News Staff

The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) has announced upcoming full-span closures on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge as maintenance and replacement work is conducted in the coming days.Starting Monday, the eastbound span will close from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night through Wednesday, July 16. On July 17, the eastbound closures are scheduled for 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., and then Saturday from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. MDTA says these nighttime closures allow for deck removal and replacement as part of the eastbound bridge deck replacement project. Traffic patterns will be shifted to allow two-way traffic on the westbound span.

The day-long search for a missing Centreville woman has ended safely. The Queen Anne’s County Office of the Sheriff is pleased to report that Linda Mullikin has been located alive and conscious and is currently being transported for medical care. The Bay Times and Record Observer reports authorities were searching for 83-year-old Linda Mullikin, who has dementia.

Queen Anne’s County officials have been alerted to a scam involving fake invoices that appear to come from a local government agency. Scammers are using publicly available information to create official-looking requests for wire transfers—often for things like zoning or permit fees. They advise to be cautious of unfamiliar or urgent invoices, requests for wire transfers and emails from suspicious or unfamiliar addresses.

The woman responsible for a more than 20 vehicle crash on the Bay Bridge has been sentenced in Queen Anne’s County Circuit Court. The Bay Times and Record Observer reports 49 year old Gwendolyn Persina of Chester, was sentenced to three years of incarceration with all but 315 days suspended, which is the time Persina has served in jail from the time of her arrest. The State’s Attorney says Persina was sentenced for causing a life-threatening injury to another while operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. This was the most serious charge that Persina was charged with and the maximum penalty for the offense is three years in jail and a $5,000 fine.

A lightning strike is believed to have caused a house fire Tuesday evening that left a dog in cardiac arrest before it was rescued and revived by first responders. The Kent County News reports Chestertown Volunteer Fire Company was dispatched to a structure fire at 10199 Augustine Herman Highway. A dog removed from the home was unresponsive and in cardiac arrest when she was handed off to personnel from Kent and Queen Anne’s Rescue Squad. Crews performed CPR and administered oxygen using a pet-specific oxygen mask. She eventually revived and was treated on scene for smoke inhalation.

Maryland State Police are investigating a fatal two-vehicle crash that occurred Wednesday morning in Kent County. The deceased, a 25-year-old male, whose identification is being withheld pending next of kin notification, was the driver and sole occupant of a Ford van involved in the crash southbound on Route 301 near Galena Road. He was pronounced deceased on the scene. According to a preliminary investigation, a tractor-trailer was slowed and stopped at a railroad track, when for unknown reasons, was struck in the rear by the Ford.

Jennifer Schrecongost is Queen Anne’s County Public Schools’ interim assistant superintendent for the 2025–2026 academic year, the school system announced in a news release Monday, July 7. She’ll be serving with Matt Pinder, who last month was named the interim superintendent for 2025-26. Schrecongost’s appointment was approved during the Board of Education’s regularly scheduled monthly meeting.

Washington College announced Monday that President Michael J. Sosulski will step down later this summer to become president of Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Illinois. Sosulski will continue to serve through July. Trustee emeritus and former Board Chair Steve Golding ’72 will assume the role of provisional Chief Operating Officer while the Board of Visitors and Governors finalizes interim leadership plans and prepares for a national search for Sosulski’s successor. Sosulski was appointed as the College’s 31st president in the summer of 2021.

Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the Dollar General in Stevensville for a report of a theft that had just occurred. While en route, dispatch advised that an unknown female had exited the store with a shopping cart full of merchandise. A vehicle matching the suspect vehicle’s description was located shortly after in the area of Fallen Horse Circle. A woman, later identified as Sha’mira Butler, was found at the scene and matched one of the suspects seen in the video footage. While on scene, deputies made contact with a second woman, identified as Shayquan Sampson, who was also positively identified from the surveillance footage. Sampson later admitted to her involvement in the theft. Butler and Sampson were also identified as being sisters.

Two toddlers drowned in Caroline County recently, according to the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies from the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 12000 block of Greensboro Road for a report of a possible drowning. Upon arrival, deputies located two pediatric victims, a 2-year-old male and a 3-year-old male, being provided medical treatment from the Caroline County Department of Emergency Services and the Greensboro Volunteer Fire Department. Both children were transported to Shore Regional Health in Easton for further medical treatment. Despite all efforts, both children tragically succumbed to their injuries.