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Coast Guard Notes Increase in Illegal Charters Across the Mid-Atlantic, Halts Voyages

Coast Guard Notes Increase in Illegal Charters Across the Mid-Atlantic, Halts Voyages

The Coast Guard has discovered and halted the voyages of at least five illegal charters discovered across the Mid-Atlantic since July. An illegal charter is a pay-for-hire operation where boat owners or someone they hire take passengers on the water without the proper credentials, and in some cases without proper safety gear or inspections....
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Public Notice: St. Mary’s County Metropolitan Commission Reports Sanitary Sewer Overflows

Public Notice: St. Mary’s County Metropolitan Commission Reports Sanitary Sewer Overflows

The St. Mary’s County Metropolitan Commission is reporting sanitary sewer overflows at the following areas: Piney Point, Forrest Run, California Run and Pembrooke neighborhoods. The sanitary sewer overflows are a result of the inundation of flood waters and heavy rain from the remnants of Tropical Storm Laura which are impacting several wastewater pumping stations....
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Charles County Public Schools Announce Applications for Three Programs Open on September 1, 2020

Charles County Public Schools Announce Applications for Three Programs Open on September 1, 2020

Parents who live in Title I school zones with children who are 3 years old by Sept. 1 can apply for the Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) Thriving Threes and Me Early Learning Program. The application launches online Tuesday, Sept. 1 and children must meet certain criteria for program acceptance. The program features a...
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Governor Hogan: Every County School System Now Fully Authorized to Begin Safely Reopening

Governor Hogan: Every County School System Now Fully Authorized to Begin Safely Reopening

As a result of improved COVID-19 health metrics across the state, Governor Larry Hogan today announced that every county school system in Maryland is now fully authorized to begin safely reopening. The authority and decision making on safe openings continues to rest with county boards of education. Decisions should be based on a set...
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Commissioners Approve Transportation Plan for Non-Public School Bus Riders and Families

Commissioners Approve Transportation Plan for Non-Public School Bus Riders and Families

As part of their ongoing support for schools in St. Marys County, the Commissioners authorized the distribution of the non-public school transportation plan. The plan was developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and provides detailed guidance for the safety of staff and students. The revised Parent/Student Handbook and Back to School Plan provides...
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Police in Lexington Park Arrest 16-Year-Old Boy with Loaded Handgun After Foot Chase

Police in Lexington Park Arrest 16-Year-Old Boy with Loaded Handgun After Foot Chase

Deputies from the St. Mary’s County arrested 16 year-old, Kyreek Adams, of Lexington Park, on Thursday, August 27, 2020, on multiple gun charges. Adams was charged as an adult with the following: POSS OF FIREARM MINOR KNOW ALTER FIREARM ID NUMBER HANDGUN ON PERSON LOADED HANDGUN ON PERSON Police Arrested Adams after a short...
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Tuesday, August 25th Commissioner Meeting Review – Food Services, Early Childhood Education, Coronavirus Relief Grants Passed

Tuesday, August 25th Commissioner Meeting Review – Food Services, Early Childhood Education, Coronavirus Relief Grants Passed

The Commissioners of St. Mary’s County held their regular business meeting Tuesday, Aug. 25. During their regular work session, the Commissioners delivered two proclamations, recognized county employees, met with the Board of Education to approve multiple grants, received a briefing from the St. Mary’s County Library, and approved multiple requests from the Department of...
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EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Family of Murder Suspect Malachi Aaron Banks Speaks Out to SMNEWSNET.COM

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Family of Murder Suspect Malachi Aaron Banks Speaks Out to SMNEWSNET.COM

Malachi Aaron Banks, 18, of Lexington Park, was arrested and charged with first- and second-degree murder. Banks is currently incarcerated at the St. Mary’s County Detention and Rehabilitation Center in Leonardtown, on a no bond status. He is accused of murdering Dyante Lee Battle, 32, of Capitol Heights. Read the full article HERE After...
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Letter from Student Affairs at St. Mary’s College of Maryland Addresses Off-Campus Party

Letter from Student Affairs at St. Mary’s College of Maryland Addresses Off-Campus Party

