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St. Mary's board of education races going down to the wire
The public has voted and two of three board of education races in St. Mary's County have yet to be determined following Tuesday’s nonpartisan primary election. There are three seats on the St. Mary’s County’s school board that are up for election in 2024 with multiple candidates vying for each seat. The top two vote-getters in each of the at-large and districts 2 and 4 will move on to the...
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 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 the...
Teen dead, arrests made after chases, theft spree in Calvert
A juvenile female is dead and six others are facing several charges following a series of thefts from motor vehicles in two Calvert County subdivisions early Monday morning. The names of those arrested and/or injured as a result of the incidents are not being released as of earlier this week, according to the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office. The youths, all from the Glen Burnie area, used three stolen vehicles while...
Act takes aim at preparing for cardiac arrest in schools
Gov. Wes Moore (D) last month signed legislation that ensures that Maryland schools have a plan in place to address cardiac emergencies. The Bailey Bullock Act, named for a 16-year-old Maryland boy who died outside his school following track practice in May 2021, requires every public and nonpublic school in Maryland to create a cardiac emergency response plan, the American Heart Association said in a release. “More than 23,000 children...
SMAC tennis champions crowned
Last week amid the diminishing daylight on the third day of the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference tennis championships, Huntingtown High School senior Bella White and sophomore teammate Lucy Staley successfully defended their SMAC girls’ doubles title of a year ago and marked the beginning of the coronation of conference champions. Like their contemporaries in both singles events and the various doubles events, White and Staley arrived at North Point on May 8 hoping to depart with a title before sunset. In a match that played...
Southern Marylanders cast ballots for U.S. Senate, House seats
Southern Maryland voters mirrored their peers across the state, with Angela Alsobrooks seemingly 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 Crews, Brian E. Frydenborg, Scottie J. Griffin, Robert K. Houton, Joseph Perez, Steven Henry...
St. Mary's board of education approves million dollar field house
Leonardtown High School is going to get a new concession stand, but one that comes with a particularly hefty price tag. The St. Mary’s school board voted May 8 to award a contract in the amount of $921,750 to Dennis Anderson Construction, along with a $50,000 construction contingency, for a new 1,380-square-foot concession outbuilding. The one-story building, which will include a concessions room, storage, restrooms, janitor’s closet and exterior water...
Paying it forward: Kaitlyn Rolli shares her journey as a military spouse
Starting a family can come with many challenges. For Kaitlyn Rolli, being a newlywed, pregnant with her first child, and moving away from friends and relatives while her spouse received deployment orders was an overwhelming reality. “We were expecting our first within our first year of marriage,” Kaitlyn recalls about their time stationed at Minot Air Force Base. “I literally gave birth alone for the first time,” she added, describing the feeling of being unexpectedly thrown into the military spouse role. ...
Monster truck on display at Prince Frederick dealership
The Raminator monster truck showcases its amazing power over last weekend at Prince Frederick Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram as part of the dealership’s 10th annual community appreciation event. This beast of a machine was built by Illinois-based Hall Brothers. It’s 10 feet tall, weighs 10,300 pounds and was built at a cost of $150,000.
Smallwood librarian nominated for librarian of the year
A school library is the hub of the place. It is usually centrally located, has more than a couple of ways in and out, and nine times out of 10 it boasts several windows allow natural light to flood in. “I tell sixth graders, ‘If you get lost, come to the library and get your bearings,’” Heather Beaton, media specialist at General Smallwood Middle School, said. “From here, they can find their way to where they are going.” ...
St. Mary's to host 40th annual Project Graduation
After they get a chance to throw their caps in the air, St. Mary’s County high school graduates will be able to unwind during the 40th annual Project Graduation. The free night of fun and festivities will be held at the Morale Welfare and Recreation Center at Naval Air Station Patuxent River from about 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. following each school’s commencement. “It is absolutely a super cool thing...
