January 7th, 2026 by WCBC Radio

The Allegany County Republican Alliance will host a public discussion at the Allegany Museum this Thursday beginning at 6pm detailing what would happen if Maryland’s three western counties would secede from Maryland and join West Virginia. Mineral County Delegate Gary Howell told WCBC the border between the states was set over 400 years ago and this is an opportunity to re-examine it…

   

“In colonial times, that border probably made sense for the socio-economic conditions at the time. But over time, that’s changed. Does this border now make sense anymore? These three Western Maryland counties are more typical of West Virginia than they are of the rest of Maryland. So, is it time to move the border?”