WCTR News

Queen Anne’s County Library welcomed a new StoryWalk at Church Hill Park April 22. The Bay Times & Record Observer reports StoryWalks are fixed display stands home to book pages for bookworms of all ages to follow along and read along the trail, according to Allison Wood, Queen Anne’s County Library marketing outreach manager. Trail books are regularly switched out and other StoryWalks locations can also be found at the Route 18 Park in Centreville and Sudlersville Park,

The Queen Anne’s County Department of Emergency Services announces the launch of Citizen Connect, a new online tool from Tyler Technologies that helps improve communication, build trust, and keep the public informed. Citizen Connect makes it easier for residents to see important emergency services information, follow public safety trends, and learn about county-wide efforts—all in real time. This new platform is part of the county’s goal to provide better service, strengthen safety, and keep government open and transparent.

Kent County Public Library has announced its musical line-up for its 2025 Summer Arts in the Park concert series. Concerts will take place every Wednesday from May 28 to Aug. 13 at Brecknock County Park, 80 Old Camden Road in Camden. Each show will begin at 6:30 p.m. Among the featured artists, Best Kept Soul, The Comfort Zone and Michael Christopher & Coastal Country, among others.

Bay Bridge Cove residents took to the streets to protest a potential Royal Farms development before a Queen Anne’s County Planning and Zoning technical meeting last week. The Bay Times & Record Observer reports on the Monday and Tuesday preceding the meeting, about a dozen residents each day from the 55-and-older community demonstrated outside their neighborhood to oppose the project, said coordinator Teresa Tamburrino.

Police recently charged a Laurel man with crimes related to trying to obtain a controlled substance by fraud at a local pharmacy. The Evening Enterprise reports Francis Achang Okebugwu, 33, initially was held in the Kent County Detention Center without bond. The Drug Enforcement Administration was briefed on Okebugwu’s arrest and will conduct additional follow-up to other cases, according to the Chestertown Police Department.
According to a CPD news release, police officers on April 14 responded to Chester River Pharmacy for a report of someone presenting a fake prescription for the medication promethazine with codeine.

Recently, a Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Deputy was conducting traffic enforcement in the area of Rt. 544 and Rt. 290 when he observed a vehicle at the Outpost Gas Station with a distorted license plate that was meant for a trailer. When the vehicle was pulled over, the driver, 51 year old Mark Johnson of Chestertown admitted the truck was not registered During a routine inventory of the vehicle, DFC Johnson recovered suspected Methamphetamine, as well as additional CDS and CDS paraphernalia. Johnson was placed under arrest and charged accordingly.

The Kent County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the appointment of Kelly Cuff Reed as its new deputy executive director. A longtime resident of Kent County, Cuff Reed brings a deep-rooted commitment to community engagement and a strong background in nonprofit leadership to her new role. Originally from outside of Philadelphia, Cuff Reed has called Kent County home for the past 20 years, having lived in Galena, Georgetown, and Worton. She now resides in Chestertown with her fiancé, Bob Mathews, and sons, Declan and Hagen.

A Delaware man was served an arrest warrant recently charging him with handgun violations related to firing of the weapon in a hotel room here where there were children. According to the Evening Enterprise, 39 year old
Dominick Anthony Pisapia of Clayton is charged with four counts of reckless endangerment and single counts of allowing a firearm to be accessible to a minor, having a handgun on person, having a loaded handgun on person, handgun in a vehicle and loaded handgun in a vehicle It happened at the Red Roof Inn in Chestertown where Pisapia was staying for the weekend with his children, ages 7 and 10.

Chestertown Police are investigating an attempted stickup at gunpoint Thursday night and a robbery about an hour later that appear to be related. The Evening Enterprise reports s the victims in both incidents described the suspects as males between the ages of 13 and 17. According to a Chestertown Police Department news release, the first call came in just after 10 p.m. April 17 in the 300-block of Cannon Street. Also on Thursday night, just after 11 o’clock, a group of male Washington College students were walking in the 200-block of Washington Avenue near Cromwell Hall when they reported being approached by four male teenagers. The teens snatched the backpack of one of the students, and then fled on foot.

A point-in-time count conducted in January showed a 50% rise in people experiencing homelessness on the Mid-Shore since last year, according to results released earlier this month. The Star Democrat reports the count is an annual survey that measures homelessness across the U.S. This year, Mid Shore Behavioral Health’s Continuum of Care team contributed by gathering data from individuals in encampments, shelters and temporary housing in Talbot, Kent, Dorchester, Caroline and Queen Anne’s counties. In addition to the 50% rise, the Mid-Shore saw a 400% rise in total unsheltered homelessness since 2024, according to the results of the count. According to the count, The total number of people experiencing homelessness on the Mid-Shore sits at 195, with 179 people in sheltered locations and 16 in unsheltered locations.