The following letter was sent to parents and students of  St. Mary’s College of Maryland: Dear Seahawks, We have learned that a significant number of students attended an off-campus party the weekend of August 15, where expected pandemic mitigation protocols may not have been followed. Students must understand that these perceived actions have consequences....
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California Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Armed Robbery of Abell’s Tavern in Callaway

California Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Armed Robbery of Abell’s Tavern in Callaway

UPDATE: Rex Douglas Reece, 48, of California, was sentenced to serve twenty (20) years in prison for attempted armed robbery. State’s Attorney Richard Fritz would like thank Deputy State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling and Detective Daniel Sidorowicz for the successful investigation and prosecution of this case. On December 13, 2019, the Defendant committed an attempted...
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UPDATE: Gofundme Page Started for 13-Year-Old Who Died After Injury at Hockey Camp at Capital Club House in Waldorf

UPDATE: Gofundme Page Started for 13-Year-Old Who Died After Injury at Hockey Camp at Capital Club House in Waldorf

UPDATE: A gofundme page is raising money for the family of Henry Lent, a loved member of our hockey community, gone too soon. The page states: While at a hockey clinic, Henry collapsed on the ice and suffered a catastrophic brain injury. We don’t know why. He was administered CPR, then lifeflighted to a...
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Police Looking to Charge Great Mills Man who Continues to be Released Again and Again after Multiple Arrests

Police Looking to Charge Great Mills Man who Continues to be Released Again and Again after Multiple Arrests

On Tuesday, July 28, 2020, at approximately 7:40 p.m.,  Michael Tyree Mitchell, 37, of Great Mills, stole a bicycle valued at $600.00 from the sidewalk in front of Target located at First Colony Way, in California. The stolen bicycle was parked on the sidewalk at 7:30 p.m., and discovered stolen at 7:50 p.m.. Michael...
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Charles County Schools Hold New Teacher Orientation, Announces 33 Teaching Positions Open

Charles County Schools Hold New Teacher Orientation, Announces 33 Teaching Positions Open

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) held New Teacher Orientation Aug. 17 to 19 — a three-day hybrid of virtual and in-person trainings. Topics covered an analysis of standards, curriculum and instructional resources, classroom management in a virtual world and training on Synergy, the student management system. Other trainings targeted each grade, subject or educational...
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Commissioners of St. Mary’s County Partner with Board of Education to Increase Broadband Opportunities for Students

Commissioners of St. Mary’s County Partner with Board of Education to Increase Broadband Opportunities for Students

On August 6, 2020, Governor Larry Hogan announced an additional $10 million in grant funding to support expanded broadband access for education through the Broadband for Unserved Students Grant. St. Mary’s County Public Schools (SMCPS) and the St. Mary’s County Government Information Technology Departments had a week and a half to prepare a grant...
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Charles County Public Schools to Provide Devices and Hotspots to All Students

Charles County Public Schools to Provide Devices and Hotspots to All Students

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) staff is working to inventory and provide laptops to all secondary students, and complete requests for devices at the elementary-school level. Some students may receive a device by the first day of school, Monday, Aug. 31, while others may be assigned a laptop shortly after the start of the...
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Governor Hogan Announces $10 Million in Grant Awards to Expand Broadband Access for Education

Governor Hogan Announces $10 Million in Grant Awards to Expand Broadband Access for Education

Governor Larry Hogan announced $10 million in grant awards to support expanded broadband access for education. The Governor’s Office of Rural Broadband has awarded nearly $8 million in grant assistance to increase internet access for Maryland public school students. Approximately $2 million will support feasibility and design studies for a new statewide wireless network...
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Charles County Schools Meal Program Begins Monday, August 31, 2020, at 17 Serving Sites for Charles County Students

Charles County Schools Meal Program Begins Monday, August 31, 2020, at 17 Serving Sites for Charles County Students

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is set to begin its standard school meals program on Monday, Aug. 31, which is the first day of school for students. CCPS students are starting the school year in an online format, meaning meal service will continue as curbside distribution. The school meals program provides a meal bag...
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Pilot Injured After Military Helicopter from Joint Base Andrews is Struck by Gunfire While Conducting Training Flight in Virginia, FBI Investigating

