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Wolverines boys lacrosse notch program's first victory in years
Steady wind gusts gradually made their presence known in the second half of last Friday afternoon’s Southern Maryland Athletic Conference boys lacrosse contest between Westlake High School and host Thomas Stone and eventually the prevailing winds enabled the Wolverines to earn their first victory for their current players and coaches. Westlake (1-3) co-coaches Jayden Davis and Abraham Holmes had not been permitted to celebrate a victory in their first two seasons together after the 2020 campaign was nixed by the COVID-19 pandemic. But last Friday...
Solar eclipse captivates base community
Service members and families across Joint Base Andrews observed the solar eclipse over the National Capital Region, Monday. Although the base was not in the path of complete totality, the local area experienced 87% coverage, peaking at approximately 3:20 p.m. EST. The entire astronomical event transpired over 2.5 hours. Eclipse glasses were distributed to numerous base spectators, providing protection from the sun to allow safe viewing of the solar eclipse. The next total solar eclipse visible over the contiguous United States will occur on Aug. 23, 2044.
President Biden visits Francis Scott Key Bridge
President Joe Biden visited Dundalk last Friday to survey the damage from the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and meet with the families of six construction workers who were killed in the disaster. Aboard the presidential helicopter Marine One, Biden toured the mangled mass of metal and concrete that plunged into the Patapsco River after it was struck by a container ship around 3 a.m. on March 26. ...
Reporters, lawmakers press for journalist shield law
Pushing for a federal shield law for reporters, veteran investigative journalist Catherine Herridge opened up Thursday during a House hearing about the seizure of her reporting files after her recent termination from CBS. Speaking publicly for the first time about being let go by the network, Herridge equated the seizure of her files as “journalistic rape.” “When the network of Walter Cronkite seizes your reporting files, including confidential source information,...
Westlake boys lacrosse rallies past Stone
Westlake High School’s Donte Darden prepares to advance toward the goal in the first half of last Friday’s boys’ lacrosse game at Thomas Stone. Darden scored two goals as the Wolverines emerged with a 6-4 victory over the Cougars in that contest.
Region's lawmakers laud and lament 2024 session
Over a half-hour before both chambers of the Maryland General Assembly adjourned their 90-day session, Gov. Wes Moore (D) issued what appeared to be a victory statement. “Tonight we made real progress in Maryland, through real partnership in the Maryland legislature, Moore stated. “Having everyone at the table will make our state stronger.” However, members of the Southern Maryland delegation who belong to the minority party appeared to be in...
Solar panel concerns alleviated at Charles commissioners' meeting
Concerns of Charles County having to share an undue burden of helping other jurisdictions find space for solar panel farms were at least somewhat alleviated at the April 9 county commissioners’ meeting. The Maryland Renewable Portfolio Standard has set a goal for the state to have 14.5% of its energy coming from solar by 2030, prompting concerns from Commissioner Gilbert “BJ” Bowling (D) on counties with less available rural land outsourcing to Charles County to meet their quotas. ...
Leonardtown town council finalizes budget
The Leonardtown town council took care of a tax issue and finalized the town’s fiscal 2025 budget on Monday. The council members maintained the property tax rate at 12.03 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, and approved water, sewer and trash service charges. The council also had a chance to review its fiscal 2025 budget. The budget of $7,762,229 million is comprised of $5,078,873 from the enterprise fund (utilities) and...
Reflections on a life of service with Special Olympics
Marilyn Borrell has devoted over 40 years to helping people with intellectual impairments in Charles County. Now in hospice care after being diagnosed with congestive heart failure, Borrell recently took time to talk about her life’s passion. The 76-year-old said her work began because of her daughter, Emily, who had special needs. When Emily was...
New student member elected to St. Mary's school board
The votes are in, and St. Mary’s public schools students have elected Leonardtown High School junior Hannah Heisler as the next student member of the board of education. The St. Mary’s Association of Student Councils, consisting of students from each public high school in the county, voted for Heisler at the Dr. James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center on Feb. 8. Heisler ran for the 2024-2025 school year position unopposed and will take office on July 1. ...
Bill seeks to provide online protection for children
Maryland legislators are heading a nation-leading effort to protect children and their data online. The Maryland Kids Code — a bill sent to the governor’s desk after unanimous votes from the House and Senate on its third reading — seeks to afford protections to children from all online products they are likely to access. The bill states that entities that develop and provide online services and products that children are...
Calvert-related legislation fares well in Annapolis
The day after the Maryland General Assembly concluded its 2024 session, Calvert County’s local government officials were able to savor some significant accomplishments. “This year we did very well with our legislative effort,” Commissioner President Earl F. “Buddy” Hance (R) said. The board president thanked “all those who were involved” in making sure the state lawmakers were aware of Calvert’s request for authority to enact a local preference procurement policy. ...
Park lease, development discussed with Navy
A different kind of neighborhood watch took place when the St. Mary’s County commissioners held their bi-annual “Encroachment Mitigation and Prevention Joint Meeting” with officials from Naval Air Station Patuxent River Tuesday at the Frank Knox Building in Lexington Park. The one-hour meeting covered several topics, including the Lancaster Park lease, an update on Millison Plaza and a proposed expansion of the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum. “I think any...
St. Mary’s animal shelter halts adoptions, dogs die from outbreak
The St. Mary’s animal shelter is halting adoptions and other services after several dogs contracted a contagious illness at the center. Recent testing came back positive for canine influenza (dog flu), mycoplasma cynos (kennel cough) and Streptococcus equi, which is a subspecies of Zooepidemicus (strep zoo). Additional test results are still pending, according to a St. Mary’s County spokesperson. The St. Mary’s County Animal Adoption & Resource Center announced late...
Calvert's unified basketball takes third at state tourney
The Calvert County Special Olympics Unified Basketball team brought home the bronze medal at a state tournament held last weekend at the University of Maryland . The team began its final tournament of the season with a loss against Prince George’s County but secured a win after bringing fans to the edge of their seats in a 17-16 match against Frederick County. They secured third place in the 2024 Special Olympics Maryland Basketball Tournament on April 6 after winning their final game against Baltimore city,...
Northern hosts outdoor track meet without head coach
Tuesday afternoon when Northern High School hosted an outdoor track and field meet that included longtime county rival Huntingtown as well as Charles County squads Lackey and St. Charles, there was a notable absence among the usual participants. One day earlier when the focus locally, regionally and nationally was on the solar eclipse, longtime Northern track coach Josh Dawson abruptly resigned as coach of the Patriots while in the midst of completing his 15th season at the helm. Dawson had recently guided the Patriots girls’...
Putting to place
Windy Hill Middle School seventh grader Luke Gladfelter finished seventh in the National Drive, Chip & Putt Competition at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia on April 7. The Chesapeake Beach resident tied for second in the putting competition of the event, which was part of the Masters held this week, and placed seventh overall in his age group.
Track schedule 4/12-4/18
Friday, April 12 Northern at Severna Park, noon Thomas Stone at Bullis, 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 16 North Point at St. Charles, 4 p.m. Calvert, Great Mills, Lackey at Chopticon, 4 p.m. Huntingtown, La Plata, Westlake at McDonough, 4 p.m. Leonardtown, Northern, Thomas Stone at Patuxent, 4 p.m.
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