One person was injured when a tractor-trailer traveled out of control and overturned on eastbound Interstate 68 at the 54-mile marker Wednesday evening, according to the Allegany County Department of Emergency Services. The Cumberland Times News reports numerous fire and rescue units, State Highway Administration, the Allegany County Hazardous Incident Response Team and state police responded to the crash that prompted the first alerts by the Allegany County 911 Center about 7:30 p.m. The injured person was taken by DES personnel manning the Flintstone ambulance to UPMC Western Maryland for treatment of unspecified injuries. Baltimore Pike Bedford Road and Flintstone…

The Cumberland Police were called to a residence on the 200 block of Bond St for a report of an assault.  Upon arrival officers spoke with a female who had visible injuries.  The female victim advised that she had been involved in an altercation with a male, identified as Dema Tyler Smith, age 25 of Cumberland, MD.  During the altercation she was struck several times.  Based on her injuries, Smith was placed under arrest for Second Degree Assault and taken to Central Booking for his initial appearance with the District Court Commissioner and was released on an unsecured $2,500 bond. …

At approximately 6:00 AM on June 8th, 2022 the Cumberland Police were called to I-68 Eastbound on the Crosstown Bridge for a report of a single vehicle crash.  Upon arrival officers observed the vehicle to have heavy damage.  When the officer contacted the operator, obvious signs of impairment were observed along with the odor of an alcoholic beverage.  After completing field sobriety tests, the operator, Richard Taylor, age 67 of Keyser, WV was placed under arrest for Driving Under the Influence. 

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice on Wednesday said a special session for a gas tax holiday is ‘dead.’ Justice said that a special session with a gas tax holiday would be a total waste of time and it would cost taxpayer money. The Governor said the blame for the gas prices needs to be on the Biden administration and not on West Virginia…

Just a few weeks after the Lets Beautify Cumberland event- sprucing up the city was a theme during this week’s city council meeting as a number of citizens raised the issue. Fayette Street resident Erin DeLong focused her comments on the three closed West Side bridges- on Fayette, Washington and Cumberland streets. Those bridges have been out of commission for safety reasons for several years- and while each is in a different stage of re-activation- DeLong says all of them are shabby in appearance…

Skyrocketing fuel costs have forced some budget changes for the Allegany County Board of Education. During the final meeting held during the 2022-2023 school year- the board approved a wide range of actions and policies- while also recognizing teachers, students and staff- however the budget was the headliner. Chief Finance Officer Larry McKenzie said a $500,000 budget transfer will be required to offset the rising cost of gas…

The state of Maryland Wednesday announced the sale of $1.05 billion in general obligation bonds. The state sold off $900 million worth of tax-exempt bonds through three bidding groups, and another $150 million in taxable bonds. Comptroller Peter Franchot noted that once again the state received the highest rating from the three major bond rating agencies and also received a “stable outlook.” All of those factors contributed to another successful bond sale…

A new Inspector General report claims thousands of grades have been changed from failing to passing in some Maryland  schools. WBAL reports the Inspector General's office said there is a culture of fear and a veil of secrecy at some schools because people were so worried about talking to them during their investigation. Looking specifically at Baltimore City schools, the  report states that between 2016 and 2020, there were over 12,000 grades changed from failing to passing. While the focus is on Baltimore City schools- there is anecdotel evidence that this takes place across every school system in the state….

On June 8th, 2022, Allegany County Deputies and MSP Troopers assigned to the Cumberland Barrack, responded to the Tradewinds Trailer Park on Winchester Road, Cresaptown, MD for a subject reported armed with a rifle. Responding units were advised that a male subject later identified as Samuel David Moore, 51, was threatening nearby residents. Upon arrival to the area Moore was located in his home and was taken into custody without further incident. Deputies later executed a search and seizure warrant at the Moore home where several items of evidence were located. Moore was transported to the Allegany County Detention Center pending an initial hearing…

The Joint Communications Center of Allegany County has dispatched several police, fire and EMS crews to Interstate 68 eastboud near the 54 mile marker for a multi vehicle accident involving a tractor trailer. The mishap was reported during the 7 PM hour, and the inteerstate will be closed for several hours, according to authorities. Eastbound traffic looking to avoid the crash is advised to use Exit 52 to Maryland 144 at Flintstone.