Prince George’s News

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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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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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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UPDATE: Police Arrest Suspect Who Murdered Convenience Store Owner with Tip Provided Through Crime Solvers

UPDATE: Police Arrest Suspect Who Murdered Convenience Store Owner with Tip Provided Through Crime Solvers

UPDATE 3/24/2024: With the assistance of information provided to Prince George’s County Crime Solvers, Homicide Unit detectives identified and charged the suspect wanted for the murder of a convenience store owner. The suspect is 48-year-old Anthony Edward Stevens of Capitol Heights. He is charged with the murder of 50-year-old Mohammad Hanif of Annandale, VA....
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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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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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Maryland State Police Make 85 DUI Arrests and Issue Nearly 6,000 Citations/Warning Over St. Patrick’s Day Weekend 2024

Maryland State Police Make 85 DUI Arrests and Issue Nearly 6,000 Citations/Warning Over St. Patrick’s Day Weekend 2024

Maryland State Police Troopers were hard at work this St. Patrick’s Day weekend, ensuring the safety of Maryland roadways. The efforts of these Troopers, across the state, led to 85 DUI arrests, 5,923 citations and warnings, and 54 responses to crashes. The State Police Impaired Driving Reduction Effort (SPIDRE team) assisted in the team...
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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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Adult Grief Support Program Meetings in Calvert, Anne Arundel and Prince George’s Counties

Adult Grief Support Program Meetings in Calvert, Anne Arundel and Prince George’s Counties

Chesapeake Life Center will offer a variety of grief support groups for adults that will be meeting this fall. Groups will meet in person at locations in Anne Arundel, Calvert and Prince George’s counties as well as virtually. The following grief support groups will meet in person: Drop-In Grief Support Groups are open to...
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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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Police Searching for Driver and Vehicle Involved in Fatal Hit-and-Run

Police Searching for Driver and Vehicle Involved in Fatal Hit-and-Run

The Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit is investigating a fatal pedestrian hit-and-run that occurred on Sunday. The deceased pedestrian is 38-year-old Duane Lyons of Laurel. On March 17, 2024, at approximately 9:20 pm, patrol officers responded to the 13000 block of Laurel Bowie Road in the unincorporated section of Laurel for the report of...
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Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division Recognized For Adopting Exemplary Standards

Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division Recognized For Adopting Exemplary Standards

The Maryland Department of State Police Forensic Sciences Division proudly announces its implementation of the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) Registry Standards for Forensic Science. This significant accomplishment marks a major goal achieved by the Maryland Department of State Police Forensic Sciences Division in 2024. The OSAC for Forensic Science plays a pivotal...
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MedStar Health Celebrates Four-Year Anniversary of Prince George’s County Cancer Center

MedStar Health Celebrates Four-Year Anniversary of Prince George’s County Cancer Center

MedStar Health is celebrating the four-year anniversary of MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute at MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center. Opening shortly before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the newly renovated and updated cancer center has provided Prince George’s County and the southern Maryland region with unprecedented access to state-of-the-art cancer treatment and clinical trials...
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Previously Convicted Sex Offender Found Guilty After Three-Day Trial for Production of Child Pornography and Coercion and Enticement of a Minor

Previously Convicted Sex Offender Found Guilty After Three-Day Trial for Production of Child Pornography and Coercion and Enticement of a Minor

A federal jury yesterday convicted Brian Patrick Werth, age 39, of Beltsville, Maryland, for two counts of production of child pornography and for coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity.  Werth was also convicted of committing a crime involving a minor by a registered sex offender. The guilty verdict was...
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Maryland State Police to Bolster Patrol Over St. Patrick’s Day Weekend

Maryland State Police to Bolster Patrol Over St. Patrick’s Day Weekend

Maryland State Police beginning Friday will increase patrols and enforcement efforts on impaired, aggressive and distracted driving through St. Patrick’s Day weekend. State troopers from all 23 barracks will conduct saturation patrols on roads with high DUI incidents from Friday through Sunday. Enforcement efforts are bolstered by funds from the Maryland Department of Transportation...
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UPDATE: Police Arrest Man in Connection to Eight “Jaws of Life” ATM Robberies

