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Biden drops out of race
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday, ending his bid for reelection following a disastrous debate with Donald Trump that raised doubts about his fitness for office just four months before the election. The decision comes after escalating pressure from Biden’s Democratic allies to step aside following the June 27 debate, in which the 81-year-old president trailed off, often gave nonsensical answers and failed to call out the former president’s many falsehoods. Biden endorsed Vice...
New Calvert government building is a project on the rise
The towering edifice on Main Street in Prince Frederick continues to take shape as construction work rolls on at the site of Calvert County government’s new administration building. On Wednesday, Mike Jenkins, the project supervisor with builder Forrester Construction, told Southern Maryland News that the project is not “water-tight” yet but could reach that stage toward the end of July. Jenkins said currently workers are installing sheathing on the structure’s...
Dogs in St. Mary's must now have licenses or owners face fines
Dogs in St. Mary’s must now have a free county license or owners will face a $250 fine. The commissioners reviewed — and approved multiple amendments — of the county’s animal control ordinance. The current ordinance was last updated in 2017. The Department of Emergency Services, the Animal Control Advisory Board and partnering organizations began collaborating on an update in 2020 and a final revised proposal of the ordinance was...
Bannon named new golf coach at CSM
In recent years, Sean Bannon has become a familiar face on the local high school and youth scene as the Southern Maryland director of the Junior Tour and even more recently as the head golf coach at Calvert High School. Now, it appears, Bannon is prepared to take the next step in his career. Bannon, who once owned Professional Golfers Association status and served as the club pro at Chesapeake Hills Golf Course in Lusby, will soon begin his final season at the helm of...
Calvert plans for park mural on basketball courts
The data from Calvert government’s latest community survey are in and participants have indicated the county needs to work on aesthetics. Jennifer Sterling of county government’s communications and media relations department conceded when it came to providing arts, “we scored pretty low.” In the survey taken earlier this year with close to 900 residents participating, only 33% indicated satisfaction with the county in the area of arts, 32% were not...
Legion baseball heats up with district tourney
In the midst of a genuine summer heat wave that altered the playing schedule slightly for the opening round of the Frank Riley American Legion District tournament that got underway this week, the top seeded St. Mary’s Post 255 (Bean) team broke open a tight contest with St. Mary’s Post 255 (Morgan) en route to a 14-4 victory on Tuesday evening at Chancellor’s Run Regional Park. St. Mary’s Post 255 (Bean) arrived as the top seed in the current district tournament that is scheduled to...
Need for space in county building underscored by charter
A growing county requires more staff, but with a county building that’s already crowded, where will they be working? Prior to 2020, the commissioners’ meeting room — otherwise known as the government building’s auditorium — was used for all public meetings and open sessions of the board of county commissioners. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the county pivoted to a virtual, and later hybrid, meeting format, a document provided to the...
Cellphone use curtailed in St. Mary's schools
A few years ago singer Carly Rae Jepson told her fans to “call me maybe.” St. Mary’s County students will still be able to do that if they wish, but now there will be restrictions in place after the board of education modified the school systems’ cellphone policy. At the board’s July 17 meeting, it was decided that student cellphones must be turned off and not visible during the school...
Savannah Bananas soar over D.C. with the 1st Helicopter Squadron
The 1st Helicopter Squadron partnered with the Savannah Bananas baseball team for an aerial tour around Washington, D.C., July 11. The flight was part of the Savannah Bananas’ game presentation showcased to thousands of fans at Nationals Park on July 13, highlighting the squadron’s mission and inspiring the next generation of Airmen. Leading the mission was U.S. Air Force Capt. Alexander Jones, a UH-1N Huey pilot assigned to the 1st Helicopter Squadron and a former catcher for the Miami Marlins organization. ...
La Plata tops Western Charles in CHASM baseball
Following a brief respite for the July 4 holiday that marks the traditional midway point of the Charles and St. Mary’s County Baseball League season, the La Plata Twins picked up precisely where they left off before the break by upending Western Charles 10-5 on Sunday afternoon at Rainbow Construction Field. La Plata (7-2) had downed Western Charles 8-4 three weeks earlier when the two teams met on a very sunny, hot afternoon at Lackey High School and the Twins opened this occasion as if...
