St. Mary’s News

CSM Offers CDL Certification Courses to Train Students to Fill Critical Workforce Need

CSM Offers CDL Certification Courses to Train Students to Fill Critical Workforce Need

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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Sports Wagering Contributes $10.9 Million to the State During January 2026

Sports Wagering Contributes $10.9 Million to the State During January 2026

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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St. Mary’s County Recreation & Parks Announces 43rd Annual Easter Egg Festival on Saturday, March 28, 2026

St. Mary’s County Recreation & Parks Announces 43rd Annual Easter Egg Festival on Saturday, March 28, 2026

St. Mary’s County Government’s Department of Recreation & Parks (R&P) is excited to host the 43rd Annual Easter Egg Festival at the St. Mary’s County Fairgrounds on Saturday, March 28, 2026. This rain or shine event will be held from 11:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. and is open to the entire community. This Southern Maryland spring staple will feature egg...
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St. Mary’s County – Free Document Shredding Event Announced on Saturday March 28, 2026

St. Mary’s County – Free Document Shredding Event Announced on Saturday March 28, 2026

It’s time to clean out your filing cabinets and desks to get rid of confidential, private, or other important personal documents that you no longer need to keep! St. Mary’s County Government’s Department of Public Works & Transportation (DPW&T) will host a Community Shredding Event on Saturday March 28, 2026, from 8 a.m. – noon at the St....
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Secretary’s Message: Cold Winter Could Boost Prospects for Striped Bass

Secretary’s Message: Cold Winter Could Boost Prospects for Striped Bass

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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U.S. Navy Awards Contract for Next-Generation Fixed Wing Helmet System

U.S. Navy Awards Contract for Next-Generation Fixed Wing Helmet System

The Navy recently awarded a $22.6 million contract to Gentex Corporation to deliver more than 5,000 Next-Generation Fixed Wing Helmet (NGFWH) systems and spares to support the fielding of these systems across all Navy fixed wing aircraft. The firm-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract is intended streamline and modernize life-support capabilities for fixed-wing aircrews and will eventually...
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UPDATE: Lexington Park Man Sentenced to 40 Years for Possession with Intent to Distribute

UPDATE: Lexington Park Man Sentenced to 40 Years for Possession with Intent to Distribute

update 2/10/2026: State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling announced that Jerome Damon Estep, 50, of Lexington Park, MD has been sentenced to 40 years in prison with 10 years of active incarceration for the possession with intent to distribute cocaine. On February 22, 2025, Corporal Travis Wimberly of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office conducted a...
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Noise Advisory – NAS Patuxent River Sets Noise Advisory for February 9-11, 2026 for NAS Patuxent River for Night Test Flights

Noise Advisory – NAS Patuxent River Sets Noise Advisory for February 9-11, 2026 for NAS Patuxent River for Night Test Flights

Communities surrounding Naval Air Station Patuxent River are advised that noise-generating testing events are scheduled to take place Monday, February 9 and Wednesday, February 11, 2026 from 6:30 p.m.-10 p.m. Pilots at NAS PAX will be conducting Field Carrier Landing Practices (FCLPs), simulated carrier landings conducted to prepare the pilot to land safely on...
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Spring Travel Made Easy: Recreation & Parks Announces Bus Trips to Philadelphia & New York City

Spring Travel Made Easy: Recreation & Parks Announces Bus Trips to Philadelphia & New York City

St. Mary’s County Government’s Department of Recreation & Parks (R&P) is pleased to announce two exciting bus trips planned for Spring 2026, offering residents the opportunity to explore two iconic cities with convenient roundtrip transportation and free time to enjoy each destination at their own pace. R&P bus trips are a great way to...
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Maryland State Police Raise Awareness On Safer Internet Day Urging Digital Safety For All Ages

Maryland State Police Raise Awareness On Safer Internet Day Urging Digital Safety For All Ages

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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UPDATE St. Mary’s County CodeRED Emergency Notification System Incident Update

UPDATE St. Mary’s County CodeRED Emergency Notification System Incident Update

2/10/2026: The St. Mary’s County Government (SMCG) Department of Emergency Services (DES) is providing an update regarding the previously reported cybersecurity incident involving the CodeRED Emergency Notification System. CodeRED is a third-party emergency notification service used by local governments across the country to send emergency alerts. CodeRED has completed a forensic investigation, conducted by internal security teams and...
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Record Spatset Found in St. Mary’s River With Unprecedented Number of Juvenile Oysters Spawned in 2025

Record Spatset Found in St. Mary’s River With Unprecedented Number of Juvenile Oysters Spawned in 2025

A yearly study that monitors oyster reproduction in the St. Mary’s River measured a record number of juvenile oysters in 2025. Strong reproduction is a positive sign for the river’s oysters, which filter the water, provide habitat, and support a significant local fishery. The St. Mary’s River Watershed Association (SMRWA) has tracked oyster reproduction...
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Southern Maryland Equine Seminar: Taking Care of You & Your Horse – Just $10 for All Day Event Seminar!

Southern Maryland Equine Seminar: Taking Care of You & Your Horse – Just $10 for All Day Event Seminar!

