As the Memorial Day holiday approaches, Maryland State Police will join forces with law enforcement agencies locally, along with those in Delaware, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. to remind drivers and passengers of the importance of seat belt use, while also highlighting their “Move Over” laws. New to the region’s Click...
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Maryland’s regular striped bass season gets underway on May 16, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources reminds anglers that conservation regulations put in place last year are in effect through the end of 2019. When fishing in the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries, anglers must use non-offset circle hooks when live-lining or chumming, and must use circle hooks...
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Today, Thursday, May 16, 2019, has officially been designated as “Move Over Day”. Troopers from all over the State of Maryland will be aggressively enforcing Move Over Law violations. As of today, 13 Law Enforcement Officers have been killed across the nation this year due to traffic-related incidents, as well as an unknown number...
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Wild turtles are currently heading to their breeding and nesting sites. During this time of year, wild turtles can often be seen crossing roads and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources urges drivers to be cautious and give turtles a “brake.” Common turtles found on the road include eastern box turtles, snapping turtles, painted turtles and...
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Governor Larry Hogan signed a number of critical health care and crime prevention measures, including legislation that will add more Marylanders to the health insurance rolls, and raise the minimum age tobacco can be sold to 21 amid an epidemic of teen vaping. The governor also signed Laura and Reid’s Law, which introduces tougher...
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Following deliberations by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) on the status of the striped bass population along the Atlantic Coast, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources continued its ongoing leadership in striped bass conservation efforts. At the ASMFC meeting, Maryland again addressed the most pressing problem facing the Chesapeake Bay’s striper population — the significant volume...
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The American Red Cross Greater Chesapeake Region announces Misty L. Bruce as Executive Director of the Red Cross’ Southern Maryland Chapter. The highly visible role leads and directs volunteers and employees in the Southern Maryland Chapter to ensure the American Red Cross’ goals and mission are achieved. The population served by the chapter ranges...
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A group of Marylanders are at risk of having their driver’s licenses or identification cards recalled in June if they don’t satisfy document requirements that are part of the federally-mandated REAL ID process. The overall deadline for obtaining a REAL ID is October 1, 2020, but more than 66,300 Marylanders with a new REAL ID...
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Governor Larry Hogan, chairman of the Chesapeake Executive Council, announced that the results of the 2019 Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey showed that the Bay-wide blue crab population increased 60 percent from last year, to an estimated total population of 594 million crabs. “We are proud of our administration’s strong record of skilled environmental stewardship, which...
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Tyson Foods, Inc., a Rogers, Ark. establishment, is recalling approximately 11,829,517 million pounds of frozen, ready-to-eat chicken strip products that may be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically pieces of metal, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. The frozen, ready-to-eat chicken strip items were produced on various dates...
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As Cinco de Mayo approaches on Sunday, Maryland State Police are urging those who plan to celebrate with alcohol to be safe and smart and avoid impaired and distracted driving. With an increase in impaired drivers expected throughout the state this weekend, state police will be conducting saturation patrols at each of the 23...
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On Tuesday, April 23, 2019, at approximately 1:50 p.m., firefighters from Bay District Volunteer Fire Department were dispatched to a residence on Nicholas Court, in California for the report of a fire. A photographer for SMNEWSNET.COM was a block away when the fire was dispatched and arrived at the residence prior to the arrival...
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Governor Larry Hogan signed into law several important measures to improve public safety. These are among 195 bills the governor signed today alongside Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller and Speaker Pro Tem Adrienne Jones. “We are very proud to enact these critical public safety measures to continue to make our state safer,” said...
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Spring is here and the planting season is underway throughout much of Maryland. That means motorists traveling Maryland highways and rural roads may find themselves sharing the road with the large, slow-moving farm equipment from one of Maryland’s 12,300 farms. Planting season usually extends from early April through May. “Farmers are legally allowed to...
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The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced that the state’s trophy striped bass season will begin April 20 and last through May 15. Anglers may catch one striped bass per day, with a minimum size of 35 inches, in the Chesapeake Bay from Brewerton Channel to the Virginia state line. Maryland is part of a...
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On Friday, April 12, 2019, at approximately 12:45 p.m., personnel from the Maryland State Police Aviation Command (MSPAC) received a request from the Anne Arundel County Fire Department requesting a helicopter to assist them with the extraction of a medical patient from a cargo ship. Anne Arundel County Fire Department and the United States...
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UPDATE 4/8/2019 @ 11:15 a.m.: The two victims killed in the townhouse fire on Wednesday, April 3, 2019, in Chesapeake Beach have been identified by friends and family members as Wendy Welch, 52, and Stephanie Link, 13. Welch and Link were grandmother and granddaughter. No official ruling has been given for the fire, but...
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Each year, distracted driving results in more than 28,000 injuries on Maryland roads. April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration (MDOT MVA) Highway Safety Office is working with State and local law enforcement to encourage motorists to Park the Phone before they drive. “Distracted driving is...
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On Tuesday, March 26, 2019, at approximately 12:30 a.m., firefighters from Calvert, Prince Georges County, and Annapolis responded to Bob White Court in Dunkirk, for the reported house fire. Crews arrived on scene to find smoke and fire showing throughout the residence and sounded a second alarm. Anne Arundel County Fire Department reported 66...
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Ricarra Jones of Maryland’s Fight for $15 Coalition released the following statement on behalf of the Coalition after the Maryland General Assembly voted to override Governor Larry Hogan’s veto of the minimum wage bill: “We are thrilled the Maryland General Assembly did what was needed in Maryland and overrode Governor Hogan’s veto today to...
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Governor Larry Hogan today vetoed Senate Bill 280 and House Bill 166 – Labor and Employment – Payment of Wages – Minimum Wage, saying it “could cost us jobs, negatively impact our economic competitiveness, and devastate our state’s economy.” Read the governor’s veto letter, which emphasizes three key points: This measure would cost Maryland more...
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As state officials and proud family members looked on, trooper candidates raised their right hands today and took an oath to serve and protect the people of Maryland as they officially became state troopers during the graduation ceremony for the Maryland State Police 148th Trooper Candidate Class. The 36 members of Trooper Candidate Class...
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UPDATE: Maryland State Police arrested close to 100 people for driving while impaired and issued close to 1,000 speeding citations over the St. Patrick’s Day holiday. From March 16 to 18, 2019, troopers arrested 89 people for driving under the influence, issued 999 speeding citations, 3,039 additional citations and 3,933 warnings and conducted 5,843...
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Every day more than 16,000 Maryland law enforcement officers say goodbye to their families and head out to protect and serve their communities. As a police officer, both you and your family know the risks of the job when you’re sworn in to wear the badge – impaired drivers, weapons, domestic incidents gone wrong,...
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The Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration has added hours, staff and appointments at its offices to cope with the increased volume of drivers who must present four or more different documents to obtain a Real ID drivers license that complies with federal law. Drivers must get the compliant licenses by October 2020 in order to...
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