Pain management practice to open in St. Mary's
Clearway Pain Solutions, a pain management medical practice currently operating in seven states, has selected Lexington Exchange in California as the site of its second location in the St. Mary’s County market. The group signed a lease with St. John Properties Inc. for 9,102-square-feet of space and intends to open within the 140-acre mixed-use business community by the end of this year. The Lexington Exchange location at 23619 Oak View...
Charles swimmers set for divisional championships
One week before many of them will compete in their respective Prince-Mont divisional championships seeking to earn a berth in the annual all-star meet the following Saturday at Temple Hills, swimmers from across Charles County dove into the pools for their final dual meets of the summer. Hawthorne Country Club (4-1) suffered a 323-270 setback to Kingfish in a clash of previously undefeated Division A teams on Saturday morning. Even in defeat the Gators got a bevy of superb efforts from female and male swimmers...
Motorcyclist dies, assistant sheriff unhurt in Lusby crash
A motorcyclist is dead after a crash on Route 2/4 in the area of Nursery Road in Lusby Sunday night, the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office reports. According to a sheriff’s office press release, the operator of a Honda motorcycle — identified as Paul O’Neal, 36, of Lusby — was pronounced dead at the scene. According to investigators, O’Neal’s motorcycle “was being operated at an excessive speed” when it collided with...
Library hosts presentation on Social Security
Calvert Library hosted a presentation earlier this month to educate families about Social Security, specifically, retirement eligibility requirements, benefits, options and the application process. Diana Varela, a public affairs specialist for the Social Security Administration and the event’s speaker, presented in two different sessions on July 9 to accommodate both English and Spanish speakers. “Social Security is very important in the lives of all of us,” Varela said. “Social security...
Public hearing on SMECO rate increase set
The Maryland Public Service Commission will hold a public comment hearing next week on the rate increase request filed in May by the Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO). The utility’s customer-members and other interested parties are welcome to take part in the hearing before Public Utility Law Judge Christine L. Burke. The hearing will take place on Tuesday, July 23, at 7 p.m. at SMECO’s Headquarters, 15035 Burnt Store Road in Hughesville. The hearing will also have a virtual option for those unable to attend...
Thompson falls short in 100th win bid, again
In the second game of an unscheduled double header last Thursday evening, Southern Maryland Blue Crabs pitcher Daryl Thompson was once again denied the 100th win of his prolonged career with the Atlantic League team on a night when several fielders simply betrayed him. Southern Maryland (35-36) struggled through the first half of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball schedule and had dipped to six games below the .500 mark. But the Blue Crabs have since started the second half of the ALPB slate in...
Charles health officer pushes 'Blue Zones' designation
Charles County could begin the process of becoming a Blue Zone, which examines community health and strives to have citizens live longer. “It’s about health, and anything that’s going to improve the health of Charles County is an interest to me,” Dr. Dianna Abney, health officer for the county, said at the June 25 commissioners’ meeting. “A healthier Charles County is the vision of the health department.” Abney told the...
Charles school board approves elementary redistricting plan
The Charles County Board of Education at its June 11 meeting approved an elementary school redistricting plan that will create an attendance zone for the new Margaret Jamieson Thornton Elementary School, set to open in August 2025. The approved plan moves 1,044 existing students from the following schools: Berry, Billingsley, William A. Diggs, Mary H. Matula, T.C. Martin, Arthur Middleton, Walter J. Mitchell, J.P. Ryon and William B. Wade elementary schools. ...
After Trump rally shooting, Maryland politicians across spectrum decry violence
After a shooting at a Pennsylvania campaign rally Saturday left one attendee and a gunman dead and former President Donald Trump injured, Maryland officials on both sides of the aisle expressed support for victims and outrage at the act of political violence. “I condemn in the strongest possible terms what has happened in Pennsylvania today to President Trump,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) said in a statement. “Political violence is never acceptable. Ever.” ...
AW139 helicopter arrives at Joint Base Andrews
The Nuclear Emergency Support Team welcomed the arrival of its new AW139 helicopter at Joint Base Andrews, June 17, enhancing its nuclear emergency response capabilities. As a mission partner at Joint Base Andrews, NEST is a specialized unit under the National Nuclear Security Administration responsible for a full range of nuclear emergency response missions, to include preventive radiological detection, radiological consequence management, and nuclear forensic analysis. The AW139 will join...
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