U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced a California man to prison in connection with a federal investigation that led to law enforcement seizing more than 100 kilograms of cocaine. Mario Valencia-Birruetta, 35, of Corning, California, received a 121-month sentence for conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Valencia-Birruetta’s sentence also covers a possession with intent to...
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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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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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After delivering his last load of students safely to school last week, a bus driver in search of a good lunch found it and more. The Suitland resident told officials when he visited Lottery headquarters Feb. 12 that while the sandwich was tasty, the $50,000 dessert served him by a 50X the Cash scratch-off...
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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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UPDATE 2/13/2026: The Calvert County Sheriff’s Office has arrested Melsun Shamel Perry, 34 of District Heights, in connection with multiple crimes targeting cell phone retail businesses in Calvert County. The charges stem from incidents that occurred on December 29, 2025, at the Verizon Wireless store in Dunkirk, and on February 3, 2026, at the...
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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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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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Javan King, 42, of Laurel, Maryland, pleaded guilty in connection with stealing thousands of government cell phones when he worked for the Department of Justice, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. King pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud. Judge Jia M. Cobb accepted King’s plea and scheduled sentencing for May 26, 2026....
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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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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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A Clinton, Maryland, man is headed to federal prison for nearly three decades in connection with child sex abuse crimes. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Juan Carlos Puente, 48, of Clinton, Maryland, to more than 27 years in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for producing and possessing child sexual abuse...
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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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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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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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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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The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC), a division of the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland, will host the 2026 Southern Maryland Equine Seminar: Taking Care of You & Your Horse. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Charles County Soil Conservation District Office, 4200 Gardiner Road, Waldorf, MD 20601....
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Earl Henry Saunders, 59, of Clinton, is facing two misdemeanor firearm charges following a traffic stop in Charles County on February 1, 2026, according to court documents. Saunders is charged with having a loaded handgun on his person and transporting a handgun in a vehicle. According to charging documents, the arrest occurred at about...
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UPDATE 2/7/2026: High wind warning remains in effect until 7pm this evening, with cold weather advisory remaining in effect until 10 am Sunday morning. WHAT…For the High Wind Warning, northwest winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 60 mph expected. For the Cold Weather Advisory, very cold wind chills as low as 7...
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The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is offering free tree seedlings to landowners statewide who have a creek, drainage ditch, stream, or other waterway on or near their property through the Backyard Buffers program, Each “buffer in a bag” includes 20-30 native tree and shrub bare-root seedlings, approximately 1 to 2 feet in height. Maryland Forest Service staff...
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UPDATE 2/5/2026: Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Tara Jackson has announced that 25-year-old Cori Clingman has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, suspending all but 3 years, after being convicted of three counts of negligent homicide under the influence of alcohol. In July 2024, Clingman and the victims, 24-year-old Khyree Jackson, 23-year-old Isaiah...
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Governor Wes Moore today announced that the United States Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration has approved Maryland’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) plan. The approval enables the State to access $79.1 million in federal funding to support the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development’s Connect Maryland initiative to provide all...
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Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, announced $6.9 million in funding from the Chesapeake Watershed Investments in Landscape Defense (Chesapeake WILD) Program to support 33 partner-led conservation projects in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The grants will generate $6 million in matching contributions, resulting in...
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Multiple large-scale illegal car rallies were dismantled by the Maryland Car Rally Task Force and partner law enforcement agencies on Sunday in Prince George’s, Anne Arundel, Montgomery, and Howard counties. The dismantling operation started at 10 p.m. on Sunday, February 1, and focused on planned car meets, known as “Chipeos”, taking place on public...
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Governor Wes Moore today announced significant progress toward safer roads in Maryland in 2025, with traffic fatalities falling by approximately 18% statewide, according to preliminary data. Motor vehicle crash deaths declined from 582 in 2024 to 480 in 2025, marking the first time fatalities have fallen below 500 since 2014. “There is no greater...
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