News Staff

The Kent County Local Management Board is recruiting new members to help establish goals and funding priorities for children and families in the county. The Kent County News reports the board coordinates public agencies, nonprofits and residents to coordinate resources and develop strategies for supporting youth and families. Current board-funded initiatives include Minary’s Dream Academy after-school program at Kent County Middle School, the Beyond Your Mental peer mentoring program at Kent County High School, and the Healthy Families home visiting program for new parents.

A new memorial plaque at the Kennard African American Cultural Heritage Center recognizes approximately 435 Black soldiers from Queen Anne’s County who fought for the Union Army during the Civil War, filling a gap in local history and honoring their profound impact on the community. The Bay Times & Record Observer reports local veterans and residents gathered recently to dedicate the monument.

The Kent County Board of Education is scheduled to vote on the superintendent’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 at a special meeting Monday night, May 5. The Evening Enterprise reports the proposed spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2025 was the only topic of discussion at two separate meetings this week. The school system is expected to bring in $30.9 million in funds from local, state and federal sources, but has projected expenditures of $32.7 million. To help close the $2 million funding gap, 36 positions may have to be eliminated.

The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) will hold its annual Stamp Out Hunger postal food drive Saturday, May 10. The organization invites the public to place a bag of nonperishable food times (no glass jars, please) next to their mailbox before the mail typically is picked up that day. The letter carrier will collect the food and ensure it gets to people in need. To volunteer to help unload food donations from postal trucks at post offices, visit fbd.volunteerhub.com

The Maryland Public Service Commission will hold a virtual public hearing Thursday, May 8, at 7 p.m. on a proposal to build a 5.0-megawatt solar facility in Kent County. Halo Warwick, LLC applied in December 2024 for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity to construct the solar generating station on 29 acres of a 338-acre property in Massey. The project is intended as part of Maryland’s community solar program.

A Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s deputy is recovering after being struck in the line of duty by a suspected drunk driver. It happened around 11:19pm Sunday, along eastbound Route 50, near Romancoke Road.
WMAR reports that’s where Deputy First Class Schulz was in the middle of a traffic stop, when his patrol car was suddenly hit from behind by a speeding car. The impaired driver’s car became disabled, and he was taken into custody.

A small plane crashed Wednesday morning while landing at an airport near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, officials said. The Baltimore Sun reports the Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that the plane, a four-seat Cirrus aircraft, crashed while landing at around 10:30 a.m. The plane’s pilot, the only person on board, was not injured, though the Cirrus SR22 “sustained significant damage” at the Bay Bridge Airport in Stevensville.

Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the Quality Inn in Grasonville for a report of a medical emergency, for a passenger in a vehicle who was not breathing.
Upon arrival, EMS took the passenger for medical treatment, and Deputies spoke with the driver, identified as Mellisa Childs. Based on several observations, Deputies asked whether there were any controlled dangerous substances in the vehicle. Childs admitted that there was, and a search was conducted.
During the search of the vehicle Deputies recovered numerous CDS Paraphernalia, suspected crack cocaine, and distribution quantities of Fentanyl. Childs was placed under arrest and charged accordingly.
A second individual, identified as Adam Childs, was placed under arrest on the same charges, as well as for an out of state warrant.

Recently, the Kent County Chamber of Commerce welcomed legislators from Maryland’s 36th District for a Post-Legislative Session Discussion at Heron Point in Chestertown. The event provided local residents, business owners, and community leaders an opportunity to engage directly with elected officials about the outcomes of the 2025 Maryland General Assembly session. Chamber Executive Director Sarah King opened the forum with a recap of several issues relevant to Kent County, including the 18-month delay of the Maryland Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) program.

The Kent County Sheriff’s Office arrested 38 year old Christopher Bayard Markow of Chestertown. He was served a district court arrest warrant charging him with being a fugitive from the state of Delaware, where he is charged with burglary and related crimes. He initially was held in the Kent County Detention Center without bond.