Charles News

School and Weather Updates for This Weekend – December 5th, 2025

School and Weather Updates for This Weekend – December 5th, 2025

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY: Schools will open 2 HOURS LATE on Friday, Dec. 5th, 2025. ST. MARY’S COUNTY: St. Mary’s County, Maryland is under a Winter Weather Advisory from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, December 5, 2025.  Snowfall totals for St. Mary’s County are expected between 1–4 inches with very low temperatures. Snowfall is...
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No Injuries After House Fire in Waldorf, Two Displaced and Cause Under Investigation

No Injuries After House Fire in Waldorf, Two Displaced and Cause Under Investigation

On Wednesday, December 3, 2025, at approximately 9:25 p.m., firefighters from Waldorf and surrounding departments responded to the 800 block of Copley Avenue in Waldorf, for the reported garage on fire. 911 callers reported the garage was on fire and spreading to the attached residence. Firefighters quickly arrived on scene to find a two-story...
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70-Year-Old Man Flown to Trauma Center After Being Struck by Vehicle in Waldorf

70-Year-Old Man Flown to Trauma Center After Being Struck by Vehicle in Waldorf

On Thursday, December 4, 2025, at approximately 7:15 a.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the area of 3315 Leonardtown Road in Waldorf, for the reported pedestrian struck by a vehicle. Crews arrived on the scene to find an adult male was conscious and breathing with injuries to the upper body. Upon...
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Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman Releases State’s First Feasibility Report for Baby Bonds Program in Maryland

Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman Releases State’s First Feasibility Report for Baby Bonds Program in Maryland

Maryland Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman today released a comprehensive report on the feasibility and potential impacts of implementing a statewide “Baby Bonds” program. The report, requested by the Maryland General Assembly, outlines how publicly funded trust accounts for children born into low-wealth households could help close the racial wealth gap, promote economic mobility, and strengthen the state’s...
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Southern Maryland Residents Called to Share Family Recipes and Stories for New Feature Film, ‘The Long Table’

Southern Maryland Residents Called to Share Family Recipes and Stories for New Feature Film, ‘The Long Table’

The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission, the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland, and the Southern Maryland National Heritage Area are calling on residents of Southern Maryland to submit family recipes and personal stories for a new feature film, ‘The Long Table’. Sponsored by the Southern Maryland National Heritage Area, the project aims to capture...
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SMECO Employees Raise $63,000 for Three Southern Maryland Shelters

SMECO Employees Raise $63,000 for Three Southern Maryland Shelters

Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) employees recently held a fund-raising event and donated $63,000 to three shelters serving Southern Maryland: Lifestyles of Maryland, Inc.—Robert J. Fuller Transitional House of Charles County, Project Echo, Inc. of Calvert County, and Three Oaks Center of St. Mary’s County. “A home is more than shelter from the elements....
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Charles County Crime Solvers Offering Cash Reward in Reckless Endangerment Case

Charles County Crime Solvers Offering Cash Reward in Reckless Endangerment Case

Charles County Crime Solvers is offering a cash reward in reference to a reckless endangerment case that occurred on November 30th, 2025, at 8:15 p.m. in which unknown suspect(s) fired several rounds from a handgun into an apartment in the 3000 block of Gallery Place in Waldorf. None of the occupants inside were injured....
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DNR Scientists Chart Future for Freshwater Mussel Restoration in Maryland

DNR Scientists Chart Future for Freshwater Mussel Restoration in Maryland

On a chilly fall morning, as fog drifted over the Potomac River, scientists with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources hauled three concrete balls out of the water. Inside each of these 25-pound, thick-walled bowls was a chamber containing several small shells—a group of year-old freshwater mussels. Their concrete shelters, or silos, allowed the...
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76-Year-Old Crossing Guard Transported After Being Struck by Vehicle in La Plata

