Charles News

Waldorf Man Arrested After Armed Robbery at La Plata Tobacco Shop

Waldorf Man Arrested After Armed Robbery at La Plata Tobacco Shop

Lloyd Michael Hawkins Jr., 39, of Waldorf, has been charged with robbery, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and theft between $1,500 and $25,000 in connection with an armed robbery reported February 13, 2026, in La Plata. According to court documents, officers with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office and the La Plata Town Police Department responded...
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Police in Charles County Arrest Two in Mall Circle Macy’s Shoplifting Case After Stealing Over $1,500 in Merchandise

Police in Charles County Arrest Two in Mall Circle Macy’s Shoplifting Case After Stealing Over $1,500 in Merchandise

Melissa Nazareth Lozano-Rodriguez, 21, and Carlos Alberto Mondragon-Guevara, 48, both of Temple Hills, are each facing felony theft charges following an alleged shoplifting incident at Macy’s in Waldorf. Both defendants are charged with theft of property valued at $1,500 to under $25,000 in connection with an incident reported on February 14, 2026, at the...
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Charles County Sheriff’s Detectives Charge Three Suspects in October Murder Case at Westlake Dash-In on Smallwood Drive West

Charles County Sheriff’s Detectives Charge Three Suspects in October Murder Case at Westlake Dash-In on Smallwood Drive West

Detectives charge three suspects in October 2025 murder at Westlake Dash-In on Smallwood Drive West: Charles County Sheriff’s detectives charged three suspects in connection with an October 2025 murder case. On October 29 at 12:14 a.m., officers responded to the Westlake Dash-In in the 2000 block of Smallwood Drive West in Waldorf for a...
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DNR Seeks Public Input for Upcoming Hunting Seasons and Bag Limits

DNR Seeks Public Input for Upcoming Hunting Seasons and Bag Limits

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is accepting public comment on proposed changes to the 2026-2028 hunting and trapping seasons and the proposed 2026-2027 Migratory Game Bird Seasons and Bag Limits. The public can view the proposed regulations and comment online, as well as view and comment on the proposed migratory game bird seasons and bag limits now through February 28. “We thank...
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Governor Moore Secures Win from PJM, Saving Marylanders from Billions on Electricity Bills

Governor Moore Secures Win from PJM, Saving Marylanders from Billions on Electricity Bills

Governor Wes Moore announced that the Board of Managers for grid operator PJM Interconnection released a decision to extend the capacity market price cap through the end of the decade. This decision follows sustained advocacy from Governor Moore and a coalition of 13 governors who demanded the grid operator take action to protect families and...
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Four Unified Bocce Teams from Charles County School Compete at State Tournament

Four Unified Bocce Teams from Charles County School Compete at State Tournament

Four Unified bocce teams from Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) headed to Hagerstown Community College Feb. 10 to compete in the state Unified bocce tournament. Of the 17 local teams, four qualified to move on to the next level. Two teams from La Plata High Schools, and one each from Maurice J. McDonough and...
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Charles County Public Schools 2025-2026 Calendar Changes, Shifts Last Day of School for Students and Teachers

Charles County Public Schools 2025-2026 Calendar Changes, Shifts Last Day of School for Students and Teachers

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) has modified the 2025-2026 calendar due to recent inclement weather closures. As of Feb. 12, CCPS has used the four inclement weather days built into June 2026: June 12, 15, 16 and 17. The Board of Education on Feb. 10 approved the opening of schools for students and teachers...
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Charles County Resilience Authority Details $1.26 Million in Local Climate Projects

Charles County Resilience Authority Details $1.26 Million in Local Climate Projects

The Resilience Authority of Charles County presented a detailed progress report to the Charles County Board of County Commissioners on February 3, 2026, outlining funding totals, project milestones, and upcoming tree equity initiatives. The presentation focused on projects completed or underway as part of the Authority’s “Concrete to Green” initiative and Maryland’s 5 Million...
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Maryland Hunters Harvest 71,649 Deer for 2025-2026 Season

