St. Mary’s News

St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Community Oriented Policing Unit Perform County-Wide Canvas of Unhoused Residents to Provide Cold Weather Assistance and Resources

St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Community Oriented Policing Unit Perform County-Wide Canvas of Unhoused Residents to Provide Cold Weather Assistance and Resources

Deputies from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Community Oriented Policing Unit (COPs) undertook a comprehensive outreach initiative across the north and south ends of the county on Thursday, December 21, 2023. Led by Sergeant Anthony Whipkey, the COPs Unit, in collaboration with SMCSO Mental Health Liaison Alexis Higdon and members of the St....
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Governor Appoints Health Department’s Environmental Health Director Heather Moritz to Bay Restoration Fund Advisory Committee

Governor Appoints Health Department’s Environmental Health Director Heather Moritz to Bay Restoration Fund Advisory Committee

St. Mary’s County Health Department (SMCHD) Director of Environmental Health, Heather Moritz, has been appointed by Maryland Governor Wes Moore to the Bay Restoration Fund Advisory Committee. The Bay Restoration Fund Advisory Committee’s main tasks are to advance the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Restoration Fund and enhance its effectiveness in reducing nutrient pollution...
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Maryland Delegation Announces Nearly $13 Million for Coastal Restoration and Resilience Projects

Maryland Delegation Announces Nearly $13 Million for Coastal Restoration and Resilience Projects

U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, John Sarbanes and Kweisi Mfume (all D-Md.) announced $12,901,800 in National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) funding for restoration and resiliency projects to improve coastal communities and their fish and wildlife habitats. The funding...
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Lexington Park Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Drug and Firearm Felonies

Lexington Park Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Drug and Firearm Felonies

UPDATE 12/22/2023: State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling announced today that Dimitri Paul Brooks, 28, of Lexington Park, Maryland, was sentenced to 40 years in prison with 15 years of active incarceration for felony drug and firearms offenses. A St. Mary’s County jury convicted Brooks in September of 2023 following a two-day jury trial of possession...
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Maryland State Police Visiting Businesses During Holiday Season to Discuss Crime Prevention

Maryland State Police Visiting Businesses During Holiday Season to Discuss Crime Prevention

Troopers from the Maryland State Police Leonardtown Barrack Prevention methods and considerations for keeping your property/business safer by removing or minimizing the opportunity for a crime to be committed: Always lock all doors and windows when the business is closed Make sure your surveillance system is functioning properly and there is someone who can...
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EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: State Police Conduct Stationary Traffic Safety Operation Followed by Roving Traffic Enforcement

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: State Police Conduct Stationary Traffic Safety Operation Followed by Roving Traffic Enforcement

On December 21, 2023, troopers from the Maryland State Police Leonardtown Barrack, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division, K-9 Unit, and the State Highway Administration conducted a stationary traffic safety operation in the Great Mills area followed by roving traffic enforcement throughout the county with an emphasis focused on areas with increased rates of collisions and...
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Two Wild Animals Test Positive for Rabies in Northern St. Mary’s County

Two Wild Animals Test Positive for Rabies in Northern St. Mary’s County

The St. Mary’s County Health Department (SMCHD) reports two animals collected in the Mechanicsville and Charlotte Hall areas have tested positive for rabies. On December 16, 2023, a raccoon was collected from the Wicomico Shores Subdivision, and a skunk was collected from the North Indian Creek Subdivision. The test results were confirmed by the...
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Maryland State Police Increasing Patrols Over Christmas Weekend

Maryland State Police Increasing Patrols Over Christmas Weekend

Maryland State Police beginning Friday are increasing patrols through Christmas weekend as millions of Marylanders are expected to hit the highways. State troopers from all 23 barracks will focus on impaired, aggressive and distracted driving while conducting saturation patrols on roads with high DUI incidents. Enforcement is bolstered by funds from the Maryland Department...
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VIDEO: Santa Claus is Coming to Leonardtown

