Grace Harman

SALISBURY, MD - Parking lots throughout Wicomico County were crowded Friday as people got a head start on holiday weekend preparations despite temperatures in the 100s. Shoppers took to grocery stores for Independence Day barbecue essentials like hot dogs, hamburgers and water. "Definitely take tons of water and Gatorade, sunscreen, everything, because just standing here, it just sucks it out of you,” shopper Megan Short said.

SOMERSET COUNTY, MD - A descendant of Maryland’s historic Liberty Tree was celebrated at Janes Island State Park as part of a statewide effort to honor the nation’s founding ahead of America’s 250th anniversary. Liberty Trees once served as gathering places for patriots resisting British rule during the American Revolution. The tree dedicated in Somerset County traces its lineage to Maryland’s original Liberty Tree, a tulip poplar dating back to 1775.

ACCOMACK COUNTY, Va. - The federal government is taking the first step toward potentially allowing commercial mining of mineral resources from the ocean floor off the coast of both Accomack and Northampton Counties in Virginia.