Maryland Hunters Harvest 71,649 Deer for 2025-2026 Season

Maryland deer hunters harvested 71,649 deer during the combined archery, firearms, and muzzleloader seasons, from Sept. 5, 2025 through Feb. 4, 2026. The statewide harvest reported to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources included 29,814 antlered and 37,925 antlerless white-tailed deer, and 1,874 antlered and 2,036 antlerless sika deer. The harvest was 14.9% lower than the 2024-2025 total of 84,201 deer and 7.2% lower than...
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One Injured After Rollover Collision in Waldorf – Police Investigating After 911 Callers Report Driver Was Reckless Prior to Crash

One Injured After Rollover Collision in Waldorf – Police Investigating After 911 Callers Report Driver Was Reckless Prior to Crash

On Sunday, February 15, 2026, at approximately 11:15 a.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the area of 8450 Bensville Road in Waldorf, for the serious motor vehicle collision with one overturned and trapped. Multiple 911 callers reported a two-vehicle collision with one overturned and one trapped, with two 911 callers advising...
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UPDATE: GoFundMe Launched to Help Owner Rebuild After Clements Lumber Yard Fire

UPDATE: GoFundMe Launched to Help Owner Rebuild After Clements Lumber Yard Fire

UPDATE: A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to assist the owner of the Clements-area lumber yard following last week’s fire that destroyed a barn and damaged critical equipment. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-glendon-rebuild-his-saw-mill As previously reported, firefighters were dispatched on Thursday, February 12, 2026, at 10:23 a.m., to 40350 Big Chestnut Road in Leonardtown for a reported wood...
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Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal Issues Urgent Fire Alarm Recall Due Failure to Warn During Fire, Alarms Sold Exclusively on Amazon

Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal Issues Urgent Fire Alarm Recall Due Failure to Warn During Fire, Alarms Sold Exclusively on Amazon

The Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal is issuing an urgent recall notice from the Consumer Product Safety Commission regarding certain smoke alarms due to a potential alarm failure. This defect may cause the alarm to malfunction or fail to alert occupants during an emergency, posing a serious life-safety hazard. Residents are strongly...
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Statement from Comptroller Lierman on the Trump Administration’s Decision to Overturn the EPA Endangerment Finding

Statement from Comptroller Lierman on the Trump Administration’s Decision to Overturn the EPA Endangerment Finding

Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman today issued this statement on the Trump Administration’s decision to overturn the EPA Endangerment Finding: “The Trump Administration’s decision to overturn the 2009 endangerment finding is a dangerous and deeply irresponsible choice and one that puts both individual Marylanders and our state at risk. “The endangerment finding is the legal basis...
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Leadership Maryland Announces Executive Program Class of 2026

Leadership Maryland Announces Executive Program Class of 2026

Leadership Maryland officially announces the Executive Program’s Class of 2026, consisting of 53 business and community leaders from across the state chosen to participate in the professional development program dedicated to building a better Maryland. The Class of 2026, the Executive Program’s 33rd class, reflects a cross-section of the state, including diversity of geographic...
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UPDATE: Pedestrian Killed After Being Struck by Maryland State Trooper and Additional Vehicles in Waldorf, Crash Remains Under Investigation

UPDATE: Pedestrian Killed After Being Struck by Maryland State Trooper and Additional Vehicles in Waldorf, Crash Remains Under Investigation

UPDATE 2/13/2026: Maryland State Police are investigating a fatal pedestrian crash that occurred late Thursday night in Charles County. The pedestrian was pronounced deceased at the scene by personnel from Charles County Emergency Medical Services. Identification is pending an autopsy at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore. Shortly before midnight, troopers from...
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Police Investigating 19-Year-Old Waldorf Teen Shot and Killed in Capitol Heights

Police Investigating 19-Year-Old Waldorf Teen Shot and Killed in Capitol Heights

Prince George’s County Police Department Homicide Unit detectives are investigating a fatal shooting that occurred Wednesday afternoon in the town of Capitol Heights. The victim is 19-year-old Ky-Mari Bowman of Waldorf. On February 4, 2026, at approximately 3:20 pm, officers responded to the 500 block of Abel Avenue for a shooting. Once on scene,...
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A Big Step for a Small Fish: Federal Funding Supports Decades-long Effort to Restore Blackbanded Sunfish

