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Southern Maryland News
Pax River MWR skate night recognized
Naval Air Station 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 a resurgence to the recreational world, during the same time we relocated our Roller...
As health concerns rise, safety efforts focus on improving helmets, detecting head injury
The risk of head injury in youth tackle football can never be eliminated. But around the country, changes in rules and standards are being introduced to try to reduce those risks. Some leagues are appointing special coaches to watch for injuries during games. Football equipment is being reexamined. In July, the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) announced it was nearing approval of a standard specifically for youth football helmets — a first. ...
Despite efforts to remove them, Confederates and segregationists live on in Capitol statues
February is Black History Month, an observance meant to honor and celebrate the achievements made by African Americans throughout the history of the United States. But reminders of the oppression that African Americans suffered are still on display in the United States Capitol, taking the form of 12 statues of figures affiliated with the Confederate States of America and post-Civil War segregation. Indeed, visitors to the Capitol might be startled...
Anti-scalping bill spurs controversy in Annapolis
Season-ticket holders are pushing back against an anti-scalping bill in the Maryland General Assembly they say would harm their right to transfer tickets and make a profit when they miss a game. The bill — which calls for greater transparency in ticket pricing and restricts the secondary market — has sparked the most debate in its provisions regarding resale, especially when it comes to ticket packages, like season tickets for sports games. ...
Man sentenced to life for 2021 double murder in Charles
On Feb. 21, the Charles County State’s Attorney announced that Deon Watkins, 52, was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for the murders of two women three years ago. The Washington, D.C., man had been found guilty during a trial on Aug. 23, 2023, for killing of Kandeon Niravanh and Genesis Garrett. Assistant State’s Attorney Jonathan Beattie called the incident a “rage killing” and asked...
Board approves liquor store ownership change
A Prince Frederick liquor store with high visibility is almost officially under new management. On Feb. 22, the Calvert County Liquor Board voted unanimously to approve the transfer that makes Kyle McMasters the majority owner of Fox Run Liquors. McMasters, a Solomons resident, will be the holder of the store’s Class A off-sale, beer, wine and liquor license. ...
SMAC athletes contend for indoor state titles
Many athletes from the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference were peaking at the right time over the two days of the Maryland indoor track and field championships at the Prince George’s Sports & Learning Complex. On Wednesday afternoon at the P.G. Sportsplex, the Northern High School girls team captured its third consecutive 3A state indoor title and fifth in the last eight seasons, while the Patriots boys finished second in the 3A standings and the La Plata boys took second in the 2A bracket, one spot...
Elementary school Green Club preserves trail
The Gale-Bailey Elementary School Green Club has been preserving the Dogwood Trail behind their school throughout the year with visions of a beautiful green space for the community. Starting last year, Gale-Bailey students, parents and staff worked to clean up the half-mile walking path as the beginning of a larger plan to create an outdoor space to be used for both the school and the community. The wooded trail had not been in use for years, said Gale-Bailey Principal Tangie Scales, and needed the community’s...
Parkers Creek area history discussed at library
A packed room of save-the-land stalwarts listened to stories and received some much anticipated news Feb. 15 at Calvert Library in Prince Frederick. The discussion sponsored by the American Chestnut Land Trust highlighted the ongoing work of the Parkers Creek Heritage Trail Research Team. The trust, which was started in 1986 by landowners in the Port Republic community of Scientists Cliffs, is the first of its kind in Maryland. The...
Planetarium serves students and community alike
The James E. Richmond Science Center in Waldorf is constantly looking to engage students and the community alike, hosting events for everyone to enjoy. “We see over 22,000 Charles County Public School students during the school year, and we work with an additional 6,700 out-of-county students that come to visit us,” Monique Wilson, director of the science center, said in an interview. “We accomplish this with a teaching staff of four, which includes me.” ...
St. Mary's Chamber of Commerce to celebrate 50th anniversary
The St. Mary’s County Chamber of Commerce has been helping local businesses for the past 50 years and it hopes to continue that assistance for at least the next 50. The chamber will celebrate its five decades of service with an anniversary gala on March 8. “It’s fantastic that the chamber 50 years ago really got the business community together and have made all kinds of strides over all these...
St. Charles garners boys basketball conference title
After facing a pair of seven-point deficits in the first quarter of Tuesday’s Southern Maryland Athletic Conference boys basketball championship game at North Point, the St. Charles High School squad reversed the course of the contest in the second quarter en route to an 80-52 victory over Chopticon in the conference title game. St. Charles (16-5) had slipped past Chopticon 70-67 when the two teams had met four weeks earlier in their lone league encounter, but in the initial stages of Tuesday’s contest the Braves...
Harrison files for Calvert school board
He has kids and he’s an accountant. When Paul Harrison, 57, of Huntingtown explains why he is running for a seat on the board of education in Calvert County’s second district his advocacies for fiscal and parental responsibilities are quite clear. The father of three unsuccessfully ran for county commissioner two years ago. He told Southern Maryland News a “large part” of his 2022 campaign was focused on three issues related to Calvert County Public Schools. ...
Special taxing district on the line for Chesapeake Ranch Estates
After a hearing last June resulted in a surprise denial from the county commissioners, the board officers for the property owners of a large Calvert subdivision are ready for a second attempt at extending the community’s status as a special taxing district. The Calvert County commissioners have a public hearing scheduled for March 12 at 7 p.m. At the hearing, testimony will be received on the Property Owners Association of Chesapeake Ranch Estates’ board of directors’ petition to establish a special taxing district in fiscal...
North Point wins SMAC girls basketball title
On the heels of the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference boys basketball championship that devolved into a lopsided affair in the second half, the North Point High School girls team made quick work of Leonardtown in the SMAC girls basketball title game en route to a 52-21 victory over the Raiders for the Eagles’ 10th such title. North Point (18-5) has spent parts of the season facing quality girls basketball teams from outside the area and the Eagles’ five losses all came in those meetings. But...
Private septic expansion in Dunkirk proposed
For nearly 30 years, the words “Dunkirk” and “sewer” appearing in the same paragraph have raised eyebrows. While the previous opposition came from those against residential expansion in Calvert’s northernmost town center, the commercial development growth there has been served by large private septic systems. According to a memo to the Calvert County commissioners from Tay Harris, planning and zoning’s long-range planner, the department has received a request “to change a designated planning category for 17.15 acres of a 49.89-acre parcel from the resource conservation...
Man sentenced to life for 2020 killing of Waldorf teenager
On Feb. 16, the state’s attorney’s office for Charles County announced that Anthony Edward Small, 24, was sentenced to life in prison with all but 50 years suspended for the 2020 murder of 17-year-old Daniel McClellan-Givens. Small pleaded guilty to the crime on Dec. 11, 2023. Before sentencing Small, Judge James West stated that the victim “was just a child. He never really had a chance to better himself for...
Southern Maryland police briefs
Woman allegedly breaks into home, fights officer On Feb. 13 at 3:58 p.m., officers responded to Oak Avenue in La Plata for a report of a breaking and entering in progress. The officer met with the homeowner, who said that when she came home she found her kitchen window smashed. She went inside the home and said “hello” to see if anyone was there, according to charging documents. ...
St. Mary's planning commission OKs amendment, postpones Myrtle Point item
It was a light evening of work for the St. Mary’s County Planning Commission, which met last week in Leonardtown. The commission on Feb. 12 reviewed a comprehensive water and sewer amendment from W-6D (service in 6 to 10 years) to W-3D (service in 3 to 5 years) on Nancy Lane in Great Mills. The property is owned by Ronald Eugene Strickland and Karon Sue Wagener Strickland. The proposed connection,...
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