🍦AACPS has no more snow days

AA County violent crime stats, new faces at Annapolis Town Center, get smarter at St. John's College...

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Naptown Scoop
January 10, 2025

TOGETHER WITH

Good morning, Annapolis. I sure do love it here but nothing makes me want to move to Florida more than 25º air, 30 mph wind gusts, and slipping on black ice on my way into the office.

In today’s Naptown Scoop:

  • AA County violent crime stats

  • New faces at Annapolis Town Center

  • Get smarter at St. John’s College

Let’s get to it.

— Lauren Burke Meyer, Dylan Roche, Duffy Perkins, & Ryan Sneddon

Sweat, Shop & Stroll with FIT4MOM at Annapolis Mall 🏋️‍♀️🛍️

Calling all moms! Join us for Sweat & Shop, Annapolis Mall’s FREE weekly fitness class in partnership with FIT4MOM Chesapeake on Monday at 9:30 AM, bring your kiddos in their stroller and get ready for a Stroller Barre workout that blends cardio, barre, Pilates, and yoga.

This 60-minute class is designed to help you build strength, improve posture, and reconnect with your body — all while keeping your little ones entertained with songs, books, and games!

After the workout, stick around for a playgroup for the kids and some well-deserved shopping with friends. Whether you’re pregnant, newly postpartum, or a seasoned mom, Sweat & Shop welcomes all fitness levels and stages of motherhood.

Grab your yoga mat, stroller, and water bottle, and join the fun! 💪

👉 Learn more and register here: Sweat & Shop Events

THE DIGEST

Major Stories from this week

The first one’s pretty obvious here because it’s still visible everywhere you look.

⛄️ Winter Storm Blair dumped nearly a foot of white stuff on Annapolis. AACPS closed school 3 days in a row, roads were treacherous (some still are), and much sledding was done.

❌ USNA suspended general public visitation. You can still get onto the Naval Academy for sporting events, but if you were just hoping to walk around to enjoy the bitter cold and blistering winter winds, you’ll have to be cold somewhere else.

Top clicks of the week 🏆

AACPS used up all its snow days ❄️

Somebody should have told AACPS not to spend it all in one place. Winter Storm Blair just ate up all 3 of AACPS’ built-in inclement weather days in one week. If we get any more snow that forces schools to close, they’ll either have to extend the school year or go virtual on a snow day. So we have to ask. . .

If you were a kid, would you rather. . .

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Closing schools is no small decision. The process involves lots of communication with the county government on snow removal progress, 3 AM road evaluations, and probably lots of coffee. History isn’t on AACPS’ side here. It’s snowed in February 17 out of the last 20 years. Our advice? Charge up the Chromebook.

Leadership Anne Arundel applications now open 📢

Harry S. Truman once said, “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” And Naptown Scoop once said, “Not all leaders go through Leadership Anne Arundel, but everyone who goes through Leadership Anne Arundel is a leader.” Our rhyming dictionary really failed us on that one. Anyhow, Leadership Anne Arundel just opened applications for their Flagship Program. It’s a 10-week program where participants learn what’s important to our community and what constitutes good leadership. The program begins in September 2025, ends June 2026, and applications are due by March 31.

As for me? I learned everything I know about leadership from Julius Campbell in Remember the Titans, “Attitude reflects leadership. . . Captain.”

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@NAPTOWNSCOOP

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LOCAL BUSINESS

Foodie Friday 🍝

We love discovering hidden gems and sharing them with you, especially when they come from our readers! This week’s Foodie Friday feature comes from Scoop reader Kim Muffler, who recently shared her love for Robiolina Amore in Edgewater. Here’s what she had to say:

"I wanted to bring to your attention this fabulous local restaurant that we have now been to three times. Chef Noe opened his first restaurant in DC and has expanded into Edgewater, MD, with Robiolina Amore. While not a follower of strip mall restaurants, I was introduced to Robiolina recently and was curious, as I am an avid Italian foodie and have been to Italy many times to enjoy the pure and clean Italian tastes. Robiolina hit all the marks, from the olive oil, focaccia, homemade pastas, and gravies. Service is superb from the welcoming bar area to the dining room. While not a 5-star dining experience, the ambiance is charming and homey, and prices can't be beat.”

Thanks for sharing, Kim! If you’ve got a recommendation of your own for Foodie Friday, click here to let us know — we’d love to hear from you!

New leadership at Annapolis Town Center 🛍

Annapolis Town Center added two new members to the team this week – general manager Bill Baker and marketing director Craig Ballard. Together, they have more than 50 years of experience in retail management and marketing. Congrats to both and welcome to Annapolis. And if you don’t spend much time at ATC (or as we like to call it, town center), let this be your reminder. It has great shopping (Williams Sonoma, Anthropologie, etc.), staples like Whole Foods and Target, an amazing gym (Life Time), and good eats too (True Food Kitchen, Tuscan Prime, Toastique, Urbano, Tatte, etc.).

Nothing in this section is sponsored. They're just the things you need to know. I'll always let you know when something's sponsored.

