Comptroller Peter Franchot on Wednesday announced that the state of Maryland has closed its books on Fiscal Year 2022 with a revenue surplus of $2 billion in its general fund. The comptroller said this is the second straight year that the state’s coffers have seen a massive unanticipated influx of revenues in the year-end report. Officially, the state closed Fiscal Year 2022 with a balance of $5.5 billion in the General Fund. Of this amount, the General Assembly allocated $3.5 billion for fiscal year 2023 operations. As mandated by statute, $870 million of the $2 billion fund balance was transferred…

The Cumberland Economic Development Corporation is hoping that applications can be received by the end of the month for the Downtown Comprehensive Investment Program. That program will offer grants for downtown businesses wishing to upgrade their properties. Phase one of the three-phase program is for facade improvements and technical assistance grants. The second phase will include residential development and infrastructure improvements including water and fiber. A third phase will be a business attraction component. CEDC executive director Matt Miller said that any business or building owner that will be impacted by the Baltimore Street Access project in the downtown special…

A Department of Justice investigation last year of the Frederick County school system revealed more than 7,000 incidents of seclusion and restraint of students during a two and a half year period. As a result, as of July 1, the state of Maryland prohibited some agencies, including public schools, from using physical restraint as a behavorial intervention for students, except under certain circumstance. Debbie Metheny, Allegany County Public School director of special education and student services, provided an update and overview during this week’s meeting of the School Board… According to a 2021 MSDE report on the number of students…

The Maryland State Board of Elections voted unanimously last month to file an emergency petition in court that seeks an earlier count of mail-in ballots for the general election in November. The board voted 4-0 to seek a legal remedy in hopes of speeding up the vote count for mail-in ballots, which have become much more popular with voters in the state. A bill that would have enabled mail-in ballots to be counted before Election Day passed the General Assembly this year but was vetoed by Governor Larry Hogan. When Lt Governor Boyd Rutherford was asked this week about the…

West Virginia’s Legislature passed a sweeping abortion ban with few exceptions this week, approving a bill that several members of the Republican supermajority said they hope will make it impossible for the state’s only abortion clinic to continue to offer the procedure. Under the legislation, rape and incest victims would be able to obtain abortions at up to eight weeks of pregnancy, but only if they report to law enforcement first. Rape and incest victims would have to report the assault within 48 hours of getting an abortion, and a patient must present a copy of a police report or…

There are growing fears of a strike by freight railroad workers that could begin as early as Friday and would have a huge impact on the economy, supply chain and local commuter rail service. A number of major freight companies, including CSX and Norfolk Southern, have so far failed to come to an agreement with two of their unions. CSX has a long history of operations in Cumberland. A strike would bring much of nationwide freight service to a halt, and would also affect local commuter rail lines that use tracks owned by the big freight companies…

Five western Maryland police officers won’t face charges in a Virginia man’s death that occurred days after officers shocked him with a stun gun during an altercation, officials announced Monday.  WBAL reports Frederick Police said Daniel Michael Holley, 23, died at a hospital on Nov. 14, two days after officers used a stun gun to subdue him, news outlets reported. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is still trying to determine the exact cause of Holley’s death, but the report rules out the officers’ actions as a cause, officials said. The Office of the Attorney General looked into the incident…

U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) have introduced a Senate joint resolution that would authorize placement of the National Memorial to Fallen Journalists between the Voice of America building and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. Last December, President Biden signed into law a previous measure authorizing the establishment of the memorial, which will honor journalists, photographers, and broadcasters killed in the line of duty. The joint resolution on the specific location comes one week after the murder of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German, who allegedly was killed by the subject of one of…

To kick off his economic development mission to Korea and Japan, Governor Larry Hogan was joined today by Governor Oh Young-hun of Jeju Province in the Republic of Korea to sign an agreement of friendship and cooperation that strengthens bilateral ties between the two regions. Through the new strategic partnership, the State of Maryland and Jeju will pursue mutually beneficial cooperation in the areas of international commerce, economic development, carbon neutrality, agriculture, the arts and culture, tourism, and education. “I have always believed in the importance of looking outside of Maryland’s borders to build productive and mutually beneficial international partnerships,”…

The West Virginia Legislature on Tuesday passed a bill that will prohibit nearly all abortions except to save a pregnant person's life or in certain cases that involve rape or incest. House Bill 302, passed the state Senate in a 22-7 vote, and the House gave it final approval in a 77-17 vote. The bill, which would significantly curtail access to abortion in a state where it is currently legal up to 20 weeks post-fertilization, now goes to Republican Gov. Jim Justice's desk for signature. According to the engrossed draft of the bill, any physician or other licensed medical practitioner who intentionally or recklessly…