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Charles commissioners open up to use cannabis tax revenue
Nearly $1.3 million of cannabis tax revenue may soon be put to good use. On June 11, The Charles County commissioners began the process to be able to use cannabis tax revenue, which currently cannot be spent, by introducing an amendment to the county code. Charles County has two dispensaries — one in White Plains and one in Waldorf. ...
Hawthorne swims past Whitehall in Prince-Mont opener
Last weekend may not have marked the official start of summer, but for those swimmers from Charles County who compete in the annual Prince-Mont Swim League last Saturday’s season opener was a genuine reminder the season was close at hand. In a Division A meet that it hosted, Hawthorne Country Club (1-0) downed Whitehall Pool & Tennis 324-261 as the Gators got ample superb efforts in individual events and relays from proven commodities and new ones. In all, Hawthorne swimmers won 27 of the 49...
Former security guard indicted for injuring Calvert deputy
A 24-year-old Washington, D.C., woman who is alleged to have intentionally injured a law enforcement officer in Calvert County April 30 while fleeing the scene of a theft has been served an indictment that includes a charge of attempted first-degree murder. According to court records, the defendant — identified as Mikayla Keishon Jones — had been employed as a security guard prior to her arrest on May 14. In total,...
Emergency meeting ends with funds for Calvert schools
A hastily called emergency meeting ended an impasse that began six months ago after it was learned local school funding anticipated from the state of Maryland had been drastically cut. In the end, Calvert government’s allocation to the county’s public school system totals $164 million for fiscal 2025, a $10 million increase from the current year. Maryland’s open meetings act states, “A meeting should not be held on short notice if the matters are not urgent.” ...
La Plata tops Western Charles in CHASM clash
When cross county rivals Western Charles and La Plata met last Saturday afternoon in an early season Charles–St. Mary’s Baseball League contest at Lackey High School, the host Twins prevailed on a day when their starting pitcher was nearly perfect. La Plata staked starting pitcher Gabe Multumyr to an early 2-0 lead by scoring one run in each of the first two innings then the Twins broke the game open by scoring four times in the third. Multumyr took a perfect game into the fifth,...
RunnING FOR awareness
U.S. Air Force Col. Ryan A.F. Crowley (center), the 11th Wing and Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling commander, leads the fun run to raise public insight and awareness about sexual assault and prevention during the annual 5K Teal Run by JBAB’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response team held on April 12, 2024. Several dozen participants stepped forward to walk, jog and run in support of JBAB SAPR’s ramped up campaign to boost knowledge and insight on sexual assault awareness in April — Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.
DAF announces 2024 Art Contest winners
The Air Force Services Center announced the winners of the 2024 Air Force Art Contest recently. This year’s judges had the task of evaluating more than 1,500 entries in two adult and three youth categories to determine the best in the Department of the Air Force with impact, creativity and technical expertise. “We’re extremely excited this year because of the number of entries, over 200 more than last year, and...
Charles students celebrate during summer wellness event
Elementary school students celebrated their participation in the Butterflies and Dragonflies Mentorship Program earlier this month during a summer wellness event hosted by Beyond the Classroom Inc. This annual summer wellness program, held at Eva Turner Elementary School, brought all of the participating “butterfly” girls and “dragonfly” boys together on June 7 for a celebration and one last learning opportunity before the school year ended. The participating girls and boys...
Kosich enjoys day in the spotlight after recovering from illness
In the weeks leading up to celebrating the one year anniversary of his bone marrow transplant, St. Mary’s County resident Webb Kosich realized that a part of the celebration would be his chance to meet the U.S. men’s national soccer team on Saturday, June 8, at the team’s training facility in Bethesda. But what he dd not realize was that the team, in conjunction with the Craig Willinger Fund, had several other unexpected surprises in store for him that evening. In addition to meeting the...
Blueprint or budget-breaker? No one knows how to pay for Maryland's massive education reform
Maryland’s Democratic-led legislature passed the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future in 2021, vowing to pour billions of dollars into the state’s public schools to offer universal pre-K, improve teaching and make sure students are ready for college or careers. But the General Assembly didn’t outline a long-term plan to fund the ambitious 10-year education reform effort — which increasingly looks like a blueprint for red ink. Diving deep into the reform...