WHAT’S HAPPENIN’

St. John’s College lecture series 🧠

Fact: Scoop readers are curious, lifelong learners. We can confidently say this because our St. John’s College lecture series story got a lot of clicks this week. Starting tonight, you can catch lectures or concerts nearly every Friday through April 25 in St. John’s Francis Scott Key Auditorium. Everyone’s welcome. This Friday, Annapolis tutor Greg Recco will deliver his lecture, Foundational Urgency and Institutional Inertia at 7:30 PM. Why is sustaining collective action difficult? Greg explores this conundrum with insights from Sartre and Plato. There will be Q&A after the lecture.

Nothing in this section is sponsored. They're just the things you need to know. I'll always let you know when something's sponsored.

CIVIL NEWS

AACPD says violent crime is down 🚓

Not everything in the news is all bad. For example, today we’re able to report to you that Anne Arundel Police say violent crime was down last year. While all of us would probably like to think we’re in a completely safe community (in a perfect world!), the reality is that crime does happen even here in Annapolis. But in 2024, according to AACPD:

⬇️ Homicide was down 17%
⬇️ Carjackings were down 57%
⬇️ Contact shootings were down 43%
⬇️ Non-contact shootings were down 13%
⬇️ Rape was down 17%

Why the crime reductions? AACPD credits these to proactive patrol responses, community partnerships and engagement efforts, and using real-time actionable crime data when responding to incidents.

⚖️ City Council Regular Meeting

Monday’s City Council meeting will cover:

  • Outdoor dining requirements

  • Expansion of childcare options

  • City Dock Resiliency Project

  • See full agenda.

The meeting is at 7 PM in the Mayor John T. Chambers, Jr. City Council Chambers (160 Duke Of Gloucester Street Annapolis, MD 21401). The public may attend. Click here to submit testimony or watch online.

And yes, the city council chambers at City Hall really are named after a mayor named Chambers. John T. Chambers, Jr. served as acting mayor in 1981 after a different acting mayor (who was filling in after a resignation) passed away. He was the first and is still the only Black mayor Annapolis has ever had.

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WEATHER

Friday

33 🌡️ 27 | ☀️ | 4% | 💨 WNW 9 mph (8 knots)

Saturday

37 🌡️ 27 | ⛅ | 18% | 💨 WNW 13 mph (11 knots)

Sunday

38 🌡️ 22 | ☀️ | 5% | 💨 WNW 6 mph (5 knots)

💧🌡️ Water temperature = 36ºF
Temperature readings taken from the mouth of the Severn River the night before publication

LIVE MUSIC LOWDOWN

Friday

49 West | Future Country, Josh Mudge, Meagan Griffith and Jiffy | 7:30–10:30 PM
Annapolis Smokehouse & Tavern | Honey So | 8:30 PM
Blackwall Hitch | Dana B | 4–7 PM
Blackwall Hitch | Enslow | 9 PM
Brian Boru | Meg & Bryan | 7–10 PM
The Choptank | Kieran Lally | 8 PM
Killarney House | Pete Best | 7:30–10:30 PM
Market House | Alex and Faith | 6–9 PM
Middleton Tavern | Moon Cherry | 10 PM
Old Stein | Eddie Pasa | 7–10 PM
Pirates Cove | Kurt Gibbons | 7:30–10:30 PM
Rams Head On Stage | Last Train Home | 8 PM | Tickets
Rams Head Roadhouse | Radio City | 9 PM
Reynolds Tavern | TBA | 7 PM
Romilo’s Restaurant and Bar | Kick Back Clasics | 7 PM
Severna Park Taphouse | Michael Miller | 8 PM
Stan & Joe’s Saloon | Nate & Jim | 9:45 PM

Saturday

Blackwall Hitch | Mac Heat | 9 PM
The Choptank | Mike Sharp | 8 PM
Coconut Joe’s | Tension | 8:30 PM
Great Frogs | Jennifer Schimpf | 12:30–3:30 PM
Killarney House | The Hyland Brothers | 7:30–10:30 PM
Middleton Tavern | Honey Sol | 10 PM
Pirates Cove | Frank, Elvis & Raines | 7:30–11 PM
Rams Head On Stage | High Noon | 8 PM | Tickets
Rams Head Roadhouse | Mike Miller | 8 PM
Rams Head Tavern |  Nate Finn | 11 AM–1 PM
Reynolds Tavern | TBA | 7 PM
Romilo’s Restaurant and Bar | Desperately Seeking Awesome | 7 PM

Sunday

Galway Bay | Brandon Kennedy, the Wandering Bard | 4–8 PM
Great Frogs | Alexander Peters | 12:30–3:30 PM
Market House | Troll Tribe | 5–7 PM
Pirates Cove | Madisun Bailey | 3–6 PM
Rams Head On Stage | Dead Letter Office | 7 PM | Tickets

THANKS!

Thanks for reading Naptown Scoop today. If you found something useful, please share it with someone who cheered like a champion last night.