Westlake High School’s 303 members of the Class of 2026 graduated June 3, led by valedictorian Christopher Chubbs Jr. and salutatorian Bianca Lepe. Lepe talked about strength and how she gains it from her family. This year, her family lost both grandmothers and Lepe’s older sister, Cristin, passed away in January. The family relied...
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The Calvert County Board of County Commissioners approved and adopted the county’s Fiscal Year 2027 operating and capital budgets during its June 9, 2026 meeting, while also hearing continued public concern over proposed data center development in the county. During public service announcements, commissioners noted an America 250 flag-raising ceremony held earlier in the...
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The Spartans of St. Charles High School brought with them a wealth of memories June 4 during the graduation ceremony for the school’s Class of 2026. Led by valedictorian Carly Newman and salutatorian Ryan Gloria, 396 St. Charles graduates earned more than $31 million in scholarship offers. Newman asked her fellow graduates to go...
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The Prince George’s County Police Department’s Homicide Unit is investigating a now domestic-related murder that occurred in April. The suspect is 47-year-old Delvin Graham of Oxon Hill. He has been indicted for murdering his stepfather, 79-year-old James Venable of Oxon Hill. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner recently ruled his death a homicide....
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Four Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) teams placed at the state MESA Day competition last month at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. The Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) competition challenges students in elementary through high school to use ingenuity and creativity to tackle specific science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) challenges. Teams...
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A Maryland Lottery scratch-off sold in Hyattsville delivered a $1 million prize last week, while another ticket in Leonardtown produced a $100,000 win. In addition, one lucky Pick 5 player purchased three $50,000 winning tickets in Charles County. During the week of June 1-7, a total of 23 tickets statewide delivered prizes of $10,000...
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Chesapeake Life Center is excited to host “Come S.I.T. Awhile,” a grief retreat from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 25 at the Center for Hope & Healing on Hospice of the Chesapeake’s John & Cathy Belcher Campus, Pasadena, Maryland. The retreat is made possible by Sisters In Truth, a traveling seminar retreat organization...
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Vontasha Romechia Simms, 58, of Waldorf, an active Democratic candidate for Charles County Commissioner President, is scheduled for a July 10, 2026, status hearing in Charles County District Court in connection with misdemeanor charges from a November 2025 VanGo bus incident in La Plata. The case remains active months after Simms’ arrest because of...
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St. Mary’s County Recreation & Parks is excited to announce the return of Friday Summer Skate at Leonard Hall Recreation Center. The Summer Skate season begins Friday, June 26, 2026, and continues through August 14, 2026. Each Friday, families can enjoy a fun-filled afternoon of roller skating in the indoor arena from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.,...
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On Friday, June 5, 2026, firefighters from Solomons responded to the 13600 block of Dowell Road in Solomons, for an automated 911 call for a fire alarm sounding in the residence. Initial dispatch information indicated that smoke alarms were sounding inside a single-family residence while the caller was away from the home. Units from...
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On Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at 8:35 a.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services from Calvert and Anne Arundel Counties were dispatched to the 500 block of Small Reward Road in Huntingtown, for the reported possible structure fire. While responding, dispatchers upgraded the assignment to a working fire dispatch after multiple 911 callers reported...
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Taniya Marie Jordan, 21, of Great Mills, Haley Alexis Revolorio, 21, of Great Mills, and Tashanna Diamond Meath-Butler, 25, of Waldorf, were charged after St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a large crowd and multiple disturbances at the Wawa on Three Notch Road in California on May 23, 2026. The charges stem...
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Jimmy Darrell Broyles-Kennedy, 55, of Waldorf, has been charged with impersonation of a police officer after Maryland State Police said he used emergency lights and a siren while driving a personal Chevrolet Tahoe in Charles County. The charge carries a possible penalty of up to two years in jail and/or a $2,000 fine. The...
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All St. Mary’s County Government (SMCG) administrative offices will be closed on Friday, June 19, 2026, in observance of the Juneteenth holiday. Offices will resume normal operating schedules on Monday, June 22, 2026. The June 19 closure also includes: All three St. Mary’s County Libraries (Charlotte Hall, Leonardtown, and Lexington Park) All three Senior Activity Centers (Garvey, Loffler, and...
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The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) completed a 71-acre planting project at Newtowne Neck State Park in St. Mary’s County in April that will help prevent rain runoff from reaching the Potomac River. The Maryland Forest Service oversaw the planting of 31,990 native seedlings across 15 fields along the park’s edge. The project expanded the riparian buffer,...
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As quantum technology begins to reshape the future workforce, the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) is working with industry and economic leaders to prepare students to enter this emerging field. On May 20, CSM hosted the Southern Maryland Regional Quantum Forum: Unlocking the Future, to develop training pathways for emerging quantum careers. The forum...
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Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Thursday, June 4, 2026, Charles County Circuit Court Judge H. James West sentenced Jason Shawn Smoot, Jr., 20, to 6 years in prison for Robbery. Upon release, Smoot will be on supervised probation for a period of five years. If he violates the terms...
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UPDATE 6/8/2026: Charging Documents Added: Judge James Tanavage released Deshawn Anthony Carey on his own recognizance. Deshawn Anthony Carey, 18, of Lexington Park, has been charged with theft of $25,000 to under $100,000, theft of $1,500 to under $25,000, motor vehicle unlawful taking, four counts of theft of $100 to under $1,500, two counts...
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On Wednesday, June 3, 2026, school administrators and the school resource officer at Davis Middle School learned that a 12-year-old student had brought energy drinks mixed with alcohol in plastic bottles with the intent to sell them at school. Further investigation showed that two additional students, ages 11 and 12, had consumed the drinks...
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Governor Wes Moore signed an executive order to create a 12-month statewide task force on immigrant rights protection. The task force brings together State agencies in partnership with the Office of the Attorney General, the Office of the Comptroller, and other state leaders to coordinate efforts to address the fraud and exploitation of immigrant Marylanders. Immigrants...
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On Monday, June 1st, 2026, the Mechanicsville Volunteer Fire Department officially placed Raft 2 into active service. Raft 2 is a 2025 INMAR 380-SR 12’6″ inflatable boat featuring rugged Hypalon-neoprene construction and a durable aluminum floor. It is powered by a 30-horsepower Tohatsu four-stroke outboard motor equipped with a specialized prop guard for personnel...
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“A Message to Our Community Dear Friends, Supporters, Volunteers, Adopters, and Animal Advocates, My name is Dr. Lisa Connors, and I am honored to begin serving as President of the Humane Society of Charles County, effective June 4, 2026. As we move forward together, I want to thank our community for its passion, advocacy,...
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A Charles County, Maryland, man faces indictment in connection with an attack on two federal Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at the Baltimore/Washington International (BWI) Airport. Cornelius Queen, 32, is charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers and interfering with security screening personnel at the airport. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the...
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The next generation of College of Southern Maryland (CSM) nurses received their pins during the Nursing Recognition Ceremony on May 14, welcoming graduates to the profession. The ceremony honored 45 nursing graduates as they begin careers in healthcare. Caroline Combs, dean of the School of Health Sciences, opened the ceremony by acknowledging the graduates’...
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A couple of Saturdays ago, May 23, was a particularly rainy day. So much so that a retired St. Mary’s County woman almost didn’t tackle a chore on her list for the day. She went back and forth, but ultimately deciding that it needed doing. This was a very profitable choice, for among the...
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