St. Mary’s News

Man Flown to Trauma Center After Serious Single Vehicle Rollover in Park Hall

Man Flown to Trauma Center After Serious Single Vehicle Rollover in Park Hall

On Friday, January 9, 2026, at approximately 8:00 a.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the area of Point Lookout Road and Tripple E Farm Way in Park Hall, for the serious motor vehicle collision with entrapment and rollover. 911 callers reported a single vehicle into a tree with the vehicle on...
Read More »

Lexington Park Man Charged with Trespassing at Target Despite Prior Ban

Lexington Park Man Charged with Trespassing at Target Despite Prior Ban

Craig Andrew Kennedy, 61, of Lexington Park, has been charged with trespassing on private property after allegedly entering a Target store in California, Maryland, in violation of a prior ban. The charge, a misdemeanor, was filed in the District Court for St. Mary’s County following an incident on January 6, 2026. According to court...
Read More »

Leonardtown Man Charged with Violating Protective Order, Drug Possession, and Introducing Contraband into Jail

Leonardtown Man Charged with Violating Protective Order, Drug Possession, and Introducing Contraband into Jail

James Allen Michael Schaeffer, 42, of Sykesville, has been formally charged with multiple misdemeanor offenses following his arrest on January 6, 2026. According to court documents filed in the District Court for St. Mary’s County, the charges stem from allegations of violating a protective order and being in possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia....
Read More »

Mechanicsville Man Facing Multiple Charges in Series of Drug and Property Crimes Across St. Mary’s County

Mechanicsville Man Facing Multiple Charges in Series of Drug and Property Crimes Across St. Mary’s County

Adam James Mantz, 44, of Mechanicsville, is facing a string of criminal charges stemming from multiple incidents in St. Mary’s County, including drug possession, theft, and destruction of property. Court records show a pattern of alleged offenses dating back to September 2025, with charges filed in several separate cases across Lexington Park and Mechanicsville....
Read More »

Board of Public Works Approves $8.9 Million for Recreational Improvements and Land Conservation in Baltimore City and Six Maryland Counties

Board of Public Works Approves $8.9 Million for Recreational Improvements and Land Conservation in Baltimore City and Six Maryland Counties

The Board of Public Works today approved $8.9 million in grants from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to local governments and land trusts for recreational improvements and land conservation in Baltimore City, and Calvert, Howard, Kent, St. Mary’s, Washington, and Wicomico counties. The Board also approved a short-term lease for the Days Cove...
Read More »

Governor Moore Proposes Record $10.2 Billion Investment in Maryland Public Schools in FY 2027 Budget

Governor Moore Proposes Record $10.2 Billion Investment in Maryland Public Schools in FY 2027 Budget

Governor Wes Moore today announced a historic $10.2 billion investment in Maryland’s K-12 education as part of his Fiscal Year 2027 budget proposal. The announcement, made at Frederick High School, reinforces the Moore-Miller Administration’s commitment to building a world-class education system that eliminates achievement gaps and prepares every student for the jobs of the...
Read More »

Leonardtown Woman Faces Charges After Alleged Trespassing and Struggle With Arresting Officers

Leonardtown Woman Faces Charges After Alleged Trespassing and Struggle With Arresting Officers

Kelly Helen Woozley, 24, of Leonardtown, has been formally charged following an incident at a Charlotte Hall rehabilitation center on December 25, 2025. According to court documents, Woozley is facing four misdemeanor charges: trespassing on private property, resisting/interfering with arrest, disorderly conduct, and failure to obey a lawful order. The incident occurred at approximately...
Read More »

Minor Injuries Reported After Rollover Collision in California

Minor Injuries Reported After Rollover Collision in California

On Thursday, January 8, 2026, at approximately 4:00 p.m., police responded to Patuxent Beach Road and Oak Drive in California, for the reported motor vehicle collision with no injuries. Deputies arrived on the scene to find a two vehicle collision with one vehicle overturned and all occupants out of the vehicles. Firefighters and emergency...
Read More »

