Zach Hill

02/02/2023

The Charlotte Hall Center’s concept site plan will be reviewed on February 13th, with preliminary tenants for the redevelopment showing a Chick-Fil-A and Aldi coming in, along with general retail space!

The 48-acre property’s proposal features a 20,600 sqft supermarket(Aldi), 30,000 sqft of buildings for the flea market and fairgrounds use(relocated farmers market), the 5,200 sqft Chick-Fil-A with Drive-Through, 2,675 sqft of retail space and one additional restaurant pad site.

07/01/2023

18/12/2022

ARGENTINA IS THE 2022 FIFA World Cup CHAMPION 🏆🇦🇷

11/10/2022

I am very ready for that new 301 Bridge!

21/07/2022

I thought that deer looked kinda funny!

I tried to get a clear picture but it was too hard to get anywhere close... An albino deer is definitely a rare find anywhere, but especially in St. Mary’s County.

Edit: It could have been a piebald deer, it was hard to get close enough to tell for certain!

20/07/2022

Sitting at the St. Mary’s County Board of Elections, county officials tell me that all precinct data for the county should arrive within the next half hour.

They also told me that they love being in this new space, now in what was formerly the Leonardtown Library. It definitely beats cramming into their old office, elbow-to-elbow with other reporters.

20/07/2022

Election Update: No real changes to any of the races across the board now that we are seeing some precinct data populate in St. Mary’s County.

One very close race (separated currently by 22 votes!) is the Judge of the Orphan’s Court.

Some may recall my reporting earlier in the year about Judge White being named in a billion dollar lawsuit against his brother. He is still barely hanging on to his incumbent seat, with plenty of votes to be counted.

20/07/2022

Happy Election Day Maryland!

Results are starting to come in around the state and tonight I’m sitting at the St. Mary’s County Board of Elections.

Here is some Early Voting results from the big races I am watching around the county!

Jaymi Sterling, Steve Hall, and Randy Guy are currently leading their respective races(with plenty of votes still to be counted tonight).

20/06/2022

For those curious... the former Thai Inter restaurant on the corner of San Souci will be the new site of the Slim Chickens.

Coming to Lexington Park in 2021... possibly a Slim Chickens👀

Slim Chickens just entered Maryland with a restaurant in Bowie, and say they are hoping to open another spot in Lexington Park by the end of the year. They are expecting to create 75-100 jobs in the Bowie community.

After I personally discovered Zaxby’s and Raising Cane’s last year, it seems that more “southern-inspired” chicken chains may be coming north(I can only hope for a Zaxby’s next!)

18/06/2022

I know many people have been watching this case so I figured I would share a video I got the other evening at the candidate forum of Orphan's Court Judge Michael White addressing the federal lawsuit he was recently named in for the first time...

He disputes being under any criminal investigation.

02/06/2022

Just saved 51¢ by getting my gas in Virginia!

Was just $4.79 at the Wawa in Charlotte Hall, MD🤯

Always nice to save when it’s on the way...

01/06/2022

Some pictures from the St. Mary's Ryken High School graduation on May 31, 2022.

Congratulations to the Class of 2022!!

(And a special congratulations to my sister who you might notice in a couple extra pictures here...)

25/05/2022

I made this page as a way to track all my work and after one full year as Editor, I can say I’m really proud of my team’s accomplishments over the last year.

I’ve been forced to dedicate more time to my team, and less time to my personal reporting on issues. It’s been difficult, but manageable.

On top of the first place award listed below from the Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association, we took home two second place awards, for Public Service and Feature Photo.

I’m especially proud of my former intern (Caitlin Mays) who we hired after she graduated from St. Mary’s College of Maryland, for her work during that time on a story about traffic fatality problems on St. Andrew’s Church Road.

Can’t wait for next year! Thank you to everyone for their continued support.

23/05/2022

According to a letter from Comptroller Peter Franchot to Governor Larry Hogan, the gas tax in Maryland will automatically increase to approximately 43¢ when it automatically increases in July.

This is the largest jump the gas tax will see since 2013, up more than 6¢ from what it is today.

Maryland’s gas tax is tied to the Consumer Price Index and adjusts every fiscal year. Franchot is calling on the governor to declare a State of Emergency to suspend the state’s motor fuel tax until September.

07/05/2022

A good day for Baltimore!

According to BaltimoreWitness.org there have been 117 homicides in Baltimore in 2022.

05/05/2022

A man who showed up to the Anne Arundel County Council meeting dressed as a p**p emoji has some problems with the the county’s bill to create a Police Accountability Board...

