LEXINGTON PARK, Md. — Many people will read the first half of the headline and wonder how those four things go together. They help give some context to us as to how the journey of 2019 went for us as an organization of storytellers, but also how our community reacted to our sensationalized sense of breaking news.

For starters, we could fill a whole website with an “In Memoriam” of Southern Maryland, and as a matter of fact we have as eight out of our top 10 most read stories of 2019 unfortunately involved the death of an individual. On top of that, six out of those eight stories involved a motor vehicle accident. Not to mention the hundreds of other reported deaths we covered this year as an organization.

But if we look around that, what else happened in Southern Maryland besides a lot of deaths and car wrecks?

Bears in Southern Maryland?

Perhaps you remember the abnormality of when Waldorf got a surprise visitor from a teenage black bear back on June 12th. Full story Here

Drag Queen Story Hour

A popular matter of discussion this past summer came in light of a Drag Queen Story Hour at the Lexington Park Library. Shifting funds and blame all around, our community became very vocal in response to how the event was handled by not only elected officials but also by the Sheriff’s Office. Full story Here

The NFL Gained Two Southern Marylanders

Do you remember who they are? One went to play for the Cleveland Browns, and the other for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Full story Here


Fast Food Frenzy

More recently you might remember hearing about an altercation at the Oxen Hill’s Popeyes franchise over a chicken sandwich. However, who could forget the June 17 quarrel at the Wendy’s located in Prince Frederick? Relive the story Here.

Prince Frederick Eagle’s Former VP Charged
 

What’s worse than taking candy from a baby? Taking money from their parents. Perhaps you remember when the former PF Eagles’s Vice President had charges brought against him for embezzlement/misappropriation. Read the full story again Here.

The Tiki Bar Returned

An SOMD favorite for years that closed down… reopened under new ownership. Many people had a number of things to say about the bar coming back to town, including business owners. Read what they said Here

Calvert County and the Comprehensive Plan

It was a lot to unpack, but people showed up to clearly make their voices heard for the future of Calvert County. Read more about it Here

Local Youth Plays for Team USA

A local baseball phenom travelled across the country just to tryout, and eventually earned a spot playing in Taiwan for the stars and stripes. Hear about this kid’s bright future one more time Here


And lastly…

What was the Most Read Story on TheBayNet.com in 2019?

While unfortunately it is likely not going to put a smile on anyone’s face, this story did help a number of people find closure.

At approximately 7 p.m. Friday, July 19, 2019, Ronnie Tippett, of Hughesville, who had been reported missing for over a month was found deceased behind the Food Lion in Charlotte Hall, MD. Full story Here. Though not a very happy note to end on, our job requires us to tell all of the news, regardless of how pretty it is.

We reached a great number of people with Mr. Tippett’s story, as his story deserved, and we reached millions of others throughout the year with our other news.

Remember as we step into 2020, TheBayNet is here for the community. If you see something, let us know about it. If you think someone deserves recognition, let us know about it. We work best when we work together.

Cheers, to another decade of news!

-TBN