News Staff

The Town of Chestertown has partnered with Washington College’s Geospatial Innovation Program (GIP) to create a comprehensive tree survey to create a detailed inventory of public and street trees within the town, providing valuable data for future planning and preservation efforts. The project includes an interactive dashboard that allows town residents to view and explore the survey data. This tool will provide real-time information on tree locations, species, and health conditions, enabling citizens to stay informed about the town’s green spaces.

The website Niche ranks Queen Anne’s County Schools as an A-, putting them as the 9th best district in the state. Among Elementary Schools, Grasonville Elementary School, Church Hill Elementary School, Bayside Elementary School and Matapeake Elementary School get grades of A-. Kennard Elementary rates a B+.
Matapeake Middle School receives an A-, while Centreville Middle School and Stevensville Middle School receive B+ rankings and Sudlersville Middle School gets a B. Kent Island High School receives an A- and
Queen Anne’s County High School a B+.

Washington College is expanding its commitment to fostering economic development thanks to a $1 million grant from the Maryland E-Nnovation Initiative (MEI). The College will match the grant, bringing the total investment to $2 million to establish a new Chair of Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
“With this Chair, Washington College will expand its ongoing efforts with Chestertown and the surrounding Kent and Queen Anne’s Counties to provide economic development opportunities,” said Provost and Dean Kiho Kim.

Putting the county at over $14 million in easement acquisitions for the year, Queen Anne’s County Commissioners approved a Rural Legacy Grant Agreement with Lands End LLC at Island Creek Road in the amount of $1,062,189 recently. The Star Democrat reports the Maryland Board of Public Works approved funding for the FY25 Rural Legacy grant in August. No county funds were used in the easement acquisition.
Queen Anne’s County surpassed the state’s “30 by 30” goal to conserve at least 30% of the country’s lands and waters by 2030 16 years ahead of schedule

The invasive northern snakehead — recently given the name Chesapeake Channa — may be breeding twice each season, according to biologists with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The Kent County News reports the non-native fish species is on DNR’s most wanted list, urging anglers to catch as many as possible and to destroy them — if not eaten — rather than returning them to Maryland waters.

Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Office is holding an open house, Saturday October 26th, from 9am to 2pm, to help community members learn more about what it does day to day. There will be a prescription drug takeback, a live crime scene demonstration, and information about employment and volunteer opportunities. Also on hand will be Queen Anne’s County Animal Services, Queen Anne’s County Library, QAC Goes Purple, QAC Drug Free Coalition, and more. The event happens at the Sheriff’s Office, 505 Railroad Ave., Centreville.

FallFest attracts thousands of visitors from across the eastern seaboard to Rock Hall, and will do so again on October 5th. There will be music throughout the day, oysters are local and plentiful, and children can participate in free activities. Approximately 40 handicraft vendors are also part of the mix.
General Parking is located at 21125 Sharp Street.

Queen Anne’s County Office of the Sheriff is warning residents about another phone scam circulating in which scammers posing as Sheriff’s Deputies are calling from a spoofed number, appearing to be from the Sheriff’s Office. These individuals falsely claim you have outstanding warrants or have been placed on the sex offender’s registry. To avoid arrest, they tell victims they must make a payment over the phone immediately via gift cards, money transfer apps, or bitcoin. Law enforcement will never ask for payments of any kind over the phone, nor will they ask for payment to resolve a warrant.

A 17-year-old male now living in Delaware has been charged as an adult with armed robbery, assault and related crimes. According to the Evening Enterprise, Dymiere Isiah Clements is accused of robbing a Fairlee area man of money and a cellphone at gunpoint. The Kent County Sheriff’s Office served Clements with an arrest warrant on Sept. 12. The offenses are alleged to have occurred in the early afternoon of April 30 in the 23000-block of Baywood Court. Clements was 16 at the time and living in the Rock Hall area.

The Historical Society of Kent County on First Friday, Oct. 4 will host an open house (5 to 7 p.m.) commemorating the 40th anniversary of the CBS miniseries “SPACE,” which was filmed in Chestertown in 1984. The Evening Enterprise reports, based on the James Michener book of the same name, “SPACE” featured Hollywood stars including James Garner, Blair Brown, Beau Bridges, Bruce Dern, Michael York and Harry Hamlin. Also, many Chestertown community members appeared as extras, in period costumes and makeup evoking the 1950s.