Charles News

Southern Maryland National Heritage Area Celebrates Legislation Expanding Economic Growth and Heritage Tourism

Southern Maryland National Heritage Area Celebrates Legislation Expanding Economic Growth and Heritage Tourism

The Southern Maryland National Heritage Area and the Maryland Heritage Areas Coalition proudly celebrated the passage of SB0980, allowing more funds to support Maryland’s heritage and economy. The legislation, sponsored by Sens. Paul Corderman and Michael A. Jackson, increases funding for the Maryland Heritage Areas Program—from $6 million to $12 million annually and raises...
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Maryland’s Spring Turkey Season Opens for 2025

Maryland’s Spring Turkey Season Opens for 2025

Maryland’s statewide spring wild turkey season opens this month, beginning with the Junior Turkey Hunt on April 12th, 2025. The regular spring turkey season opens for all hunters on April 18 and runs through May 23, 2025. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) anticipates that hunters should have ample opportunity due to recent increases in turkey...
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ALERT: Fraudulent Website Impersonating the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation

ALERT: Fraudulent Website Impersonating the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) has recently become aware of a fraudulent website operating under the domain fireheros.org. This unauthorized site is a direct and deceptive copy of our official website, www.firehero.org, and is impersonating our organization in an attempt to solicit cryptocurrency donations under false pretenses. (No S after firehero) This is a serious...
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Governor Moore Signs Legislation to Strengthen Maryland’s Workforce

Governor Moore Signs Legislation to Strengthen Maryland’s Workforce

4/8/2025 – Governor Wes Moore presided over the first bill signing ceremony of 2025, which included bills under the Moore-Miller Administration’s legislative agenda to strengthen Maryland’s workforce. The legislation signed today strengthens the apprenticeship pipeline in Maryland, creates pathways to meaningful employment for Marylanders with disabilities, and helps to fast track license approval for...
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Charles County Sheriff’s Office Warrant Unit Seeking Fugitive’s Whereabouts

Charles County Sheriff’s Office Warrant Unit Seeking Fugitive’s Whereabouts

Officers assigned to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office US Marshals Service Capital Area Regional Task Force are seeking the whereabouts of Antwone Demetrious Grooms, 35, of Washington, D.C., Grooms has three warrants for his arrest. Grooms is 5’7” and weighs approximately 145 lbs. He has been known to carry firearms. Anyone with information on...
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Maryland State Police Aviation Command Regrets to Announce Passing of Retired Sergeant Christopher Tappan

Maryland State Police Aviation Command Regrets to Announce Passing of Retired Sergeant Christopher Tappan

It is with profound sadness that the Maryland State Police – Aviation Command announces the death of retired Sergeant Christopher Tappan after a courageous battle with cancer. Sgt. Tappan joined the Maryland State Police in 2004, working the Bel Air Barrack until transferring into MSPAC in 2007. Sgt. Tappan was previously assigned to Troopers...
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Firefighters Quickly Extinguish Couch Fire at Hotel Charles, Fire Marshal Investigating

Firefighters Quickly Extinguish Couch Fire at Hotel Charles, Fire Marshal Investigating

On Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at approximately 5:27 a.m., firefighters responded to the Hotel Charles located at 15110 Burnt Store Road in Hughesville, for the reported smoke in the building. Firefighters from Charles, Calvert, and St. Mary’s Counties responded to the scene with first arriving units finding nothing evident from the 2-story commercial structure....
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Time to Care Coalition Decries Implementation Delay Introduced by Administration and Approved by Maryland General Assembly Postponing Maryland’s Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program

Time to Care Coalition Decries Implementation Delay Introduced by Administration and Approved by Maryland General Assembly Postponing Maryland’s Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program

The Maryland Time to Care Coalition decries the 18-month implementation delay, proposed by Gov. West Moore, of the Time to Care Act, originally passed by the Maryland General Assembly in 2022. The General Assembly gave final approval last night to HB 102, which will delay the Family and Medical Leave Insurance program (FAMLI) benefits...
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CSM Combines Writing and Math Centers to Enhance Student Support

