The second jewel of horseracing’s Triple Crown takes place this weekend – The Preakness at Pimlico Race Track is one of Maryland’s premiere sporting events.  However, this year, the race is clouded by a plague of racing horse deaths.  Eight horses have died in the past year at Laurel Race Track, prompting a pause in racing there for a week while the track underwent an inspection in April and then seven horses in 10 days were injured and put down before the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.  Animal Wellness Action President Wayne Pacelle says that a culture change is needed…

Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed a series of gun control measures into law on Tuesday, including Senate Bill 1 the “Gun Safety Act of 2023.”  The new measures will raise the qualifying age to receive a handgun permit from 18 to 21 and prohibit anyone with a mental illness and a history of violent behavior from carrying a gun.  

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources is emphasizing the need for certified foster families for older youth.  In West Virginia, nearly half of young people entering foster care are ages 9-17, but of the nearly 1,500 certified foster homes in West Virginia, only 25% of these homes reported a willingness to accept children ages 13 or older.  To learn more about foster care, visit Mission West Virginia at www.missionwv.org

An infant formula recalled over potential contamination made it to retailers in eight states, the US Food & Drug Administration announced this week.  Gerber Good Start SoothePro Powdered Infant Formula was voluntarily recalled in March, but the product was distributed to retailers in eight states, including West Virginia.  Consumers are urged to dispose of Gerber Good Start formula with “use by” dates between July 4 and July 12, 2024.  According to the company, no bacteria has been found in any product and no adverse reactions have been reported.

ACPS will hold graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2023 on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The Center for Career and Technical Education will hold its Certification Ceremony this evening, Thursday, May 18, 2023. The times and locations for each ceremony are as follows: · Career Center, May 18th, 6 p.m., Canal Place  · Mountain Ridge, May 20th, 9 a.m., Mountain Ridge Stadium or the gymnasium · Allegany, May 20th, 12 p.m., Allegany High School gymnasium  · Fort Hill, May 20th, 5 p.m., Greenway Avenue Stadium or the auditorium Contingency plans are in place to move Fort Hill and Mountain Ridge…

Deputy State Marshal II Adam Rounds has been selected as the Western Regional Office nominee for Deputy State Fire Marshal of the Year. Rounds was nominated by Master Deputy State Fire Marshal Ed Ernst, who was acting supervisor of the Western Region after Deputy Chief Mowbray was promoted to Chief Deputy in May 2022. Deputy Rounds will join five other Deputy State Fire Marshals from each of the agency's regional offices and the Bomb Squad next month at the Maryland State Firemans Convention in Ocean City for the "James C. Robertson, Deputy State Fire Marshal of the Year" award. "During…

DelGrosso Foods Inc., a family-owned producer of pasta sauce in Tipton Pennsylvania, has opened a new food processing plant that will double the company’s previous capacity and allow for the production of new food products. The installation of six large “retort” machines, which act as pressure vessels to ensure product stability and safety, will allow DelGrosso Foods to pack Alfredo sauces, cheese dips, and other items for a number of different brands and retailers. The new $60 Million+ facility will employ an additional fifty people and will operate in parallel with the “red sauce” plant, just five miles away in Tipton near DelGrosso…

The Bikes for the World Collection will take place on Saturday, May 20, 10 am-noon at Canal Place. Bring your old bikes and portable sewing machines. Bikes should be in repairable condition. A suggested $10 donation will help offset the cost of shipping the bikes. For more information, please call 301-606-4734.

The Allegany County Chamber of Commerce has announced that recruitment for the Leadership Allegany Class of 2024 has begun. Leadership Allegany is in its 26th year and serves as a program to help individuals obtain a deeper understanding of their community. For more information and to access the application, please click here: https://rb.gy/kqn7y

This weekend our State Fire Marshals, Fire Inspectors and Administrative members of the department in partnership with our local Fire/EMS Departments will be knocking on doors to help support our Statewide Maryland Community Risk Reduction Weekend, May 20-21, 2023.  As we enter this weekend over 40 Marylanders from across the state have lost their lives to fire and we are asking that we all come together to ensure that our homes are fire safe and have working smoke alarms installed to help safe guard and alert us when fire is present. You can contact our office for a smoke alarm…