Charles News

La Plata Police Department Announce Operation Prevent Porch Piracy

La Plata Police Department Announce Operation Prevent Porch Piracy

A staggering 11 million homeowners have had a package stolen in 2020, according to August Home and a study produced by research firm Edelman Intelligence. In the same report, it was also revealed that 74% of packages are stolen from homes during the day when homeowners are at work and that the average value...
Read More »

Naval Air Station Patuxent River Holding Job Fair for Law Enforcement, Firefighters, Dispatchers and Public Safety Officers on Thursday, December 15, 2022

Naval Air Station Patuxent River Holding Job Fair for Law Enforcement, Firefighters, Dispatchers and Public Safety Officers on Thursday, December 15, 2022

PATUXENT RIVER, Maryland – Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NASPR) will host a job fair for job seekers 18-and-over interested in the field of law enforcement and public safety. NASPR is recruiting police officers, firefighters, and dispatchers. Attendees will have an opportunity to meet the recruitment team and members of the NASPR security and...
Read More »

December 2022 Events: CSM Celebrates the Season with Concerts, Reflection, and Giving Back

December 2022 Events: CSM Celebrates the Season with Concerts, Reflection, and Giving Back

Connections Literary Magazine Publication Reading. Dec. 2. 7 – 9 p.m. La Plata Campus, Community Education (CE) Building, Room 101 and Online via Zoom. Contributors to the Fall 2022 Connections Literary Magazine will read and discuss their published works. Connections Literary Magazine is a regional literary journal published twice a year that features poems, stories,...
Read More »

Maryland Awarded $20,000 Grant to Give Rideshare Credits During Holiday Season

Maryland Awarded $20,000 Grant to Give Rideshare Credits During Holiday Season

GLEN BURNIE, MD (December 1, 2022) – For the second year, the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration’s (MDOT MVA) Highway Safety Office has received a grant from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) to provide rideshare credits to Marylanders to help them Be the Make A Plan Driver and choose an alternative to...
Read More »

Strong Opening Weekend for Maryland Deer Firearm Season

Strong Opening Weekend for Maryland Deer Firearm Season

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced that hunters reported 10,116 deer taken on the opening weekend of the 2022 Maryland firearm season, Nov. 26-27. Despite bad weather on Sunday, the overall harvest was just 3% lower than last year’s official opening weekend harvest of 10,446 deer. The harvest total included 5,090 antlered and...
Read More »

Enjoy a “Southern Mix” of Voices at CSM’s Barbershop Concert, December 3, 2022 in La Plata

Enjoy a “Southern Mix” of Voices at CSM’s Barbershop Concert, December 3, 2022 in La Plata

If you’re finding yourself in need of some harmony in your life, let the College of Southern Maryland’s (CSM) barbershop chorus, Southern Mix, show you how it’s done. Southern Mix will perform a barbershop concert on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the Brad and Linda Gottfried Theater in the Fine Arts Center...
Read More »

Holiday Christmas Tree, Lighting, and Decoration Safety Tips

Holiday Christmas Tree, Lighting, and Decoration Safety Tips

By Ridge VFD Lieutenant Scot Best. December 1, 2022 – Nothing spreads cheer quite like holiday decorations, but care must be used to ensure your festive winter décor is fire-safe. Candles are widely used in homes throughout the holidays, which means December is the peak month for home candle fires. One-third (33%) of home...
Read More »

Charles County Commissioners Meeting Rollup – November 29, 2022

Charles County Commissioners Meeting Rollup – November 29, 2022

On Tuesday, Nov. 29, Department of Emergency Services; Department of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism; Economic Development Department; Department of Community Services; and Department of Planning and Growth Management provided the Board of County Commissioners with an update on Goal 5: Quality of Life of the Commissioners’ Goals and Objectives. Highlights include the Next Generation 9-1-1 transition,...
Read More »

Vacant Trailer and Shed Destroyed by Fire in Waldorf, State Fire Marshal Investigating