VIDEO: Santa Claus is Coming to Leonardtown

Featuring: Robbie Boothe, Donovan Farrell, Phillip Michael Parsons, Donald Quade, Tara Rae, Wes Ryce, LaKeisha Smith, and Brandi Sydnor.  Filmed by: Ed Winson Delmoro from Winson Media https://winson.media/ Vincent Chapman from Sargas Media https://www.sargasmedia.com/ Donovan Farrell  https://www.donovanfarrell.com/ Drone footage by: Ed Winson Delmoro from Winson Media Matthew Stearns of Stearns Aerial Imagery, LLC (410)...
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St. Mary’s County Commission on the Environment Seeking Nominations for 2023 Sustainability Awards

St. Mary’s County Commission on the Environment Seeking Nominations for 2023 Sustainability Awards

The Commission on the Environment (CoE) invites you to participate in the 2023 Sustainability Awards Program. The goal of these awards is to recognize outstanding St Mary’s County students/schools, restaurants, businesses, non-profits, farms/Ag, individual/household for their environmental stewardship, resource conservation, innovative best practices and pollution prevention. Click here for the full PDF  ELIGIBILITY: Open...
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Successful 20th Year of Shop with a Cop – St. Mary’s County Thanks to Volunteers, Sponsors, and Law Enforcement Partners

Successful 20th Year of Shop with a Cop – St. Mary’s County Thanks to Volunteers, Sponsors, and Law Enforcement Partners

The 20th annual Shop With a Cop event in St. Mary’s County, held on Saturday, December 9th, 2023, proved to be a heartwarming success, thanks to the dedication of volunteers, sponsors, and law enforcement partners. This cherished community tradition brought holiday joy to 104 children who were each provided with $225 to spend on...
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14th Annual Maritime Performance Series Returns to Calvert

14th Annual Maritime Performance Series Returns to Calvert

Friday, Jan. 19 – DICK HENSOLD and PATSY O’BRIEN – Dick Hensold is one of the leading Northumbrian smallpipers in North America, and Patsy O’Brien is a singer, songwriter and guitarist from County Cork in Ireland. Music born from the age-old traditions of Ireland, Scotland, England, and Cape Breton is given new life in the...
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MetCom Joins St. Mary’s Counties 311 Citizen Reporting Portal

MetCom Joins St. Mary’s Counties 311 Citizen Reporting Portal

The St. Mary’s County Metropolitan Commission (MetCom) has partnered with the St. Mary’s County Government to enhance the easy-to-use online non-emergency service portal for citizens to report issues or problems. The 311 interface now allows the public to submit a request for a variety of non-emergency categories associated with public water and sewer related...
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Kids Countdown to Noon: A New Year’s Eve Family Event Debuts at Piney Point Lighthouse Museum

Kids Countdown to Noon: A New Year’s Eve Family Event Debuts at Piney Point Lighthouse Museum

St. Mary’s County Government’s Museum Division is excited to present “Kids Countdown to Noon at Piney Point: A New Year’s Eve Family Event” on Sunday, December 31, 2023, from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Piney Point Lighthouse Museum & Historic Park. Bring your kids to Piney Point on December 31 so they can...
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Community Organizations Join at CSM to Raise Awareness, Address Crisis of Suicide Amongst Black Youth

Community Organizations Join at CSM to Raise Awareness, Address Crisis of Suicide Amongst Black Youth

Ivy and Pearls of Southern Maryland Community Charities, Inc., and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Nu Zeta Omega Chapter, held an important event titled Give Hope: Addressing the Crisis of Suicide Amongst Black Youth at the College of Southern Maryland’s (CSM) La Plata Campus last week to raise awareness and address the alarming suicide...
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Maryland Deer Hunters Conclude Successful Fall Firearm Season

Maryland Deer Hunters Conclude Successful Fall Firearm Season

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced that hunters harvested 28,236 deer during the two-week firearm season from Nov. 25 through Dec. 9. The firearms season harvest was 3% lower than last year’s official count of 29,160 deer. “Firearm hunting for deer continues to be our most popular season,” Wildlife and Heritage Service Director Karina Stonesifer said. “The season enables...
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Holly Days in the Park Part II – Lexington Park Business Association

