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Southern Maryland News
Local 4-H hosts sewing workshops
Until a button pops off a shirt or a worn pair of pants are ripped, not too much thought is usually given to acquiring a handy skill like sewing. Local Southern Maryland youth, however, appear to be way ahead of the curve and they are demonstrating creativity, too. “Over the last two years, myself and other 4-H staff have heard murmurs from our families that they would love to learn how to sew,” Kirsten Cowan, 4-H extension educator, told Southern Maryland News. ...
Commissioners pass $330 million budget, bid adieu to Cudmore
What is the one essential you bring with you when you’re retiring after a 25-year career and you’re attending your last-ever St. Mary’s County commissioners’ meeting? A box of tissues. Chief Financial Officer Jeannett Cudmore brought just that with her on Tuesday and used it plenty while being feted by coworkers on her last day of work. ...
Two SMAC softball teams head to state finals
A trio of Southern Maryland Athletic Conference softball teams headed to the Bachman Softball Complex in Glen Burnie on Tuesday for their respective state semifinals and two of them punched their ticket to the state championship game at the University of Maryland this weekend. Huntingtown (18-4) broke open a 2-2 contest by scoring six runs in the top of the seventh inning to upend Damascus (19-3) 8-2 on Tuesday afternoon in a 2A state semifinal. Hurricanes’ junior hurler Jordyn Greever limited the Hornets’ potent attack...
Leonardtown baseball heading to 4A state finals
A pair of Southern Maryland Athletic Conference baseball teams were looking to punch their tickets to their respective state title games this weekend at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf, but only one of them succeeded. Leonardtown High School (14-8) rallied from an early 2-1 deficit to defeat Urbana of Frederick County 3-2 on Tuesday afternoon in a 4A state semifinal contest at Shirley Povich Field in Montgomery County. Nolan Taitano...
Medical rotations resume at Charlotte Hall Veterans Home
A final piece in a jigsaw puzzle connects everything together, and that seems to be the case with changes coming to the Charlotte Hall Veterans Home. After a tumultuous few years, including high death tolls in the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, the Charlotte Hall Veterans Home has stabilized — Sen. Jack Bailey (R-St. Mary’s, Calvert) said the facility went from a 1 rating, which he said was “terrible,” to a 3 in about a year — and reinforcements to help are on their...
Seniors find boxing program helps with debilitating disease
Debbie Gunnell used to drop her husband Tim off 12 miles from home and the Mechanicsville resident would run the remaining distance to their house, but that all changed when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2012. “The monotony would kill me because I’m used to being active,” said Gunnell, who used to run track in school and is a fifth-degree black belt. But Gunnell and others who have...
Leonardtown senior has discovered a new racket
Leonardtown High School senior Jacob Farren has played soccer since he was only 5 years old and last fall he was part of the Raiders’ boys soccer team’s successful run to the 4A state championship. This spring, however, Farren is on the cusp of earning another state crown while playing boys’ singles on the tennis court, although it was only recently that he discovered that sport is basically his secondary racket. ...
Joint Base Andrews celebrates Project SEARCH graduates
Joint Base Andrews hosted a graduation ceremony for three students from the Project SEARCH program at the Military & Family Readiness Center, May 9. According to the program’s official website, Project SEARCH is a program that allows recent high school graduates with intellectual and developmental disabilities to participate in a one-year school-to-work program. Originally started in 1996 at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, the program has since expanded to...
Northern High School girls lacrosse falls in state semifinals
Two days after coasting past visiting Thomas S. Wootton High School in the 3A state quarterfinals to extend their win streak to 14 games, the Northern High girls lacrosse team looked to maintain its winning ways last Saturday morning in the state semifinals against Severna Park at Glen Burnie. Northern (14-2), which had not tasted defeat since its season opener against SMAC and county rival Huntingtown, stayed close with the Falcons initially and the teams were tied at 1-all after the opening quarter. But Severna...
Huntingtown boys lacrosse falls in state semifinals
Two days after posting a narrow, gritty victory over visiting Manchester Valley in the 2A state quarterfinals, the Huntingtown High School boys lacrosse team suffered a tough 11-9 setback to Hereford in the 2A state semifinals on Friday afternoon at Paint Branch in Montgomery County. In recent years, Huntingtown has come painstakingly close to attaining its first state lacrosse title and then bid farewell to numerous seniors who were instrumental in the team’s success. But this season the Hurricanes will graduate only four seniors, two...
