ROCK HALL — The Kent County Board of Education has officially approved the school system's pandemic recovery plan, which calls for starting the fall off with distance learning, while some teachers have voiced concerns over being required to return to their classrooms to provide virtual instruction.

CHESTERTOWN — May 15 was supposed to be one of the most exciting days of the last four years for Washington College’s senior class — then COVID-19 hit.

ANNAPOLIS — The special enrollment period for uninsured Marylanders that closed July 15 has been reopened, according to a news release.

CHESTERTOWN — While Kent County Public Schools has opted to start classes this fall with virtual learning, private schools here plan to bring students back to campus.

CHESTERTOWN — Reversing its decision to welcome about 850 students to campus in just a few weeks, with another 200 or so students planning to live off-campus, Washington College on Monday announced that all fall semester courses would move online.

WORTON — Poised to begin practice next week for what they hoped would be a second consecutive championship season in field hockey, the Trojans learned on Monday that their season — like the fall seasons for all high school sports teams in Maryland — has been postponed.

ROCK HALL — While much of this year’s Pirates and Wenches Fantasy Weekend has been “lost at sea” due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, some of the festival classics have been moved to a virtual format.

CHESTERTOWN — Ongoing pandemic in mind, the Kent County Public Library is turning to a new page in its method of delivering books to the community.

ROCK HALL — The Kent County Board of Education has unanimously approved starting the school year on a virtual platform.

CHESTERTOWN — The Sultana Education Foundation’s Downrigging Weekend Festival, set for the end of October, has been called off this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a post on the SEF’s Facebook page.

CHESTERTOWN — Thanks to supporters who purchased yard signs thanking front line workers in the COVID-19 crisis, the Downtown Chestertown Association and Main Street Historic Chestertown raised $3,000 for the Chester River Health Foundation.

CHESTERTOWN — United Way of Kent County has established a COVID-19 Emergency Fund.

CHESTERTOWN — Prior to Fourth of July weekend, COVID-19 cases were primarily concentrated in the county’s nursing homes. Now Health Officer William Webb is warning that community spread is far outpacing facility cases at a rate that is “five times higher.”

EASTON — For several days, the county’s positivity rate for COVID-19 cases has been the highest in the state at 8.3%. The positivity rate is a rolling 7-day average calculated by the Maryland Department of Health that indicates the number of people who test positive in relationship to the nu…

TOLCHESTER — Though its operation will be a bit different this year, a virtual Kent County 4-H Fair will go on — COVID-19 or not.

EASTON — The Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center has launched a new toll-free number for Talbot and Caroline county residents who do not speak English as their first language.

ROCK HALL — As school systems throughout the state are trying to figure out how to hold classes this fall, the Kent County Board of Education got its first look at a possible framework for instruction here that will see students receive a mix in-person and remote lessons.

CHESTERTOWN — With about six weeks to go before students would typically return to school from summer vacation, most people are wondering what the first day of classes will look like for children amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The annual St. Mary’s County Fair, which was scheduled for Sept. 17-20, has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, along with several other events many residents look forward to every year.

St. Mary's County commissioners reconvened as the board of health at their meeting on Tuesday, where they received health updates regarding COVID-19 in the county and availability of testing.

CHESTERTOWN — Health Officer William Webb wants Kent County residents to remember there is still an active pandemic going on — Fourth of July weekend or not.

Health officials said last week a fourth round of universal testing is beginning to show a dramatic decrease in the positivity rate at the Charlotte Hall Veterans Home, where a significant portion of residents and staff have been affected by COVID-19 over the past few months.

ROCK HALL — Kent County Public Schools is slated to see more than half a million dollars in coronavirus-related funding support coming from the state.

As the state enters into the second phase of its Roadmap for Recovery, businesses and local activities are becoming increasingly available during the coronavirus pandemic. With the holiday weekend on its way, many are taking extra precautions to protect themselves and others while still offe…

Since April, organizations in St. Mary’s have been working to support an encampment that was created to aid the homeless population during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the encampment has provided resources to those in need, its time on the property is coming to an end.

St. Mary’s College of Maryland held a virtual panel Wednesday afternoon, where professors and more than 30 community members discussed public health partnerships in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

The location where a COVID-19 fatality is counted may not be where the death occurred, or even where the decedent lived, causing imbalance between the number of deaths counted at nursing homes and the reported total for the county, a St. Mary’s health official said this week.

St. Mary’s College of Maryland announced in-person classes for the fall semester will start Aug. 17 and end around Thanksgiving.

