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Rick Hutzell

Rick

Rick Hutzell has worked as a journalist in Annapolis since 1987, and knows the city and its people about as well as anyone can. A native Marylander, Rick lives in Annapolis with his wife, Chara. They have two grown children and enjoy life in a city on the Chesapeake Bay.

The latest from Rick Hutzell

After toxic cocktail of complaints, changes are coming to Anne Arundel’s liquor board
A state senator says he has been "flooded" with complaints about Anne Arundel's Board of License Commissioners. It prompted him to push for changes, including expanding the board's size.
Anne Arundel County alcohol sales are regulated by the Board of License Commissioners, a three body panel now being changed after complaints.
7 things to do in Annapolis: Spring Boat Show returns amid City Dock construction
The Annapolis Spring Sailboat Show brings boat displays and scores of vendors, food and entertainment to City Dock this weekend. Along with ballet and theater, it’s one of seven great things to do in Annapolis in the coming week.
The Annapolis Sailboat Show, shown here in October, sails into a slightly disordered City Dock this weekend.
200,000 people can carry guns in Maryland. Here’s where they are.
More than 200,000 people have a Maryland permit to carry a handgun — a jump from fewer than 50,000 in 2020.
Lewis Bracy, a retired federal police officer from Severn, wears his handgun to a protest on Mary 20, 2023. Maryland's 3-year-old handgun license laws have resulted in a fourfold increase of people with carry permits.
What makes a Maryland man? Chris Van Hollen and Andy Harris disagree
The definition of a Maryland man is at the center of Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s fate — and maybe the republic itself.
From left, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, and Rep. Andy Harris.
Paul Revere rides again, this time in a democracy coming apart
Annapolis kicks off the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution by hanging two lights from the top of the State House, a recreation of Paul Revere's historic ride being repeated nationwide.
Jason Cole, a professional horse trainer from Upper Marlboro, will ride his 18-hand-high horse, Parker, in the Annapolis, MD recreation of Paul Revere's ride on April 18, 2025.
7 things to do in Annapolis: Sunday is 420. Are weed specials worth it?
Cannabis dispensaries roll out 420 sales and promotions like so many Zig-Zag papers. It’s the weed equivalent of Black Friday. Reliable consumer savvy works well on 42-0. So, here are a few tips.
Scenes at the Herbiculture cannabis dispensary
In Annapolis, reading Maya Angelou was a small act of rebellion
Eight hours and 15 minutes. That’s how long it takes to read Maya Angelou's “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” out loud. That’s how long a small act of rebellion takes.
Kaylee Jones, a student at Annapolis High School, reads from "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" on April 12, 2025 in Annapolis, MD. The book was banned from the Naval Academy library.
Grading Wes Moore: How to rate Maryland’s cheerleader-in-chief
All the mean-girl tweets, opinion posturing and campaign stunts ahead will just be partisan noise. There are ways to judge Gov. Wes Moore’s performance so far.
Gov. Wes Moore prepares to enter the Governor's Reception Room at the Maryland State House. How do you grade a governor?
Time is running out for Maryland’s most historic cockroach
Ask why, in a city that famously regulates rose trellises and replacement windows, a billboard depicting a cockroach stands in the heart of Annapolis and the explanations come with a sigh of resignation. Until now.
The billboard at City Dock has been there for more than a century, its owners say, but has featured a dead cockroach for the last few years.
7 things to do in Annapolis: From the Army band to Bacharach, it’s a musical week
What a crazy week in Annapolis. A parade, a military band, opera arias, a rock trio, a Mutt March and the unexpected combination of Todd Rundgren and Burt Bacharach. Get out and have some fun.
Annapolis will celebrate the life of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. on Saturday with a parade and festival.
Mayor, governor, Social Security chief and now — shadow minister Martin O’Malley
Democrats named former Gov. Martin O’Malley among their new alternative to President Donald Trump’s leadership team, calling it the People's Cabinet.
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley addresses hundreds of protesters at a local “Hands Off” protest — one of over 1,000 that took place nationwide — at the Social Security Administration headquarters in Woodlawn on Saturday.
The Naval Academy banned books. Across the street, they treasure them.
The Annapolis Cup croquet match between the Naval Academy and St. John's College has always been a contrast in style. But never like Saturday.
Two St. John's College students watch Naval Academy midshipmen prepare to take a shot in the Annapolis Cup croquet match Saturday.
With a finger salute, Annapolis’ big art project is still struggling
Art is about symbols. One of the crudest is a good way to explain why it’s proving so hard to fill Westgate Circle in Annapolis.
Westgate Circle is the boundary for downtown Annapolis, where West Street, Taylor Avenue and Spa Road intersect.
7 things to do in Annapolis: Chicken wings and college croquet kick off festival season
Two spring food festivals, the Annapolis Cup croquet match and the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra season finale are some of the great things to do in the coming week.
How many wings can you eat? That's the challenge of the Maryland Wing Festival on April 5, 2025 at the Anne Arundel County Fairgrounds.
Football and fighter jets signal strange days for Maryland’s National Guard
Wrapped in a deal over football and fighter jets, or the end of 104 years of aviation history in Marland, is Donald Trump and his 2020 use of the National Guard as a presidential force to quell public dissent.
Maryland Air National Guard Lt. Col. Steven Montalvo, center, greets fellow members of the 104th Fighter Squadron March 26, 2025 at Martin State Airport before flying his A-10C Thunderbolt II to the boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson, Arizona.
Elon Musk is not an idiot. Andy Harris told me so.
Elon Musk is not an idiot. "Look it up," Andy Harris said. "in the dictionary." I learned a lot from the Eastern Shore congressman's tele-town hall. Some of it was even true.
U.S. Rep. Andy Harris speaks during a press conference hosted by the Maryland Maryland Freedom Caucus in Annapolis on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. Harris is the only Republican member of Congress from Maryland and chairs the U.S. House Freedom Caucus.
Mistrial in Annapolis mass shooting offers a rare second chance for justice
When Charles Robert Smith returns to an Annapolis courtroom in September, prosecutor Anne Colt Leitess should be absent, not Judge Michael Wachs. There should be consequences when a prosecutor stumbles.
Loved ones of Mario Mireles Ruiz, his father Nicolas Mireles, and their friend Christian Marlon Segovia Jr. walk towards City Dock for a vigil in 2024.
7 things to do in Annapolis: How to navigate the Annapolis Film Festival
Things to do in Annapolis include the Annapolis Film Festival, Junkyard Band and more.
Carey Mulligan as Nell Mortimer and Tom Basden as Herb McGwyer in director James Griffiths' "The Ballad of Wallis Island," opens the Annapolis Film Festival
Amid Trump’s chaos, the Key Bridge response reminds us of how things should work
It’s 1:29 a.m. on March 26, 2025. An airliner collides with the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, a year after the container ship Dali knocked down the Key Bridge. What happens next in this imaginary disaster might be far different from the response to the real catastrophe. The reason? The occupant of the White House.
Remains of the Francis Scott Key Bridge can be seen on April 1 in the Patapsco River after its collapse on March 26. A year later, work has begun on a replacement bridge.
At a global seafood market, Maryland’s ‘fish people’ stand out by selling the Chesapeake Bay
This is the be-all and end-all for the fish business, and for six small Maryland companies selling Chesapeake Bay seafood, it was a moment of purpose.
Benny Horseman, co-owner of Madison Bay Seafoods, helps Faidley's co-owner Nancy Devine select six of his oysters on March 17, 2025 for a test of packing machinery at the Seafood Expo North America. She carries his oysters and crabs as part of her company's commitment to Chesapeake Bay seafood.
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