Maryland
Hope floats: The new face of ‘Maryland Tough, Baltimore Strong’ | STAFF COMMENTARY
Maryland knows a thing or two about big-time swimmers. Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, was Baltimore-born and Towson-raised. Bethesda’s Katie Ledecky, 27, the owner of seven Olympic gold medals, recently qualified for the 2024 Olympics and has said she plans to compete in 2028 as well. A 200-meter sprint through a chlorinated pool is one thing, but endless hours in open water is another. And so let us add to the honor roll of Maryland’s greatest aquatic performers the name of Katie Pumphrey of Baltimore, who on Tuesday swam from Sandy Point State Park near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, a distance of 24 miles, in slightly more than 14 hours.
The summer swim team crowd will instantly recognize the herculean effort required — and not just because the final destination still has some, shall we say, serious water quality issues. As last Sunday’s Harbor Splash featuring 150 brave souls plunging into the Harbor demonstrated, pollution has become more manageable (although kids take note, it’s not yet up to public pool standards either). No, the real challenge is sheer exhaustion. Ever try swimming for an hour straight, let alone 14 times as long? Check out “Nyad,” the 2023 biographical movie about famed long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad, now on Netflix. Good thigh and shoulder muscles are one thing; self-discipline and drive are really what you need.
And so we would humbly call attention to Pumphrey, a 2009 Maryland Institute College of Art grad, for whom open water ultra-marathon swimming is just another day in the park (and the Patapsco). She is the living embodiment of the mantra popularized after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse: “Maryland Tough, Baltimore Strong.” Oh, and did we mention she’s done the English Channel (twice) and circled Manhattan? And that, at least to our knowledge, she hasn’t grown fins or gills?
One part resilient, two parts pluck, a heaping portion of mental toughness and can-do spirit, we could scarcely offer a better example of what Baltimore needs — and maybe, just maybe, already has shown quite a bit of this year — than Katie Pumphrey. In becoming the first person to make this Maryland swim, she has provided a welcome road map (well, nautical chart anyway) for a post-Key Bridge recovery.
Baltimore Sun editorial writers offer opinions and analysis on news and issues relevant to readers. They operate separately from the newsroom.
Maryland
Dog who called Maryland shelter home for 7 years finally adopted: “There wasn’t a dry eye in the house”
The SPCA of Anne Arundel County announced that their longest running shelter resident has been adopted. Kylo Jace found his forever home after living at the SPCA of Anne Arundel County for 7 years.
The SPCA said on their Facebook page thar Kylo is a dog who “takes many meetings with someone in order to fully trust them and feel comfortable enough to show his true silly, wonderful personality.”
Over the years, he had specific volunteers and staff who had earned his trust and would take turns walking and caring for him day after day, the shelter said.
Over the course of the past 7 months, the woman who adopted Kylo came to visit him twice a week and slowly, but surely, worked her way into his trusted inner circle.
The team at SPCA even worked to ensure Kylo was comfortable getting into his new owner’s car, doing home visits before the big day. On Sunday, he officially left the building that he has spent the past few years in for the final time.
“There wasn’t a dry eye in the house and we truly are on Cloud 9 knowing he gets to spend the rest of his life loved for exactly who he is!” shelter staff said on social media.
Kylo’s adoption fee was fully paid for in memory of Jim Ehrig, a fan favorite of Kylo’s who passed away.
The SPCA hopes Kylo’s story will encourage more people to take a chance on a shelter dog.
Watch Tide to Table of Ocean City’s crew in action in Instagram reel
Instagram reel offers inside look at Tide to Table crew in action. Provided bby Jason Schwinabart, Vision Jet Media.
Vision Jet Media
The results are in for Delmarva Now’s reader poll of the best local ice cream shop on Maryland’s Lower Shore.
The 10 ice cream shops featured in the poll from the Ocean City, Salisbury and Berlin areas are often sought out by beachgoers with a sweet tooth during the hot summer months.
Get to know the winner and runner-up below.
Island Creamery voted best ice cream shop on Lower Shore
Island Creamery finished in first place with 47 votes, or 62.67% of the total, in Delmarva Now’s reader poll.
The creamery, named “Best Ice Cream Place in America” on July 7, 2023, for its use of fresh, quality ingredients and creativity, is best known for unique flavors such as Wallops Rocket Fuel and Rum Raisin.
It operates three locations across the Delmarva Peninsula: 120 N. Main St. in Berlin, 306 Dogwood Drive in Salisbury and 6243 Maddox Blvd. in Chincoteague, Virginia.
Dumser’s Dairyland secures second place in ice cream poll
Dumser’s Dairyland secured second place in Delmarva Now’s reader poll with 16 votes, or 21.33% of the total.
The family-owned business first opened in 1939 and offers a wide variety of fresh ice cream flavors, including coconut chocolate chip, butter pecan and mint Oreo.
Dumser’s Dairyland operates seven locations in Ocean City, including on the Boardwalk, in West Ocean City and along Coastal Highway. Some locations capture the look of a 1950s diner.
Olivia Minzola covers communities on the Lower Shore. Contact her with tips and story ideas at ominzola@delmarvanow.com.
Maryland lawmakers serving in the U.S. Congress expressed their condolences on Sunday after the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
Graham, a Republican, died on Saturday following a “brief and sudden illness,” according to his office. He was 71 years old.
Republican Congressman Andy Harris, who represents Maryland in the House of Representatives, called Stewart a “true leader” and said his “selfless service to his country both in uniform and in Congress is much appreciated.”
“My deepest condolences go out to his family, friends, dedicated staff, and the people of South Carolina during this difficult time,” Harris said. “Working with him on budget issues made it clear to me that he was a true leader in the fight to restore fiscal responsibility, and he will be sorely missed.”
Graham died on Saturday evening, shortly after he returned from a trip to Ukraine. He was scheduled to appear on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday.
He served in the U.S. House of Representatives, followed by four terms in the U.S. Senate. Before his political career, Graham served in the United States Air Force.
Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who served with Graham in Congress for more than two decades, said that even though the two disagreed on many issues, they had always had “an open line of communication and honest conversation.”
“Whenever possible, we worked together to find common ground, including our joint efforts to support our Syrian Kurdish partners and the SDF, who have been our main allies in the fight against ISIS,” Van Hollen stated. “My heart goes out to Lindsey’s loved ones during this difficult time.”
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