April Havens of Dameron was not allowed to visit her father at his assisted living home in Virginia this spring, since COVID-19 has caused long-term care facilities to be closed to the public. But her father, Jerry Price, called every day, until May 11.

The St. Mary’s commissioners convened as the county’s board of health at Tuesday’s meeting, and received updates about expanded COVID-19 testing within the county.

KENT NARROWS — Fisherman’s Inn Restaurant is celebrating its 90th year in business this year. Over the course of 90 years, as successful as times have been, the restaurant is no stranger to hard times, including fires and floods that have closed its doors, and numerous threatening and damagi…

CENTREVILLE — Queen Anne’s County has seen three deaths in two days from COVID-19, according to Beth Malasky, county public information officer. The county ended the day Tuesday, June 16, with 209 county residents having tested positive, up 10 since Friday. Three people were ill enough to be…

CENTREVILLE — As the remnants of tropical storm Cristobal entered Canada Wednesday, June 10, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration continued to warn of an above normal 2020 Atlantic hurricane season.

Students are stepping foot into their schools for the first time in almost three months to clean out their lockers and return textbooks this week and next.

CHESTERTOWN — With Maryland entering stage two of Gov. Larry Hogan’s Roadmap to Recovery, meaning more businesses are allowed to be opened than those required to be closed, Kent County Health Officer William Webb is encouraging citizens to be mindful the COVID-19 pandemic is not finished yet.

Courts in the state will not be business as usual when they expand their operations next week.

The St. Mary’s County Metropolitan Commission, the local health department and St. Mary’s College of Maryland have partnered on a pilot project to monitor the presence of the novel coronavirus in wastewater.

CHESTERTOWN — The regional drive-through testing site for COVID-19 at Chesapeake College in Wye Mills is being replaced by individual sites in each of the five Mid-Shore counties beginning June 8, Kent County Health Officer William Webb told the Kent County Commissioners in his weekly update…

St. Mary’s health officials believe a recent spike in confirmed COVID-19 cases, which brought the county’s total count from around 400 last week to 518 on Tuesday, can be attributed to broader testing capacity as well as more spread of the infectious virus.

The St. Mary’s commissioners convened as the county’s board of health during their regular business meeting on Tuesday, and received a public health update as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the county.

STEVENSVILLE — Originally closed as a nonessential business by the stay-at-home directive given by Gov. Larry Hogan in mid-March, Spunkwear, a small business clothing line headquartered in Stevensville, was permitted to reopen during the third week of April to make protective face masks.

A public hearing was held regarding Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act grant funding at Tuesday’s county commissioners’ meeting, where three speakers requested funds be allocated to the board of education to fund laptops for students.

CENTREVILLE — Dozens of residents objected to the Centreville Town Council’s proposed water and sewer rate increases during its budget hearing Thursday, May 21. There were three hearings — one on the budget, one on the constant yield rate and one on the water and sewer rates. Comments on the…

QUEENSTOWN — The Queen Anne’s County Animal Services shelter in Queenstown achieved its goal of zero dogs inside the shelter Tuesday, May 5, if only for one day.

Gov. Larry Hogan (R) announced Wednesday that outdoor restaurant dining, outdoor pools, drive-in movie theaters, and youth sports and day camps will be allowed to reopen on Friday afternoon, and St. Mary’s only municipality is already planning to extend seating into parking spaces.

Health officials have noted that in addition to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, the world is also fighting an “infodemic,” which they described as an excessive amount of false information about a problem which may be viewed as a detriment to its solution.

CENTREVILLE — The Queen Anne's County has issued guidance for restaurants and bars to open for outdoor dining at 5 p.m. Friday, March 29, in accordance with the Governor Larry Hogan's Executive Order.

CENTREVILLE — Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot met with about 10 open-air restaurant owners from Queen Anne’s County Tuesday afternoon, May 26, via Zoom. The meeting, listed as the “Outdoor Seating Summit,” lasted exactly one hour.

CENTREVILLE — Queen Anne’s County ended the day Wednesday, May 27, with 152 residents having tested positive for COVID-19; two patients were hospitalized, according to Beth Malasky, public information officer.

At least a couple dozen St. Mary’s citizens marched up and down the sidewalk on Route 235 in California on Saturday to demand the reopening of the county.

CENTREVILLE — The Wye River Upper School Class of 2020 celebrated its commencement ceremony Wednesday, May 20, for its eight seniors via Zoom to maintain social distancing.

CENTREVILLE — Monday morning, May 25, both the Centreville American Legion, Jeff Davis Post 18, and Kent Island American Legion, Post 278, held ceremonies observing Memorial Day. All local veterans organizations have remained closed since mid-March due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions. T…

CENTREVILLE — The Queen Anne’s County Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday, May 19, to earmark $2.5 million of the county’s CARES Part B spending allocation to help businesses struggling as a result of COVID-19 restrictions.

