Community

59th Annual U.S. Oyster Festival Returns to St. Mary’s County This Oct. 18-19, 2025

59th Annual U.S. Oyster Festival Returns to St. Mary’s County This Oct. 18-19, 2025

The iconic U.S. Oyster Festival returns to St. Mary’s County Fairgrounds on October 18 – 19, 2025, bringing together oyster lovers, top shuckers, and seafood enthusiasts from across the region. Tickets are on sale now at usoysterfestival.org. Celebrating more than five decades of Chesapeake Bay heritage, the two-day festival has traditionally convened more than...
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Sailor with Family Ties to Calvert County Outshines Peers at Navy Supply Corps School Graduation

Sailor with Family Ties to Calvert County Outshines Peers at Navy Supply Corps School Graduation

By Megan Lemly, Navy Office of Community Outreach – Ensign Justin Dunn was awarded the Defense Finance and Accounting Service Excellence Award during a recent graduation held at the Navy Supply Corps School (NSCS) in Newport, Rhode Island. Dunn received the award for having the highest grade among the battalion in disbursing management. Additionally,...
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Change of Command at UAS PMA-266 After Capt. Monagle Retires After Nearly 30 Years of Service

Change of Command at UAS PMA-266 After Capt. Monagle Retires After Nearly 30 Years of Service

The Multi-Mission Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) program office (PMA-266) welcomed a new program manager during change of command and retirement ceremony Sept. 18 inside Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (UX) 24’s hangar, with the Marine Corps’ MQ-9 Reaper in the backdrop. Marine Col. Leigh Irwin relieved Navy Capt. Dennis Monagle, who is retiring...
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One Million Oysters Planted in Breton Bay as Volunteers Pack Abell’s Wharf

One Million Oysters Planted in Breton Bay as Volunteers Pack Abell’s Wharf

Last weekend, Volunteers turned out in force Saturday for the 4th annual Breton Bay Oyster Planting, meeting the ambitious goal of placing one million oysters into the Breton Bay Oyster Sanctuary. Organizers said approximately 200 bushels of spat-on-shell — baby oysters attached to shells — were delivered to the sanctuary at Lover’s Point. Fifty-one...
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18th Annual Riverfest This Saturday in St. Mary’s City, FREE Event!

18th Annual Riverfest This Saturday in St. Mary’s City, FREE Event!

The 18th Annual RiverFest will be held at 47418 Old State House Rd, St. Mary’s City, MD 20686, and everyone is invited to come celebrate, explore, and protect the St. Mary’s River. Admission and activities are completely free, thanks to sponsors, donors, volunteers, and members. Hosted by the St. Mary’s River Watershed Association. The...
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Attorney General Brown Opposes USDA Plan to Close Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) in Prince George’s County

Attorney General Brown Opposes USDA Plan to Close Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) in Prince George’s County

Attorney General Anthony G. Brown submitted comments opposing the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) reorganization plan that would close the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) in Prince George’s County, Maryland. USDA’s reorganization plan threatens over 1,000 Maryland jobs and ignores federal laws that require Congressional approval before closing the research facility. “This plan...
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2025 Maryland Natural Resource Photo Contest Winners Announced

2025 Maryland Natural Resource Photo Contest Winners Announced

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has chosen the winners of the annual Maryland Natural Resource Photo Contest, with the grand prize going to Christopher Michael for his fun photo of a river otter, titled “Waterways Wanderer.” This year’s contest received more than 1,800 photo submissions. The grand prize package includes $700, a Maryland State...
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College of Southern Maryland Dean’s List for Summer 2025

College of Southern Maryland Dean’s List for Summer 2025

The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) has released its dean’s list for the 2025 summer session. Students who have earned 12 or more credits at CSM are eligible to be considered for the dean’s list. At the end of the fall, spring, and summer sessions, full- and part-time time students who have completed at...
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Retired Sgt. Gus Proctor Honored as Hometown Hero at Southern Maryland Blue Crabs Event

Retired Sgt. Gus Proctor Honored as Hometown Hero at Southern Maryland Blue Crabs Event

