News Staff

The Rock Hall Volunteer Fire Department is praising two community members whose quick actions helped save lives during a fire in Kent County. WMAR reports on August 24, Gunner Blackiston and Cydni Fletcher were riding a golf cart through their neighborhood on Crosby Road when they noticed smoke coming from a nearby home. While Cydni called 911, Gunner grabbed a fire extinguisher and both rushed to alert the people inside. Everyone, including the family dog, made it out safely with no injuries reported. The fire department says the pair’s fast thinking likely prevented a tragedy.

The Chestertown Volunteer Fire Company reported a successful “coastal water rescue” Sunday evening in the Chesapeake Bay near Swan Point. Fire officials said four people aboard a 25-foot vessel were swimming and jumping from a large structure later identified as a navigation aid marking the shipping channel. While three men were in the water, a woman remained in the unanchored and untied boat, which drifted away in the darkness. Queen Anne’s Fire Boat 1 located the drifting vessel. The woman then provided information that helped Trooper 1, the Maryland State Police helicopter, locate the three men in the water. They were rescued by Queen Anne’s Fire Boat 2.

Food trucks may be rolling into Easton, at least just for a test drive. The Star Democrat reports Easton Town Council could approve an eight-month pilot program that will allow mobile food vendors to operate in limited parts of town, according to Tuesday’s Town Council agenda. Until now, food trucks were only permitted at construction sites or during special events. Town leaders say the goal is to see how food trucks fit into Easton’s business scene before making any long-term decisions.

Aaliyah Graves, 24, of Chestertown, surrendered to Dover Police following a brief search, according to investigators, and now faces charges ranging from tampering with evidence to leaving the scene of a collision resulting in death. WBOC reports the arrest comes after a deadly crash in the early hours of Sunday, Aug. 31, when officers responded to the 200 block of North DuPont Highway shortly after 2:45 a.m., where they found 62-year-old Barbara Benson suffering from critical injuries in the roadway. It was later determined that she had been struck approximately 28 minutes earlier by a hit-and-run driver, later identified as Graves.

Looking at future wastewater capacity, the Queen Anne’s County commissioners recently approved a temporary moratorium on residential and mixed-use development. The Bay Times and Record Observer reports with the area Wastewater Treatment Plant near capacity, the commissioners adopted a moratorium on applications, approvals, construction, expansion, processing or issuance of subdivision, concept plan, site plan or building permit applications for residential or mixed-use projects in Kent Narrows, Stevensville, Grasonville, Prospect Bay, Cloverfields, Bay City and Southern Kent Island.

A woman from Chestertown is being sought after police say she fatally struck a pedestrian with a vehicle and left the scene of a crash in Delaware. On August 31st, around 2:00 a.m., Dover Police responded to the 200 block of North DuPont Highway. Officers met with the victim, 62-year-old Barbara Benson. She later died on the scene as a result of her injuries. Police say the driver, 24-year-old Aaliyah Graves, had already left the scene when police arrived, and investigators say they later found the vehicle in Worton, Md. Police have filed warrants for Graves’ arrest.

Caroline County Public Schools will be bringing back cellphone pouches in middle schools for the second year.
The Star Democrat reports cellphone pouches were introduced in the 2024-25 school year as a pilot program aimed at keeping students off their phones. Students carry locked pouches during the entire school day, with their phones inside and not accessible. Each student has their own pouch, which travels with them daily from home to school. Phones are locked into the pouches at the beginning of the school day and unlocked at the end using a magnetic device. If a student leaves the pouch at home, they put their phone in the school office for the day.

Five teens are facing charges after police say they confiscated illegal firearms from the group’s vehicle.
On August 22nd, around 11:49 p.m., Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s deputies were conducting traffic enforcement on Route 301 in the area of Route 305. Police say they saw a vehicle speeding at a rate of 82 miles per hour in a 55 miles per hour zone. All of the suspects are from Delaware. Police found a loaded handgun under the front passenger seat, an extended magazine in the glove box, and an unloaded shotgun in the trunk. Shotgun ammunition was found in the center console and the trunk.

Governor Wes Moore has announced the redesignation of Chestertown as an Arts and Entertainment District, allowing for the continuation of tax incentives that encourage economic development through arts and tourism. In FY 2024, visitor spending in those districts contributed to a total economic output of $136 million generated by the 29 designated districts statewide. By operating within Arts and Entertainment districts, property owners may be eligible for property tax credits, artists may be eligible for income tax subtraction modifications, and local governments may be exempt from admissions and amusement taxes. The resulting arts activity supports economic development by attracting businesses and tourists to communities across the state.

A self-employed stonemason disappeared from Queen Anne’s County in 2013, and has never been seen or heard from again, leaving investigators with a puzzling missing persons case. WMAR reports
James Colicchio was living out of a commercial rental unit on 4-H Park Road near Queenstown before he vanished. He may have been gone for two months before anyone reported him missing to the Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Gary Hofmann leads the county’s law enforcement agency, and led it 12 years ago when the search first started. Colicchio’s disappearance remains one of just three unsolved cases in the entire county. Anyone with information on the case should reach out to authorities.