Articles by Sandra Olivetti Martin

This Week’s Creature Feature ... Will Elk Return to...

We’ll know by spring

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...

Article - Creature Feature; by Sandra Olivetti Martin; 1/19/12

Where’s Anne Arundel’s Money Tree?

Find out with our multiple choice quiz

Where’s the money coming from? Anne Arundel County is counting on a nice windfall to help it pay its $1.2 billion in bills in the next fiscal year. Can you guess from what tree that money will fall? 1. Your property taxes? 2. The county’s share of income taxes? 3. Switching money from county pocket to pocket? 4. Investment income? 5. Local sales taxes? 6. Fees you pay for recording and transferring property? 7....

Article - News; by Sandra Olivetti Martin; 1/19/12

Scratching the Itch of Curiosity

This week bedbugs make our news weird

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...

Article - Letter from the Editor; by Sandra Olivetti Martin; 1/19/12

Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies

Previews of the Maryland General Assembly

Americans have a thing for lawlessness. If we had a mantra, it might go something like this: The fewer laws the better — except as they benefit us personally. From the Pilgrims, Conquistadors and New Dutch to explorers, pioneers and cowboys — not to mention robber barons — we’ve made our own laws. Nobody better tell us what to do. That strain of individual liberty is today...

Article - News; by Sandra Olivetti Martin; 1/12/12

Who’s Up to What

People on the move in the Maryland General Assembly

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...

Article - News; by Sandra Olivetti Martin; 1/12/12

Going to Annapolis?

Circulating is now free

Going to Annapolis? Since cars claimed roads designed for horse traffic, parking has made visiting our capital city easier by boat than by car. Where to put the vehicles that bring the city a million visitors each year has kept city planners scratching their heads. Over the month of December, free parking and trolley make the city more welcoming, and its shopping and cultural opportunities more...

Article - News; by Sandra Olivetti Martin; 1/12/12

This Week’s Creature Feature ... Susquehanna Flats B...

Grass beds survived storm to welcome waterfowl, Bay babies

Housing stock is on the rise for the young fish and crabs who’ll be sheltering at the top of the Bay come spring. The vast grass-filled Susquehanna Flats, the circular area where the Susquehanna River meets the Bay, appeared unexpectedly healthy in aerial survey images made late last year. The valuable Bay habitats seem to have survived fall 2011’s deluge of runoff and sediment. That was a welcome surprise. During Hurricane Irene and Tropical...

Article - Creature Feature; by Sandra Olivetti Martin; 1/12/12

PlanMaryland: It’s a Name You’re Going to Be Hearing

Here’s what all the fuss is about

Read any good plans lately? Maryland’s state plan has no suspense, sex, violence or drugs, not even any characters. Yet PlanMaryland, which Gov. Martin O’Malley’s proclaimed by executive order last month, is becoming notorious. The 11-page document has a web page, a Facebook page with nearly 500 likes and a game you can play. PlanMaryland was four years in the making and a half-...

Article - Letter from the Editor; by Sandra Olivetti Martin; 1/12/12

Hospice Trees and Gifts Outlast the Season

Sneade’s donation adds $2,000 to Calvert Hospice’s Festival of Trees

Woodchips and memories will soon be all that’s left of this year’s Christmas trees hauled curbside in Anne Arundel or to Calvert’s convenience centers for recycling. Not so for the 64 trees in Calvert Hospice’s 23rd annual Festival of Trees. Decorated and sponsored throughout Calvert, the trees annually add about $100,000 to Hospice coffers. The festival is Calvert Hospice’s longest running and biggest fundraiser. It helps support all the...

Article - Features; by Sandra Olivetti Martin; 1/5/12

Taking the Plunge

Hot-blooded Marylanders hoping for icy reception

The frostbite swimming season began January 1 with barely an icicle. At 43 degrees, Chesapeake waters were cold. That was the common report from plungers at North Beach’s New Year’s Day Polar Bear Swim. “It was so cold I could only go up to my waist,” reported Lizzie Woolsey, newly of Huntingtown. “Brian stayed in 10 minutes,” she said of her soldier husband. Six-year-old Mayhem James waded in up to his knees. ...

Article - Features; by Sandra Olivetti Martin; 1/5/12