McDonough girls, Patuxent boys win lacrosse regional openers
On a chilly, misty evening which hardly seemed ideal for the region playoff opening round for any spring sports, it was a case of mixed results for the host Patuxent High School lacrosse teams last Friday as the girls suffered a 12-11 setback to McDonough before the Panthers boys overcame a slow start to upend Lackey 14-8 in 1A South Region contests. In the girls’ game that kicked off the playoff doubleheader, McDonough avenged a prior 8-6 setback to the Panthers when the Rams started...
St. Mary's College lacrosse teams fall in NCAA tourney
Both the St. Mary’s College of Maryland men’s and women’s lacrosse teams cruised to their respective United East Conference Tournament titles to earn berths in the NCAA Division III tournament this month. On May 8, the men’s lacrosse team defeated Farmington State College 16-8 in the tournament opener, but three days later the Seahawks were upended by Rennsalear Polytechnic Institute 15-5 in the second round. Meanwhile, the St. Mary’s College...
St. Mary's College of Maryland freezes tuition again; Jordan announces retirement
The St. Mary’s College Board of Trustees at a May 10 meeting held tuition and mandatory fees flat for the fifth consecutive year, while approving a modest increase in room and board rates for the 2024-25 school year. “Despite the uncertainty in fall enrollments nationwide caused by the flawed rollout of the revised Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the Department of Education, overall the College is in a very good position financially,” St. Mary’s College of Maryland President Tuajuanda Jordan said. ...
It’s police recruitment season, but filling vacancies is a struggle across Maryland
Maryland has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, which would typically be considered a bright spot for the state’s economy. But for companies and government agencies searching for workers, Maryland’s low unemployment is a problem that’s leading to labor shortages. One of the hardest hit industries is law enforcement. As police recruitment season kicks off — it generally runs from April to June — police departments across...
Some Maryland households face disconnect from federal discount internet program
Over 287,000 Maryland households risk losing access to high-speed internet at the end of this month unless a bipartisan agreement can be struck in Congress to extend a discount program. Around one in eight Maryland households benefits from the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides a monthly discount on high-speed, broadband internet costs to qualifying homes. Marylanders have saved $8.3 million on monthly internet bills statewide, according to the White House. ...
Fat is back: why dairy farmers are curdling more cheese
For generations, members of the Shank and Creek families, the owners of Palmyra Farms in Hagerstown, Maryland, approached dairy farming the same way: they milked the cows and sold the milk to a cooperative that distributed the milk to stores. These days, Palmyra does a lot more. In addition to milking cows, it makes 11 different types of cheddar cheese — including Chesapeake Bay seasoned cheddar and jalapeño cheddar — and runs an online store that features a variety of cheese-centered gift boxes. Later this...
Campbell steps down as St. Charles boys basketball coach
After enjoying a stellar run as the head coach of the St. Charles High School boys basketball team, including an appearance in the 3A state title game this past winter, Brett Campbell has decided to step away from that role with the Spartans to assume the chores as the athletic director at Catoctin High in Frederick County. Campbell, who guided the Spartans to a 155-65 record in 10 seasons, including a 20-10 mark in the postseason, will assume his new duties as the Catoctin AD...
As early voting wraps up, the big day looms
With the primary election looming early next week, mail-in ballots that have been received and counted in the Southern Maryland counties are surpassing the number of voters who have shown up in person during the first several days of early voting. Data from the Maryland State Board of Elections shows that as of Wednesday with one more day of early voting remaining, 2,465 people, or about 3.5% of eligible voters in Calvert, voted early in person compared to over 5,000 mail-in ballots received. In Charles,...
Charles commissioners make their 2025 budget requests
The Charles County fiscal 2025 budget is nearly done, with a final approval date set for May 14. Ahead of the slated approval, the county commissioners submitted their add/delete requests for new initiatives and projects. Currently, the budget’s total comes in at $559,743,200. Commissioner President Reuben B. Collins II (D) moved $105,000 from the $4 million of unassigned fund balance to support the Charles County Summer Youth Employment Program to...
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