Charles News

Hospice of the Chesapeake’s Culinary Event Raises $100K for Care in Calvert County

Hospice of the Chesapeake’s Culinary Event Raises $100K for Care in Calvert County

The Calvert County community came together to enjoy fine cuisine, local wines and spirited dancing, helping to raise more than $100,000 for Hospice of the Chesapeake at the 11th annual Culinary Event held March 22 at The Hall at Huntingtown. All proceeds will be used to grow and strengthen programs in Calvert County and...
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Charles County Sheriff’s Office Conducting Impaired Driver Checkpoint Today

Charles County Sheriff’s Office Conducting Impaired Driver Checkpoint Today

The Charles County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) Traffic Operations Unit is conducting an impaired driver checkpoint on March 28, 2024, as part of an ongoing effort to educate and remind people about the dangers of impaired driving. The initiative is funded in part by the Maryland Highway Safety Office Impaired Driving Enforcement grant.
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Celebrating Success: New Graduates from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office K9 Unit!

Celebrating Success: New Graduates from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office K9 Unit!

The Charles County Sheriff’s Office is thrilled to announce the graduation of three incredible K9 officers and their partners! Join us in congratulating: Charles County Sheriff’s Officer PFC John Fromme #543 and K9 Tango Forest Heights Police Department Corporal Khari Grooms and K9 Diesel Forest Heights Police Department PFC Jeremy Nugent and K9 Pyro...
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PG County Man Arrested for Burglaries in Charles County with Nearly $25,000 of Merchandise Stolen

PG County Man Arrested for Burglaries in Charles County with Nearly $25,000 of Merchandise Stolen

Detectives have arrested a suspect wanted in connection with four commercial burglaries that occurred at two Waldorf businesses. The burglaries occurred between March 17 and March 20th, 2024; one of the burglaries occurred in the 2300 block of Crain Highway and three others occurred in the 2400 block of Old Washington Road. In the...
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Waldorf Native Serves with U.S. Navy Aboard Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story

Waldorf Native Serves with U.S. Navy Aboard Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story

Petty Officer 1st Class Elantra Robinson, a native of Waldorf, Maryland, serves the U.S. Navy assigned to Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek. Robinson graduated from Westlake High School in 2010. The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Waldorf. “Being a hard worker and being dependable...
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Maryland State Department of Education Publishes Graduation and Dropout Rates for the 2022-2023 School Year

Maryland State Department of Education Publishes Graduation and Dropout Rates for the 2022-2023 School Year

The Maryland State Department of Education released data on the four-year cohort graduation rate for students graduating from Maryland public schools in the spring of 2023. The four-year 2023 cohort graduation rate was 85.8%, down from 86.3% in the prior year. Students in the 2023 cohort entered ninth grade in the 2019-2020 school year...
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Thomas Stone High School Senior Dejah Bishop Receives Maryland Emerging Scholars Award

Thomas Stone High School Senior Dejah Bishop Receives Maryland Emerging Scholars Award

Dejah Bishop, a senior at Thomas Stone High School, was recently named a Maryland Emerging Scholar by the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education (MBRT) in collaboration with The Daily Record, a news media company in Maryland. MBRT recognizes 24 high school students out of nearly 300 applicants across the state to represent their school...
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Police Investigating Motor Vehicle Collision in Waldorf That Killed 33-Year-Old Bicyclist

Police Investigating Motor Vehicle Collision in Waldorf That Killed 33-Year-Old Bicyclist

On Sunday, March 24, 2024, at approximately 2:54 p.m., Troopers from Maryland State Police La Plata Barrack responded to Maryland Route 5 (Mattawoman-Beantown Road) and Pinefield Road for a report of a serious motor vehicle collision. Due to the circumstances, a Collision Reconstruction Specialist (CRS) was requested and TFC. M. Posch of the MSP...
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Police in Charles County Investigating Fatal Motor Vehicle Collision That Claims Life of Indian Head Woman

Police in Charles County Investigating Fatal Motor Vehicle Collision That Claims Life of Indian Head Woman

