Community

UPDATE: Calvert County Public Schools Superintendent Email – Community Seeking Answers After 12 Middle School Students Abandoned by School Bus Driver in Rain at Wrong Location

UPDATE: Calvert County Public Schools Superintendent Email – Community Seeking Answers After 12 Middle School Students Abandoned by School Bus Driver in Rain at Wrong Location

UPDATE 10/4/2024: An email send out to parents reads the following. Dear Calvert County Public Schools Community, I am writing to address the recent incident involving bus transportation on October 1, 2024, which has understandably raised concerns among our families and community. I want to express my sincere apologies to the students and parents...
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All Arrests and Criminal Summons Issued in St. Mary’s County 9/24/2024 to 10/3/2024

All Arrests and Criminal Summons Issued in St. Mary’s County 9/24/2024 to 10/3/2024

On August 4, 2024, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office discontinued providing the citizens of Southern Maryland and media with its weekly “Notable Arrests/DUIs/Summonses/Warrants” list. We at SMNEWSNET.COM find this decision deeply disappointing. In an era when transparency should be the cornerstone of all law enforcement agencies, taking steps backward in sharing public information...
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Joint Meeting Highlights Saint Mary’s County 2025 Legislative Agenda

Joint Meeting Highlights Saint Mary’s County 2025 Legislative Agenda

On October 8, 2024, Saint Mary’s County Commissioners held a joint meeting with the county’s delegation to the Maryland General Assembly. The meeting aimed to discuss key legislative proposals for 2025 and foster continued collaboration between county officials and state lawmakers. Attended by Senator Jack Bailey and Delegates Todd and Matt Morgan, the session...
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Calvert County Sheriff’s Office Recognizes Deputy of the Quarter

Calvert County Sheriff’s Office Recognizes Deputy of the Quarter

Join in congratulating Deputy Casey Hill on being named Calvert County Sheriff’s Office Deputy of the Quarter. Deputy Hill has displayed exceptional dedication, professionalism, and a proactive commitment to both law enforcement and community service. His meticulous casework and attention to detail set a high standard for thorough and effective policing. Beyond his operational...
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Why Panic-Buying Toilet Paper During the Port Strike is Unnecessary

Why Panic-Buying Toilet Paper During the Port Strike is Unnecessary

As news of a major port strike across the U.S. hits the headlines, people are panic-buying toilet paper, flooding social media with reports of empty shelves at their local stores. While this scenario feels eerily similar to the shortages we saw during the pandemic, there’s an important fact to understand: There’s no actual shortage...
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No Tricks, Only Treats: October is Full of Fun and Educational Events at CSM

No Tricks, Only Treats: October is Full of Fun and Educational Events at CSM

Gallery Exhibit Entitled ‘NEW’: Works by Jerry Truong, Coy Gu, Andrew Wodzianski, and George Bedell. See gallery art created by the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) faculty through Oct. 18 at the Tony Hungerford Memorial Art Gallery located at the La Plata Campus. CSM’s Studio Art Professors exhibit their latest creations, resulting in a group...
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10 PG County Students for School Threats in Current Academic Year

10 PG County Students for School Threats in Current Academic Year

Since the beginning of the 2024-2025 academic school year, the Prince George’s County Police Department’s Homeland Security Division has investigated 47 school-related threats. Investigators have charged 10 students in connection with these cases. The 10 students who are facing criminal charges are between the ages of 13-16 years old. Detectives also identified four additional...
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Maryland State Police To Celebrate National Faith & Blue Weekend 2024 With Communities Across The State

Maryland State Police To Celebrate National Faith & Blue Weekend 2024 With Communities Across The State

Maryland State Police will join faith-based organizations and law enforcement agencies across the state to celebrate National Faith & Blue Weekend, set for October 11-14, 2024. National Faith & Blue is a collaborative initiative that builds bridges and breaks down biases through activities and outreach amongst law enforcement professionals and the communities they serve....
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Justice Department Awards $4B to Support Community Safety

Justice Department Awards $4B to Support Community Safety

The Justice Department announced today that it is awarding $4 billion to support public safety and community justice activities in the states and territories and in local and Tribal communities. The grants, from the Department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP), will fund efforts across the country to reduce violence, expand services for crime victims and...
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VIDEO: State’s Attorney Jamie Sterling Proposes Office Reorganization to Enhance Efficiency and Prosecution

VIDEO: State’s Attorney Jamie Sterling Proposes Office Reorganization to Enhance Efficiency and Prosecution

During the St. Mary’s County Commissioners meeting on October 1, 2024, Jamie Sterling, the State’s Attorney for St. Mary’s County, presented a proposal for a reorganization of the State’s Attorney’s Office. The reorganization was aimed at improving the office’s efficiency and effectiveness in handling its workload, particularly in terms of prosecuting cases and managing...
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CM Equity Partners Completes Acquisition of Sabre Systems, INC.

CM Equity Partners Completes Acquisition of Sabre Systems, INC.

