Maryland’s Speaker of the House, Adrienne Jones, has introduced a bill to establish an Office of Social Equity.  Saying that programs to assist small business and the disadvantaged are fractured across state government, the new entity merges the functions of the Office of Small, Minority, and Women-Owned Business Affairs, the Office of Social Equity within the Cannabis Office, and the Office of Minority Business Enterprises within Transportation…     “The bill will centralize all our social equity programs across state government and put them under a single, efficient cabinet-level agency giving equity a literal seat at the table.”

The Maryland Chamber of Commerce is joining with dozens of Maryland businesses to oppose proposed tax legislation they see as harmful to the state’s business climate.   Local Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Juli McCoy says the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act’s objective is to address fiscal challenges, but its negative impact could cause an exodus to more business-friendly states…     “The different measures that could adversely affect businesses across the state, in particular here locally. The inclusion of combined reporting, increasing personal income taxes that could impact pass-through entities, and the elimination of the enterprise zone tax credit…

The National Jet Company in LaVale was one of 43 Maryland mid-sized businesses to receive grants through the Maryland Manufacturing 4.0 program. The initiative provides grant money to invest in advanced technologies. National Jet received over $60,000 from the $5 million dollar program. They plan to use the funds for a CNC turning center, magazine bar feed and a rota-rack for fabricating custom micro-drilled machine parts.

The Cumberland Historic Cemetery Organization is highlighting two local monuments available to visit during Black History month. Both are located in Sumner Cemetery on Yale Street. One is a monument to six black Union Civil War Soldiers telling their history. Another, according to CHCO President Ed Taylor, Jr is the first monument west of Frederick to honor a freed slave…    “Her name was Critty Powell. We have a lot of history engraved on the monument that tells about this lady. We were lucky, through descendants of Critty, to get a 1910 black and white tintype copy of a photo…

The Maryland State Department of Education has announced that the state’s high school graduation rate for the 2023-2024 school year has reached over 87%, marking the highest level since 2017.  This represents an increase of 1.8 percentage points from the previous year.  The Allegany County graduation rate stood at 87.6% for 2024.

The city of Cumberland's program to entice new homeowners to buy property has drawn the attention of national media.  CBS Evening News spent over three minutes Monday detailing the financial incentive of $20,000 Cumberland offered to attract new residents.  The feature was part of "Eye on America" with correspondent Nancy Chen.  Interviews with Mayor Ray Morriss, Dave Caporale, and Gus Caporale were part of the report.  The feature is available on youtube.

On Tuesday, February 25, 2025, Officers of the Cumberland Police Department served multiple bench warrants on Dakota Wolfe which were issued as a result of her failures to appear in court. Wolfe was located and placed under arrest. She was transported to the Allegany County Detention Center where she awaits her appearance before a District Court Commissioner. Arrest: Dakota Shabrea Wolfe, Age 19, Keyser, West Virgina. Charges:  Violation of Probation, Theft Less Than $100 (x2) (FTA), Disorderly Conduct (FTA), Fail to Obey (FTA).   ***Warrant Arrest*** On Tuesday, February 25, 2025, Officers of the Cumberland Police Department served a bench…

Allegany College of Maryland continues to highlight Career and Technical Education Month in February. One of the growing programs at the college is Data Analytics.  Autumn Becker who directs the Western Maryland IT Center of Excellence at ACM, tells WCBC the field involves taking different types of data and analyzing it to develop practical solutions to business problems. She says it is a fast growing field with a variety of career options…     “The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts about 10,000 openings for research analysts projected every year on average over the next decade, so lots of opportunity.”

Two New Jersey individuals are being held at the Allegany County Detention Center on Grand Jury indictments.  Ernest Counsill, 43 of Blackwood, NJ, (previously of Rock Hill, South Carolina) was served a Circuit Court Grand Jury Indictment for 3 counts of CDS Possession With Intent to Distribute Narcotics and 3 counts of CDS Possession-Not Cannabis. Jaime Acosta, 30 of Brigantine, NJ, was served a Circuit Court Grand Jury Indictment for 3 counts of CDS Possession With Intent to Distribute Narcotics and 3 counts of CDS Possession-Not Cannabis.

Robert “Kevin” Adams passed away February 19th in Grantsboro, North Carolina. He was 66 years old. Adams for many years was a co-host along with Doc Webster on WCBC’s “What’s Cookin’ With Doc” program. Adams helped to re-open the Old Depot in Frostburg and also the downtown Cumberland location of Yoder’s Country Market. He also served as Director of the Allegany County Visitors Bureau. He was previously the Executive Chef at Southern Wesleyan University. Cotton Funeral Home in New Bern, North Carolina is in charge of arrangements.