No Injuries After Fire at Hollywood Used Auto Parts in St. Mary’s County

No Injuries After Fire at Hollywood Used Auto Parts in St. Mary’s County

On Thursday, January 8, 2026, at approximately 8:15 a.m., firefighters from Hollywood, Leonardtown, Solomons, and NAS Patuxent River were dispatched to the Hollywood Used Auto Parts located at 43900 Commerce Avenue in Hollywood, for the reported commercial structure fire. 911 callers reported smoke showing from the shop with all occupants accounted for. Firefighters from Hollywood...
Read More »

Saving Your Space: Maryland State Park’s Day-Use Reservation System Cuts Closures, Readies Expansion for 2026

Saving Your Space: Maryland State Park’s Day-Use Reservation System Cuts Closures, Readies Expansion for 2026

Maryland Park Service’s new day-use reservation system is working as designed to stop the frequent capacity closures that took place at popular state parks before the system was implemented in 2025. In the spring and summer of 2025, the Maryland Park Service launched the new system that requires visitors to make advance reservations on weekends and...
Read More »

VIDEO: No Injuries Reported, Firefighters Quickly Extinguish Vehicle Fire in Leonardtown

VIDEO: No Injuries Reported, Firefighters Quickly Extinguish Vehicle Fire in Leonardtown

On Wednesday, January 7, 2026, at approximately 12:47 p.m., police and firefighters responded to the St. Mary’s County Board of Education building located at 23160 Moakley Street in Leonardtown, for the reported vehicle on fire. Crews arrived on the scene to find a Ford SUV fully engulfed in flames with all occupants out and...
Read More »

St. Mary’s College of Maryland Mourns Passing of Former President, Edward T. (Ted) Lewis Jr., Ph.D

St. Mary’s College of Maryland Mourns Passing of Former President, Edward T. (Ted) Lewis Jr., Ph.D

Edward T. (Ted) Lewis Jr., Ph.D., fourth president of St. Mary’s College of Maryland, passed away on Thursday, Dec. 11, in Lewes, Delaware. He was 91. Lewis served as president during a remarkable period in the College’s history. From 1983 until 1996, he led the College through a transition that firmly established St. Mary’s...
Read More »

Ridge Woman Charged With Cocaine Possession After Traffic Stop in Lexington Park

Ridge Woman Charged With Cocaine Possession After Traffic Stop in Lexington Park

Nicole Rae Sheckels, 46, of Ridge, has been charged with six criminal offenses and multiple traffic violations following a traffic stop conducted by the Maryland State Police in Lexington Park during the early morning hours of January 5, 2026. According to court documents, Trooper First Class Timothy Eckrich initiated a traffic stop on a...
Read More »

Clinton Man Charged with Jail Vandalism in St. Mary’s County

Clinton Man Charged with Jail Vandalism in St. Mary’s County

Laroi James Burch, 34, of Clinton, has been charged with one count of malicious destruction of property under $1,000 following an incident at the St. Mary’s County Detention and Rehabilitation Center, according to court records and official statements. The charge stems from an incident that occurred on January 5, 2026, at approximately 8:36 a.m....
Read More »

UPDATE: Firefighters Home Destroyed, Three Pets Killed in Early Morning Fire in Leonardtown, Fire Marshal Investigating Cause

UPDATE: Firefighters Home Destroyed, Three Pets Killed in Early Morning Fire in Leonardtown, Fire Marshal Investigating Cause

UPDATE 1/8/2026: Bell and his family of firefighters have selflessly supported our communities and dedicated countless years to our local fire departments. This assistance link is setup through TheYardFoundation, by his IAFF Local 1619 in Prince George’s County with the following message. Click here to support, please share if you can’t. “Every firefighter knows...
Read More »

Employment Data Reveal’s Trump Firings Have Cost Maryland Nearly 25,000 Federal Jobs in 2025, with 10,300 Federal Jobs Lost October-November

Employment Data Reveal’s Trump Firings Have Cost Maryland Nearly 25,000 Federal Jobs in 2025, with 10,300 Federal Jobs Lost October-November

New employment estimates for October and November 2025 released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that federal employment in Maryland fell by an estimated 10,300 in October and November 2025 (combined) according to the bureau. The employment losses are the first monthly job numbers to reflect “fork in the road” deferred resignations...
Read More »

