News Staff

On Tuesday, Charles Huester, executive director for Maryland Rural Development Cooperation, discussed Early Head Start funding cuts with the Caroline County Commissioners. The Star Democrat reports MRDC, which runs the Early Head Start programs in Caroline and Cecil counties, announced on Aug. 27 that the Early Head Start program would be ending effective Sept. 2 after it did not receive funding from the Office of Head Start. The free program supports pregnant women and young children’s learning and development.

Traffic backed up for more than an hour on both sides of the Chester River Bridge on Tuesday after State Highway Department technicians could not fully lower the bridge following earlier testing. The Kent County News reports, unable to lower the bridge using regular methods, technicians had to hand crank it down, according to a State Highway worker. The foreman of Covington Machine and Welding, a contractor working with the Maryland State Highway Administration on bridge rehabilitation, said that when it is hot the metal tends to expand and bind up, causing bridge malfunctions.

The Kent County Local Management Board invites the public to share ideas and perspectives on how to best reinvest in low-income communities thanks to new funding from the Maryland Office of Social Equity. The Evening Enterprise reports a forum will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24 at Washington College’s Innovation Plant, 800 High St. (the former Dixon Valve & Coupling Co. property).

On September 15, 2025, Anton Phifer, 40, of Cambridge, MD, was served a criminal summons in connection with an alleged workplace assault that occurred earlier this year. The summons stems from an incident on March 10, 2025, at the USPS Mail Processing Facility located at 29060 Airpark Drive in Easton, Marylad. It is alleged that Phifer pushed a co-worker from behind following a disagreement over the use of work equipment. Minutes later, it is alleged that Phifer shoved the same co-worker from the front. A preliminary inquiry for Phifer is scheduled in Talbot County, Maryland, on October 24, 2025. A court hearing will be scheduled for a later date.

Maryland’s Public Service Commission announced two upcoming public hearings will gather input on a proposed solar generating facility. According to WBOC, Halo GB2 LLC is looking to build a 4.5 megawatt Community Solar Generating Facility on approximately 34 acres of an 83-acre property off Henderson Road. Construction is estimated to take six to nine months with minimal environmental impact, with the facility projected to be usable for 26 to 36 years, according to Halo GB2 LLC. An in-person public hearing will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 25 at the Goldsboro Fire Department. A virtual public hearing is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 9, which can be attended on Zoom or viewed on YouTube, according to the Public Service Commission.

Maryland State Police are investigating two fatal crashes that occurred late Saturday in Queen Anne’s and Kent counties. Around 11:22 p.m. Saturday, troopers from the Maryland State Police Centreville Barrack responded to the area of northbound U.S. Route 301 at Hayden Clark Road in Centreville for a report of a two-vehicle crash involving a motorcycle. The operator of the motorcycle, identified as Marcus Dangerfield, 20, of Dover, Delaware, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Around 11:55 p.m. Saturday, troopers from the Centreville Barrack responded to Maryland Route 213 and Riley’s Mill Road in Chestertown for a report of a single-vehicle crash, police said. A passenger in a Ford Fusion, a 17-year-old boy, was pronounced dead at the scene. Four others were hurt.

Voters in Chestertown will elect a mayor and two Town Council members on Nov. 4. The election will be held from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Chestertown Volunteer Fire Department, 211 Maple Ave. The ballot includes the mayoral race and council seats for the First and Third wards. The deadline to register with the Kent County Board of Election Supervisors is Oct. 3. Residents already registered with the county are automatically registered for town elections but must update their information if they have moved to a different ward.

The three Republican Delegates representing Maryland’s District 36 — Delegate Steve Arentz (Queen Anne’s County), Delegate Jay Jacobs (Kent County), and Delegate Jeff Ghrist (Caroline County) — formally filed for reelection today, standing united in their commitment to deliver experienced and principled leadership for the Upper Eastern Shore. The Caroline Review reports the District 36 team — which also includes Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey — has long worked together to advance fiscal responsibility, economic growth, local infrastructure investment, and policies that protect the values and livelihoods of the Shore’s families and businesses.

The Kent County Local Management Board will host a public forum Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 6 p.m. at Washington College’s Innovation Plant, 800 High St., to gather input on how to reinvest in low-income communities using new funding from the Maryland Office of Social Equity. The Kent County News reports the funding comes from the Community Reinvestment and Repair Fund, created through the Cannabis Reform Act, which legalized adult-use recreational cannabis. A portion of the sales tax from cannabis sales is allocated to the fund, which is intended to address the impact of past cannabis prohibition on communities disproportionately affected by the war on drugs.

In a 3-2 vote, the Queen Anne’s County Public Schools Board of Education voted to uphold the superintendent’s recommendation and deny application for what would have been the first classical charter school in Queen Anne’s County Sept. 10. The Bay Times and Record Observer reports presenting a final report and an overview of the Queen Anne’s County Public Schools Charter School Application Review Committee process, charter school liaison and Supervisor of Instruction Micheal Bell said the committee recommended denial of the Queen Anne’s County Classical Charter School application Sept. 3, “due to significant and substantiated deficiencies in academic planning, operational capacity, and demonstrated need.”