The Charles County Sheriff’s Office is celebrating one of its own as retired Sgt. Gus Proctor was recently recognized during Trollinger Law’s Hometown Hero event, held at First Responders Night with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. The Hometown Hero program shines a spotlight on first responders who have made a lasting difference in the...
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Maryland Audit Finds Social Services Agency Repeatedly Failed to Protect Foster Children, Placed Children Into Homes with 7 Registered Sex Offenders

Maryland Audit Finds Social Services Agency Repeatedly Failed to Protect Foster Children, Placed Children Into Homes with 7 Registered Sex Offenders

A state audit released on September 12th, 2025, has found that Maryland’s Social Services Administration (SSA) repeatedly failed to protect children in its care between May 2020 and May 2024, allowing them to live in unsafe environments, miss essential medical care, and, in hundreds of cases, be placed in hotels under unlicensed supervision. The...
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UPDATE: No Charges To Be Filed In Fatal 2024 Charles County Officer Involved Shooting

UPDATE: No Charges To Be Filed In Fatal 2024 Charles County Officer Involved Shooting

UPDATE 9/19/2025: Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced his decision not to seek charges in the Friday, December 20, 2024 officer-involved shooting in White Plains, Charles County, Maryland. On Friday, December 20, 2024, at approximately 3:00 p.m., Charles County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) officers responded to a report of a kidnapping and rape at a home...
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Rucci’s Italian Kitchen & Grille is Pleased to Announce New Leonardtown Location!

Rucci’s Italian Kitchen & Grille is Pleased to Announce New Leonardtown Location!

Rucci’s Italian Kitchen & Grille made the exciting announcement today that they’re opening a second location in downtown Leonardtown! The family owned business is pleased to be right in the heart of historic Leonardtown and cannot wait to bring the freshest & finest quality Italian fare and our bar featuring 100+ Bourbons, great Wine...
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78th Annual St. Mary’s County Fair Is Here! Family Fun from Wednesday to Sunday Starting Today

78th Annual St. Mary’s County Fair Is Here! Family Fun from Wednesday to Sunday Starting Today

St. Mary’s County Government, on behalf of the St. Mary’s County Fair Association, invites all members of the community to join in the fun happening this weekend at the 78th Annual St. Mary’s County Fair! Highlights for this year’s program include: Wednesday, September 17, 2025: Entry Day! Bring your exhibit to the fair –...
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54-Year-Old Lusby Man Killed After Motorcycle Crash in Brandywine, Police Investigating

54-Year-Old Lusby Man Killed After Motorcycle Crash in Brandywine, Police Investigating

The Prince George’s County Police Department’s Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit is investigating a fatal collision involving a motorcycle that occurred Sunday afternoon. The deceased rider is 54-year-old Jeffrey Glacken of Lusby, Maryland. On September 14, 2025, at approximately 12:15 p.m., officers responded to the 9500 block of Cedarville Road for a collision involving...
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District Heights Woman ‘Nearly Fell on the Floor’ After $50,000 Scratch-off Win in Calvert County

District Heights Woman ‘Nearly Fell on the Floor’ After $50,000 Scratch-off Win in Calvert County

A longtime Maryland Lottery player from District Heights reports that she nearly fell on the floor when she realized she had won $50,000 on the $5 scratch-off Cash Blast. She bought the ticket at the Safeway store at 10276 Southern Maryland Boulevard in the Calvert County community of Dunkirk, she said Sept. 12 when...
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Indiana Man Charged After Sending Threats Through Social Media Connected to United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland

Indiana Man Charged After Sending Threats Through Social Media Connected to United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland

UPDATE 9/16/2025: Federal law enforcement arrested Jackson Fleming, 23, of Chesterton, Indiana, on suspicion of sending an online threat through a social media application connected to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, on September 11, 2025. A magistrate judge approved a complaint charging Fleming with one count of transmitting a threat in...
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Gov Moore Announces Registered Apprenticeship Program to Expand Maryland’s Teacher Workforce and Create More Affordable Pathways to Teaching Careers

Gov Moore Announces Registered Apprenticeship Program to Expand Maryland’s Teacher Workforce and Create More Affordable Pathways to Teaching Careers

