WCTR News

Celebrate sustainability at Chestertown’s 16th Annual Earth Day Festival on Saturday, April 25, 2026, from 9 AM to 1 PM at Downtown Chestertown’s Park Row. The event will feature vendors, live music, kids’ activities, and educational exhibits. Residents can take part in paper shredding (9 AM–Noon), pick up free compost samples (bring your own bucket, up to 5 gallons), and drop off batteries and fluorescent or CFL bulbs for recycling. There will also be free see ds and saplings, a community trash walk, and an electric vehicle and bike showcase.

Chestertown is starting the process of updating its zoning map, and residents are invited to take part. The Eastern Shore Land Conservancy will host a Zoning Open House on Monday, April 27, from 1:30–5:30 PM at the Chestertown Branch of the Kent County Public Library (Main Meeting Room).
You can explore the current zoning layers, ask questions, and share your thoughts on how zoning shapes neighborhoods and future growth. This is the first in a series of zoning discussions planned for 2026.
Everyone is welcome to stop by, learn how zoning works, and help guide the future of Chestertown.

A Church Hill man faces a long list of charges after police say a K9 helped stop a pursuit. WBOC reports
Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s deputies attempted to stop a vehicle with expired registration on Main Street March 13 after it allegedly failed to make a stop. Officials say the vehicle was registered to the address of a subject with multiple warrants. After establishing a perimeter, police deployed a drone team and K9 Splash to successfully track the suspect, identified as 31-year-old Joseph Palmer Jr., of Church Hill. Deputies searched the vehicle after they say a K9 alerted to an air sniff, reportedly finding various controlled dangerous substances, paraphernalia and two fraudulent licenses

The Caroline County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man following a domestic incident that occurred on Sunday. WMDT reports deputies arrested 42-year-old David Scully of Federalsburg on charges of violating a protective order, malicious destruction of property greater than $1,000, driving under the influence of alcohol, and related charges. Scully was seen by a Caroline County District Court Commissioner for his initial appearance, and is being held without bond at the Caroline County Detention Center. On Mar. 22, deputies responded to the 200 block of Pebble Street for a report of an individual actively ramming one vehicle into another.

Maryland’s Board of Public Works approved over $2.8 million in grants for watershed protection across Queen Anne’s County in recent meetings. WBOC reports the funds come from the Department of Natural Resources Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, which looks to permanently protect scenic views, water quality and ecosystems across the state through easements – state legal agreements with landowners. At a March 18 meeting, the Board approved $420,000 for a 59-acre easement on a Southeast Creek tributary in the Chester River watershed.

The Queen Anne’s County Commissioners will meet on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. at 107 North Liberty Street, Centreville. The agenda includes possible adoption of two key ordinances — one authorizing red light cameras and another allowing speed monitoring systems in the county. Commissioners will also set a public hearing date for a proposed change to growth allocation rules in the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area and hear an update on the FY27 County Administrator’s Budget.

A new Dollar General will soon be under construction in Wye Mills. At its March 12 meeting, the Queen Anne’s County Planning Commission granted major site plan approval for Oxford Chase Development Inc. to construct a 10,528-square-foot Dollar General store on the east side of Centreville Road in Wye Mills. Kent County News reports, located in the Suburban Commercial zoning district, the project site consists of a single vacant parcel totaling 3.5 acres, according to county planner Doug Summers. The parcel is situated between Ten Eyck Brewing and Parks Tire and Auto Service in Wye Mills along Centreville Road (Maryland Route 213).

Disposable doesn’t mean flushable. Items like wipes and tampons being flushed in the sewer have caused Betterton problems within the wastewater system. Kent County News reports the dilemma was discussed at length at the latest town council meeting, and it goes beyond a discrepancy with a label and being a mere inconvenience. Town Pump Station 7, which covers a cluster of houses along First Street extending to Bayside Avenue has been getting clogged on a consistent basis council member Gerry Werner pointed out.
Whenever this happens, operators have to open up the pump station to find the obstruction.

An investigation into a reported assault in the 21000 block of Woods Edge Drive in Chestertown, has led to the arrest of a 32-year-old man. Eastern Shore Undercover reports deputies responded to the residence after receiving a call about an ongoing assault. Upon arrival, screaming was heard from inside the home.
Following an investigation, Montrail Cortez Montgomery Jr. was arrested. He was subsequently charged with first-degree assault, along with additional offenses. In addition to the assault charges, Montgomery was served with multiple outstanding warrants.

Kent County has the land, zoning and plans to add as many as 1,000 new homes over the next decade.
While all five incorporated towns — Chestertown, Rock Hall, Galena, Betterton and Millington — are planning or advancing housing projects, construction in unincorporated areas has largely stalled, even after the county loosened zoning rules to encourage growth. Kent County News reports Jamie Williams, the county’s economic development director, said current plans could yield about 1,000 new housing units countywide — roughly a 10% increase based on current census data.