New York, NY, Warrington, PA, and Lexington Park, MD – September 26, 2024 – CM Equity Partners (“CMEP”), a private investment firm providing growth capital to the Federal services industry, announced that it has acquired Sabre Systems, Inc. (“Sabre”) from its founder and majority owner. Mr. Jamie Norris is the newly appointed President of...
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MetCom Provides Grant Funding for Oyster Revitalization Efforts

MetCom Provides Grant Funding for Oyster Revitalization Efforts

The St. Mary’s County Metropolitan Commission (MetCom) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Potomac River Fisheries Commission (PRFC) reflecting the commitment of both organizations to collaboratively promote and enhance the health of local ecosystems, including the Potomac and Patuxent Rivers, the Chesapeake Bay and their respective tributaries. Oyster revitalization provides...
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Black Panther Author Coming to Leonardtown on October 11th, 2024

Black Panther Author Coming to Leonardtown on October 11th, 2024

Award-winning author Nnedi Okorafor, whose work on the Marvel Black Panther comic book series garnered international acclaim, is coming to Southern Maryland. Okorafor will take part in a moderated discussion from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on October 11 at Leonardtown High School. The event is free and open to the public, but registration...
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Rescheduling of Marijuana: DEA’s Proposed Rulemaking and Hearing

Rescheduling of Marijuana: DEA’s Proposed Rulemaking and Hearing

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), a part of the Department of Justice, has announced a public hearing regarding a significant change in how marijuana is classified under federal law. The proposal seeks to reschedule marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). This move, which has...
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Mechanicsville Man Arrested for Stealing from Church and Damaging Property

Mechanicsville Man Arrested for Stealing from Church and Damaging Property

Devin Eric Webb, 38, of Mechanicsville, was arrested on September 29, 2024, following a break-in at Our Lady of the Wayside Church on Chaptico Road in Mechanicsville. According to court documents, Webb is accused of entering the church, damaging property, and stealing items including approximately $700 in cash and nine foldable chairs. The St....
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Calvert County Honors Animal Control Officer Hannah Neel as August 2024 Employee of the Month

Calvert County Honors Animal Control Officer Hannah Neel as August 2024 Employee of the Month

The Calvert County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) recently recognized Hannah Neel, an outstanding animal control officer from the Department of Public Safety, as the August 2024 Employee of the Month. Known for her dedication, quick thinking, and compassion, Hannah has made a significant impact on both the department and the community. Earlier this...
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Great Mills Woman Faces Child Abuse Charges After Punching 11-Year-Old Daughter in the Face

Great Mills Woman Faces Child Abuse Charges After Punching 11-Year-Old Daughter in the Face

On September 28, 2024, Sadiyah Mone Vaughan, 27, of Great Mills, was arrested and charged with second-degree child abuse and second-degree assault after an altercation with her 11-year-old daughter. According to court documents, the incident occurred at their apartment on Foxchase Drive and was reported as a domestic disturbance. St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s deputies...
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Woman Accused of Assaulting Employee at California IHOP During Payment Dispute

Woman Accused of Assaulting Employee at California IHOP During Payment Dispute

A Lexington Park woman is facing second-degree assault charges following an altercation with an IHOP employee earlier this month. According to court documents, Sabrina Lynn Mawson, 39, of Lexington Park, allegedly assaulted a female employee during a dispute over a meal at the restaurant located on First Colony Blvd in California. The incident took...
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Witness Reports Multiple Kittens Thrown from Moving Vehicle in St. Mary’s County

Witness Reports Multiple Kittens Thrown from Moving Vehicle in St. Mary’s County

Deputies from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office responded to an animal cruelty complaint at approximately 8:09 a.m. on Saturday, September 28, 2024, at the intersection of northbound Route 5 and Route 242 in Morganza. A caller reported seeing an individual in a silver SUV, possibly a Toyota, throwing several kittens—eight or nine—from the...
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Registration is Now Open for the Community Health & Wellness Fair on October 11, 2024

Registration is Now Open for the Community Health & Wellness Fair on October 11, 2024

St. Mary’s County Government’s Department of Aging & Human Services (DAHS) is excited to announce the annual Community Health & Wellness Fair, which will be held on Friday, October 11, from 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., at the University System of Maryland at Southern Maryland, located at 44219 Airport Road in California, MD. This...
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Chesapeake Beach Woman Charged with 30 Counts of Animal Cruelty

Chesapeake Beach Woman Charged with 30 Counts of Animal Cruelty

Nicole Ashleigh Bowman, 35, of Chesapeake Beach, is facing 30 charges of animal cruelty after authorities found multiple animals in distress at her home on 15th Street. Bowman was charged following an investigation by Animal Control Officer King from the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, which began after a report was made on June 23,...
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St. Mary’s County Planning Commission Meeting Summary – September 16, 2024

St. Mary’s County Planning Commission Meeting Summary – September 16, 2024

The St. Mary’s County Planning Commission convened its meeting on September 16, 2024, to address several agenda items, including a public hearing on the Tidal Wave Car Wash site plan and a detailed discussion on the county’s Comprehensive Water and Sewer Plan amendment process. Below is a summary of the key points from the...
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Police Investigating Report of First Degree Assault Involving a Piccowaxen Middle School Bus

Police Investigating Report of First Degree Assault Involving a Piccowaxen Middle School Bus

On Friday, September 20, 2024, at 2:30 p.m., officers responded to Piccowaxen Middle School after a school bus driver returned from his bus route after a student reported seeing someone with what appeared to be a gun pointing it toward the bus as the bus was dropping students off at a bus stop. The...
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NAS PAX RIVER Sets Noise Advisory for NAS Pax River, Wallops Island October 3-November 15, 2024 for Nighttime Test Flights

NAS PAX RIVER Sets Noise Advisory for NAS Pax River, Wallops Island October 3-November 15, 2024 for Nighttime Test Flights

PATUXENT RIVER NAVAL AIR STATION, MD – Communities surrounding Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland and Wallops Island, Virginia are advised that noise-generating nighttime testing events are scheduled to take place Oct. 3 to Nov. 15, 2024 from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. In an effort to lessen the disturbance of these missions, pilots have...
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Calvert County to Host Free Paper Shredding Events in October, November and December 2024

Calvert County to Host Free Paper Shredding Events in October, November and December 2024

The Calvert County Department of Public Works, Solid Waste Division, will host free paper shredding events for county residents and businesses. Shredding documents helps prevent identity theft by destroying confidential and/or sensitive information. The following shred events will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, at Northern Middle School...
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