76-Year-Old Crossing Guard Transported After Being Struck by Vehicle in La Plata

On Tuesday, December 2, 2025, at approximately 7:10 a.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the La Plata High School located at 6035 Radio Station Road in La Plata, for the reported motor vehicle collision involving a pedestrian. 911 callers reported a crossing guard was struck by a vehicle and was possibly...
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3 Displaced and Dog Killed After House Fire in Waldorf

3 Displaced and Dog Killed After House Fire in Waldorf

On Monday, December 1, 2025, at approximately 6:55 a.m., firefighters from Waldorf and surrounding departments responded to the 9900 block of Bunker Hill Road, for the reported house on fire. 911 callers reported a heater was left on with the room currently caught on fire with one dog trapped in the home. Crews arrived...
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SMADC Seeks Southern Maryland School System Partner for USDA Farm-to-School Grant Pilot

SMADC Seeks Southern Maryland School System Partner for USDA Farm-to-School Grant Pilot

The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission, a Division of the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland is calling for letters of participation from one of the five Southern Maryland county school systems to join a new 24-month pilot program aimed at streamlining local food sourcing for school meals, with submissions due by 6 p.m. Dec....
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State’s Attorney’s Office for Charles County Introduces New “Chronic Absenteeism Termination” (CAT) Program for Chronically Absent Students

State’s Attorney’s Office for Charles County Introduces New “Chronic Absenteeism Termination” (CAT) Program for Chronically Absent Students

Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, is proud to announce a new partnership with Charles County Public Schools and Stella’s Girls Inc. to launch the Chronic Absenteeism Termination (CAT) Program. The incentive-based initiative is designed to help students at risk of chronic truancy attend school more consistently. The pilot program, which launched this...
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15-Year-Old Charged in Connection with Theft, Police Recover Loaded Firearm

15-Year-Old Charged in Connection with Theft, Police Recover Loaded Firearm

On Saturday, November 22, 2025, at 4:32 p.m., officers responded to Mall Circle Drive in Waldorf, for the report of a theft that just occurred inside a business. Officers located the subject inside a different store and while attempting to arrest the suspect, he resisted but was taken into custody without further incident. Stolen...
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Charles County Department of Health Issues Second Rabies Alert After More Raccoon’s Test Positive for Virus

Charles County Department of Health Issues Second Rabies Alert After More Raccoon’s Test Positive for Virus

The Charles County Department of Health is alerting all citizens and visitors of another rabies case identified in La Plata, MD. One raccoon tested POSITIVE for rabies on November 20, 2025, in the vicinity of Oriole Lane in La Plata. Another raccoon tested POSITIVE for rabies on November 25, 2025 on Cornwall Drive in...
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Student Charged After Assaulting Maurice McDonough High School Teacher

Student Charged After Assaulting Maurice McDonough High School Teacher

On Wednesday, November 19, 2025, a school resource officer at Maurice McDonough High School responded to an incident in a classroom. An investigation revealed that a student, age 15, intentionally struck a teacher in the back of the head with a laptop as class was dismissing. The incident occurred after the teacher questioned the...
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Free Uber Rides and Safe Rides Return as SAO Launches 5th Annual Drive Sober Initiative

Free Uber Rides and Safe Rides Return as SAO Launches 5th Annual Drive Sober Initiative

The State’s Attorney’s Office for Charles County (SAO) is proud to launch its fifth annual “Drive Sober” initiative, renewing its commitment to raising awareness about the serious dangers of impaired driving and helping community members make safe, responsible choices. The campaign will run throughout the holiday season — November 24, 2025, through January 1,...
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Father and Son Arrested; Father Caught Operating Stolen Bobcat Then Blames Son for Everything

Father and Son Arrested; Father Caught Operating Stolen Bobcat Then Blames Son for Everything

Thomas Newton Ferrall IV, 47, of Hollywood, is facing felony theft charges in Charles County after allegedly failing to return $74,250 worth of construction equipment rented from a La Plata business. Although the equipment was eventually recovered, the case has drawn public scrutiny—not just for the theft itself, but for what happened after. According...
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Police Investigating Single Vehicle Crash in Bryantown That Killed 22-Year-Old Port Tobacco Man

