Some repair projects are currently in progress in the area of Canal Place.  Repairs are being made to the brick walkways in front of the train station and around the main parking lot.  The main project is a detour that is in place for users of the pedestrian trestle bridge over Wills Creek at Canal Place.  The bridge is undergoing some needed refurbishment through the Maryland Department of General Services.  Canal Place Executive Director DeDe Ritchie told WCBC that the repairs were necessary to make the bridge safe for pedestrians and cyclists.   An alternate route is in place for walkers…

Downtown Cumberland’s Friday After Five events are shifting locations this week. After several weeks at the southern end of Centre Street, the entertainment will now be showcased on the northern portion of the street. Melinda Kelleher, Downtown Development Commission Executive Director, talked to WCBC about this Friday evening’s entertainment that kicks off at 6pm…   Kelleher shared that two types of music will be featured Friday evening – Folk and Bluegrass…    

Expansion for another area business was announced this week. Queen City Creamery is going to be enlarging their production capabilities with new space within the McMullen Building on Baltimore Street.  Currently, all production for the Creamery’s frozen custard is handled out of its Harrison Street location, but Rhiannon Brown, co-owner, says that was a main reason for looking at expansion… Brown says Queen City Creamery’s frozen custard is currently available at 20 outlets in the region, as far away as Harper’s Ferry.  The new production facility in the McMullen building will not have retail space but will allow people to…

Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown is pleased to announce appointments to the newly formed Maryland Commission on Hate Crime Response and Prevention. The Commission is composed of 20 stakeholders from a cross-section of law enforcement, state and local institutions, and organizations representing communities targeted by hate crimes. During Attorney General Brown’s first 100 days in office, he successfully pursued several key legislative priorities focused on his mission of justice and equity, including the transformation of his office’s existing Hate Crimes Task Force into a permanent body known as the Maryland Commission on Hate Crime Response and Prevention. In May,…

UPDATE – The City of Cumberland Engineering Department, on behalf of Carl Belt Inc., would like to notify the public that the Baltimore Street Bridge will remain closed to thru traffic until THURSDAY, August 3rd, at 3pm. The closure has been extended to allow work on a water main to be safely completed. A detour will remain in place to direct vehicles around the site. The Engineering Department will issue further notification if anything changes. Thank you for your cooperation during this time. Please use caution in the area and follow all traffic control devices that will be in place. If…

Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources has awarded more than $3 million in competitive grants for 13 climate resilience projects.  The grants will help communities design and construct solutions to withstand flooding and other weather-related events.   The projects selected will reduce risk for vulnerable communities, incorporate climate change data and information into existing plans and policies and develop nature-based or natural solutions to help control flooding.  Grant funding was awarded to Allegany County for Trout Unlimited to construct a stream restoration project at Sand Spring Run Stream with riparian buffer plantings to reconnect the floodplain and stabilize eroding stream banks.

West Virginia House of Delegates Minority Leader Doug Skaff Jr. of Kanawha County will step down as Minority Leader of the House of Delegates at the conclusion of Legislative interim meetings on Tuesday August 8th, 2023. Delegate Skaff expressed his gratefulness to colleagues for the opportunity to serve in this capacity, but he feels it is time to turn the leadership over to someone else.   “I have enjoyed working with Republican Speaker of the House Roger Hanshaw to deliver common sense solutions for the people of West Virginia,” Skaff stated.  “In my role as Minority Leader, I worked with Speaker…

A recent caller to the WCBC Dave Norman show had questions about Maryland’s recently-passed Trans Health Equity Act.  The bill was passed by a 93-37 vote during the most recent General Assembly session and mandates the inclusion of gender-affirming treatment for transgender individuals in Maryland’s Medicaid program. The bill requires Maryland Medicaid, beginning on Jan. 1, 2024, to provide coverage for additional gender-affirming treatments which are currently disallowed in the state’s plan but commonly covered by private insurance. The expanded treatments include hormone therapy, hair alteration, voice therapy, physical alterations to the body, and fertility preservation.  The state’s Medicaid program…

The City of Cumberland water department issued a boil water advisory on August 1, 2023, at 2:30 p.m. for residents on Naves Crossroad to Willowbrook Road, Morningside Drive to Ali Ghan Road, Mason Road, and Eastman Road. Customers are advised to bring the water to a rolling boil for one minute before consumption until further notice.

Baltimore Street Bridge will remain closed to thru traffic until Wednesday, August 2nd, at 3pm. A detour will remain in place to direct vehicles around the site.