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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

U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks talks at the Annapolis Senior Activity Center on a rainy Wednesday morning.
Joy is an act of resistance worth sharing in our days of Trump malaise
In the age of Donald Trump, I’ll admit to not feeling very optimistic. What a time for my son and his fiancée to start a new chapter, to commit to love and a future together. I found some inspiration, of all places, on a rainy morning with U.S. Sen, Angela Alsobrooks.
A person dressed in an animal costume waves to people along West Street during the Annapolis Pride Parade and Festival on June 1, 2024.
7 things to do in Annapolis: Pride Parade is political, but it’s good fun, too
Although the Annapolis Pride Parade is the city’s most politically charged event, the march and the festival that follow it on Saturday remain a fun, community-oriented event.
Quantum particles — quibits — can be in multiple states at once, and linked in pairs that let you determine the state of one anywhere in the world by observing the other.
Wes Moore is betting $1 billion on qubits. What the heck is a qubit?
Economic development is a bit like quantum physics in that it’s hard to make sense of most of the time.
How much is a penny worth? The treasury says $3.69. I say it's priceless.
The US is phasing out the penny. Here are all the things that cost me 1 cent
This was the first thing I thought of Thursday after reading the sad news that the Treasury Department will finally kill the humblest of coins.
When Sandy Point State Park opened in 1952, it had separate beaches for Blacks and whites. The NAACP legal victory in the U.S. Supreme Court in 1955 ended the legal justification for segregation and parks nationwide.
Sandy Point is a scenic beach. It’s a 70-year-old civil rights landmark, too.
While much of the history of the civil rights struggle was written in Southern states, this chapter takes place 50 years ago on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay.
Sarah Miriam Peale's 1830 self-portraits is one of 22 works included in a new exhibit at Hammond Harwood House in Annapolis examining women painters of Peale dynasty of early American painters. It runs through Aug. 15.
7 things to do in Annapolis: ‘Peale Women Painters’ explores hidden members of American arts dynasty
Three new art exhibits opening for Memorial Day offer a good opportunity to see another side of Annapolis, its visual arts. It's also a parade weekend in Annapolis, and time for alfresco dining to return to West Street.
President Donald Trump will speak at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on Saturday, one day after Vice President JD Vance gives the commencement address at the Naval Academy commissioning ceremony in Annapolis.
JD Vance won’t say much at the Naval Academy graduation. You should listen anyway.
Vice presidential addresses receive far less attention than those given by presidents. The Biden effect makes it a mistake, however, to ignore what the VP has to say.
PlayAnnapolis, a nonprofit advocacy group for youth athletics, held a sports fair in April at the Boys & Girls Club field. It's the only all-weather turf field in the city, and is controlled by the club and Anne Arundel County.
Annapolis can be a lousy place for kids to play. The next mayor needs to fix it.
Annapolis will select a new mayor and at least three new city council members in November. Over the next six months, I’ll explore problems they will face, including rising anger over the state of playing fields.
The Blue Angels complete their annual flyover above Annapolis during the Naval Academy’s commencement week on May 22, 2024. Gladys Schultz looks up in awe at the jets as they do stunts in the air.
7 things to do in Annapolis includes a chance to see the Blue Angels, loud and beloved
All but the joyless few in Annapolis will step outside Tuesday and Wednesday to marvel as the Blue Angels paint the Chesapeake Bay sky with speed, smoke and daring, along with other great things to do in the coming week.
Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman waits to be introduced on May 1 for his State of the County address in Annapolis.
Villains, promises and pageantry — what I learned from 6 Maryland county budgets
We’re deep into local budget season in Maryland, when decisions are made for spending nearly $28 billion on priorities and problems. Here’s what I learned by listening to hours of budget addresses this spring.
A’Nya Lucas, a senior at Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School, gets on the bus in Cherry Hill, Baltimore, MD on Nov. 14, 2024.
Get on board, Maryland, it’s time to fix Baltimore’s school transit mess
Baltimore must acknowledge its failure to provide reliable transportation for city students and start a conversation about how to fix it.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth walks alongside Vice Adm. Yvette Davids, academy superintendent, during his visit to the U.S. Naval Academy on April 1, 2025.
Should Naval Academy leader push back on Trump’s book ban? 600 grads say yes.
In an open letter to Vice Adm. Yvette Davids, hundreds of Naval Academy grads cited the decision to remove 381 books from the library catalogue as the latest sign that she isn’t fulfilling her duty to protect a diversity of ideas.
The Ballet Theatre of Maryland will perform with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra Saturday during their annual family concert.
7 things to do in Annapolis: Family concert aims to hook kids on the classics
Two of the best-known arts companies in Annapolis will join up Saturday for a concert at Maryland Hall aimed at hooking young audiences on classic music and dance.
In 1685, Willem Wissing and Jan van der Vaardt painted the portrait of Anne Stuart, the bride of George Odenberg, Prince of Demark. A decade later, Maryland named Annapolis in her honor.
Annapolis used to be called Arundel Town. Then Anne came along.
In the 330 years since Annapolis got its name on May 8, 1695, there have been mothers and daughters, rebels and beauties, artists and prosecutors. Here's a salute to all the Annes the city of Anne has known.
National Lutheran Communities & Services plans to build it's new retirement community in an Annapolis forest.
After 15 years, the saga of Crystal Spring is ending in Annapolis. Was the fight worth it?
As the story of Crystal Spring and The Village at Providence Point nears its end, there is a lesson from the last remaining forest in Annapolis.
The Annapolis Book Festival at Key School returns May 3, 2025 with authors, panel discussions and a used book sale.
7 things to do in Annapolis: May brings books, women of song and Italian sausage
The first weekend in May is one of the busiest of the year in Annapolis, with festivals celebrating books, food, art and music. Oh, and you can catch a new stage production, too.
The Washington Monument is seen on the mall in Washington would be in Maryland if retrocession were ever to happen.
Is Maryland the answer to DC’s MAGA woes? Jamie Raskin says maybe.
When Rep. Jamie Raskin said D.C. should become part of Maryland again, I had to ask. That’ll never happen, right? Then I learned about retrocession.
Anne Arundel County alcohol sales are regulated by the Board of License Commissioners, a three body panel now being changed after complaints.
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.
The Annapolis Sailboat Show, shown here in October, sails into a slightly disordered City Dock this weekend.
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.
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.
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.
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