Governor Wes Moore announced Maryland’s first state-sponsored registered apprenticeship program for teaching. The program will enable aspiring teachers to receive more hands-on training, mentorship, and paid work experience while reducing the out-of-pocket cost of earning a degree and license. “If someone is raising their hand to teach our children, they should be rewarded with...
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Southern Maryland NAWCAD WOLF Division Develops New Ground Communication Capability for the U.S. Navy Blue Angels

Southern Maryland NAWCAD WOLF Division Develops New Ground Communication Capability for the U.S. Navy Blue Angels

The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division at Webster Outlying Field (NAWCAD WOLF) Special Communication Mission Solutions (SCMS) division collaborated with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels to quickly develop and deliver a new ground communication system to the squadron at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, July 24, 2025. Due to its age, the legacy...
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USPS Operation Santa Now Accepting Letters From Kids and Families Across the Country!

USPS Operation Santa Now Accepting Letters From Kids and Families Across the Country!

The U.S. Postal Service has officially kicked off the 2025 season of USPS Operation Santa, inviting children and families across the country to begin writing and sending letters to Santa Claus. The beloved program, now in its 113th year, connects letter writers with generous individuals and organizations who help fulfill their holiday wishes. Beginning...
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Waldorf Felon Sentenced to 16-Years for Murdering His Girlfriend’s Husband

Waldorf Felon Sentenced to 16-Years for Murdering His Girlfriend’s Husband

Keyon Slaughter, 28, of Waldorf, Maryland, was sentenced to 16 years in prison for the December 2022 murder of Dana Bailey, Jr., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. Slaughter pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while armed on June 20, 2025. Slaughter was sentenced on September 12, 2025, by the Honorable Danya Dayson. In addition...
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Developing The Workforce! Navy Selects Four NAWCAD WOLF Engineers for Leadership Program

Developing The Workforce! Navy Selects Four NAWCAD WOLF Engineers for Leadership Program

The Navy recently selected four members of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division at Webster Outlying Field (NAWCAD WOLF) workforce for one of its flagship leadership development plans, the Journey Leadership Development Program (JLDP). “Developing the next generation of leaders is one of the most important NAWCAD WOLF strategic imperatives,” said NAWCAD WOLF...
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Court Ruling Ends Vape and Smoke Shop Sales of Hemp Products That Get You High

Court Ruling Ends Vape and Smoke Shop Sales of Hemp Products That Get You High

Maryland’s courts and cannabis regulators have shut down what many people saw as a “hemp loophole.” The Appellate Court of Maryland ruled on September 9 that the state’s cannabis law is valid, that Delta-8 and Delta-10 THC were never legal in Maryland, and that only licensed cannabis dispensaries can sell intoxicating THC products. Days...
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Last Chance to Discover Drayden African American Schoolhouse This Season

Last Chance to Discover Drayden African American Schoolhouse This Season

St. Mary’s County Government’s Museum Division of Recreation & Parks, in partnership with the Unified Committee for Afro-American Contributions (UCAC), will be offering the final free Open Houses of 2025 for visitors and the community at the Drayden African American Schoolhouse, on Saturday, September 20, 2025; Saturday, October 4, 2025; and, Saturday, October 18,...
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Charles County Commissioners Meeting Update – September 9th, 2025

Charles County Commissioners Meeting Update – September 9th, 2025

Friday, September 12, 2025 – On Tuesday, Sept. 9, Commissioners held their annual Preliminary State Legislative Proposals Public Hearing. The yearly process allows residents and government officials to propose legislation to state legislators to be added to the county’s state legislative package during the 2026 Maryland General Assembly Session. Commissioners heard 23 proposals during the...
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Calvert County Public Hearing on September 30th, 2025, for Master Plan of Prince Frederick Town Centers

Calvert County Public Hearing on September 30th, 2025, for Master Plan of Prince Frederick Town Centers

The Calvert County Board of County Commissioners will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. to receive and consider written and verbal public comment regarding the draft Chapter 1: Town Centers and the draft Chapter 2: Prince Frederick Town Center Master Plan of the Master Plan of Town Centers....
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