Heading to the seashore is going to cost you a few more sand dollars.          The National Park Service plans to increase entrance fees across the board at all 112 parks that charge fees. Effective January 1, Assateague Island National Seashore bumps to a seven-day $25 per car or $10 per person fee. The annual pass climbs to $45.          The fee includes entrance to the National Seashore...

     Fighting the bane of single-use plastics, Prince George’s County joins the battle against straws and stirrers.          The county council voted unanimously to approve the council bill banning the sale or distribution of single-use plastic straws and stirrers in all county restaurants and retail establishments. Now it goes to county executive Angela Alsobrooks for approval.          Single-...

     Chickadees are a group of small but vocal birds that have learned to adapt to living around humans. They are highly intelligent and have a considerable vocabulary — among themselves. Even other animals rely on them for danger alerts as their raspy alarm can be heard for a considerable distance.     However, they also can be quick to complain. They follow me around the woods, telling all the other animals where I am. Around my yard they complain when the...

     Bay Weekly has accumulated quite a library in 27 years. As we prepare to leave our familiar quarters, we find ourselves stopping by a bookshelf to revisit one or another old friend. We’ve compiled a list of 20 that have added strength and substance to our love for the Bay. Their authors are (or have been) all citizens of Chesapeake Country, many of them friends who you’ve met in the pages of Bay Weekly as writers or subjects.      As you do your...