Monthly Archives: February 2024

UPDATE: Washington D.C. Man Sentenced to Consecutive Life in Prison Sentences without Parole for Murder of Two Waldorf Women

UPDATE: Washington D.C. Man Sentenced to Consecutive Life in Prison Sentences without Parole for Murder of Two Waldorf Women

UPDATE 2/22/2024: Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, Charles County Circuit Court Judge H. James West sentenced Deon Watkins, 52, to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for the murders of Kandeon Niravanh and Genesis Garrett, as well as related charges. On August...
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Former Bank Employee Convicted After Four-Day Trial for Using His Position to Facilitate a Bank Fraud Scheme

Former Bank Employee Convicted After Four-Day Trial for Using His Position to Facilitate a Bank Fraud Scheme

After deliberating less than 90 minutes, a federal jury convicted Jalen Craig McMillan, age 30, of Jessup, Maryland, for conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.  The jury returned its verdict late on February 16, 2024. The guilty verdict was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the...
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Maryland Department of Natural Resources: Number of Wildfires, Acreage Burned Increased in 2023

Maryland Department of Natural Resources: Number of Wildfires, Acreage Burned Increased in 2023

The number of wildfires and the acreage of land burned by wildfires in Maryland last year significantly outpaced the 10-year average, according to the Maryland Forest Service’s Annual Wildland Fire Report. The report, which is being released this month, covers data related to wildfires on 3.2 million acres of land overseen by the Maryland Forest...
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One Flown to Trauma Center After Motor Vehicle Collision in Waldorf

One Flown to Trauma Center After Motor Vehicle Collision in Waldorf

On Wednesday, February 21, 2024, at approximately 11:55 p.m., police, fire and rescue personnel responded to the area of Smallwood Drive and Stone Avenue in Waldorf, for a motor vehicle collision reported serious with one trapped. Crews arrived on the scene to find two vehicles off the roadway involved in a T-bone style collision...
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Two Transported to Hospital, Two Transported to Trauma Center After Serious Collision in Waldorf

Two Transported to Hospital, Two Transported to Trauma Center After Serious Collision in Waldorf

On Wednesday, February 21, 2024, at approximately 4:40 p.m., police, fire and rescue personnel responded to the intersection of Crain Highway and Sub Station Road in Waldorf, for a motor vehicle collision reported serious with multiple trapped. Crews arrived on the scene to find two vehicles involved with one patient trapped. Firefighters removed the...
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Minor Injuries Reported After Indian Head Elementary School Student is Stabbed in Neck with Pencil by Another Student

Minor Injuries Reported After Indian Head Elementary School Student is Stabbed in Neck with Pencil by Another Student

On Monday, February 20, 2024, at 1:36 p.m., a school resource officer at Indian Head Elementary School was made aware of an assault that occurred on the playground during which one student suddenly jabbed another student on the neck with a mechanical pencil. The student sustained a minor injury and was treated by a...
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Charles County SRO Investigating Multiple Fights at North Point High School

Charles County SRO Investigating Multiple Fights at North Point High School

On Tuesday, February 20, 2024, throughout the morning, three separate altercations occurred inside North Point High School. In two of the cases, two students fought each other and were separated by administrators and the school resource officer. The students sustained minor injuries from the altercation. In the third case, four students assaulted another student....
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Police in Calvert County Arrest District Heights Man on Gun Charges After High Speed Motorcycle Chase

Police in Calvert County Arrest District Heights Man on Gun Charges After High Speed Motorcycle Chase

On February 17, 2024, at approximately 3:45 p.m., deputies from the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office were advised there was a blue street bike traveling at a high rate of speed heading Northbound from Cox Road in Huntingtown. A deputy was sitting in his marked K-9 Chevrolet Tahoe at the intersection of Route 4 and...
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Death Investigation at Lettie Dent Elementary School Involving Staff Member

