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2021 Compelling

January 4th, 2022 by WCBC Radio

WCBC's 12 Most Compelling List fof 2021 includes…

Allegany County Economic Development Director Jeff Barclay, who has been sidelined by medical issues most of the past two years. Barclay, though, made a big splash at year's end, announcing that FedEx would be locating a distribution center at Mexico Farms tha would eploy a sizable number of local residents in the near future.

Cumberland turned to longtime resident Joe George as an appointment to City Council after the midyear resignation of Seth Bernard, George was an executive with CBIZ, and has also been very active with efforts to Save The Shrine of Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, which at one point was targeted for closing by the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

After the retirement of City Administrator Jeff Rhodes, Cumberland went though a protracted search for a replacement before turning to another Jeff…Jeff Silka, from Monroeville, Pennsylvania. Silka has a strong background in municipal administration, and says he and his wife have been looking to move to Allegany County for some time.

When David Cox left the Allegany County Public School system after a decade, Jeff Blank was selected as interim superintendent. Earlier, an attempt to name him to the position full time was rejected by the state board due to timeline issues, but he was appoiinted to a full term in 2021 by the local Board of Education.

District 1B Delegate Jason Buckel was elected as House Minority Leader in 2021, and his Republican colleagues reelected him to the position in December. Buckel had harasssment charges dropped quickly last month stemming from a domestic situation, and is expected to oe a leading voice against Democrats in Annapolis.

Zach Alkire led the Fort Hill Sentinels to the Maryland 1A football championship in his first relatively normal season as head coach. Ryan Patterson, of Mountain Ridge, was a close step behind, losing to Fort Hill in the state title game. And a fond farewell to DeLane Fitzgerald, who left Frostburg State after seven successful years for Southern Utah.

You may not know the name Ed Scott, but he is the developer of the Cumberland Gateway Project. After several years of non action, Scott was able to produce progress with construction at the former Rolling Mill site. Although there are still homeowners who refuse to move from their residences, the project seems to have a future.

After 44 years with the Cumberland Fire Department, Donnie Dunn called it a career in 2021, marking the end of an era. Chief Dunn was lauded for guiding the department through the difficult times of having fewer personnel available for calls as the city continued to see the overall population shrink to less that 20,000.

Ray Morriss is completing his first term as Major of Cumberland, and has been out in front of many issues, including the response to the pandemic, the Baltimore Street renovation project, the Rolling Mill Project, and the continuing saga of the West Side bridges over CSX property. There has been progress on all fronts in 2021.

Taking over the helm of UPMC Western Maryland in the midst of a pandemic wasn't an easy lift, but Michele Martz appears to have navigated the waters quite well. Taking over for the retired Barry Ronan, Martz and her staff have also learned the ways of UPMC, and have been available for public comment on many COVID issues.

One of the heartbreaking stories of the pandemic was the January 2021 loss of Dr. Sean McCagh. Sean's widow, Teri McCagh, stepped up to carry on his legacy by advocating for vaccination in an area that has been hesitant to embrace the shot. Since her personal involvement, local numbers have improved by about ten percent.

It's been awhile since Barrelville has gotten any sort of national attention. That all changed in 2021 as Kiya Wilhelm finished third on the FOX TV Gordon Ramsey Chef Challenge show “Hell's Kitchen.” Wilhelm had to keep mum for about two years until the show ended, bringing much attention to Allegany College of Maryland, too.

January 4th, 2022 by WCBC Radio

WCBC's 12 Most Compelling List fof 2021 includes…

Allegany County Economic Development Director Jeff Barclay, who has been sidelined by medical issues most of the past two years. Barclay, though, made a big splash at year's end, announcing that FedEx would be locating a distribution center at Mexico Farms tha would eploy a sizable number of local residents in the near future.

Cumberland turned to longtime resident Joe George as an appointment to City Council after the midyear resignation of Seth Bernard, George was an executive with CBIZ, and has also been very active with efforts to Save The Shrine of Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, which at one point was targeted for closing by the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

After the retirement of City Administrator Jeff Rhodes, Cumberland went though a protracted search for a replacement before turning to another Jeff…Jeff Silka, from Monroeville, Pennsylvania. Silka has a strong background in municipal administration, and says he and his wife have been looking to move to Allegany County for some time.

When David Cox left the Allegany County Public School system after a decade, Jeff Blank was selected as interim superintendent. Earlier, an attempt to name him to the position full time was rejected by the state board due to timeline issues, but he was appoiinted to a full term in 2021 by the local Board of Education.

District 1B Delegate Jason Buckel was elected as House Minority Leader in 2021, and his Republican colleagues reelected him to the position in December. Buckel had harasssment charges dropped quickly last month stemming from a domestic situation, and is expected to oe a leading voice against Democrats in Annapolis.

Zach Alkire led the Fort Hill Sentinels to the Maryland 1A football championship in his first relatively normal season as head coach. Ryan Patterson, of Mountain Ridge, was a close step behind, losing to Fort Hill in the state title game. And a fond farewell to DeLane Fitzgerald, who left Frostburg State after seven successful years for Southern Utah.

You may not know the name Ed Scott, but he is the developer of the Cumberland Gateway Project. After several years of non action, Scott was able to produce progress with construction at the former Rolling Mill site. Although there are still homeowners who refuse to move from their residences, the project seems to have a future.

After 44 years with the Cumberland Fire Department, Donnie Dunn called it a career in 2021, marking the end of an era. Chief Dunn was lauded for guiding the department through the difficult times of having fewer personnel available for calls as the city continued to see the overall population shrink to less that 20,000.

Ray Morriss is completing his first term as Major of Cumberland, and has been out in front of many issues, including the response to the pandemic, the Baltimore Street renovation project, the Rolling Mill Project, and the continuing saga of the West Side bridges over CSX property. There has been progress on all fronts in 2021.

Taking over the helm of UPMC Western Maryland in the midst of a pandemic wasn't an easy lift, but Michele Martz appears to have navigated the waters quite well. Taking over for the retired Barry Ronan, Martz and her staff have also learned the ways of UPMC, and have been available for public comment on many COVID issues.

One of the heartbreaking stories of the pandemic was the January 2021 loss of Dr. Sean McCagh. Sean's widow, Teri McCagh, stepped up to carry on his legacy by advocating for vaccination in an area that has been hesitant to embrace the shot. Since her personal involvement, local numbers have improved by about ten percent.

It's been awhile since Barrelville has gotten any sort of national attention. That all changed inn 2021 as Kiya Wilhelm finished third on the FOX TV Gordon Ramsey Chef Challenge show “Hell's Kitchen.” Wilhelm had to keep mum for about two years until the show ended, bringing much attention to Allegany College of Maryland, too.


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