St. Mary’s News

June 2026 Events at the Calvert Marine Museum

June 2026 Events at the Calvert Marine Museum

June brings an exciting lineup of events to the Calvert Marine Museum, highlighted by the high-energy ALMOST QUEEN concert with Separate Ways The Band on June 13 and the museum’s new Shell-A-Bration event celebrating National Seashell Day on June 20. From live music and on-the-water adventures to hands-on family programs and seasonal experiences, visitors...
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St. Mary’s County Chamber of Commerce Hosts Annual Awards Gala, Recognizes Local Leaders and Nonprofits

St. Mary’s County Chamber of Commerce Hosts Annual Awards Gala, Recognizes Local Leaders and Nonprofits

The St. Mary’s County Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual awards gala on Thursday, May 14, 2026, at The White Rose in St. Mary’s County, bringing together business, community, nonprofit, and political leaders to celebrate local service, leadership, and community impact. During the event, several community members and organizations were recognized through awards presented...
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Horseshoe Crab Spawning Migration Arriving in Maryland

Horseshoe Crab Spawning Migration Arriving in Maryland

Thousands of horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) have started landing on Maryland’s shores this spring for what is believed to be the world’s oldest wildlife migration. Dating back an estimated 350 million years, the annual spawning occurs from May through July, peaking with high tides on or around the full and new moons in June....
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Lexington Park Man Charged With Violating Protective Order After Disturbance

Lexington Park Man Charged With Violating Protective Order After Disturbance

Joel Harold Notman, 31, of Lexington Park, has been charged in St. Mary’s County District Court with one misdemeanor count of violating a protective order after an alleged disturbance on Great Mills Road in Lexington Park on May 14, 2026. According to charging documents filed by Deputy Matthew Craig of the St. Mary’s County...
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St. Mary’s County Traffic Stop Leads to Cocaine and DUI Arrest

St. Mary’s County Traffic Stop Leads to Cocaine and DUI Arrest

Matthew Tyler Eastburn, 31, of Mechanicsville, has been charged in St. Mary’s County District Court with possession of a controlled dangerous substance that was not cannabis, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving or attempting to drive while under the influence of alcohol per se, driving or attempting to drive while under the influence of alcohol,...
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Marylanders Reminded to Leave Fawns Alone – ‘Rescuing’ Them is Illegal, Unnecessary, and Dangerous

Marylanders Reminded to Leave Fawns Alone – ‘Rescuing’ Them is Illegal, Unnecessary, and Dangerous

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources cautions anyone who encounters a fawn to avoid disturbing it and resist the urge to feed or handle it. Removing deer from the wild and keeping them in captivity is against the law in Maryland in order to protect animal welfare and ensure public safety. Even if no adult deer are...
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Maryland Department of Natural Resources Reports Increase in Juvenile Blue Crabs and Total Population in 2026 Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey

Maryland Department of Natural Resources Reports Increase in Juvenile Blue Crabs and Total Population in 2026 Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey

The Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey, a cooperative effort between the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, estimates a total of 349 million blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay in 2026, a 46% increase over the estimate of 238 million crabs last year. The survey also estimated...
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Dog Sitter Charged With 2 Counts of Felony Animal Cruelty and 18 Counts of Child Pornography

Dog Sitter Charged With 2 Counts of Felony Animal Cruelty and 18 Counts of Child Pornography

The investigation began on May 20, 2025 after the Maryland State Police received a CyberTip. On August 19, 2025, members of the Maryland State Police Child Exploitation Unit, Homeland Security Investigations, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the United States Secret Service executed a signed residential search and seizure warrant at a...
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Shots Fired – Vehicle Plows Into Group of People After Lexington Park Fight, 24-Year-Old Woman Arrested and Released On Own Recognizance

Shots Fired – Vehicle Plows Into Group of People After Lexington Park Fight, 24-Year-Old Woman Arrested and Released On Own Recognizance

Shayonna Renee Miles, 24, of Lexington Park, has been charged with first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and reckless endangerment after St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office deputies say she used a vehicle to strike people during a May 16, 2026, disturbance in Lexington Park. According to charging documents, deputies from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office...
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Hollywood Volunteer Rescue Squad Regrets to Announce Passing of Life Member Rich Battenfield

Hollywood Volunteer Rescue Squad Regrets to Announce Passing of Life Member Rich Battenfield

The Hollywood Volunteer Rescue Squad announces with regret the sudden passing of Life Member Rich Battenfield on Sunday, May 17, 2026. Rich was known for his years of dedicated service to the community. Rich became a member of the department in March 2001 and held a number of positions over the years. At the...
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Maryland Forest Service Releases Annual Wildfire Report for 2025

Maryland Forest Service Releases Annual Wildfire Report for 2025

The number of wildfires in Maryland in 2025 remained steady but total acres burned nearly doubled, largely due to arson, according to the Maryland Forest Service’s Annual Wildland Fire Report. The report covers wildfires across 3.2 million acres of land overseen by the Maryland Forest Service. In Maryland, 172 wildland fires burned 8,167 acres during...
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One Flown to Trauma Center With Serious Injuries After Crash in Leonardtown

One Flown to Trauma Center With Serious Injuries After Crash in Leonardtown

On Monday, May 18, 2026, at approximately 1:30 p.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the area of Point Lookout Road and Potato Hill Farm Lane in Leonardtown, for the serious motor vehicle collision with one unconscious. Crews arrived on the scene to find a two vehicle T-bone style collision and confirmed...
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St. Mary’s College of Maryland Celebrates 400 Graduates at 2026 Commencement

