This Thursday, downtown residents and business owners are invited to a town hall meeting to learn more about construction expected to begin on the pedestrian mall in April- and to have any questions they may have- addressed. The meeting will be held in the Allegany High School theater at 900 Seton Drive at 6 p.m.  The $15 million Baltimore Street Redevelopment Project has been years in the making, first discussed in 2015. It will include extensive work that could last up to 18 months. The project features replacing underground utility lines, adding high-capacity broadband, reinstalling Baltimore Street through the pedestrian…

President Biden’s poll numbers continue to be lackluster heading into the beginning of the 2024 primary season- however Maryland Senator Ben Cardin says the less than ideal economy unfortunately has taken the focus off of some of the president’s more substantial achievements. Three polls were released in the past month regarding how Americans view the job Biden is doing as president, and they all say basically the same negative thing. Polls from ABC News/Washington Post, AP, and CBS News all have Biden’s approval rating in the low to mid 40s and his disapproval rating in the mid to high 50s. Biden has…

A WCHS News investigation over the past several months has revealed alleged wrongdoing by members of the West Virginia State Police. Some of the allegations being leveled are described as shocking, ranging from the misuse of federal and state dollars, using ghost accounts tapping public money personal purchases, high-level staffers engaging in inappropriate behavior in state offices and vehicles and illegal overtime practices resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent payments. A probe is being led by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeff Sandy. Governor Jim Justice was asked to comment during his regular briefing. He said that…

Maryland public schools could be turning the corner when it comes to the number of students who returned to campus back in the fall- and that includes Allegany County. Even though student enrollment is far from the pre-pandemic numbers, school officials believe there is reason to be optimistic. Every year, in the month of September, school systems take a sort of enrollment snapshot. It's their way of projecting how many students to place on the attendance rolls. And for the first time since the start of the pandemic, the numbers are starting to come back into focus. Allegany County Board…

On February 17th, 2023, at approximately 11:05 p.m. a Cumberland Police officer was completing an investigation in the area of Greene Street. The officer made contact with Gary Bookheimer. After speaking with Bookheimer, he was searched, and the officer located a quantity of CDS and CDS paraphernalia. Bookheimer was placed under arrest. He was transported to central booking where he was later seen by a District Court commissioner and held on $5,000 bond. NAME: Gary Ray Bookheimer Jr. AGE: 59  Cumberland, MD  CHARGES: Possession with intent to distribute, Possession of CDS not Cannabis (x2), Possession of CDS paraphernalia

On February 18th, 2023, the Cumberland Police Department served an arrest warrant on Arthur Bunbasi. The warrant was issued after an investigation was conducted for an assault on August 7th, 2022 at 645 E. First Street. During the assault, a victim obtained injury from a knife. Bunbasi was transported to central booking. He was later seen by a District Court commissioner and held without bond. NAME: Arthur Tejeno Bunasi Jr. AGE: 24  Cumberland, MD CHARGE: Assault 1st degree, Reckless Endangerment, Assault 2nd degree, Dangerous weapon Intent to injure On February 18th 2023, the Cumberland Police Department served a bench warrant…

On 02/17/2023 at approximately 11:00 PM the Cumberland City Police Department contacted Sommer Dawn Knotts on Greene Street. Knotts was found to have an active Arrest Warrant for failure to comply with the conditions of probation from a previous CDS arrest. Knotts was placed under arrest and officers located CDS and CDS paraphernalia on her person. Knotts was issued two criminal citations for the CDS and CDS paraphernalia. Knotts was transported to the Allegany County Detention Center. Knotts is awaiting her initial appearance before a District Court Commissioner as of this writing.   Arrested – Sommer Dawn Knotts (40) Cumberland,…

On 02/17/2023 the Cumberland City Police Department served two Arrest Warrants on James William Whetstone. Whetstone violated the conditions of probation from two previous CDS possession not marijuana court cases. Whetstone was transported to the Allegany County Detention Center for an initial appearance before a District Court Commissioner. Whetstone was held without bond pending a hearing in District Court. Arrested – James William Whetstone (39) Cumberland, MD Charges – 2 counts of Violation of Probation

The City of Cumberland Engineering Department, on behalf of Excavating Associates, Inc., would like to notify the public that on Tuesday, February 21, 2023 beginning at 7:00 am, East 4th Street will be closed from South Street to Homer Street in order to perform construction on the intersection. The road will remain closed until February 24th, 2023 with work being performed from 7AM to 5PM. The closure will allow Excavating Associates to complete the intersection repair for this project in the area. Pedestrians are asked to avoid the area as much as possible during this time to allow for the…

At Governor’s Direction, Administration Continuously Monitoring West Virginia’s Water and Air Quality after East Palestine Train Derailment ​On the evening of February 3, 2023, the West Virginia Emergency Management Division (WVEMD) Watch Center was notified of the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Upon notification, WVEMD activated the State Emergency Operations Plan, alerting State agencies and local emergency managers of the incident. Since the initial notification, and at the Governor's direction, WVEMD, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) and the Department of Health and Human Resources (WVDHHR) have closely monitored the situation for any impacts to West Virginia or its…