Ah, we’ve already used up one of the irreplaceable months this no-longer-quite-so-new year gives us.     Which brings us to Groundhog Day, that frivolous-seeming cross-quarter day whose significance in the forward march of time hides behind a furry hibernating mammal.     We’re great fans of the frivolous. In the words of Jeff Thompson, “It is what it is; might as well have fun along the way!” (I’ll remind you who he is in a few...

Elk could once again roam the forests of western Maryland — unless citizens say no way in a survey beginning next month.     Elk are big. Females reach 500 pounds; males, which grow the towering antlers, get up to 700 pounds. They’re herbivores, but it takes a large range to feed the appetites of creatures so big. Thus farmers worry about their crops.     The giant deer cousins were here before us. But no more. Eastern elk are now extinct. They were...

In our Mission Statement, Bay Weekly eschews doom-and-gloom news and commits to a world where people enjoy a high quality of life in a sustainable way that they’ll be able to hand down for generations to come.     So why are we writing about bedbugs?     Truth be told, we also savor a taste for the strange.     If you’re a regular reader, you know that. News of the Weird has been with us from our beginning 19 years ago. You might well...

Lawmaking is not the only thing on the minds of the members of Maryland’s 430th General Assembly. Among local highlights: Looking for New Jobs     A trio of local Republicans likes public service so well that this year’s General Assembly could be a distraction to their long-range planning.     Tony O’Donnell, five-term delegate from southern Calvert and St. Mary’s County, has climbed the ladder of Republican Statehouse politics. From party...