Pilot Injured After Military Helicopter from Joint Base Andrews is Struck by Gunfire While Conducting Training Flight in Virginia, FBI Investigating

On Monday, August 10, 2020, just after noon, a U.S. Air Force UH-1N Huey assigned to the 1st Helicopter Squadron at Joint Base Andrews was conducting a routine training mission at an altitude of 1,000 feet approximately 10 miles Northwest of Manassas, VA., when the aircraft was struck by at least one bullet from...
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Noise Advisory – NAS Pax River Conducting Field Carrier Landing Practice Flights on August 12, 2020

Noise Advisory – NAS Pax River Conducting Field Carrier Landing Practice Flights on August 12, 2020

Communities surrounding the naval air station are advised that noise-generating testing events are scheduled to take place August 12, 2020 between the hours of 8:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Pilots at NAS PAX will be conducting Field Carrier Landing Practices (FCLPs). FCLPs are simulated carrier landings conducted to prepare the pilot to land safely...
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St. Mary’s County Native on Front Lines of U.S. Navy Coronavirus Fight

St. Mary’s County Native on Front Lines of U.S. Navy Coronavirus Fight

Hosptialman Melodie Abell, a native of California, Maryland, is playing a critical role in the U.S. Navy’s efforts to maintain a healthy and ready fighting force in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic. As a hospital corpsman working at Naval Medical Center San Diego, Abell’s skills are vital to maintaining the health of the...
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VIDEO: Guns Recovered and Arrest Made After Fight Leads to Shots Fired at Wawa in Lexington Park

VIDEO: Guns Recovered and Arrest Made After Fight Leads to Shots Fired at Wawa in Lexington Park

UPDATE: On August 9, 2020, deputies from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Wawa located at 22530 Three Notch Road in Lexington Park, for the reported shooting complaint. Preliminary investigation determined a verbal argument took place in the parking lot between the suspect and the victim. During the argument Reginald Elijah...
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NAS Patuxent River Gate One Closed for Maintenance, Gate Two Open as Primary Gate, Tuesday, August 11, 2020

NAS Patuxent River Gate One Closed for Maintenance, Gate Two Open as Primary Gate, Tuesday, August 11, 2020

NAS Patuxent River Naval Air Station Announced Gate 1 will be closed for maintenance today, Tuesday, August 11, 2020, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. for maintenance. Gate 2 will be the primary gate during this time.
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Maryland State Highway Administration Continues Response to Isaias Roadway Closures

Maryland State Highway Administration Continues Response to Isaias Roadway Closures

The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) is continuing its response to Tropical Storm Isaias by assessing damage to roadways, making repairs and maintaining detours at four locations across the state. In St. Mary’s and Calvert counties, where there were 18 closures at the height of the storm, crews are addressing...
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UPDATE: Detectives Make Arrest in Dunkirk 7-11 Robbery After Clinton Man Leads Police on Vehicle Pursuit in Maryland and DC

UPDATE: Detectives Make Arrest in Dunkirk 7-11 Robbery After Clinton Man Leads Police on Vehicle Pursuit in Maryland and DC

UPDATE 8-07-2020: On August 5, 2020 the Calvert County Sheriff’s Deputy Det. Buck responded to report of a strong-armed robbery investigation. The incident occurred at the 7-11 store located at 2849 W. Chesapeake Beach Road in Dunkirk, MD. Investigation revealed the suspect entered the store posing as a customer before exiting briefly. Upon returning, he...
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Details Released: Huntingtown High School Teacher Arrested – Accused of Having Sex with Student at School

Details Released: Huntingtown High School Teacher Arrested – Accused of Having Sex with Student at School

On Friday, July 31, 2020, an 18-year-old female, who is a 2020 Huntingtown High School graduate reported to a school administrator that a teacher had engaged in an inappropriate relationship with her during the 2019-2020 school year. She told authorities, she was 17 years old when the sexual relationship began. The student identified the...
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