Death Investigation at Lettie Dent Elementary School Involving Staff Member

On Tuesday, February 20, 2024, at approximately 10:05 p.m., police, fire and rescue personnel responded to the Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary School in Mechanicsville, for the reported adult male not breathing. Detectives from the Criminal Investigations Division (CID) and a Forensic Investigator from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner responded to the scene;...
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Police in Calvert County Investigating the Rape of a Elderly Resident at Assisted Living Center

Police in Calvert County Investigating the Rape of a Elderly Resident at Assisted Living Center

On February 18, 2024, a deputy from the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Caribbean Breeze Assisted Living Center, on Hall Creek Lane in Owings for the report of a sexual assault. After speaking with staff, it was determined that Michael Allen Hasker, 79, of Upper Marlboro, had sexually assaulted an 84-year-old female...
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Acclaimed Jazz Lineup Announced for 2024 Potomac Jazz & Seafood Festival

Acclaimed Jazz Lineup Announced for 2024 Potomac Jazz & Seafood Festival

The Potomac Jazz & Seafood Festival, one of the Mid-Atlantic’s signature, award-winning jazz events, will be held July 12 – 14, 2024, in St. Mary’s County. Featuring music from nationally renowned jazz artists and delicious local seafood, this three-day event includes a variety of activities for jazz enthusiasts along the beautiful Potomac River at...
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St. Mary’s County Health Department Awarded $1.435 Million Grant to Expand Services for Youth at School-Based Health Centers

St. Mary’s County Health Department Awarded $1.435 Million Grant to Expand Services for Youth at School-Based Health Centers

The St. Mary’s County Health Department (SMCHD) has been awarded $1.435 million in grant funding through the Maryland Consortium on Coordinated Community Supports, which is responsible for developing a statewide framework to expand access for behavioral health services for Maryland students. Funding was made available by the Maryland General Assembly under the Blueprint for...
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A Special Adoption Story – Rescue Dogs Can Rescue Too!

A Special Adoption Story – Rescue Dogs Can Rescue Too!

The Humane Society of Calvert County visits several local shelters often to rescue dogs at risk and we take into consideration many things about the dog before bringing them into our rescue. Last week, their staff visited Prince George’s County Animal Shelter to assess and rescue dogs in need. While there, the shelter staff...
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UPDATE: Investigation Continues Into Avenue Shed Fire That Killed 26-Year-Old St. Mary’s County Man

UPDATE: Investigation Continues Into Avenue Shed Fire That Killed 26-Year-Old St. Mary’s County Man

UPDATE 2/20/2024: The victim of last Friday night’s shed fire in Avenue has been identified as 26-year-old Joseph Williams Bowles, Jr. Deputy State Fire Marshals have concluded the fire originated within an 8′ x 10 shed in his parents’ backyard. While the fire remains under investigation, they have not recovered evidence that it was...
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NAS Patuxent River Announces Its Sailors of the Year for 2023

NAS Patuxent River Announces Its Sailors of the Year for 2023

NAS Patuxent River announces its Sailors of the Year, marking the command’s top Sailors for 2023. “I am regularly impressed by the commitment our Pax Sailors show to their command, their Navy, and each other,” said NAS Patuxent River Commanding Officer Capt. Douglas Burfield. “The Sailors chosen as this year’s Sailors of the Year...
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UPDATE: 30-Year-Old Bicyclist Succumbs to Injuries After Collision in La Plata

UPDATE: 30-Year-Old Bicyclist Succumbs to Injuries After Collision in La Plata

UPDATE 2/20/2024: On Sunday, February 18, 2024, at approximately 3:55 p.m., Troopers from Maryland State Police La Plata Barrack responded to Maryland Route 6 (Charles Street) at Applegrove Court for a report of a serious motor vehicle collision. Due to the circumstances, the Maryland State Police CRASH Team responded to assume the investigation. A...
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Mechanicsville Man Who Shot Up an Occupied House in Leonardtown Arrested After Almost Three Months on the Run