On Saturday, March 23, 2024, at approximately 9:52 p.m., Troopers from Maryland State Police La Plata Barrack responded to the 4800 block of Livingston Road for a report of a serious motor vehicle collision. Due to the circumstances, a Collision Reconstruction Specialist (CRS) was requested and TFC. J. Engleman of the MSP Leonardtown Barrack...
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Celebrating Maryland Day – March 25th, 2024

Celebrating Maryland Day – March 25th, 2024

What is Maryland Day? On March 25, 1634, the Ark and the Dove, carrying 150 European settlers, landed on St. Clements Island. In 1916, the General Assembly passed legislation officially making Maryland Day a state holiday. Maryland Day commemorates the first landing of English colonists on St. Clement’s Island on March 25, 1634 –...
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La Plata Police Department’s Compliance Coordinator Jacquelyn DeSoto Earns Accreditation Manager Certification Through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies

La Plata Police Department’s Compliance Coordinator Jacquelyn DeSoto Earns Accreditation Manager Certification Through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies

During the 131st Conference of the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies C.A.L.E.A. (CALEA), LPPD’s Compliance Coordinator Jacquelyn DeSoto was awarded Accreditation Manager Certification. Ms. DeSoto is the second accreditation manager to earn the award in Maryland. Nationwide, only 67 individuals have received the prestigious certification from CALEA, with a current enrollment of...
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SMECO Nominating Committee to Meet in May 2024

SMECO Nominating Committee to Meet in May 2024

Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative’s (SMECO) Board of Directors has appointed 10 members to the 2024 Nominating Committee scheduled to meet on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, at SMECO’s headquarters in Hughesville. The committee will review candidate applications for the five Board positions to be elected this year. Elections will be held to fill one position...
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Decades-Long Mystery Solved: Jane Doe, Homicide Victim, Identified 25 Years Later Following News Report

Decades-Long Mystery Solved: Jane Doe, Homicide Victim, Identified 25 Years Later Following News Report

Charles County Sheriff’s Detectives and Forensic Science Investigators have identified the body of a woman who was found murdered almost 25 years ago. Jane Doe was her name for investigators for 25 years, but her true identity has now been learned – LaQuanda Denise “Niecey” Williams who was just 31 years old when her...
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UPDATE: Suspect Suffers Serious Injuries After High Speed Crash During Pursuits Involving Suspects Wanted for Burglary of Gun Store in Charles County

UPDATE: Suspect Suffers Serious Injuries After High Speed Crash During Pursuits Involving Suspects Wanted for Burglary of Gun Store in Charles County

UPDATE 3/22/2024: On March 22 at 3:39 a.m., officers responded to the 2200 block of Crain Highway in Waldorf for the report of a burglary in progress. The initial information indicated a vehicle rammed through the back door of a pawn shop and at least three suspects entered the store. Officers arrived and observed...
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Police Investigating “Fight Clubs” at McDonough High School and Robbery Related to Fight Earnings

Police Investigating “Fight Clubs” at McDonough High School and Robbery Related to Fight Earnings

On Wednesday, March 19, 2024, school administrators at Maurice McDonough High School alerted a school resource officer of an assault and robbery that occurred inside a bathroom during school hours. Upon being notified, the SRO initiated an investigation. A preliminary investigation showed the student was in a school bathroom when two other students entered,...
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No Injuries Reported After Shed Fire Mechanicsville

No Injuries Reported After Shed Fire Mechanicsville

On Thursday, March 21, 2024, at approximately 2:15 p.m., firefighters from Mechanicsville, Hollywood, Leonardtown, Newburg, and Hughesville responded to the 29000 block of Rollins Lane in Mechanicsville, for the reported shed on fire. Crews arrived on the scene to report an approximately 20 x 20 shed fully engulfed in flames and threatening a residence....
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Large Travel Trailer and Shed Destroyed by Fire in Mechanicsville

Large Travel Trailer and Shed Destroyed by Fire in Mechanicsville

On Friday, March 22, 2024, at approximately 1:20 a.m., firefighters from Mechanicsville Volunteer Fire Department were dispatched to the 36000 block of Joan Drive in Mechanicsville, for the reported vehicle on fire. The 911 caller reporting waking up from an explosion and looked out of their residence window to see a camper on fire....
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2024 Keep Maryland Beautiful Grants Total $236,276