Police Investigating Single Vehicle Crash in Bryantown That Killed 22-Year-Old Port Tobacco Man

UPDATE 11/24/2025: On November 22, at 7:30 p.m., officers responded to the area of Olivers Shop Road and Edelen Drive in Bryantown for the report of a single motor vehicle crash in which a red Honda Accord left the roadway and struck a tree. Upon arrival, officers discovered the driver of the vehicle outside...
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Waldorf Man Charged With First-Degree Murder in Death of 4-Month-Old Victim

Waldorf Man Charged With First-Degree Murder in Death of 4-Month-Old Victim

Jordan Nathaniel Savoy, 28, of Waldorf, has been charged with multiple offenses, including first-degree murder, following the death of a 4-month-old female victim, according to court documents filed by the Charles County Sheriff’s Office. According to the documents, officers and medical personnel responded to a home on Barksdale Avenue in Waldorf on November 23,...
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Waldorf Winner Strikes Again With $50,000 Lottery Scratch-Off Prize

Waldorf Winner Strikes Again With $50,000 Lottery Scratch-Off Prize

A crab cake dinner and some investments in the family business were on the horizon for a Waldorf man Nov. 20 after he claimed a $50,000 prize on the $50 Maryland Lottery scratch-off game $5,000,000 Fortune. Well, those things and more Lottery playing as well. “I love playing,” he said after making the claim...
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Maryland Canada Goose Hunting Seasons Resume December 19th, 2025 for 2025-26

Maryland Canada Goose Hunting Seasons Resume December 19th, 2025 for 2025-26

Maryland’s Atlantic Population (Migratory) Canada goose hunting season opens Friday, Dec. 19. The season contains two segments, Dec. 19 through Jan. 3, 2026, and again from Jan. 14 through Jan. 31, 2026. Late southern and late western resident goose hunting split seasons run from late November into March 2026. “A Maryland Canada goose hunt...
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The College of Southern Maryland Earns Multiple Awards for Outstanding Marketing and Public Relations

The College of Southern Maryland Earns Multiple Awards for Outstanding Marketing and Public Relations

The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) was recognized by the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR) earning six awards for excellence in design and marketing. In November the CSM Creative Services team attended the NCMPR District 1 conference in Pittsburgh, and took home six District 1 Medallion Awards: GOLD – Career Pathways...
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Early Morning House Fire in Calvert County Under Investigation

Early Morning House Fire in Calvert County Under Investigation

On Saturday, November 22, 2025, at approximately 5:12 a.m., firefighters from Prince Frederick, Solomons, St. Leonard, Huntingtown, Hollywood, Bay District and Charles County departments responded to the 2300 block of Delight Court in Saint Leonard, for the reported house on fire after an explosion. The 911 caller reported a propane tank exploded with the...
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Charles County Man Faces Felony Assault After He Fired Gun During Dispute at Waldorf Bus Stop, Then Boards Bus

Charles County Man Faces Felony Assault After He Fired Gun During Dispute at Waldorf Bus Stop, Then Boards Bus

Robert Lee Baskett, 72, of Brandywine, has been charged with first-degree assault and reckless endangerment following an incident involving a firearm on November 14, 2025, near a bus stop on Smallwood Drive in Waldorf. According to the charging documents filed in Charles County District Court, the incident began shortly before 9 p.m. when officers...
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La Plata Man Accused of Assault, Drug Possession, and Raming Police Vehicle During High-Speed Pursuit

La Plata Man Accused of Assault, Drug Possession, and Raming Police Vehicle During High-Speed Pursuit

David McKinley Dorsey Jr., 27, of La Plata, is facing a lengthy list of criminal and traffic charges after allegedly assaulting two officers, fleeing from police, and threatening law enforcement during his arrest earlier this month, according to charging documents filed in the District Court for Charles County. On November 13, 2025, officers with...
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