CSM Combines Writing and Math Centers to Enhance Student Support

College of Southern Maryland (CSM) has updated its math and writing centers into a combined location at the La Plata Campus, while continuing to offer dedicated math and writing assistance at its Leonardtown and Prince Frederick campuses. CSM’s writing center services are free to the Southern Maryland community. CSM’s Math Resource Centers offer a...
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La Plata Police Officers Rescue Injured Bird in Hawthorne Green Community

La Plata Police Officers Rescue Injured Bird in Hawthorne Green Community

On Sunday, residents of the Hawthorne Green community in La Plata reported an injured juvenile waterfowl—believed to be a Horned Grebe—wandering in the roadway near Camden Circle and Nicola Lane. Despite attempts by community members to help, the bird continued to evade capture. La Plata Police Department’s Corporal B. Smith (#643) responded to the...
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Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Four Counts of Soliciting Child Porn From 12-Year-Old Victim

Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Four Counts of Soliciting Child Porn From 12-Year-Old Victim

Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, Charles County Circuit Court Judge H. James West sentenced Adam Marks, 37, of Rancho Cucamonga, California, to 5 years in prison for four counts of Soliciting Child Porn. Marks will also have to register as a Tier II Sex Offender....
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‘Dating While Grieving’ Event Group Explores Finding Love After Loss

‘Dating While Grieving’ Event Group Explores Finding Love After Loss

The thought of dating again after the death of a spouse or life partner can feel overwhelming. How do you open your heart to someone new while still cherishing the person you’ve lost? The grief experts at Chesapeake Life Center aim to help individuals navigate this difficult journey with their upcoming event, “Dating While...
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Governor Moore Swears In New Executive Leadership to Key Positions Across State Government

Governor Moore Swears In New Executive Leadership to Key Positions Across State Government

Governor Wes Moore this week swore in eight new executive leaders, each confirmed by the Senate during the 2025 legislative session, to fill key positions across state government. To date, the Moore-Miller Administration has appointed 3,400 public servants to the state’s boards and commissions—more than 50% being women, 50% are people of color, and...
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Secretary’s Message: A Tree Grows in Maryland – Every One Counts on the Way to 5 Million

Secretary’s Message: A Tree Grows in Maryland – Every One Counts on the Way to 5 Million

Maryland has just celebrated its own Arbor Day, well ahead of the national celebration on the last Friday of the month. This year, I’m glad to say we are catching up on an important initiative that will impact our future. Maryland made an ambitious commitment with the 5 Million Trees Initiative in 2021, and last...
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With Sonar and Some Patience, Maryland Geologists Paint a Picture of the Chesapeake Bay’s Bottom

With Sonar and Some Patience, Maryland Geologists Paint a Picture of the Chesapeake Bay’s Bottom

Not long after the sun came up, a team of Maryland geologists set out on the Patuxent River. As they approached the Upper Patuxent Sanctuary, the team prepared the sensing equipment and took preliminary measurements in the water. With a custom crank-and-pulley system, they lowered the interferometric side-scan sonar off the bow. Soon after,...
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Charles County Public School Students Place at 52nd Annual SkillsUSA State Championship

Charles County Public School Students Place at 52nd Annual SkillsUSA State Championship

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) students recently competed and placed at the 52nd annual SkillsUSA State Championship held March 28 and 29th, 2025 in Westminster. Thirty-one students from the Robert D. Stethem Educational Center and 33 students from North Point High School participated in events meant to test their skills in the career and...
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Waldorf Man Pleads Guilty to Four Armed Commercial Robberies

Waldorf Man Pleads Guilty to Four Armed Commercial Robberies

Daniel Michael Harris, Sr., 45, of Waldorf, Maryland, pleaded guilty to committing an armed robbery while using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the plea with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the...
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UPDATE: Waldorf Woman Sentenced to 15 Years for First-Degree Child Abuse, After Forcefully Throwing 7-Year-Old Child Onto Ground

