LATEST NEWS
Charles school system faces substantial budget cuts
The Charles board of education has had to make some tough calls to address a $17 million shortfall in funding from the county. On April 22, the school board held a work session where the school system’s chief financial officer, Karen Acton, laid out various cuts and reductions to the budget. The school board had proposed a $523.4 million budget for next fiscal year, an increase more than $42 million...
Charles emergency services could get nearly $4 million in new funding
County administered departments are all seeing funding increases in the proposed $559.7 million fiscal year 2025 budget. At the April 23 Charles County commissioners meeting, Acting Director of Fiscal and Administrative Services Jacob Dyer detailed the changes in funding. Funding increases for agencies are anywhere from 0.8% to 15.7% in the fiscal 2025 budget, with the Department of Planning and Growth Management having the highest percentage increase. ...
Charles board looks to change school moniker bearing slaveholder's name
General Smallwood Middle School may soon be no more. The Charles County Board of Education reviewed the process to change the name of the school and the price tag associated with it at their April 16 meeting because concerns had been raised over Gen. William Smallwood being a slave owner. Jack Tuttle, a content specialist for the school system, elaborated on Smallwood’s history from his findings in the Maryland state...
Speed, Impairment Possible Factors In Fatal Maryland Crash: State Police
Speed or impairment may have been contributing factors in a fatal crash that sent two others to the hospital in Charles County on Monday afternoon, Maryland State Police say.Troopers were called at around 3 p.m. on April 22 to a stretch of Crain Highway near Acton Lane in Waldorf to investigate a t…
Sorority chapter holds Charles school board candidate forum
Candidates for Charles County’s only election this year — an at-large seat on the board of education — faced off at a forum last week. Dottery Butler-Washington, a member of the Charles school board, moderated the forum, which was hosted over Zoom by the Phi Alpha Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. “For over two decades, I’ve had the privilege of serving as a teacher,” candidate Christopher O....
Charles man sentenced for manslaughter after crash
The state’s attorney for Charles County announced on April 10 that the Charles County Circuit Court sentenced Michael Darrell Dukes, 22, of Hyattsville to 10 years with all but 18 months suspended in prison for the 2022 death of Zkira Kemp. Dukes entered a guilty plea to gross negligent manslaughter earlier this year on Feb. 26. In addition to the 1½ year of jail time, Dukes will be on supervised probation for five years upon his release. ...
Students with special needs compete in unified sports
Inside the Milton Somers Middle School gymnasium for four weeks each spring members of several Charles County elementary schools have the chance to compete in a series of unified basketball games each Saturday afternoon in contests where the final score is secondary to the outcome. Special education teachers throughout the county are accustomed to working with students who have various disabilities, such as autism or Down Syndrome. During the games those students are paired with other students from the school who give them instruction and...
Community gathers to shape inclusive National Heritage Area management plan
Early Saturday morning, residents, community members and local leaders alike gathered to exchange ideas and give input on what should be the focus of the management plan for the recently approved Southern Maryland National Heritage Area. The Southern Maryland National Heritage Area came to fruition last year after Congress passed the Southern Maryland National Heritage Act in December 2022 and President Joe Biden signed it into law on Jan. 5, 2023. The area includes Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s and southern Prince George’s counties. ...
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