Mechanicsville Man Who Shot Up an Occupied House in Leonardtown Arrested After Almost Three Months on the Run

It took the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office two and a half months to finally arrest Charles Vernon Russell, 26, of Mechanicsville, and although we hear about shootings in St. Mary’s County almost every week, they are usually not in Leonardtown, which could be why the Sheriff’s Office never mentioned the Leonardtown shooting in...
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UPDATE: MDOT SHA Moves Forward with Hallowing Point Road Intersection Improvements

UPDATE: MDOT SHA Moves Forward with Hallowing Point Road Intersection Improvements

UPDATE February 2024: SHA consultant and contractor crews will be onsite collecting borings and test hole information during the next couple of months. Crews may be working on site in different areas along MD 231. The owner will be notified if a staff member needs to enter or work on private property. Maryland State...
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SMB Music Group Presents: The Ultimate Music Experience at The State Theater of Havre de Grace February 23 & 24, 2024

SMB Music Group Presents: The Ultimate Music Experience at The State Theater of Havre de Grace February 23 & 24, 2024

SMB Music Group is thrilled to announce the highly anticipated SMB Music Conference Concert, set to take place at The State Theater of Havre de Grace on February 23 and 24, 2024. This two-day extravaganza promises to be a celebration of Maryland’s rich music culture, featuring top-tier artists and industry experts. Attendees will have...
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St. Mary’s County Health Department Launches New Public Health Junior Fellowship

St. Mary’s County Health Department Launches New Public Health Junior Fellowship

The St. Mary’s County Health Department (SMCHD) is pleased to announce the new Public Health Junior Fellowship for high school and college students studying at St. Mary’s County educational institutions. SMCHD is now accepting applications for the pilot of this fellowship program, which will run from March – June 2024. The Public Health Junior...
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First Report in The Fossil Record of a Great White Shark Tooth

First Report in The Fossil Record of a Great White Shark Tooth

Seals and great white sharks have co-existed for over 6 million years. Great whites hunt seals and now we are able to confirm that they have also been doing so for millions of years. Until now, no great white shark tooth has ever been found embedded in a fossil seal bone. Here, for the...
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Maryland Department of Commerce Launches Applications for Cannabis and Telework Assistance Programs

Maryland Department of Commerce Launches Applications for Cannabis and Telework Assistance Programs

The Maryland Department of Commerce has opened applications for two programs aimed at providing financial assistance to small businesses. As part of the Cannabis Business Assistance Fund, the state has launched the Social Equity License Application Assistance Reimbursement Grant on February 19, 2024. The grant is available to qualified applicants seeking assistance with the...
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Pax River MWR Recognized by CNIC for Program of the Year

Pax River MWR Recognized by CNIC for Program of the Year

NAS Patuxent River’s Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) Glow Party Skate Night was recognized by Commander, Navy Installations Command as the Program of the Year 2023. The all-ages event was held in August 2023 after a review of programs that saw a rise in popularity over the previous years. “During COVID, roller skating had...
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CSM Faculty Couple Shares Love of Teaching, Arts

CSM Faculty Couple Shares Love of Teaching, Arts

Throughout February – a month traditionally focused on friendship and affection – the  College of Southern Maryland (CSM) continues its long tradition of highlighting kindness and goodwill toward its students, employees, and the community by sharing acts and stories of #CSMLove. This Valentine’s Day, Steve and Gina Johnson, of Golden Beach, join in the...
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No Injuries Reported After Large Garage Fire in Huntingtown

No Injuries Reported After Large Garage Fire in Huntingtown

On Monday, February 19, 2024, at approximately 12:14 p.m., firefighters from the Huntingtown Volunteer Fire Department and surrounding departments responded to 315 of Cox Road in Huntingtown, for the reported garage fire. Crews arrived on scene to find a 100 x 30 garage with fire showing, a working fire dispatch was requested which alerted...
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