Articles by Margaret Tearman

PEPCO Powers Down

One-year delay looks to re-evaluate “transmission planning methods”

Plans for towering transmission lines to bisect Calvert County and hop across the Bay from a gigantic power conversion station in sleepy little Port Republic have been put down for a nap. The Mid-Atlantic Power Pathway proposed by PEPCO is a high-voltage 152-mile interstate transmission project. The project was in review by Maryland Public Service Commission when, in a surprise turn of events, PEPCO asked the Commission to delay. PEPCO’s request...

Article - News; by Margaret Tearman; 9/29/11

Driving to Distraction

Yes, your dog needs a seatbelt, too

Most dogs love a ride in the car. While we automatically buckle up for safety, our dogs roam the car at will, hanging out the window, climbing into the front seat and sometimes into our laps. They don’t care if we’re driving. Sometimes, we don’t either. A 2011 survey by the American Automobile Association and Kurgo, a manufacturer of pet travel products, examined dog owners’ habits behind the wheel. The survey found that our...

Article - Features; by Margaret Tearman; 8/18/11

Dog Days’ Creature Feature

Canine Candid Camera

We all think — make that know — that our dogs are the smartest, funniest, sassiest, most beautiful creatures in the world. To prove it, more and more of us are picking up video recorders to share our dearest with the planet. The Internet makes it easy to become an international celebrity. Sites like YouTube allow millions to watch Fluffy shred toilet paper or see Spot chase the squirrel up a tree. If you have a computer, you’ve surely...

Article - Creature Feature; by Margaret Tearman; 8/18/11

This Week’s Creature Feature ... Political Animals

Endangered species squeeze through DC's budget war

Off limits to some members of Congress in the contentious budget war that’s been raging in Washington. In a Republican proposal, the Endangered Species Act would have been amended so that no new species — regardless of numbers — could be added to the threatened or endangered list. The bill would, however, allow species to be removed from the list. Republicans argued that the Endangered Species Act costs the government tens of millions of...

Article - Creature Feature; by Margaret Tearman; 8/4/11

One Grand Gala

One family’s crusade to cure cancer puts the fun — and feast — into fund-raising

If you haven’t made an appointment to have your hair done, or if your favorite Tommy Bahama shirt or little black dress needs to go to the laundry, you had better hurry. There’s just one week left before the biggest party of the year: Rod ’n’ Reel’s annual Celebration of Life Gala. On Thursday, August 4, the Gala celebrates 30 years of bringing the community together for good food and good times for the good cause of raising...

Article - Good Living; by Margaret Tearman; 7/28/11

After 20 Years, It’s Time to Get Back Home

Nancy Collery closes Main Street Gallery to reclaim her home

Nancy Collery’s business has occupied more than her time. It has also occupied a good part of her home. Main Street Gallery is her front parlor, den and dining room. Her front door is the gallery’s front door. After 20 years, Nancy wants her house back. So at month’s end, she is closing up shop. “Many moons ago I read an article in Bay Weekly that focused on the question what is enough? Twenty years feels like enough.”...

Article - News; by Margaret Tearman; 7/28/11

Did She — or Didn’t She?

Find out the truth about Abe Lincoln’s mystery advisor at Calvert Historical Society

Make a date July 30 to meet Maryland’s mystery woman. Was Anna Ella Carroll a Civil War heroine, achieving that status, as her champions claim, by advising President Abraham Lincoln? Or is her role in history a myth? Worse, was she a fraud? If there’s one thing historians love more than unraveling mysteries of the past, it’s infecting others with their passion. The Calvert Historical Society doesn...

Article - History & Lore; by Margaret Tearman; 7/21/11

Chinese Takeout

Water watch for foreign invaders

They are coming by water, but you won’t catch them sailing up the Patuxent like the British in the War of 1812. These invaders are a lot smaller but with the potential to pack a wallop on our shores. You can help stop this enemy before all heck breaks loose. Chinese Mittens Crabs This small East Asian native invaded Europe before making its way across the pond. First found here in 1962 in the Great Lakes, the Chinese mitten crab...

Article - News; by Margaret Tearman; 7/21/11

This Week’s Creature Feature ... Skeeter Season

After an active spring, the native mosquito populations
are naturally declining. But not the Asian tiger mosquito.

A rainy March and April kept mosquito slappers busy. “We had populations in larger numbers than expected this spring,” says Mike Cantwell, chief of Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Mosquito Control Program. “High rainfall brought out exceptionally large broods of woodland species. But these are single-generation species. Once they’re done, you don’t see them until next year.” At the same time, higher than...

Article - Creature Feature; by Margaret Tearman; 7/21/11

This Week’s Creature Feature ... Get Buzzed with the...

Download your widget and find out who’s out there

You may need to get down on your hands and knees for this one. And you will definitely need your computer or smart phone. Bee counting has gone hi-tech. YourGardenShow.com — a social network for gardeners — is asking gardeners, nature lovers and community members to join in a Citizen Science effort to count bees in backyards, balconies and public spaces across North America. For the...

Article - Creature Feature; by Margaret Tearman; 7/14/11