation during a traffic stop in Talbot County in February, was found not guilty. The rapper, whose legal name is Tauheed Epps, was found not guilty of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia charges, online court records show. His attorney did not respond Thursday for a call for comment. Epps tweeted on Wednesday, “Boxing gloves I beat the trial.” After the February stop, he Tweeted a photo of himself with two officers, prompting state police to review the incident.

Trapped in a steel cage barely big enough to hold her, the large squirrel was not happy, pawing at the bars and trying them with her teeth. Matt Whitbeck and Cherry Keller of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service were glad to see her, though. The furry gray prisoner, released after being weighed and checked, offered yet another sign that the Delmarva Peninsula fox squirrel, once vanishingly rare, has come back. This supersized, reputedly shy member of the squirrel family now is considered fully recovered, according to federal wildlife officials.

Old Dominion Electric Cooperative said Tuesday that it will seek approval from Maryland regulators to build an electric power plant in Cecil County. The Virginia-based Old Dominion supplies power to about 550,000 households and businesses through 11 cooperatives in Maryland, Virginia and Delaware, including the 52,000-member Choptank Electric Cooperative on the Eastern Shore. The nonprofit said its proposed plant would be constructed near Rising Sun, at its Rock Springs facility.

The current flap over the Miles Point Property development in St. Michaels ("Drawing up battle plans," Aug. 16) reminds me of the old saw: What do you call someone who wants to build a cabin in the woods? That's a no good lousy developer. And what do you call someone who already owns a cabin in the woods? That's an environmentalist. Allan G. Scott, Towson

The lower Eastern Shore, the driest part of Maryland this year, saw the most significant rainfall from the system that moved through Wednesday. Amateur weather watchers reported rainfall levels up to 1.23 inches in Wicomico County and 1.03 inches in Somerset County, according to rain-counting collaborative CoCoRaHS. National Weather Service hydrology charts show upwards of 2 inches in Worcester County, with up to 1.5 inches across Somerset and Wicomico. The lower Eastern Shore is under a severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

To say that I was absolutely outraged when I saw the KAL's cartoon of April 14 is putting it more than mildly. To see Dr. Ben Carson falling flat on his face is showing such disrespect for a man who has spent half of his life using his surgical skills to heal and save the lives of so many children in this country. It is disgraceful to say the least. Apparently, this disrespect for the doctor is because he had the audacity to speak from the heart of his Christian values with regard to marriage.

President Barack Obama set aside 480 acres on the Eastern Shore on Monday as a national monument to honor Harriet Tubman - a victory for advocates who have long sought to memorialize the abolitionist's role in leading dozens of slaves to freedom. Relying on a century-old federal law, Obama expanded a smaller park the state recently broke ground on in Dorchester County, where Tubman was born into slavery in 1822. The new designation places the rural land in the National Park Service's control, protecting it from development.