2024 Keep Maryland Beautiful Grants Total $236,276

Maryland Environmental Trust has approved 18 grants totaling $236,276 to be awarded for environmental education, community cleanup, and beautification projects through the Keep Maryland Beautiful program. Grants through the Keep Maryland Beautiful program are awarded to volunteer-based and nonprofit groups, communities, schools, and land trusts in Maryland. The grants are designed to support environmental education projects, litter removal,...
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Police Recover Replica Firearm, Investigating Second Degree Assault Involving Milton Somers Middle School Student

Police Recover Replica Firearm, Investigating Second Degree Assault Involving Milton Somers Middle School Student

On March 18, 2024, at 10:30 a.m., several students at Milton Somers Middle School were walking in the hallway with a school staff member, and they began pulling on locker doors causing some lockers to open. As they were directed to stop, the staff member observed what appeared to be a handgun protruding from...
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Maryland State Police Investigating Three Separate Fatal Motorcycle Crashes within 24 Hours in Charles, Anne Arundel and Queen Anne

Maryland State Police Investigating Three Separate Fatal Motorcycle Crashes within 24 Hours in Charles, Anne Arundel and Queen Anne

Maryland State Police over the weekend responded to three different fatal motorcycle crashes within 24 hours in Anne Arundel, Queen Anne’s and Charles counties. On Saturday, a motorcyclist died after crashing in Charles County. Markese Al-Kwonand Nelson, 44, of California, Maryland, was pronounced deceased at the scene by emergency medical services personnel. Troopers from...
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Chesapeake Oyster Alliance Celebrates 6 Billion Oysters Added To The Bay Since 2017

Chesapeake Oyster Alliance Celebrates 6 Billion Oysters Added To The Bay Since 2017

Following a banner year for Chesapeake Bay oyster restoration and aquaculture, the Chesapeake Oyster Alliance (COA) this week announced it has recorded a new total of 6 billion oysters directly added to the Bay since 2017. COA’s count aims to include all oysters directly added to the Bay and its tributaries through restoration and aquaculture. These...
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Police Investigating School Staff Member Allowing Fight; Assault Between Staff Members at Davis Middle School

Police Investigating School Staff Member Allowing Fight; Assault Between Staff Members at Davis Middle School

On Friday, March 15, 2024, school administrators were made aware of a video recording of a fight between two students that occurred in a classroom at Davis Middle School. The video appears to show a school staff member allowing the students to fight while classmates watched, and other students clearing furniture to create space...
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Rita’s Celebrates the First Day of Spring with Free Italian Ice and New Flavor: SOUR PATCH KIDS® Watermelon Ice

Rita’s Celebrates the First Day of Spring with Free Italian Ice and New Flavor: SOUR PATCH KIDS® Watermelon Ice

Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard, the iconic frozen treats destination and, for many, the brand that is synonymous with the first day of spring, invites guests to celebrate the arrival of the new season with a FREE Rita’s Italian Ice giveaway on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. Guests who visit a Rita’s location on the first...
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State Fire Marshal Accelerant Detection K9 “Sky” Retires

State Fire Marshal Accelerant Detection K9 “Sky” Retires

For over seven years, Senior Deputy State Fire Marshal Melissa Decker and her partner, K9 Sky, have been assisting fire investigators across Maryland and beyond in finding trace amounts of flammable liquids to help build cases against arsonists or to rule out their use so investigators can focus on other potential reasons for a...
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One Flown with Life-Threatening Injuries After Vehicle Strikes Tree in Newburg

One Flown with Life-Threatening Injuries After Vehicle Strikes Tree in Newburg

On Friday, March 15, 2024, at approximately 9:10 p.m., police, fire and rescue personnel responded to the area of Crain Highway and Branchville Road in Newburg, for the serious motor vehicle collision with one trapped. Crews arrived on the scene to find a single vehicle off the roadway, into a tree with tree limbs...
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