St. Mary’s College of Maryland Celebrates 400 Graduates at 2026 Commencement

St. Mary’s College of Maryland, the National Public Honors College, graduated 400 students with Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in Teaching degrees during an outdoor ceremony on the College’s Townhouse Green. Alumnus Brandon Scott ’06, Baltimore’s 52nd mayor, delivered the keynote address. In his message, Scott told the Class...
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Mechanicsville Man Arrested After Metal Knuckle Knife Found During Hospital ICU Trespass Call

Mechanicsville Man Arrested After Metal Knuckle Knife Found During Hospital ICU Trespass Call

Antwand L. Johnson, 43, of Mechanicsville, is facing misdemeanor charges of trespassing on private property, resisting or interfering with arrest, and concealing a dangerous weapon after deputies responded to a reported disturbance at MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital in Leonardtown on May 8, 2026, according to District Court documents. Court records list the incident location...
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Great Mills Man Arrested After Removing Court-Ordered Ankle Monitor

Great Mills Man Arrested After Removing Court-Ordered Ankle Monitor

Glenn F Flores, 33, of Great Mills, is charged in St. Mary’s County District Court with second-degree escape related to conditions of release after authorities alleged he removed a court-ordered ankle monitor on May 8, 2026. According to court documents, Deputy Preston Dixon of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office responded on May 8,...
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Navy Establishes Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Aviation

Navy Establishes Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Aviation

The Department of the Navy (DON) established the Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Aviation, PAE(A), led by Vice Adm. John Dougherty IV. The PAE model is the new operational standard for the acquisition enterprise, injecting urgency and a ruthless focus on accelerated capability delivery. The organizational changes are key initiatives of Secretary of War Pete...
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St. Mary’s County Woman Charged After More Than 100 Animals Seized From Hollywood Property

St. Mary’s County Woman Charged After More Than 100 Animals Seized From Hollywood Property

Michelle Rene Kelley, 63, of Hollywood, is charged in St. Mary’s County District Court with 147 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty for allegedly failing to provide proper care for animals at a Brown Road property in Hollywood, according to court documents. The case, filed on May 14, 2026, lists the charge description for each...
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Lexington Park Man Charged After Reported Assault Inside St. Mary’s County Detention Center

Lexington Park Man Charged After Reported Assault Inside St. Mary’s County Detention Center

Carlonte A. Knott, 34, of Lexington Park, is charged with second-degree assault on a Department of Corrections employee or inmate after authorities said he assaulted an adult male inmate during a basketball game at the St. Mary’s County Detention and Rehabilitation Center in Leonardtown on May 4, 2026. According to charging documents, Deputy Michael...
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CSM Hosts Southern Maryland Regional Quantum Technologies Forum Wednesday, May 20, 2026

CSM Hosts Southern Maryland Regional Quantum Technologies Forum Wednesday, May 20, 2026

The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) will host industry, academic, and elected leaders for the Southern Maryland Regional Quantum Technologies Forum on Wednesday, May 20, at the La Plata Campus to explore the growing impact of quantum technology on regional industries and workforce development. The event will take place at 8:30 a.m. – 4:30...
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St. Mary’s College of Maryland Announces 2026 River Concert Series Opening June 19, 2026

St. Mary’s College of Maryland Announces 2026 River Concert Series Opening June 19, 2026

St. Mary’s College of Maryland will continue its longstanding River Concert Series this summer, with the season opening on Friday, June 19. The series will begin with a Juneteenth concert featuring blues and jazz vocalist Stacy Brooks, followed by five consecutive Friday evening performances with the Chesapeake Orchestra. This year’s series includes a special...
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Four Years After Ban, Fire Departments Are Still Stuck with Hazardous PFAS Foam

Four Years After Ban, Fire Departments Are Still Stuck with Hazardous PFAS Foam

By: Christine Condon, May 4, 2026 – Maryland Matters. MM is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization. In dark corners and supply closets in firehouses across Maryland sit gallons upon gallons of a toxic firefighting foam that firefighters can no longer use. In 2022, the state legislature passed a...
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Wanted Lexington Park Man Arrested and Found With Cocaine During Patrol

Wanted Lexington Park Man Arrested and Found With Cocaine During Patrol

Corey Coniel Contee, 55, of Lexington Park, is facing misdemeanor charges of possession of a controlled dangerous substance other than cannabis and possession of drug paraphernalia after an arrest on May 2, 2026, in Lexington Park, according to District Court documents filed in St. Mary’s County. According to the statement of charges, Deputy Tyler...
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Police Finally Arrest Lexington Park Man Faces Drug, Traffic, and Theft Charges in Five Separate St. Mary’s County Cases

Police Finally Arrest Lexington Park Man Faces Drug, Traffic, and Theft Charges in Five Separate St. Mary’s County Cases

James Daniel Seifert, 33, of Lexington Park, is facing charges across five separate St. Mary’s County District Court cases, including drug possession, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving on a suspended license, and two counts of theft under $100, according to court documents. The documents, filed between March 2026 and May 2026, stem from two...
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Mechanicsville Man Charged With Drug Possession After Reported Disturbance

Mechanicsville Man Charged With Drug Possession After Reported Disturbance

Stoney Louis Buckler, 40, of Mechanicsville, has been charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance that was not cannabis and possession of drug paraphernalia after a May 3, 2026, arrest in St. Mary’s County, according to District Court documents. According to the statement of charges, a deputy with the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s...
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Lexington Park Man Arrested After Search Turns Up Suspected Crack Cocaine, Polymer80 Handgun

Lexington Park Man Arrested After Search Turns Up Suspected Crack Cocaine, Polymer80 Handgun

Laroi James Burch, 35, of Lexington Park, is facing nine drug and firearm-related charges after authorities said a search of his Radford Lane home led to the discovery of crack cocaine, packaging materials, a digital scale, cash, ammunition and a Polymer80 handgun without a serial number, according to District Court documents filed in St....
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