STEVENSVILLE — Joshua Ridgley, a Life Scout at Troop 1631 sponsored by Christ Church Parish on Kent Island, found out that Eagle Scout projects rarely go as planned. Over a year ago, Joshua had initially planned on completing a different project, however, after hitting numerous administrativ…

The pandemic has created a perfect storm for Americans who were already struggling with high levels of depression and anxiety, suicide and a loneliness epidemic that kills more people than obesity or smoking.

EASTON — Chesapeake Music celebrates the 35th anniversary of the Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival this June with an exciting, virtual festival. Internationally known Artistic Directors Marcy Rosen and Catherine Cho have put together a wonderful series of concerts to bring extraordinary musi…

Bay views

Over the past several weeks all industries have been challenged to think differently. Our new normal has become take out meals at restaurants, virtual doctor appointments, and “essential” trips to the liquor store.

FAIR HILL — Now that all the sponsors and vendors have been notified, Cecil County Fair Board President Don Moore said Friday he could make the announcement he did not want to make; that the Cecil County Fair is cancelled this summer.

CENTREVILLE — The 2020 Queen Anne’s County Fair, scheduled for Aug. 10-15, has been canceled.

ELKTON — Let's face it; this year's Memorial Day Celebration is going to look different in many ways thanks to the global pandemic.

CENTREVILLE — On the eve of reopening retail businesses and manufacturing, Queen Anne’s County saw its positive COVID-19 cases rise again and posted the highest number of local residents hospitalized from the virus at one time to date with four. And cases have continued to rise throughout the week.

CENTREVILLE — Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Wye River Upper School has opted for the modern approach to continue its program through remote learning.

Restaurant owners frustrated with the state’s continued banning of outdoor seating at eateries gathered Tuesday evening in Sandgates to discuss with local leaders how to pressure the state to relax those restrictions.

Location data gathered from St. Mary’s County residents shows they are moving around more than some other areas during the COVID-19 lockdown, and a former county commissioner expressed concern regarding how that information was collected and said it was an infringement on privacy.

At a Tuesday meeting, commissioners approved the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, Economic, Security Act federal certification and agreement with the state after a request from the office of the county attorney.

ELKTON – While the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in the postponement of hundreds of Cecil County Circuit Court criminal proceedings since mid-March, 30 to 40 Cecil County Adult Drug Court cases are being handled – remotely – in a courtroom every Friday, according to court officials.

KENT NARROWS — Congressman Andy Harris, R-MD-1st, visited six Eastern Shore restaurants Wednesday, May 20, in Queen Anne's, Kent and Caroline counties. He wanted to show owners support as they weather the COVID-19 storm and prepare to reopen, and he continued to push for restaurants to reope…

CENTREVILLE — The Centreville Town Council finalized its fiscal 2021 budgets during the May 14 meeting. After weeks of work sessions to pare down spending based on reduced revenues as a result of the current coronavirus crisis, the Council proposed an estimated $4.7 million general fund budg…

CHESTERTOWN — After they tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19, but did not show any symptoms of the disease, two staff members of a Chestertown nursing home continued to work there, Kent County Health Officer William Webb confirmed Tuesday.

ROCK HALL — Following two meetings held through conference call, the mayor and council voted to open its town beach, known as Ferry Park, pending signage detailing what is and is not allowed there.

While estimates for the financial pain forecast state of Maryland are better than originally predicted, according to figures released Thursday, there are still significant issues ahead as the state seeks to make it through the economic calamity caused by the COVID-19 virus.

RISING SUN — Again this past weekend there were long lines of vehicles snaking through Plumpton Park Zoo to visit the animals.

Expanded nursing home testing has doubled the county’s COVID-19 case count since the beginning of the month, with over 40% of St. Mary’s COVID-19 cases at the county’s largest long-term care facility, according to health department data now being released daily.

Officials at St. Mary’s College of Maryland are starting up a task force to prepare for the fall semester.

CENTREVILLE — The American Legion Jeff Davis Post 18 in Centreville will celebrate Memorial Day on Monday, May 25, with a truncated version of its normal ceremony, according to Commander Gregory Manning.

CHESTER — The Queen Anne’s County Chamber of Commerce completed its “Moving Forward — Planning for the Post Pandemic World” meeting with more than 60 local business leaders Wednesday, May 13, via an online Zoom format. The meeting, which originally began on May 5, had at least six scheduled …