St. Mary’s News

Maryland Minimum Wage Increases to $15 on Jan. 1, 2024

Maryland Minimum Wage Increases to $15 on Jan. 1, 2024

All Maryland employers will have to pay their hourly employees a minimum wage of $15 per hour starting Jan. 1, 2024. This requirement stems from the enactment of Maryland Senate Bill 555 (SB555), also known as the Fair Wage Act of 2023, which was signed into law by Maryland Governor Wes Moore on April...
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Be The Driver – Who Saves Lives

Be The Driver – Who Saves Lives

For the first time ever, the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration’s (MDOT MVA) Highway Safety Office is launching an all-encompassing highway safety campaign focused on safe driving behaviors, aptly named Be the Driver. The animated campaign depicts common situations that drivers, riders, and pedestrians often face and illustrates each road users’ personal...
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St. Mary’s County Community Mourns Loss of Tyrone Harris, A Longtime Parks and Recreation Employee

St. Mary’s County Community Mourns Loss of Tyrone Harris, A Longtime Parks and Recreation Employee

Sadly, on Wednesday, December 27, 2023, First Responders were alerted to a motor vehicle crash near the intersection of Willows Road and South Shangri La Drive in Lexington Park. Firefighters arrived on the scene to find a pickup truck off the roadway and into a wooded area. The operator and sole occupant, Marcus Tyrone...
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Identical Quadruplets on Distinct Career Paths, Find their Own Way at the College of Southern Maryland

Identical Quadruplets on Distinct Career Paths, Find their Own Way at the College of Southern Maryland

The faculty and staff at the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) know well that each student who attends CSM is rare and unique unto themselves. But when the Breedlove identical quadruplets arrived on campus at the beginning of the fall 2023 semester, rare took on a whole new meaning. “We have been told several...
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Patuxent Tidewater Land Trust Ends 2023 with Protecting 94 Acres of St. Mary’s County Land

Patuxent Tidewater Land Trust Ends 2023 with Protecting 94 Acres of St. Mary’s County Land

As 2023 comes to a close, we thank you for your invaluable support and the many good things you have made possible. We wish you and your loved ones a Very Happy and Healthy New Year! To cap off this year, On Dec. 21st, 2023, the Patuxent Tidewater Land Trust (PTLT) completed the acquisition...
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Three Transported After Head-on Collision in Lexington Park

Three Transported After Head-on Collision in Lexington Park

On Wednesday, December 27, 2023, at approximately 4:00 p.m., police, fire and rescue personnel responded to the area of Three Notch Road and King James Road in Lexington Park, for a serious motor vehicle collision with entrapment. Crews arrived on the scene to find a Dodge Ram and a Nissan Altima involved in a head-on...
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UPDATE: Police Investigating Single Vehicle Collision That Claims Life of Great Mills Man

UPDATE: Police Investigating Single Vehicle Collision That Claims Life of Great Mills Man

UPDATE: On Wednesday, December 27, 2023, police responded to a motor vehicle crash near the intersection of Willows Road and South Shangri La Drive in Lexington Park. Units arrived to find a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 had struck a tree in a wooded area. The operator and sole occupant, Marcus Tyrone Harris, 69, of...
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Winter is Coming – Have you Checked Your Preparedness List?

Winter is Coming – Have you Checked Your Preparedness List?

St. Mary’s County Government’s Department of Emergency Services encourages all residents to double check their emergency preparedness checklist to ensure they are ready for winter. Prolonged cold conditions and winter storms raise the risk of freezing home plumbing, community water main breaks, automobile failures, transportation interruptions, automobile accidents, power outages, home heating system failures,...
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Youth and Veteran Waterfowl Hunt Event Scheduled for February 3, 2024

Youth and Veteran Waterfowl Hunt Event Scheduled for February 3, 2024

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), in partnership with the Maryland Sportsmen’s Foundation, is offering a special hunting opportunity for all military veterans and youth hunters aged 11-16. Participants will be able to hunt select properties in three regions of the state under the guidance of an experienced waterfowl hunter. This special event coincides with...
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January 2024 Events at the Calvert Marine Museum

January 2024 Events at the Calvert Marine Museum

Kick off the new year with tickets to the first Maritime Performance Series concert of the season! In addition, check out a new art workshop and events celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. For more information about museum happenings, please visit: www.calvertmarinemuseum.com Monday, Jan. 1 – New Year’s Day The Calvert Marine Museum and Museum...
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Cold-Stunning Threatens Aquatic Wildlife – Marylanders Asked to Help

Cold-Stunning Threatens Aquatic Wildlife – Marylanders Asked to Help

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources asks those visiting the Chesapeake Bay or Atlantic Coast to be vigilant of sea turtles who exhibit signs of cold-stunning, a condition that causes animals to become debilitated and experience hypothermia-like symptoms due to prolonged exposure to cold temperatures. Cold-stunning typically occurs in late autumn and early winter...
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Christmas Day House Fire in Prince Frederick Under Investigation, One Dog Injured and One Killed

Christmas Day House Fire in Prince Frederick Under Investigation, One Dog Injured and One Killed

On Monday, December 25, 2023, at approximately 11:10 a.m., firefighters from Calvert and St. Mary’s County responded to the 2900 block of Honey Cove Court in Prince Frederick, for the reported house on fire. Crews arrived on the scene to find a 2-story residence with fire showing. Firefighters deployed multiple attack lines and entered...
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Maryland State Fire Marshal Brian S. Geraci Retires After 50 Year Career

Maryland State Fire Marshal Brian S. Geraci Retires After 50 Year Career

State Fire Marshal Brian S. Geraci announced his retirement on December 21st, 2023, from the Office of the State Fire Marshal after a 50-year career, including ten years with the agency. Geraci’s announcement coincided with the agency’s holiday luncheon in Pikesville. He was surrounded by his family, current and retired employees, including former and...
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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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