The newly elected members of the Allegany County Board of Education have been officially sworn in to office with newcomer Lori Lepley joining incumbents David Bohn and Robert Farrell in ceremonies Wednesday. Those three will serve with Crystal Bender and Tammy Fraley. While Bohn and Farrell ran as incumbents, member Deb Frank opted not to seek a second term leaving one seat open- and that went to Lepley. Farrell tells WCBC News his priority beginning a new term will continue to focus on helping students recovering what was lost during the COVID-19 pandemic… Mrs Lepley, during the campaign, said on…

Top Maryland state officials approved a new lease for the Ravens on Wednesday that will keep the football team playing at the state-owned M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore for the next 15 to 25 years. The Board of Public Works voted unanimously to approve the lease. The Ravens will pay no rent, but must pay for ongoing operations and maintenance at the stadium, which amounted to $11 million in 2022. The action was one of the final votes taken  by Governor Larry Hogan who was participating in his final Board of  Public Works meeting…

COVID-19 cases rose over the holiday, which resulted in 778 Marylanders starting the new year in the hospital being treated for the illness. That number is down very slightly from last Friday but remains at a level not seen since February of last year. The positivity rate of more than 15.2% is also the highest it's been in almost a year. Locally the numbers are trending in the wrong direction with the community transmission level in Allegany County in the medium category. The 12 cases per day is a 40% increase from two weeks ago and the positivity rate remains high. On…

House Republicans flailed through a second day of multiple balloting Wednesday, unable to elect Rep. Kevin McCarthy as House speaker or to come up with a new strategy to end the political chaos that has tarnished the start of their new majority. For a fifth time, Republicans tried to vote McCarthy into the top job as the House plunged deeper into disarray. That came moments after the fourth vote showed 20 conservative holdouts still refusing to support him, unchanged from the previous time around and leaving him far short of the 218 votes typically needed to win the gavel. Maryland’s lone Republican…

Congressman David Trone (MD-06) wrapped up the last week of the 117th Congress by delivering a historic investment in mental health and addiction to the American people, securing over $30 million in Community Project Funding for Maryland’s Sixth District, and getting 11 of his bills signed into law.   As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Trone was able to secure over $30 million in Community Project Funding for Maryland’s Sixth District through the FY23 omnibus funding deal. These investments will create new jobs, deliver much-needed resources to Sixth District communities, and restore neglected infrastructure, including:  $4,800,000 for…

Tuesday’s historic vote that blocked Kevin McCarthy’s first ballot attempt at House Speaker is shining a spotlight on what many believe is a completely divided, fractured and chaotic Republican party. Maryland Sixth District Congressman David Trone, a Democrat, said the Trump faction being at odds with the more moderate, or traditional Republicans isn’t helping the GOP. Although Democrats lost control of the House in November, there has been little party infighting perhaps best demonstrated by the minority party’s swift approval of a new, younger leadership team… Trone says believes voters have tired of the back and forth Republican vs Democrat…

Plans for to relocate the Union Rescue Mission to North Centre Street was met with controversy from residents in that part of Cumberland- expressing concern that there could be a negative impact on neighborhood.   Charges were filed in West Virginia’s largest known deer poaching case that spanned three counties and was tied to investigations in Maryland. Allegany County’s Department of Emergency Service EMS chief Christopher Biggs was among those charged.   Local dignitaries gathered at Canal Place in May to dedicate the former Baltimore Street bridge, renaming it the Casper R. Taylor Jr. Bridge, after the former Maryland Speaker…

On 01/03/2023 at approximately 1:30 PM an officer from the Cumberland City Police Department observed a vehicle traveling the wrong way on Frederick Street. The officer initiated a traffic stop and contacted the operator Randy Scott Jobson. The officer learned that Jobson’s driver’s license was revoked and he was wanted on a Violation of Probation Warrant from a previous theft arrest. Jobson was issued traffic citations and arrested without issue. Shawn Thomas Dean was a passenger in the vehicle at the time of the stop and the officer inquired if Dean had a valid license to take possession of the…

Allegany County Superintendent of Schools Jeff Blank says he appreciates the state board allowing flexibility in developing inclement weather plans.  Blank addressed the issue during a recent virtual school superintendent’s roundtable event. While temperatures are unseasonably warm this week-  the inevitable Western Maryland winter weather is expected in the near future. Prior to the start of this school year, Chief Academic Officer Kim Green-Kalbaugh outlined the inclement weather guidelines- noting that the Maryland State Department of Education is permiting school districts to use up to eight days of virtual learning. The ACPS will utilize those virtual learning days for inclement…

While no official announcement has been made regarding any of the businesses expected to be part of the Cumberland Gateway Center project in the Rolling Mill area- one existing business owner has concerns. The commercial development commonly known as the Rolling Mill project is being constructed between Park Street and Maryland Avenue and Emily and Williams streets, part of the Rolling Mill neighborhood. Once complete, the center will contain restaurants, shops and a hotel. Some names mentioned in the past for the location are Royal Farms or Wawa convenience stores. That is a concern for Todd Umstodt, owner of the…