UPDATE: Police Arrest Man in Connection to Eight “Jaws of Life” ATM Robberies

UPDATE 3/14/2024: The Prince George’s County Police arrested a suspect wanted in connection with multiple robberies as part of the “Jaws of Life” ATM string. The suspect is 31-year-old Stefon Janey of Upper Marlboro. He was taken into custody Wednesday evening after leading detectives, patrol officers and the Aviation Section on a pursuit in...
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UPDATE: Police Make Sixth Arrest in Connection to Fatal Shooting of 2-Year-Old Boy

UPDATE: Police Make Sixth Arrest in Connection to Fatal Shooting of 2-Year-Old Boy

UPDATE 3/13/2024: The Prince George’s County Police Department’s Fugitive Unit located a sixth suspect in connection with the murder of a toddler in February. The suspect is a 17-year-old male from Beltsville. He is charged as an adult in this case, with first degree murder and related charges. He is in the custody of...
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Sports Wagering Contributes $4.2 Million to the State of Maryland During February 2024

Sports Wagering Contributes $4.2 Million to the State of Maryland During February 2024

Maryland’s sports wagering market generated $4,210,511 in contributions to the state from a handle of $442,557,658 during February 2024. Sports wagering contributions go to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Fund, which supports public education programs. The $4.2 million contribution to the state last month was a 50.5% increase compared to the $2.8 million total...
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Maryland Catfish Tournaments Offer Invasive Species Angling

Maryland Catfish Tournaments Offer Invasive Species Angling

With record catches around the country tipping the scales at more than a hundred pounds, blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) have become quite the draw for anglers in the Chesapeake Bay. Introduced in the 1970s as a recreational fishing target species in Virginia, invasive blue catfish populations have grown rapidly in Maryland waters. As commercial...
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$50,000 Powerball Winning Tickets Sold in St. Mary’s and Prince George’s County

$50,000 Powerball Winning Tickets Sold in St. Mary’s and Prince George’s County

Jackpot rolls to $559 million for March 13 drawing Two lucky Powerball players are $50,000 richer after buying tickets for the Monday, March 11 drawing. Although no one hit the jackpot, there were plenty of winners statewide. The numbers to match were 1, 3, 7, 16 and 66; the Powerball was 5 and the...
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Maryland’s Oyster Restoration Sanctuaries Show Promising Signs for Shellfish Recovery

Maryland’s Oyster Restoration Sanctuaries Show Promising Signs for Shellfish Recovery

At first, oyster biologists were concerned. Monitoring efforts at some restoration sanctuary reefs in 2022 weren’t pulling up many oysters, even though the sites had previously been performing well. So divers with the Oyster Recovery Partnership went into the water to investigate. What they found there wasn’t a shortage of oysters, but such a...
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Firefighters from Multiple Counties Respond to Anne Arundel to Assist During Multiple Large Structure Fires

Firefighters from Multiple Counties Respond to Anne Arundel to Assist During Multiple Large Structure Fires

On Saturday, March 9, 2024, at approximately 8:00 p.m., firefighters from Anne Arundel County Fire Department and Annapolis Fire Department responded to the 400 block of Central Ave W for a reported structure on fire. First arriving units reported fire through the roof. A subsequent tanker task force and second alarm was requested which...
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Governor Moore Announces $13.5 Million in Grants to Improve Behavioral Health Crisis Services Across the State

Governor Moore Announces $13.5 Million in Grants to Improve Behavioral Health Crisis Services Across the State

Governor Wes Moore announced that the Maryland Department of Health awarded $13.5 million in grants to 19 jurisdictions across the state to help promote health equity and improve access to behavioral health crisis services for Marylanders. The grants will fund pilot programs to expand and improve mobile crisis team services and establish behavioral health...
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Hoyer Secures Over $11 Million in Funding for Fifth District Priorities in FY2024 Appropriations Bill

Hoyer Secures Over $11 Million in Funding for Fifth District Priorities in FY2024 Appropriations Bill

Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) released the following statement after he helped pass the 2024 Fiscal Year legislation, announcing over $11,304,279 in Community Project Funding for Fifth District priorities. This total is in addition to the more than $16,000,000 that Congressman Hoyer secured for projects in the Fifth District in the FY23 Omnibus. The Senate...
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SMECO Announces Board of Director Richards Resignation After 23 Years

SMECO Announces Board of Director Richards Resignation After 23 Years

Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative’s (SMECO) Board of Directors recently announced that James A. Richards has resigned his seat on the Board as of February 19, 2024. Richards represented Prince George’s County and served on SMECO’s Board since 2001. “James Richards’ dedication to service over many decades—both at SMECO and in the local community—shows his...
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