Some of my favorite quotes from his monologue:

“Congratulations on passing the shiny, impressive turd of a bill that was 1622, to form a Police Accountability Board.”

“You got it passed with the labor and discomfort that comes with passing a giant turd, and then thought you could flush it and move on.”

He also reportedly set off a “stink-bomb” during the meeting, causing them to clear the chambers.

That’s certainly one way to plead your case😅

28/04/2022

Arthur Shepherd, Director of St. Mary's County Recreation & Parks has announced his retirement effective June 12, 2022.

I’ve talked to him a handful of times over his tenure, but I most notably recall the 2017 interview I had in his office when I was a writer at The County Times. It was one of the only feature stories I had there that made the cover.

Be sure to congratulate him on his retirement!

16/04/2022

Candidate Filing Deadline SHAKE UPS!!

I am still going over all of them but we have some big news out of St. Mary's that will make for some interesting races.

First, County Commissioner John O'Connor has withdrawn his bid for re-election and will be running for ST. MARY'S COUNTY SHERIFF. He is set to square off against Steve Hall and Todd Fleenor in the Republican Primary in July. This leaves Dawn Murphy, Mike Alderson, and the newly filed ELIZABETH O'CONNOR running for commissioner in District 3.

Next, Thomas F. McKay, a former county commissioner, owner of McKay's Grocery Stores and The County Times Newspaper (my old stomping grounds), has filed for St. Mary's County Commissioner President. He will be taking on an already crowded Republican field against incumbent Randy Guy, BJ Hall, and Rita Weaver. The winner will take on the sole Democrat in the field, Natalie Weech. All of these candidates have rather extensive resumes, should be a great race to watch!

15/04/2022

Some big names coming into the billion dollar lawsuit that named St. Mary’s County Orphans Court Judge, his son MSP Trooper George White, and a St. Mary’s County Deputy State’s Attorney...

LEONARDTOWN, Md. – In the federal lawsuit naming several notable members of Southern Maryland and beyond, the legal representation on both sides are helping shape the magnitude of the case. […]

13/04/2022

Some breaking news this evening... the Maryland Court of Appeals has ordered the state’s legislative maps to stand as they were passed by the Maryland General Assembly.

The Primary Election for Maryland will officially be held on July 19, and the deadline for candidates to file to run for office is this Friday, April 15.

Read the court’s opinion and see the SOMD map:

09/04/2022

Former Washington Commanders player Dwayne Haskins was reportedly killed after being struck by a car in South Florida this morning, according to his agent. Haskins was Washington’s 15th overall draft pick in 2019, and was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers last season.

He was 24 years old.

09/04/2022

So nice getting to meet Ron to hear and tell his story. Nice to break out the camera every once in a while.

02/04/2022

Looks like Kendall Vertes from Dance Moms made a stop in Southern Maryland today at the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs stadium!

She got to see the Georgetown Hoyas take down Villanova this evening, 9-6. No, this isn’t some April Fools thing!

29/03/2022

Newly release maps(SB1012) from the Maryland Senate this evening. This follows a court order which invalidated the old maps passed by the General Assembly, and forced them to enact a new map by March 30.

21/03/2022

From the Supreme Court: Justice Clarence Thomas was admitted to Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., on Friday evening after experiencing flu-like symptoms. He underwent tests, was diagnosed with an infection, and is being treated with intravenous antibiotics.

He expects to be released from the hospital in a day or two.

18/03/2022

Big verdict reached today in the case of the former Calvert County Sheriff’s Office member who was involved in a fatal crash in 2019.

The Calvert County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Team is investigating the accident and that investigation is on-going

16/03/2022

Big things coming in St. Mary’s, especially if we are getting close to legalizing it in Maryland.

ABELL, Md. – A dispensary owner and medical cannabis grower plans to take the Southern Maryland region back to its agricultural roots with a blooming industry. Charlie Mattingly, the owner […]

11/03/2022

30-Day Gas Tax Holiday!

The Maryland General Assembly leadership and Governor Hogan have struck a deal to waive the state gas tax for 30 days, in light of "increased revenue projections" for the state.

This will lead to a drop at the pump in Maryland of around 37 cents per gallon. However, the change will require legislation.

This follows an announcement from the Board of Revenue Estimates that the state has a budget surplus of approximately $7.5 billion. Some lawmakers are now suggesting direct payments be issued to Maryland taxpayers with such a large surplus.

10/03/2022

Odd timing to step down and leave the state...

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – In a letter to Governor Larry Hogan on March 9, James “Chip” DiPaula announced that he is resigning as Chairman of the University of Maryland Medical System […]