On Monday, August 7th, 2023, The Cumberland City Police responded to a Wempe Dr residence for the report of a breaking and entering. Upon arrival on scene, officers contacted the resident of the home who advised an unknown male was sleeping in their bedroom. The residents stated they awakened in the morning to find the male asleep in the home. The subject was then awakened and identified as Charles Russell Servis Jr, 48, of Cumberland MD. At this time, Servis was also found to be in possession of a bag of pills, a controlled substance. As a result of the…

On Monday, August 7th, 2023, The Cumberland City Police arrested Daniel Alexander Walker, 34, of Cumberland MD. Walker was arrested on two Bench Warrants issued by the Allegany County District Court. The warrants allege that Walker failed to appear in District Court on two separate occasions in May. The original charges against him were traffic related charges for driving w/o a license. He was taken before the District Court Commissioner for his Initial Appearance where he was remanded to the Allegany County Detention Center. He is currently being held on $2500 bond. Arrested: Daniel Alexander Walker               Age: 34 Charges: Bench…

The City of Cumberland indicates that water service will be interrupted on the 700 block of Bedford Street on August 8th from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm in order for a new fire hydrant to be installed.

Twenty-one teaching positions currently show as open on the Allegany County Public Schools website. That follows a trend across the state as counties are challenged with filling classrooms with teachers for the coming school year.  Montgomery County Schools currently has 289 full-time openings with 98 of those in special education.  The Maryland State Education Association says staffing is an urgent issue across the state with positions at all levels – teachers, substitutes, counselors, and bus drivers.  The MSEA points to low pay, burnout, and disrespect from students and parents as reasons for dwindling numbers of applicants.  WCBC has spoken to…

The US jobs report for July showed the economy adding 187,000 jobs according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Nationwide, unemployment fell to 3.5%. The jobs gain is coming through help of state and federal projects that are boosting infrastructure, green energy initiatives, and a recovery of consumer confidence.  Government hiring is a larger share of the job gains as more state and city job openings are being filled post-pandemic but slow-downs have been seen in areas such as financial services, tech, and manufacturing.  The Maryland jobs report will be released August 18th.

Citing extreme heat as the major reason, some gas refineries had to limit production in the past few weeks, pushing gas prices higher. The national average for a gallon of gas has increased since last week to $3.83.  The refinery limits and the price of oil has combined to affect the prices.  Crude oil was near $80 a barrel last week.  Drivers were seeing gas prices above $4.00 per gallon this time last year, cutting into family vacation plans.  Now that the heatwave has passed and schools are starting class across the country, prices may fall slightly due to demand…

West Virginia has been slow to implement juvenile-justice reforms and reduce the number of kids behind bars. In recent years, West Virginia had the highest rate of incarcerated youths in the nation, with 329 youths in state custody in 2017.  Senior Fellow at the Sentencing Project and report author Richard Mendel says effective alternatives to incarceration are catching on in some states. He points to Credible Messengers, a program that provides intensive mentoring to youths at high risk of offending. Mendel says alternatives to traditional court processing include restorative justice conferencing, which focuses on repairing the harm caused by an…

City of Cumberland officials were able to spend some valuable time with Governor Moore on his recent visit to the region.  The Governor held his monthly cabinet meeting at Rocky Gap Resort and Cumberland Mayor Ray Morriss was able to have his attention to talk about budget items for the forthcoming General Assembly session.  Morriss said he and the governor talked about some essential projects that need to be addressed in the coming budget… Mayor Morriss said Phase Four of the Evitts Creek Sewer project and the intersection of Harrison and Mechanic Streets are the priorities to be addressed…

Maryland State Police investigators are continuing an investigation into the death of a state prison inmate in Allegany County. The inmate is identified as Moise Louis, 34.  Louis was declared deceased by emergency medical service personnel. He was a state prison inmate serving time at the Western Correctional Institution in Cumberland. A suspect, also an inmate, has been identified.  He is being held in another location within the Division of Correction.  He has not been charged at this time and is not being identified until charges are placed. Shortly after 12:00 noon today, the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit was…

Christopher James Tabler, 33, of Ridgeley, WV was served an Arrest Warrant for Obstruction of Justice, Obstruction and Hindering, and Harboring a Fugitive. He is currently being held at the Allegany County Detention Center on $5,000 bond.   Jaylyn Floyd Butler, 22, of Cumberland, served a Circuit Court Bench Warrant for Violation of Probation. His original charges were Conspiracy for CDS Distribution of Narcotics. He is currently being held without bond at the Allegany County Detention Center on separate charges in a District Court matter.   Keith Elliott Jones Jr, 26, of Cumberland, served a Circuit Court Bench Warrant for…