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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NAWCAD Patuxent River Supervisor of The Year Leads With Mission Focus, Integrity

NAWCAD Patuxent River Supervisor of The Year Leads With Mission Focus, Integrity

NAVAL AIR WARFARE CENTER AIRCRAFT DIVISION, PATUXENT RIVER, MD.: Naval Air Systems Command honored Michelle Passfeld, Air Traffic Control and Landing Systems (ATC&LS) division’s Expeditionary and Range Systems branch head at Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division at Webster Outlying Field (NAWCAD WOLF), with the 2025 Supervisor of the Year Award for NAWCAD Jan....
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UPDATE: St. Mary’s County Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking and Weapon Charges After Police Recover 5 Guns and 964 Fentanyl Pills

UPDATE: St. Mary’s County Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking and Weapon Charges After Police Recover 5 Guns and 964 Fentanyl Pills

UPDATE 2/9/2026: A Lexington Park, Maryland, man pled guilty in federal court today, to drug trafficking and weapons crimes. Dominick Mackall, 37, is charged with possessing firearms and ammunition as a felon and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty plea...
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Minor Injuries Reported After Single Vehicle Rollover in Leonardtown Leaves Two Trapped

Minor Injuries Reported After Single Vehicle Rollover in Leonardtown Leaves Two Trapped

On Saturday, February 7, 2026, at approximately 9:30 p.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the area of 21370 Newtowne Neck Road in Leonardtown, for the serious motor vehicle collision with one vehicle overturned and one trapped. 911 callers reported a single vehicle overturned with one occupant trapped and unconscious. Due to...
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No Injuries Reported, Neighbor Saves Dog After Fire Destroys 5th Wheel Camper in Clements

No Injuries Reported, Neighbor Saves Dog After Fire Destroys 5th Wheel Camper in Clements

On Friday, February 6, 2026, at approximately 5:05 p.m., firefighters from Seventh District, Leonardtown, Hollywood, Mechanicsville and Charles County responded to the 24000 block of Horse Shoe Road in Clements, for the reported structure fire. 911 callers reported a camper was on fire with the fire threatening nearby exposures. Crews arrived on the scene...
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Montgomery County Man Arrested in St. Mary’s County After Pursuit Involving Stolen Tractor-Trailer

Montgomery County Man Arrested in St. Mary’s County After Pursuit Involving Stolen Tractor-Trailer

On Thursday, February 5, 2026, at 2:00 a.m., a patrol officer was flagged down in the area of Ell Lane and Route 5 in Waldorf, by a person reporting their 2015 Kenworth truck tractor, without the trailer, had been stolen and was actively being tracked through a GPS device. The victim advised that the...
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Firefighters from Calvert, Charles, Anne Arundel and St. Mary’s County Respond to Working House Fire in Prince Frederick

Firefighters from Calvert, Charles, Anne Arundel and St. Mary’s County Respond to Working House Fire in Prince Frederick

On Saturday, February 7, 2026, at approximately 10:26 a.m., firefighters from Price Frederick and surrounding departments were dispatched to the 4000 block of Sparkleberry Court in Prince Frederick, for the working structure fire. 911 dispatchers advised they were receiving multiple calls reporting the house is on fire, with the homeowner reporting all occupants and...
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Serious Injuries Reported After Tree Falls on Vehicle in California

Serious Injuries Reported After Tree Falls on Vehicle in California

On Saturday, February 7, 2026, at approximately 9:32 a.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the area Wildewood Parkway and Hickory Nut Drive in California, for the reported motor vehicle collision with injuries. 911 callers reported a tree fell onto a vehicle with one having injuries. Deputies from the St. Mary’s County...
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High Wind Warning and Cold Weather Advisory Issued for Southern Maryland Region

High Wind Warning and Cold Weather Advisory Issued for Southern Maryland Region

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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19-Year-Old Leonardtown Teen Arrested on Nationwide Warrant for Sexual Abuse of Child in Idaho

19-Year-Old Leonardtown Teen Arrested on Nationwide Warrant for Sexual Abuse of Child in Idaho

On February 3, 2026, Jacob William St. Peter, 19 years of age, of Leonardtown, Maryland, was arrested by the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office in Maryland, with the assistance of the Department of War and the Naval Criminal Investigative Services (NCIS), on a nationwide warrant issued in Canyon County, Idaho. In Nampa, St. Peter...
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Free Trees Available for Maryland’s ‘Backyard Buffers’

Free Trees Available for Maryland’s ‘Backyard Buffers’

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: No Serious Injuries Reported After Multiple Victims Fall Through Ice in Leonardtown

UPDATE: No Serious Injuries Reported After Multiple Victims Fall Through Ice in Leonardtown

UPDATE 6:49 P.M.: All three patients in the care of EMS with warming blankets and awaiting further evaluation. Trooper 7 returned to their hangar for fuel. Updates will be provided when they become available. The residence and water in question is McIntosh Run, which is a waterway that feeds into Breton Bay and is part...
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St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office to Conduct Saturation Patrols

St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office to Conduct Saturation Patrols

The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office will conduct saturation patrols during the upcoming Super Bowl weekend, focusing on impaired driving, speeding, and other dangerous traffic violations. Additional deputies will be assigned to major travel routes and neighborhoods across the county during one of the busiest weekends of the year for gatherings and celebrations. Before...
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