Holly Days in the Park Part II – Lexington Park Business Association

The Lexington Park Business Association (LexBA) is celebrating the holidays by sharing tidbits about the traditions and challenges local nonprofit organizations and businesses face during this time of year. In the first edition of Holly Days in the Park, we learned of the Lexington Park Rescue Squad’s efforts to help responders focus on the joy of the...
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Ribbon Cutting Announced for the St. Mary’s County Mobile Library on Tuesday, January 9, 2024

Ribbon Cutting Announced for the St. Mary’s County Mobile Library on Tuesday, January 9, 2024

St. Mary’s County Library and the Commissioners of St. Mary’s County are excited to announce the upcoming ribbon cutting ceremony for the Mobile Library. Community members are welcome to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, at 1 p.m. at the Leonardtown Library & Garvey Senior Activity Center, located at 23630...
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Governor Moore Attends Event Commemorating St. Mary’s County School-Based Health Centers

Governor Moore Attends Event Commemorating St. Mary’s County School-Based Health Centers

The St. Mary’s County Public Schools (SMCPS) and St. Mary’s County Health Department (SMCHD) welcomed Governor Wes Moore at an event recognizing the Margaret Brent and Spring Ridge Middle School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs) on Monday, December 11, 2023. Sponsored by the Commissioners of St. Mary’s County, the event featured a presentation of colors by...
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Police Seeking Identity of Suspect Who Stole Cartons of Cigarettes

Police Seeking Identity of Suspect Who Stole Cartons of Cigarettes

Press release posted by SMCSO on December 15, 2023: On Thursday, October 12, 2023, at around 8:10 p.m., the person depicted in this photo entered the Wawa Convenience Store in Charlotte Hall, MD. Subsequently, the individual approached the counter, went behind it, took three cartons of cigarettes, and left the store. The suspect is...
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Second District Firefighters Respond to Dumpster Fire at Take It Easy Campground

Second District Firefighters Respond to Dumpster Fire at Take It Easy Campground

On Tuesday, December 19, 2023, at 3:45 p.m., six firefighters from the Second District Volunteer Fire Department responded to the area of 45285 Take It Easy Rach Road in Callaway, for the reported outside fire. Crews arrived on the scene to find fire showing from the dumpster with a property manager using a tractor...
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UPDATE: Southern Maryland Firefighters Respond to Virginia to Assist During Devastating Church Fire

UPDATE: Southern Maryland Firefighters Respond to Virginia to Assist During Devastating Church Fire

UPDATE: Additional photos added. 12/19/2023: On Tuesday, December 19, 2023, at approximately 7:12 a.m., firefighters in multiple jurisdictions in Virginia responded to 2961 Kings Highway in Oak Grove, for the reported church on fire. Firefighters arrived on the scene within 3 minutes of dispatch to find fire showing from multiple sides of the structure....
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Lexington Park Ford and Chevrolet Dealership Hosting Holiday Extravaganza This Tuesday! December 19th, 2023

Lexington Park Ford and Chevrolet Dealership Hosting Holiday Extravaganza This Tuesday! December 19th, 2023

Lexington Park Ford Lincoln is bringing you some holiday cheer for our first ever HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA!! Hours of festive fun, Tuesday, December 19, 2023, from 4:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m.! Get your pictures with Santa and/or the Grinch, take a wagon ride with Suttler Post Clydesdales, check out STAR 98.3 T-Bone & Heather and maybe...
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Preseason Trout Stocking Begins Early in Maryland Waters

Preseason Trout Stocking Begins Early in Maryland Waters

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has begun “preseason” stocking with the first of about 290,000 trout in Maryland waters statewide. This stocking will help coldwater hatcheries reduce overcrowded fish densities caused by record drought conditions this year. The first preseason stockings will be allocated to impoundments, special management, and delayed harvest streams...
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Nelson’s Face Additional Charges and Citations from Maryland Natural Resources Police

Nelson’s Face Additional Charges and Citations from Maryland Natural Resources Police

On December 15, 2023, Maryland Natural Resources Police issued citations and must appear citations to Robert Nelson Jr., age 41 and James Phillip Nelson, age 47. James was issued citations for the following. DID POSSESS 16% OR MORE UNCULLED OYSTERS (20%) NOT CULLING ON OYSTER BAR POSSESSING OYSTERS IN CONTAINERS (NOT OYSTER BASKETS) EXCEEDING OYSTER...
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