As Chesapeake Bay waters warm during the peak of summer, health officials are urging people to take simple precautions against Vibrio, a naturally occurring bacteria that can cause serious illness in some cases.  The reminder comes as researchers have documented an increase in reported vibriosis cases in Maryland over the past two decades.  Vibrio bacteria naturally live in brackish and salt water, including the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. People can contract Vibrio in two primary ways: by eating raw or undercooked seafood such as oysters or by exposing an open cut or wound to contaminated salt or brackish water.  Health officials recommend avoiding contact between open wounds and salt or brackish water whenever possible. They also encourage people handling crabs, shellfish, or fishing gear to wear protective gloves and advise against eating raw or undercooked oysters, particularly for those at higher risk of severe illness.  

A debate over Maryland’s congressional districts took an unusual turn Monday night when an Eastern Shore lawmaker proposed asking local voters if the Shore should secede from the state.A debate over Maryland’s congressional districts took an unusual turn Monday night when an Eastern Shore lawmaker proposed asking local voters if the Shore should secede from the state.  On Aug. 3, Delegate Tom Hutchinson introduced an amendment to House Bill 2100 that would have placed a nonbinding poll question on the November 2026 ballot in Maryland’s nine Eastern Shore counties, asking voters whether they favor the legal secession of the Eastern Shore from Maryland.  Under the amendment, voters in  several counties including Caroline, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot, counties would have been able to vote either “For Secession” or “Against Secession.” The results would have been advisory only.  Ultimately, lawmakers rejected Hutchinson’s amendment by voice vote.