UPDATE: Waldorf Woman Sentenced to 15 Years for First-Degree Child Abuse, After Forcefully Throwing 7-Year-Old Child Onto Ground

UPDATE 4/02/2025: State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Thursday, March 27, 2025, Charles County Circuit Court Judge West sentenced Renee Daytona Roberts, age 45, to 15 years in prison for First-Degree Child Abuse: Severe Injury. Roberts will be on supervised probation for five years upon release. On March 13, 2025, Roberts pled...
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CTG, a Division of Blue Raven Solutions, Partners with Leadership Southern Maryland to Strengthen Community Leadership

CTG, a Division of Blue Raven Solutions, Partners with Leadership Southern Maryland to Strengthen Community Leadership

Leadership Southern Maryland (LSM) is pleased to announce a new partnership with CTG, a Division of Blue Raven Solutions, in support of the region’s community leadership development efforts. CTG’s sponsorship greatly benefits both the LSM Executive Program and the LSM Emerging Leaders Program (LEAP). “CTG, a Division of Blue Raven Solutions, and LSM have...
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Charles County Woman Gallops Into Winner’s Circle with $73k Racetrax Win

Charles County Woman Gallops Into Winner’s Circle with $73k Racetrax Win

A Charles County woman, who recently switched to Racetrax after regularly playing Keno, trotted her way into the winner’s circle. On March 20th, 2025, she won $73,767 playing the popular computer-animated horse racing game. The happy winner was on her way home after work when she stopped at Sunnybrook Tavern in Fort Washington. While...
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Charles County Public School Employee Indicted on Charges of Sexual Abuse of a Minor and Other Related Charges

Charles County Public School Employee Indicted on Charges of Sexual Abuse of a Minor and Other Related Charges

Detectives from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division (CID) arrested John Alan Lynch, 28, of Indian Head, after a Charles County Grand Jury indicted him in connection with charges of sexual abuse of a minor, sexual solicitation of a minor, and solicitation for prostitution. An arrest warrant was issued and Lynch was...
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Waldorf Man Arrested After Armed Hotel Threat and 20-Mile Police Chase

Waldorf Man Arrested After Armed Hotel Threat and 20-Mile Police Chase

Wendell Giovanni Estes, 49, of Waldorf, is facing a wide array of criminal and traffic charges following an early morning incident on March 28, 2025, that began at a hotel in La Plata and ended in a high-speed pursuit spanning multiple jurisdictions. According to court documents, officers with the La Plata Police Department were...
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Hawthorne Road Closed in La Plata Due to Large Woods Fire Involving Sheds

Hawthorne Road Closed in La Plata Due to Large Woods Fire Involving Sheds

On Monday, March 31, 2025, at approximately 1:25 p.m., firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the 7200 block of Hawthorne Road in La Plata, for the reported structure fire. Multiple 911 callers, involving one member of the Bryans Road Volunteer Fire Department reported a large woods fire involving a shed and multiple vehicles. Crews...
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Hoyer, Governor Wes Moore Statements After Trump’s Executive Order Ending Federal Workers’ Collective Bargaining Rights

Hoyer, Governor Wes Moore Statements After Trump’s Executive Order Ending Federal Workers’ Collective Bargaining Rights

Governor Wes Moore released the following statement regarding President Trump’s executive order ending federal workers’ collective bargaining rights. “Maryland w​​ill always have the backs of working people and organized labor. And amid the draconian federal cuts impacting public servants across our state, our partnership with organized labor has become more important than ever. In...
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Maryland State Fire Marshal Investigating House Fire in Waldorf, No Injuries Reported

Maryland State Fire Marshal Investigating House Fire in Waldorf, No Injuries Reported

On Saturday, March 29, 2025, at approximately 9:30 p.m., firefighters from Charles and Prince George’s County responded to the 2200 block of Bridle Path Drive in Waldorf, for the reported house on fire with animals possibly trapped. Crews arrived on the scene to find fire showing from the first and second floor of a...
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