Together, Elisavietta Ritchie and husband Clyde Farnsworth have written an encyclopedia of words, with more spilling out every day. Poet, storyist, translator and mentor Ritchie has just published her 22nd (or so) book, the poetry volume Harbingers. Retired New York Times foreign correspondent Farnsworth has just published his fourth, the father-and-son biography and autobiography Tangled Bylines.

     Snoopy and Charlie Brown, rainbows and candy canes, Christmas trees and an angel with a big trumpet: Over 35 years, Pete Chambliss’ boats have morphed into all those forms in the Eastport Yacht Club Lights Parade. 

     Crowds of thousands cheer as the illuminated powerboats and sailboats cruise in two slow loops below and above the Eastport-Annapolis Spa Creek Bridge. 

     Chesapeake Beach and North Beach have more going for them than great views. Calvert County’s Twin Beach towns are certifiably sustainable, meaning they live up to standards set by the University of Maryland. As well as the Twin Beaches, 11 other Maryland towns joined the Sustainable Maryland community this year.

     Each town has its own advances up the 150-point ladder of certification.

     Long before children can learn their ABCs, they can learn to love reading. Reading early and often improves language and vocabulary skills and helps shape lifelong learners. That’s the aim behind a new early literacy initiative from the Anne Arundel County Public Library.