Grounding Kids With a 5-Minute Poem
When the world feels uncertain, helping kids reflect on who they are can be incredibly grounding. One of our favorite activities from the CoCreating with Kids Practice Guide is The 5-Minute Poem. Every line begins with “I am from …” Let the words flow. No pressure to rhyme—just write.
Board Election, Annual Report Highlight SMECO Meeting
Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative held its 87th annual meeting August 20 at the Mechanicsville Volunteer Fire Department Social Hall. W. Michael Phipps, George Heinze, Richard A. Winkler, David A. Cross Jr., and Scott White were elected to serve on SMECO’s board for three years.
TPP Panel: Marine Corps Acquisition Strategy
“Achieving Project Eagle: Requirements, Funding and Acquisition Strategy for the Corps” will be the topic of the September 10, 2025, panel presented by The Patuxent Partnership, Marine Corps Aviation Association, and the Association of Naval Aviation at the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum.
Cap’n Says Lightning Bugs Just Flying Beetles
Chasing fireflies or lightning bugs at dusk used to be a favorite pastime of youth: Spot them, chase them down, catch them, and put them in a jar to watch them glow. There used to be billions of them every evening to adore. Not so many now. It almost startles us to see them sending out their flashing codes of “I need you, I want you.”
SMECO Gives Residential Credits in August
Many Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative residential customers will see a credit on their electric bill in August, thanks to the Legislative Energy Relief Refund, a one-time statewide initiative established by the Maryland General Assembly and Gov. Wes Moore to help offset high energy costs.
Expect Rt. 235 Delays in Lex Park Aug. 11-14
The Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) will temporarily close left turn lanes at three northbound MD 235 (Three Notch Road) intersections next week in Lexington Park: Old Rolling Road / Shady Mile Drive; MacArthur Boulevard / Millstone Landing Road; and Pegg Road / Buse Road.
How to Help Kids’ Uncertainty
Uncertainty is exhausting and kids feel it, too. We can’t promise stability in everything around them, but we can give adults a guide helping them be emotionally present to help kids make sense of it all.
Hoyer Blasts Trump for Jobs & Tariffs
The July jobs report revealed that only 73,000 jobs were added to the economy last month, with unemployment increasing to 4.2%. Then August kicked off with Trump’s tariffs expected to increase US food prices by 3.4% – $2,200 a year for an average family – and up the average price of a car in America by $5,900.
MATRIX Lab to Present Evening@SMART on Aug. 6
Join the University of Maryland MATRIX Lab at the USMSM SMART Building for its next event, “Minimal Active Perception for Embodied AI Design in Nano UAV Autonomy” with Dr. Yiannis Aloimonos. The program will be held from 5-7pm August 6, 2025.
Crabs Turning Scarce Across Chesapeake
We have been fortunate here in the Lower Potomac and St. Mary’s rivers, in that crabbing was rather good until July bore on. Other regions in the Chesapeake haven’t been so lucky, and crabs are scarce as hen’s teeth.