Four arrested in Charles drug ring bust
After a yearlong investigation, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office last week announced its work in dismantling a major drug ring. The investigation was a collaboration from the Charles sheriff’s office Narcotics Enforcement Section, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, according to a June 14 release from the local sheriff’s office. On June 7, sheriff’s office detectives served search warrants at four residences in Charles County. ...
Easement issues continue to delay Calvert's broadband project
The push to provide home internet service to every Calvert resident who wants it continues. However, the government staff person managing the county’s end of the Comcast buildout project reported June 4 that citizens who are denying easements needed for the connectivity process has the project six months behind schedule. According to a memo to the county commissioners from Ashley N. Staples-Reid, the project program manager, the estimated buildout costs currently total $6.23 million. ...
Jury finds Turner guilty of attempted murder
Late Tuesday night a Calvert County jury handed down its verdict in the state’s case against Brandon Alexander Turner, finding the 22-year-old Greenbelt man guilty of attempted murder in a late 2022 shooting incident in which a Calvert sheriff’s deputy was critically wounded. While Turner was acquitted of attempting to kill two other deputies, he was convicted on two counts of first-degree assault in addition to the attempted murder charge. ...
Charles school board approves $506 million budget
The fiscal 2025 budget is finalized for Charles County Public Schools after having to make intense cuts to make ends meet. At the June 11 school board meeting, Karen Acton, the chief financial officer for the school system, presented the $506,209,726 operating budget, which was approved unanimously by the board. This year, the school system came significantly short of its request from the county, as the board of education requested...
Calvert Marine Museum marks pair of historic landmarks
Solomons is steeped in history, especially involving those who worked the water, and a local museum celebrated that culture with a pair of dedications this week. The Calvert Marine Museum held a grand reopening of the J.C. Lore Oyster House and marked the 125th anniversary of the Wm. B. Tennison boat on Tuesday afternoon. The Lore Oyster House, built in 1934, and the Tennison, built in 1899, are both National...
Project ECHO executive director remembered
A blend of toughness and tenderness was what Lori Heron brought to her workplace during the three decades she was involved with Project ECHO. The executive board, staff and others in the Calvert County community are still reeling at the news Heron, who was 60, died in her sleep on May 29. “She was the most humble person I have ever known,” Julie Fuller of the Project ECHO board of...
Visit St. Mary's promotes tourism with the county
Newly-hired Executive Director Liz Mildenstein definitely does not want the county’s nonprofit tourism organization Visit St. Mary’s to fly under the radar. “I think it’s really important that we’re not a best kept secret,” said Mildenstein, who has been on the job since February. “Our 2025 goal is to increase community engagement. I want to make sure people understand that Visit St. Mary’s is a partner and an advocate for all of our attractions, hospitality and restauranteurs.” ...
La Plata Post 82 outlasts St. Mary's Post 255
Tuesday afternoon when the La Plata Post 82 squad edged St. Mary’s Legion Post 255 with a score of 3-2 at La Plata High School, Post 82 relief pitcher and recent La Plata graduate Evan Adams emerged virtually unscathed in a pair of bases loaded jams. La Plata (4-1) had actually opened the season with a 3-0 setback to Post 255 — a loaded group split into three teams this summer — then appeared destined for a similar setback on Tuesday as the St. Mary’s...
Leonardtown town council OK's senior housing expansion
Seniors may have a few extra options when deciding where they live after Cedar Lane Living Center filed for an annexation with the town of Leonardtown to expand. Three parcels of land were requested for annexation in April, one for 25,894 square feet and two others for 3.91 acres and 1.34 acres, for a total amount of about 5.86 acres. On Monday, the Leonardtown Town Council had a public hearing...
Three fires destroy homes in Charles, displaces over a dozen people
Three separate, destructive fires destroyed two homes and an apartment building in Charles County last week, leaving multiple people displaced. On Saturday, June 8, around 10:30 a.m. the Waldorf Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to 6016 New Forest Court for an apartment building fire. Two firefighters sustained non-life-threatening injuries while battling the blaze, and it took 52 firefighters on-site to finally extinguish it, according to a release from the Office...
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