Articles by Ashley Brotherton

Oxford House Brings Hope to Recovering Addicts

Project ECHO becomes a landlord for recovery

The most frustrating thing for Henry Trentman at Project ECHO is seeing recovering addicts leave the recovery program beaming with positivity, then come back six months later because they fell off the wagon. When Trentman heard about the international Oxford House concept, he thought, Holy cow, this makes a lot of sense. Residents have to follow three simple rules to live in an Oxford House: Stay sober, pay your dues and don’t be confrontational. If you stick to the...

Article - News; by Ashley Brotherton; 10/25/12

Red, Right, Recycle

Green Annapolis collects at Boat Show

Annapolis looks less like a circus now that the U.S. Boat Shows — and their tons of waste — are packed up. This year was the first time that recycling routed waste. At 25 ecostations across City Dock, visitors found greener choices for recycling. At each station, a green 50-gallon bin collected paper, plastic, metal and glass while a red bin collected trash for the landfill. Boat fanciers got those choices courtesy of Elvia Thompson and Lynne...

Article - Green Living; by Ashley Brotherton; 10/18/12

Raising Money and Giving It Away

Lothian Ruritan Club celebrates 60 years helping the community

Andrew Dennis of Shady Side knew he wanted to go to college. He didn’t know how he was going to manage the costs. As a senior at Southern High School thriving in his welding class, Andrew went on the hunt for scholarships. He found his way to college with the Lothian Ruritan Club, which awards $8,000 in scholarships evenly to eight graduating seniors every year. Andrew earned the John Hiser Scholarship, which helps seniors wanting to go into culinary or vocational...

Article - News; by Ashley Brotherton; 10/11/12

The Biggest Wiener

Dogs compete for best costumes

Think your pup is the cutest Hallowiener? Prove it. Fisher’s Famous, a hot dog truck at 77 West Central Avenue in Edgewater, is seeking pups to compete for the top prize in cuteness and creativity in the Hallowiener Canine Costume contests. To enter, snap a picture of your furry four-legged friends in their Halloween best and email it to Fisher’s Famous at fishersfamous@live.com, with your and your pooch’s name....

Article - News; by Ashley Brotherton; 10/4/12

Blondie Comes to Solomons

Guitarist Chris Stein gives us all the deets

Rock n’ Roll Hall of Famers, punk rockers and American legends Blondie perform their hits at Calvert Marine Museum’s PNC Waterside Pavilion on Sept. 30. The 40-year-old pioneering punk rock band is named for its leading lady and singer, 67-year-old Debbie Harry. Harry, the face of Blondie, and Chris Stein, guitarist, are the core of the six-person band, and the only members who have been with Blondie since the beginning as Angel and the Snake...

Article - Live Music; by Ashley Brotherton; 9/27/12

Pedaling to London and Beyond

After competing in the Paralympics, Annapolitan Clark Rachfal is eager to see where else tandem cycling takes him

Paralympian Clark Rachfal came home to Annapolis from the London Paralympic Games Sunday, September 15. Rachfal, 29, was diagnosed with Leber’s congenital amaurosis when he was four. The degenerative eye disease has slowly taken his sight, leaving only fuzzy outlines on his periphery. “I can see less than I saw yesterday, and more than tomorrow,” he says. Leber’s hasn’t stopped Rachfal, who won last year...

Article - Bay Weekly Interviews; by Ashley Brotherton; 9/20/12

Pullers, Pies Raise $1,800 for Hopkins

If you couldn’t tow 3,000 pounds, you can still write a check

The Chesapeake Garden Pullers did it. They raised over $1,800 for the John Hopkins Pediatric Oncology, with a few checks still coming. That sum more than doubles last year’s benefit pull. Clyde Schuyler, the president of the puller’s club, was so distressed by the meager $800 they raised last year that he almost skipped this year’s benefit pull. Now he’s happy he didn’t. The money raised goes to Johns Hopkins Pediatric...

Article - News; by Ashley Brotherton; 9/20/12

Pulling for a Cause

Dunkirk tractor pull seeks 2K for Johns Hopkins

Pullers, start your engines. Pullers from across the state, some farther, are rallying to that call on Sept. 15 for the sake of sport and to raise money for Johns Hopkins Pediatric Oncology. Sport came before cause for the Chesapeake Garden Tractor Pullers, of Dunkirk. The sport: pulling 3,000 pounds as far as their garden tractors will let them. The Cause The club added fundraising when club president Clyde Schuyler...

Article - News; by Ashley Brotherton; 9/6/12

This Weeks Creature Feature ... The Foundling...

How a baby squirrel at the doorstep stole our hearts

Bay Weekly has acquired a furry friend, an orphaned baby squirrel. He (or she?) first caught our attention when he was stretched across the screen of our front window. We heard his cries through the open windows. Once our awhs stopped, we went back to work. When the mailman came with his delivery later that day, he stepped over the squirrlel to get through our front door. With mother nowhere in sight and baby crying at our door step, we decided to take...

Article - Creature Feature; by Ashley Brotherton; 9/6/12

Paddleboarding Tested My Balance ...

... And my phone’s resilience

Balance. All I have to do is stand up. I put my left foot flat on the board, wobble for a second, then stabilize. My right foot is next. If I don’t do this right, I’m going straight in with the jellyfish. The creek is infested with the stinging creatures. Here goes nothing. My right foot sweeps under me and lands flat on the wobbling board. Standing, I regain my balance. I did it. I have conquered the paddleboard. ...

Article - Features; by Ashley Brotherton; 8/30/12