News Staff

Queen Anne’s County may benefit from further ferry expansion after Anne Arundel County’s Department of Transportation recently secured significant funding to launch a passenger ferry system across the Chesapeake Bay. WBOC reports the development is particularly important for Queen Anne’s County. Heather Tinelli, director of Economic and Tourism Development for Queen Anne’s County, highlighted the potential benefits of the ferry system. Tinelli believes it could set the stage for further expansion in Queen Anne’s County.

A Tolchester area man who fled police at a high rate of speed after allegedly making a drug sale in Chestertown is being held in the Kent County Detention Center without bond pending a preliminary hearing next month. The Evening Enterprise reports 36 year old De’Airres Tyler Somerville is charged with multiple drug- and gun-related crimes as well as traffic offenses that include driving 100 mph in a posted 40-mph zone, aggressive driving and driving on a suspended license. Ultimately he was apprehended in the Pomona area after crashing his vehicle into a utility pole and fleeing on foot.

The Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Office is making the community aware of some misleading posts circulating on local pages, claiming an unidentified, injured child was found walking by a Deputy in Queen Anne’s County. The department says the posts are false and advise that these types of posts often use emotional appeals to get people to share, but they are commonly part of bait-and-switch scams. Once a post has been widely shared, it can be edited to include malicious links or ads that you unknowingly spread to your friends.

The Eastern Shore Chapters of the League of Women Voters is hosting a forum Sunday, Oct. 6, at Chesapeake College for candidates running in this year’s general election for the U.S. House of Representatives in Maryland’s 1st Congressional District. The forum is free and open to the public. It takes place from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at Cadby Theater, Chesapeake College, 1000 College Circle, Wye Mills.

The cause of a fire this week on Hardwood Mills Road in Millington in Queen Anne’s County is under investigation. The Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal reports the blaze started in one of the trailers parked inside the commercial steel framed building. The fire caused an estimated $200,000 in damage to the structure and contents including three trailers and a partial Building. No injuries were reported.

Centreville Department of Public Works is developing a Service Line Inventory per the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Lead and Copper Rule (LCR). DPW is working with several contractors to identify existing water service line pipe materials. The program aims to identify service lines with potential lead and copper and report these findings to the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). George, Miles, and Buhr LLC (GMB) has been contracted to assist residents in completing the privately owned waterline inspections. Residents must complete and submit the survey to be eligible for the $20.00 bill credit.

The Town of Chestertown received a grant in the amount of $264,089 from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Community Parks and Playgrounds Program and is accepting bids in an amount not to exceed $264,089 to construct a new all-ages playground in Carpenter Park. The Town of Chestertown is inviting qualified firms\persons to submit creative design concepts and equipment installation proposals by 2:00 pm Tuesday October 15, 2024.

Rep. Andy Harris is the new chairman of the House Freedom Caucus. Harris, who represents Maryland’s Eastern Shore and is the state’s only Republican in Congress, is a founding member of the Freedom Caucus and was already serving on the right-wing caucus’s board of directors. The vote came after the former caucus head, Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) lost his June primary reelection bid, leading him to resign from his chairmanship position last week. Good was set to lead the House Freedom Caucus through December 2025.

Great Oak Manor welcomes and announces the appointment of Calin Taralunga as its new general manager.
As of 2022, this 12,000 sq ft. manor is newly owned by Werten Bellamy and his wife Kellye Walker who have overseen a full renovation property which was completed in May 2024. Taralunga has more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry having started his career at JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel in Romania. In 2008, he relocated to the United States and assumed various management positions in hotel operations.

The Queen Anne’s County Commissioners are actively seeking individuals to fill vacancies on several Boards and Commissions. The deadline for applications is October 18, 2024. Among the boards and commissions with vacancies are: Animal Control Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, Board of Building Appeals, Commission on Aging, Economic Development Commission, Ethics Commission, Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, Planning Commission and the Plumbing and HVAC Board.