A Big Step for a Small Fish: Federal Funding Supports Decades-long Effort to Restore Blackbanded Sunfish

On a picture-perfect, mid-September Monday, a dozen staff from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service caravaned down a rutted dirt road in a Wildlife Management Area to witness a conservation milestone. Upon exiting their vehicles, attendees gathered around a few five-gallon tanks at the edge of...
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CSM Offers CDL Certification Courses to Train Students to Fill Critical Workforce Need

CSM Offers CDL Certification Courses to Train Students to Fill Critical Workforce Need

The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) will host a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) virtual orientation on February 11 at 3 p.m. for aspiring students to learn more about this in-demand career field. The CSM Center for Transportation Training, located at 5825 Radio Station Drive in La Plata, offers certifications in CDL Class A, CDL...
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Sports Wagering Contributes $10.9 Million to the State During January 2026

Sports Wagering Contributes $10.9 Million to the State During January 2026

Maryland’s sports wagering market generated $10,928,540 in contributions to the state during January 2026, and with five months remaining in Fiscal Year 2026, state contributions have surpassed the 12-month total for FY2025. Through the first seven months of Fiscal Year 2026 (July 2025 through January 2026), sports wagering contributions to the state are $89,533,261....
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Deputies Recover Two Guns in Waldorf Home; 19 and 15-Year-Old Brothers Charged

Deputies Recover Two Guns in Waldorf Home; 19 and 15-Year-Old Brothers Charged

Tareil Benjamin Moffitt, 19, of Waldorf, was arrested on February 6, 2026, after deputies with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at a home in the 3400 block of Tulip Tree Court in Waldorf as part of a stolen firearm investigation that began in July 2025. According to court documents, investigators...
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Narcotics Detectives Seize Illegal Cannabis from Six Tobacco and Vape Shops

Narcotics Detectives Seize Illegal Cannabis from Six Tobacco and Vape Shops

Following a five-month investigation, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Enforcement Section served multiple search and seizure warrants at tobacco and vape shops found to be illegally selling cannabis. There are currently 18 tobacco and vape shops in Charles County and six were found to be consistently in violation. In August 2025, detectives opened...
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Maryland Department of Transportation, State Leaders Announce Next Round of Pedestrian Safety Action Plan Projects in Southern Maryland

Maryland Department of Transportation, State Leaders Announce Next Round of Pedestrian Safety Action Plan Projects in Southern Maryland

Transportation and safety leaders from the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the State Highway Administration (SHA) joined local elected officials today to announce the five corridors receiving safety projects in the next round of Maryland’s Pedestrian Safety Action Plan (PSAP). The PSAP program, a priority of the Moore-Miller Administration, is designed to provide greater...
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Secretary’s Message: Cold Winter Could Boost Prospects for Striped Bass

Secretary’s Message: Cold Winter Could Boost Prospects for Striped Bass

Deep in one of the coldest winters in recent memory, many Marylanders are already thinking ahead to spring. But thanks to the frozen waters of the Chesapeake Bay, our iconic striped bass could be receiving a boost. Scientists believe environmental factors such as warmer, drier winters and decreased spring water flow rates are the...
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Maryland State Police Raise Awareness On Safer Internet Day Urging Digital Safety For All Ages

Maryland State Police Raise Awareness On Safer Internet Day Urging Digital Safety For All Ages

Investigators from the Maryland State Police Computer Crimes Unit raise awareness on Safer Internet Day with advice on how to exercise digital safety for all ages. February 10th is Safer Internet Day, a global rally that aims to raise awareness of emerging online issues as people of all ages surround themselves with a myriad...
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A Magical Evening at Waldorf West Branch Library on Friday, April 17, 2026

A Magical Evening at Waldorf West Branch Library on Friday, April 17, 2026

The Charles County Public Library (CCPL) invites the community to attend A Magical Evening at the Library, a 21+ after-hours fundraising celebration. The event will take place on Friday, April 17, 2026, at the Waldorf West Branch, 10405 O’Donnell Place, Waldorf, MD. Doors open at 7:30 PM, with a special VIP Cocktail Hour beginning at...
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