Comptroller Lierman Expresses Concern at Recent Federal Workforce Cuts During Board of Public Works

Comptroller Lierman Expresses Concern at Recent Federal Workforce Cuts During Board of Public Works

Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman joined Governor Wes Moore and Treasurer Dereck Davis for a meeting of the Board of Public Works. Governor Moore opened the meeting by discussing the jobs report released today by the Maryland Department of Labor. The report reveals the state had lost 24,900 federal jobs between January and November 2025,...
Read More »

Maryland Deer Firearms Season Resumes January 9, 2026

Maryland Deer Firearms Season Resumes January 9, 2026

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources will open the winter firearm deer hunting season on Jan. 9, 2026 in Deer Management Region B, which includes all of the state except the westernmost counties. Hunters with a valid hunting license, or those exempt from the license requirement, may use firearms to harvest sika and white-tailed deer during this...
Read More »

Lexington Park Man Charged With DUI, Handgun Violation After Alleged Hit-and-Run

Lexington Park Man Charged With DUI, Handgun Violation After Alleged Hit-and-Run

Joseph Marcel Vigneault, 54, of Lexington Park, has been charged with multiple offenses following a reported hit-and-run crash and subsequent investigation that revealed alcohol consumption and the presence of a loaded handgun in his vehicle. According to court documents filed in St. Mary’s County District Court, on January 4, 2026, the Emergency Communications Center...
Read More »

St Mary’s County Commissioner Meeting Rollup – January 6, 2026

St Mary’s County Commissioner Meeting Rollup – January 6, 2026

The Commissioners of St. Mary’s County (CSMC) began their business meeting with an invocation and the pledge, followed by approval of the consent agenda. The CSMC then presented a proclamation recognizing National Mentoring Month. For their main agenda item, the Commissioners approved and adopted the Ordinance accepting the current configuration of the Preston Court and Morgan Road intersection and...
Read More »

Three Vehicles Destroyed After New Years Day Fire in Lusby, No Injuries Reported

Three Vehicles Destroyed After New Years Day Fire in Lusby, No Injuries Reported

On January 1, 2026, at approximately 5:35 p.m., firefighters from the Solomons Volunteer Fire Department and surrounding departments from Calvert and St. Mary’s County responded to 11500 block of Senora Lane in Lusby, for the reported vehicle fire threatening a residence. Crews arrived on the scene to find three vehicles fully engulfed in flames...
Read More »

SMADC Opens Farm Share Equipment Rental Grants $30,000 in Funds Available

SMADC Opens Farm Share Equipment Rental Grants $30,000 in Funds Available

The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission), a division of the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland (TCCSMD), is again offering grant funds to the community to support the purchase of farm equipment for the benefit of farmers in the Southern Maryland Region. SMADC invites agricultural entities (like County Farm Bureaus and Soil Conservation Districts) who...
Read More »

F-35 pilots and Navy Collaborative Combat Aircraft Hone Tactics in Joint Simulation Environment

F-35 pilots and Navy Collaborative Combat Aircraft Hone Tactics in Joint Simulation Environment

The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) achieved a milestone in advancing F-35 Lightning II aircraft integration with the Navy’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) during a recent tactical demonstration in its Joint Simulation Environment (JSE). The event demonstrated how advanced modeling and simulation can develop tactics and strategies for fifth-generation aircraft like the F-35 operating with uncrewed...
Read More »

Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month Highlights Growing Occupational Risk

Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month Highlights Growing Occupational Risk

January is Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month, a time dedicated to recognizing the elevated cancer risks faced by firefighters and the long-term health consequences of the job. Fire fighter occupational cancer is the leading cause of line-of-duty death in the fire service. In 2025, nearly 80%* of IAFF member line-of-duty deaths were due to occupational...
Read More »

Maryland Public Libraries Set to Host Career Success Month – January 6th to February 28th, 2026

Maryland Public Libraries Set to Host Career Success Month – January 6th to February 28th, 2026

Public libraries across Maryland will soon host dozens of events to help community members develop the skills they need to succeed in today’s workplace. The fourth annual Career Success Month runs from January 6 through February 28, 2026. Developed by the Maryland State Library Agency and supported in part by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS),...
Read More »