Vacant Trailer and Shed Destroyed by Fire in Waldorf, State Fire Marshal Investigating

On Thursday, December 1, 2022, at approximately 3:06 p.m., firefighters from Waldorf and surrounding departments responded to 2690 Old Washington Road in Waldorf, for the reported trailer on fire. Firefighters arrived on the scene to find a vacant house trailer fully engulfed in flames with extensions to a nearby shed and wooded area. The...
Read More »

Threat of Mass Violence at Milton Somers Middle School Being Investigated

Threat of Mass Violence at Milton Somers Middle School Being Investigated

On Thursday, December 1, 2022, during the lunch hour, a student at Milton Somers Middle School made statements in the presence of several other students of bringing a gun to school and causing harm to others. One of the students that overheard the comments reported it to a school administrator. The School Resource Officer...
Read More »

Two Adults and One Child Flown to Trauma Centers with Serious Injuries After Single Vehicle Collision in Waldorf

Two Adults and One Child Flown to Trauma Centers with Serious Injuries After Single Vehicle Collision in Waldorf

On Thursday, December 1, 2022, at approximately 7:37 a.m., police, fire and rescue personnel responded to Poplar Hill Road and St Peters Church Road in Waldorf, for the motor vehicle collision reported serious with one vehicle overturned. 911 callers reported a single vehicle overturned with entrapment and ejection, one caller reporting one victim was...
Read More »

Charles County Middle School Investigating Staff Member Using Racial Slur Towards Student

Charles County Middle School Investigating Staff Member Using Racial Slur Towards Student

A Statement from Brenda Tillotson, Principal at General Smallwood Middle School, dated November 29, 2022, can be seen below. Dear Parents and Guardians: I am very saddened to have to share with you information about an incident that happened Monday afternoon at General Smallwood Middle School. An instructional assistant in one of our math...
Read More »

Brandywine Man Wins $50,000 Prize After Pick 5 Purchase in Waldorf!

Brandywine Man Wins $50,000 Prize After Pick 5 Purchase in Waldorf!

A lucky man from Brandywine enjoys playing Pick 4 or Pick 5 a few times a week. Even when he had to travel recently, the 39-year-old made sure to play his numbers in advance. But it wasn’t until the next day, after he had reached his out-of-town destination, that he learned he had won...
Read More »

St. Mary’s County Community Development Corporation Awarded $250,000 for St. Mary’s Square Revitalization Project

St. Mary’s County Community Development Corporation Awarded $250,000 for St. Mary’s Square Revitalization Project

Governor Larry Hogan announced the State of Maryland awarded St. Mary’s Community Development Corporation (CDC) $250,000 to fund its St. Mary’s Square Revitalization Project. The grant–provided through the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD)–is part of the Community Legacy program, one of six State Revitalization grant programs. ​​​The DHCD Community Legacy program...
Read More »

Charles County Testing of Early Warning Devices/Sirens on Saturday, December 3, 2022

Charles County Testing of Early Warning Devices/Sirens on Saturday, December 3, 2022

The Town of La Plata test its early warning devices/sirens in December and May. The next test will be Saturday, December 3, 2022 beginning at 10:00 a.m. The testing lasts about a half hour. The tests consist of both siren alerts and audible notifications. The tests are conducted in conjunction with the Charles County...
Read More »

Charles County Resident Wins $1 Million Scratch-off Prize

Charles County Resident Wins $1 Million Scratch-off Prize

Waldorf man wins top-prize win on Million Dollar Mega Multiplier instant ticket Walking around the Maryland Lottery Winner’s Circle, a Charles County resident took a close look at the silly hats, royal crowns and cash-decorated jackets. And he marveled aloud at actually being in the room where winners are welcomed and photographed. After years...
Read More »

Senate Passes Bill to Protect Same-Sex and Interracial Marriage, Sen. Van Hollen Releases Statement

Senate Passes Bill to Protect Same-Sex and Interracial Marriage, Sen. Van Hollen Releases Statement

