On Thursday, November 6, 2025, at approximately 9:23 a.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services were dispatched to the 3000 block of Gallery Place in Waldorf, for the reported shooting. The 911 caller reported their best friend was shot and bleeding out at this location, then further advised they shot the best friend last...
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On Wednesday November 5,2025, four students assaulted two other students inside the school. School administrators intervened and separated the students. One student sustained injuries to their face. The four students who initiated the assault will be charged in connection with this case; they also face school consequences in accordance with the Charles County Public...
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The 4th Annual No Hunger November Food Drive, organized by the Maryland State Police – La Plata Barrack, began on Saturday, November 1. The initiative brings together multiple law enforcement agencies to fight hunger across Southern Maryland throughout the month. Captain Bagley, Acting Sergeant Johnston, and Maryland State Troopers collected 2,600 pounds of food...
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On Saturday, November 1, 2025, at approximately 1:20 p.m., firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the 3900 block of Northgate Place in Waldorf, for the reported malfunctioning appliance. 911 callers reported a microwave was on fire, however, while crews were responding to the scene, the incident was upgraded to a structure fire after...
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Thomas Newton Ferrall IV, 47, of Hollywood has been charged in Charles County District Court with felony theft after allegedly failing to return rented construction equipment valued at over $74,000 to a La Plata business. According to court documents, the charge stems from an incident that occurred on October 29, 2025, when equipment rented...
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Charles County Government recognizes the unique strain the ongoing federal government shutdown has caused federal workers this fall. During this time of uncertainty, Charles County Government would like to offer a list of resources for families battling food insecurity due to the ongoing pause in federal funding. “Charles County Government stands with every resident...
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Governor Wes Moore today announced the release of $62 million to ensure full November SNAP benefits for Marylanders. Authorized by executive order, the funding represents the State’s contribution to making SNAP recipients whole following a federal judge’s order that the Trump Administration provide contingency funding for the program. “One of the first and most basic...
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Two brothers claimed $500,000 in prize money from 10 Pick 5 tickets for the midday drawing on Oct. 29 purchased in Clarksburg, while scratch-off players in Denton and Rockville collected $100,000 each, for the top Maryland Lottery wins of the past week. On all games, players won more than $29.8 million across Maryland in...
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On Monday, November 3, 2025, at approximately 6:30 p.m., troopers from the Maryland State Police La Plata Barracks, along with Charles County Sheriff’s Officers, responded to Maryland Route 6 at Chambord Court for a report of a serious motor vehicle collision. Due to the circumstances, the Maryland State Police CRASH Team responded to assume...
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Khmari Michael Ruffin, 24, of Brandywine, is facing numerous charges following a high-speed police pursuit on October 30, 2025, that ended in a crash and led to the discovery of drugs, a loaded handgun with an obliterated serial number, and two young children riding without car seats. According to court documents and a statement...
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The Leadership Southern Maryland (LSM) Executive Program Class of 2025 met with regional economic and workforce development leaders at the Chesapeake Hills Golf Course Clubhouse in Lusby, Md., Oct. 8 to learn about Southern Maryland’s efforts to attract businesses, create jobs, build and retain workforce talent and grow the region’s economy Participants engaged in...
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In early fall, as the leaves on the trees in Maryland’s western counties signal their seasonal transition, brook trout prepare for a change as well as their spawning season will begin soon. During this time, males’ colors become more brilliant, and females create underwater nests called redds where they will lay their eggs. Maryland...
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Governor Wes Moore today declared a State of Emergency to address the economic impacts of the federal government shutdown and help deliver resources to support Marylanders’ health and welfare. The governor also issued an executive order that will provide $10 million in emergency funding to Maryland food security partners to address the crisis stemming both from the Trump...
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Reactivate, a mission-driven company focused on renewable energy projects that benefit working-class neighborhoods across the country, is inviting the public to a community meeting about a proposed solar energy initiative in Charles County. The RDC MD Olde Mill Facility is a proposed 2 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic project, designed to deliver affordable, locally sourced...
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Rumors are spreading online claiming that Walmart, grocery stores, and even dollar stores will “shut down” because SNAP (food stamp) benefits won’t be issued in November. Some viral posts have gone even further, falsely suggesting that when SNAP payments stop, people will “just take what they want” from stores, that “Walmarts are boarding up,”...
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The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) is helping students fill critical workforce gaps in the region with a new associate degree program in Aviation Maintenance Technology. The Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) has approved the CSM Associate of Applied Science degree in Aviation Maintenance Technology program, making the college the first institution in the...
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UPDATE 10/29/2025: On October 29 at 12:14 a.m., officers responded to the 2000 block of Smallwood Drive in Waldorf for the report of a shooting. A preliminary investigation revealed that an unknown suspect fired shots in the parking lot, striking two people standing outside a vehicle. One victim was transported for care with critical injuries....
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UPDATE 10/29/2925: Attorney General Brown Sues Trump Administration for Unlawfully Suspending SNAP Benefits, with Governors of Kansas, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania joining. In Maryland, SNAP feeds over 680,000 Marylanders monthly. In May 2025, Maryland SNAP customers included 262,248 children under age 18; 121,615 seniors aged 62 and older; 128,705 people with disabilities; and 28,843 people...
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The Charles County Sheriff’s Office Warrant Unit is actively seeking the location of Jason Shawn Smoot, 41, of La Plata. Following charges filed on 6/10/2025, Smoot was released on his own recognizance. Smoot has active warrants charging him with possession with intent to distribute narcotics, possession of controlled substances, illegal possession of a firearm...
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Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Thursday, October 9, 2025, Charles County Circuit Court Judge William R. Greer, Jr. sentenced Nasir Maurice Cooper, 19, to 12 years in prison for Conspiracy to Commit Carjacking. Upon release, Cooper will be placed on supervised probation for five years. If he violates the...
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Data collected by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Old Dominion University showed an above average volume of hypoxia—waters with less than 2 mg/l of oxygen—in the Chesapeake Bay mainstem of Maryland and Virginia in early August, that then decreased to below average in late August and September. Early August hypoxia remained consistent...
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The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) is inviting aspiring engineers to explore how regional partnerships are expanding career opportunities during Night of Engineering on October 29, at 6 p.m. Attendees will be introduced to the associate of science degree programs at CSM, transfer pathways to four-year bachelor’s degrees with the University System of Maryland...
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UPDATE 10/27/2025: Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, a Charles County jury, after a three-day trial, convicted Dennis Demoine Smith, 65, of Nanjemoy, of 28 counts of Use of a Computer to Depict Minors in a Sexual Act and 237 counts of Possession of Child Pornography....
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UPDATE 10/27/2025: Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Thursday, October 23, 2025, a Charles County jury, after a four-day trial, convicted Travis Edward Paschal Wood, 36, of First-Degree Murder and Use of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence in connection with the murder of his wife,...
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Governor Wes Moore released the following statement regarding SNAP benefit impacts due to the federal government shutdown: “In a letter dated Oct. 10, the Trump Administration directed the State of Maryland not to issue SNAP benefits. The Trump Administration is also choosing not to release contingency funding for the program, as required by law....
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