Sheriff’s office to host annual Crime Watch Kickoff event
Charles County Sheriff Troy D. Berry (D) and members of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office are hosting the annual Crime Watch Kickoff event at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 22, at the American Legion in La Plata.
The purpose of the event is to raise awareness about crime prevention and discuss strategies to keep communities safe. Guest speaker Raymond A. Hanna, protective security advisor, Protective Security and Coordination Division, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, will be presenting: See Something, Say Something/ Active Shooter.
For more information about the event, contact Connie Gray, the CCSO community organizer, at 301-932-3080.
CSM’s information session on drone courses rescheduled to April 4
The March 14 information session on drone courses being offered at the College of Southern Maryland this spring semester has been rescheduled to 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 4, at the Leonardtown Campus, Building C, Room 114.
Details will be shared about two courses: Introduction to Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) (AVN-5010), a 12-hour class that will be offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays from April 18-27 from 5:30-8:30 p.m.; and Remote Pilot Test Prep (AVN-5020), a sixhour class on Tuesday and Thursday, May 2 and 4, from 5:30-8:30 p.m.
The introductor y course is designed to instruct both hobbyists and professionals how to fly drones safely and legally. The test prep course is designed to help pilots prepare for the FAA certification test and learn about the broad range of industry applica- tions. Students will come away from the AVN-5010 course with their own drone and the necessar y software.
The April 4 information session is free. To register for one or both of the courses, go to www. csmd.edu/drones. For additional assistance, email conedops@csmd. edu or call 301-539-4760.
Registration opens for area’s annual Bike to Work Day
Registration for metropolitan Washington’s annual Bike to Work Day has opened. Last year’s event drew more than 17,500 bicycle commuters, and thousands are expected to participate in Bike to Work Day 2017 on Friday, May 19.
Co-organized by Commuter Connections and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA), the event draws residents from the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia in support of cycling as a healthy commuting option that saves money, reduces traffic congestion and improves air quality.
Registration is free and can be completed online at www.biketoworkmetrodc.org. All registrants will be entered into a regional bicycle raffle, and the first 15,000 to register will receive a free T-shirt to be picked up at the pit stop location of their choice. A total of 83 pit stops will celebrate Bike to Work Day across the region, welcoming bicyclists with refreshments, entertainment and the chance to win great prizes, while supplies last.
County leadership forum to address opioid abuse
The Charles County Drug and Alcohol Abuse Council (DAAC) will host county leaders at a forum to discuss what is happening about the opioid problem in Charles County. The meeting will be held 10 a.m.-noon April 7 at the Department of Social Services office on Kent Avenue.
The aims of the leadership forum are to provide an informational briefing by the local emergency responders about the scope of the heroin, opioid and Fentanyl overdose crisis and the emergency preparedness and response; and to seek the coordination and collaboration of local emergency responders, state and local agencies, and community organizations, including private sector and nonprofit entities to ensure whole-community involvement. Reply to Monica Rosier, Charles County Department of Health, at 301-609-6609 or monica.rosier@maryland.gov.
Sponsorships available for IGNITE fair
The Charles County Economic Development Department, in partnership with College of Southern Maryland’s Entrepreneur and Innovation Institute, is hosting the IGNITE Charles County Business Resource Fair 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday, May 12, at the College of Southern Maryland La Plata Campus, 8730 Mitchell Road, La Plata, in the Center for Business and Industry building.
The free event provides an opportunity for local business owners, entrepreneurs and dreamers to learn about local, regional, state and federal agencies and organizations that offer free- and low-cost services to support and assist business growth.
Two sponsorship packages are available for the business resource fair:
• Three $500 meal sponsorships are available — one each for breakfast, break and lunch. Sponsors will receive signage at the event, their logo on the handout, verbal mention at the event and social media mentions.
• Five IGNITE sponsorships are available for $1,000 each. IGNITE sponsors will be featured in professionally-produced, five-minute videos used to promote the event on Charles County Government Television, social media and the Economic Development Department website at www.MeetCharlesCounty.com. Videos will also be played at the event. In the promotional video, you will have the opportunity to tell your story about what ignites your business.
The deadline to receive sponsorship advertising is Friday, March 24. Those interested in sponsorships should contact Michelle DeSoto at DeSotoM@ MeetCharlesCounty.com or 301-885-1340. Additional information and updates will be posted at www.MeetCharlesCounty.com/IGNITECharles. Citizens with special needs may contact the Maryland Relay Service at 711, or Relay Service TDD: 800-735-2258.
CSM signs agreement with AFROTC Program
College of Southern Maryland students who are interested in becoming an officer in the U.S. Air Force can now sign up for the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) through the University of Maryland, College Park. An agreement was finalized in February that allows CSM students to continue their studies at CSM while participating in AFROTC training at the University of Maryland campus.
Participating students would travel to College Park once a week to participate in physical training and leadership lab and take classes on leadership, security issues and the structure of the Air Force, according to 2nd Lt. Cameron Hefner. Hefner manned an information table about the new program at a Transfer Fair held Feb. 23 at CSM’s La Plata Campus.
The college’s new arrangement establishes CSM as a crosstown school — a college or university that offers AFROTC, but whose students take the AFROTC classes each week at the nearest host university. CSM students who sign up for the program can then continue with AFROTC if they transfer to a four-year college or university that has a AFROTC program or that is also designated as a crosstown school by AFROTC.
Students in any discipline can participate. Students who sign up would be expected to show up to all mandatory AFROTC events as well as maintain all academic and military standards of the program.
Hefner noted that there are AFROTC scholarships that can assist students with the cost of their undergraduate degree. Most AFROTC students are not on scholarship. Students who are participating in the program do not have to make a commitment to the Air Force until the beginning of their junior year or if they are receiving a scholarship.
The agreement with the Air Force ROTC program is just the first step for CSM toward partnering with ROTC training.
To apply for AFROTC, there is an application process that is run by the officers and non-commissioned officers of the detachment. Interested students can go to www.afrotc.umd. edu to fill out an interest form and start the process.