Yesterday, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement regarding his vote to pass the Respect for Marriage Act: “No American should face discrimination – no matter who they love or where they live. The Respect for Marriage Act promises every legally married couple that their union will be given equal recognition...
Read More »

Charles County Sheriff’s Office Celebrates Annual Retirement and Awards Banquet

Charles County Sheriff’s Office Celebrates Annual Retirement and Awards Banquet

The Charles County Sheriff’s Office honored 16 retirees and 29 award recipients at a banquet at the Greater Waldorf Jaycees on Friday, November 4. Honorees were recognized for their service to the Agency, excellent field work, or acts of bravery. Retired Lieutenant Colonel Dave Saunders served as the Master of Ceremonies. The Charles County...
Read More »

Charles County Leaders Take Oath of Office on Tuesday, December 6, 2022

Charles County Leaders Take Oath of Office on Tuesday, December 6, 2022

The Charles County Oath of Office Ceremony for Charles County’s elected officials is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 5 p.m. in the Charles County Government Building, Commissioners’ Meeting Room (200 Baltimore Street, La Plata). The following elected officials will be sworn in at the ceremony: Lisa E. Yates, Clerk of the Circuit Court...
Read More »

Juvenile Charged in Connection with Assault in Indian Head

Juvenile Charged in Connection with Assault in Indian Head

On Monday, November 28 at 8:20 a.m., patrol officers responded to the area of Jameson Court in Indian Head, for the report of a juvenile male who was armed with a gun and chasing another juvenile. When officers arrived, they located the suspect standing near a shed in the backyard of a house. The...
Read More »

CSM Spring Registration is Open; Don’t Wait for ‘Someday’ to Start Your Future; Start Today

CSM Spring Registration is Open; Don’t Wait for ‘Someday’ to Start Your Future; Start Today

Winter may be fast approaching, but the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) is already looking ahead to the Spring semester. If you’ve been planning to get your degree, advance in a career, or pursue that special interest “someday,” it’s time to stop waiting and start a new future today at CSM. Spring registration is...
Read More »

Charles County Government Announces December Holiday Schedule 2022

Charles County Government Announces December Holiday Schedule 2022

The County Administrator wishes to remind residents of changes to operating schedules for the month of December: Friday, Dec. 9 The Charles County Treasury Office (Waldorf and LaPlata branches) will close at 12:30 p.m.  Wednesday, Dec. 14 The Charles County Landfill, all Recycling Centers, and the Piney Church Road Mulch Facility will close at...
Read More »

UPDATE: La Plata House Fire Deemed Accidental and Caused by Out of Control Brush Fire, State Fire Marshal Continues to Investigate Commercial Fire

UPDATE: La Plata House Fire Deemed Accidental and Caused by Out of Control Brush Fire, State Fire Marshal Continues to Investigate Commercial Fire

UPDATE 11/28/2022: On November 23, 2022, at approximately 4:53 p.m., firefighters responded to 9990 Harmony Farm Place in La Plata, for the reported structure fire. Crews arrived on the scene to find fire showing from the residence along with a brush fire and vehicle on fire. 75 firefighters responded and operated on the scene...
Read More »

No Injuries Reported After Trailer Fire in Welcome

No Injuries Reported After Trailer Fire in Welcome

On Tuesday, November 22, 2022, at approximately 4:00 p.m., firefighters from Charles County responded to 7782 Annapolis Wood Road in Welcome, for the reported structure fire. Crews arrived on the scene to find an exterior fire extended to a mobile home and a vehicle. 50 firefighters responded and extinguished the fire in under 15...
Read More »

SMECO Employees Raise $55,000 for the Center for Children

SMECO Employees Raise $55,000 for the Center for Children

Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) employees held a fund-raising event and donated $55,000 to the Center for Children. “Children are a vulnerable population and helping families establish safe and healthy homes is crucial to the well-being of the community and society as a whole. We selected the Center for Children as this year’s fundraising...
Read More »