AUGUST 28, 2025
BERLIN • NORTH WORCESTER COUNTY• OCEAN PINES
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Tyndall looking at run for Congress Exploratory committee will assess 1st Dist. chances
PHOTO COURTESY BERLIN CHAMBER
SOME LIKE IT HOT Berlin turned into a spice lovers’ paradise last Saturday for the first-ever Chili Peppers Festival, hosted by the Berlin Chamber of Commerce. Hot Sauce Band, pictured, kicked off the live entertainment on Main Street followed by competitions and the Mariachi Los Mensajeros band.
Toy program aids young patients Inspired by girl’s battle with cancer, Brooke’s Toy Closet opens in Berlin hospital By Tara Fischer Staff Writer (Aug. 28, 2025) Atlantic General Hospital has opened a new toy closet for children receiving care in the facility’s emergency department and inpatient units as part of the Brooke’s Toy Closet program, an initiative inspired by a young girl’s battle with childhood cancer. The toy closet, located in the Emergency Department at AGH, will house playthings for children admit-
ted to and visiting the hospital. Children will have the opportunity to pick an item from the collection to brighten up what are often stressful and scary periods. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held this week at Atlantic General, signaling the opening of the facility’s new joy-focused project. Community members are urged to donate new toys to the supply. The program will provide a little bit of fun to children and their families during hospital stays. The new Berlin-based toy collection follows three others along the East Coast. The first Brooke’s Toy Closet opened in 2014 at TidalHealth
Peninsula Regional in Salisbury. The pantry was an effort spurred by the Brooke Mulford Foundation, kick-started for Brooke Mulford, a Salisbury native who, at the time of the organization’s conception, was a six-year-old girl diagnosed with neuroblastoma. The nonprofit’s goal is to raise funds for research and provide toys for children undergoing treatment, as well as offer financial assistance to Eastern Shore families with a child battling cancer. Brooke’s own battle tragically came to an end in June of 2017. One year later, a second toy closet was opened at Virtua Hospital in See BROOKE’S Page 6
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By Brian Shane Staff Writer (Aug. 29, 2025) Berlin Mayor Zack Tyndall is considering running for Congress against eight-term Republican incumbent Andy Harris and won’t run for re-election as mayor. Calling rural Eastern Shore communities “overlooked and underserved,” Tyndall, a Democrat, said he’s formed an exploratory committee towards a campaign for Maryland’s First CongresZack Tyndall sional District seat in the 2026 election. “I have chosen to create a Congressional Exploratory Committee because the people of Maryland’s First Congressional District deserve a representative who is not only visible and accessible but also responsive and a partner,” he wrote. “I believe that I am the person to help bring Eastern Shore values back to Washington.” In his statement Tuesday, Tyndall noted a “disconnect” between the See TYNDALL Page 4
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