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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

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sunset lines up with East Lombard Street at Calvert in Baltimore, MD on March 18, 2025, less than two days before the spring equinox.
For a moment, the light of Baltimorehenge signals spring is here
I spotted Baltimorehenge. The sun lined up just so in the west, sending a bright shaft of light down East Lombard Street, glowing from the Bromo Seltzer Tower on the horizon directly through my windshield at Calvert Street.
“Proclaiming the Annapolis City Charter: 1708″ is the largest of the three paintings by Lee Boynton in City Council Chambers.
7 things to do in Annapolis, including places to celebrate Maryland’s 392nd birthday
Every year, Anne Arundel County bets you’ll love Maryland history. This year, there are 40 events to get you to come out and celebrate the state’s founding.
Travelers at Southwest Airlines at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in 2021 after a weekend of severe delays.
Southwest, reports of your demise (maybe) are greatly exaggerated
When Southwest Airlines announced it was instituting baggage fees, the obits for the airline were queued up.
U.S. Rep. Andy Harris talks with Salisbury State University sophomore Adrian Todd, right, at the Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce in Cambridge, MD, on March 13, 2025.
AWOL Andy wants me fired! Voters want a town hall.
I wrote about Andy Harris’ congressional district art contest two weeks ago, and the Republican from Cambridge hated it so much he wants me fired. I guess it pays not to be a federal worker in Andy’s world.
Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley marches in the St. Patrick's Parade on March 9, 2025, with supporters holding up signs listing his accomplishments.
After 8 years as mayor, the Annapolis parade is ending for Gavin Buckley
The end of Gavin Buckley's parade is in sight. Term-limited, the mayor leaves office in December for a return to the business that brought him to Annapolis, restaurants. Most mayors are soon forgotten. Will it be different for the brash Australian?
Dublin 5 is fronted by Ray Murphy, center, backed by Jenn Belle  on fiddle, Gary Hewitt on bass), Jim Martin on percussion and Kevin Shook on drums. They'll perform at the Eastport Democratic Club Saturday.
7 things to do in Annapolis: Catch Irish rockers Dublin 5 at the Green Beer Races
Lots of music coming up in Annapolis, from Irish rock to Italian opera and a hefty dose of blues.
No, you're not allowed to take pictures. That's what they told me, anyway, when my wife, son and I went to get our first vaccine shots in Waldorf on March 20, 2021.
COVID broke America. We’re still putting the pieces back together.
At the five-year mark, it seems like the right moment to reflect on the pandemic and ask whether we learned anything from it.
Maryland's seal has two guys who look like they have jobs. Virginia's has a half-naked lady with a spear who apparently just killed someone.
‘Don’t Maryland My Virginia?’ Hold my Natty Boh, please
A Virginia Republican running for governor there launched a campaign ad with the slogan, “Don’t Maryland My Virginia.” Gov. Wes Moore laughed it off. I’m not so tolerant.
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 28: U.S. President Donald Trump (C) and Vice President JD Vance meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office at the White House on February 28, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump and Zelensky are meeting today to negotiate a preliminary agreement on sharing Ukraine’s mineral resources that Trump says will allow America to recoup aid provided to Kyiv while supporting Ukraine’s economy. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Lies and bullying aside, could Trump be right on the need for a jarring shift on Ukraine?
Something Olha Radchenko told me: “It’s either the whole world will win or it’s going to be Russia.” President Trump made very clear last week that he disagrees.
A young boy watches as a unit of marching firefighters passes by during Annapolis St. Patrick's Parade on March 17, 2024. The popular event returns Sunday.
7 things to do in Annapolis: St. Patrick’s Parade steps off Sunday
The 12th annual St. Patrick's Parade steps off at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 9, but it's really an all-Irish weekend in Annapolis.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin visited Annapolis on Feb. 28, 2025, and took in a tour of the small living shoreline at the Annapolis Maritime Museum.
Facing threats, the Chesapeake economy in Annapolis could tumble
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin paid a visit to Annapolis recently amid concerns about state and federal budget cuts. Some worry about the potential effects on the bay economy.
Andy Harris is holding an art contest. Oh, how I wish I could enter.
How could any teenager worth the title resist the chance to submit an entry tweaking the congressman for his tone-deaf dismissal of concerns held by many constituents and fellow Marylanders?
A plan to address flooding at City Dock in Annapolis depends on a $33 million federal grant that may now not be assured.
Trump cuts may scuttle Annapolis' City Dock plan to prevent flooding
There are warning signs that a $33 million grant critical to completing the Annapolis climate resilience project at City Dock will not materialize.
Shayna Freedman as Anna Putnam and Mitchell McCollum as the Rev. John Hale rehearse a scene with other members of the cast of "The Crucible," a new production by the Classic Theatre of Maryland.
7 things to do in Annapolis: With three premieres, it’s an impossible theater weekend
You can’t possibly see them all in one weekend. Somehow, all three Annapolis theater companies — and one dinner theater — are raising the curtain on their new shows at the same time. The shows are among seven great things to do in the coming week.
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