Troopers from the Maryland State Police North East Barrack responded to the 100 block of West Main Street in Cecilton earlier this month to a report of a person in medical distress.  Troopers arrived and found a woman at the scene later identified as Ashley Silverman, 28, of Cecilton.  Silverman was pronounced deceased at the scene, and her body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore.  Her death was later ruled a homicide.  Police located a man at the residence who was initially charged in connection with an unrelated incident.  Investigators from the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit and crime scene technicians from the Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division responded to the scene.  After consulting with the Office of the State’s Attorney in Cecil County, police charged the man, identified as Jason Timothy Simpson, 28, of Cecilton, with second-degree murder.  Simpson was taken to the Cecil County Detention Center, and is being held there without bond.  The Maryland State Police Homicide Unit continues to lead the investigation. 

Local residents and other interested members of the public are invited to comment on a proposal by MD American Kestrel, LLC to build a 5.0 MW solar photovoltaic generating facility in Kent County. The hearing will take place on Tuesday, September 8th  at 6:30 PM at the Comfort Inn & Suites Chestertown at 150 Scheeler Road.  The Maryland Public Service Commission has delegated this case to its Public Utility Law Judge Division; Public Utility Law Judge Jennifer Grace will preside over the hearing.  In addition to taking comments from the public, the hearing will include a presentation by the applicants, brief statements by the parties, including the Power Plant Research Program of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and the Commission’s Technical Staff, as to their respective roles and recommendations in the case.