Duo collaborates on new version of classic
There are plenty of benefits from working with award-winning tenor, recitalist and philosopher David Cook, but there is an obvious drawback as well. While collaborating with the Lusby resident on a new version of the classic “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” accompanying pianist Jane Liang found the best way to deal with his baritone-like voice in relation to Cook’s volume and projection. “Just turn up the volume [on other things],” said...
Leonardtown man indicted for April shooting at Applebee's
A 21-year-old Leonardtown man was served a seven-count indictment May 6 in connection with a shooting incident that occurred earlier this year at the Applebee’s restaurant in California. In the indictment filed in St. Mary’s County Circuit Court, defendant Jontae Lamont Proctor is charged with attempted first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, firearm use in a violent crime, two counts related to having a loaded handgun and illegal possession of a firearm. ...
Huntingtown boys advance to state semifinals
A handful of Southern Maryland Athletic Conference lacrosse teams competing in their respective Maryland state quarterfinal contests on Wednesday evening and the results were largely unfavorable for the group as only one team prevailed. The Huntingtown High School boys lacrosse team earned a gritty, 6-5 victory over visiting Manchester Valley on Wednesday evening in the 2A state quarterfinals. Jackson Taylor and Johnny Hollinshead each scored once for the Hurricanes in the fourth quarter and midfielder Darius Thomas controlled the final 30 seconds with a possession...
Jury convicts man for murder of St. Mary's teenager in drive-by shooting
A 26-year-old man last week was the latest convicted in connection with the murder of a teenager during a drive-by shooting nearly 2½ years ago. Latres Javontae Cockerham of California was convicted of the first-degree murder of 19-year-old Joseph James Oakes and the attempted first-degree murders of five additional teenagers for his participation in the Jan. 12, 2022, shooting. “The defendant deliberately maneuvered his vehicle as his co-defendants rapidly fired...
Charles school board hopefuls compete for at-large seat
In Charles County’s only election this year, an at-large board of education seat, Michael K. Lukas, the seat’s incumbent, led Tuesday night’s election with about 40% of the vote. Letonya Smalls received the second most votes with 29.1% of the total as of Tuesday night, meaning that the match is likely set for the general election this November. Christopher O.J. Alberts ended with the third most votes, capturing 14.9% of...
Southern Marylanders cast ballots for U.S. Senate, House seats
Southern Maryland voters mirrored their peers across the state, with Angela Alsobrooks beating out David Trone and the rest of the field for Maryland’s Democratic nominee for U.S. senator. Republicans in the region and state voted for Larry Hogan, former governor, as their candidate to replace retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D). In addition to Alsobrooks and Trone, other Democratic nominees for the Senate seat included Michael W. Cobb Sr., Marcellus...
Calvert school board discusses proposed code of conduct changes
Student conduct has been a provocative issue regarding some Calvert public schools of late and the May 9 meeting of the school board reviewed the latest proposed policy changes. Cecilia Lewis, the school system’s director of student services, noted Calvert reviews its code of conduct on an annual basis. Lewis said in drafting the revised code her office received “an unprecedented amount of input” from a committee comprised of stakeholders. ...
More than 70 dogs rescued from Calvert home
The rescue of more than 70 dogs from a Calvert residence on May 8 prompted the five-day closure to the public of the Linda L. Kelley Animal Shelter, county government officials reported. The rescue operation is the result of an ongoing investigation by the county’s animal control division. The location of the house has not been revealed and according to authorities no charges have been filed at this time. The...
Public hearing divides residents, council on La Plata property tax hike
Despite May 14 being an election day, the La Plata town council had a considerable turnout for a public hearing on increasing the town’s property tax rate. The tax increase, if approved, would change the property tax from $0.32 per $100 assessment value to $0.35 per $100 of assessed value. Before the hearing began, Brent Manuel, La Plata’s town manager, stated the case for the tax increase, saying that the...
Local athletes shine at SMAC championships
Numerous athletes from across the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference were looking to garner bragging rights and also seeking to peak heading into their respective region and state meets last week during the two days of the SMAC track and field championships at St. Charles High School. In the boys’ bracket, La Plata High athletes attained a grand sum of 107 points to edge fellow Charles County foe Westlake (106) by a single point, while Chopticon (89) took third, followed by Great Mills (64), Leonardtown (63),...
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