On Monday, the Cumberland Police Department served two bench warrants on Nicolas Donaldson.  One warrant was issued as a result of Donaldson failing to appear for his case at the District Court of Allegany County.  He was originally charged with driving without a license.  The other warrant was through the Circuit Court of Allegany County and issued as a result of Donaldson violating the conditions of his pre-trial release.  In this case, he was originally charged with Assault-2nd Degree.  Donaldson was arrested and transported to Central Booking.  He was later seen by a District Court Commissioner for his initial appearance. …

Like Senator George Edwards, Delegate Jason Buckel said this week that he is aware of at least two groups having interest in the former Luke Mill property. While Senator Edwards said he has been led to believe a deal could be close at hand, Buckel says he has no knowledge of anything being imminent. Last owned by the Verso Corporation the mill was closed in June of 2019. While most of the equipment has since been sold off- the property remains a target for some firms and could ultimately see several businesses locate there. Delegate Buckel tells WCBC News that…

Maryland is facing a significant teacher shortage, with many having either resigned or retired, and not as many entering the profession in the past decade. While the president of the state teachers’ union has called this a statewide crisis- thus far the Allegany County Public School system has managed to avoid any serious staffing issues.  With the start of the new school year set for August 24th,  Superintendent Jeff Blank tells WCBC News that there are no vacant positions at this point…

“Turf battles” are not uncommon in smaller communites with various factions often seeking more control or to maintain control-  and that was one problem identified by an economic development specialist when he presented a long term plan to Cumberland officials earlier this year. Just a few months later however, and those same city officials report they are seeing more teamwork than power struggles.  The consultant, in February, bluntly noted that groups including- the city, CEDC, Allegany County, Tri-County Council,  DDC, DCBA  and the Greater Cumberland Committee- have been in protection mode- and that has led to economic stagnation. During a…

Maryland’s Republican Governor  Larry Hogan said this weekend  the Department of Justice will need to be transparent in proving the importance of the unprecedented search of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago last week. As he did last week, Hogan said everyone needs to be patient until more complete information is known…                                                        Hogan added that he was greatly concerned with the response from other Republicans who he said inflamed animus against law enforcement…

Maryland raised a record $1.5 billion for the state from gambling revenue in the last fiscal year, the lottery announced Monday. The new all-time state record includes money raised by the lottery, the state's six casinos, sports betting and fantasy sports wagering. The revenue for the last fiscal year beat the amount raised in the previous one by $120 million, the lottery said. Maryland's fiscal runs from July 1 to June 30. The lottery and casinos both contributed more than ever before to the state. Lottery profits totaled $673.7 million. Casinos contributed $832.3 million. The lottery's profits to the state…

UPMC’s ongoing commitment to understand and improve the health of its communities is reflected in its recently published 2022 Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNA) and Implementation Plans.    Across all the regions UPMC serves, four significant health needs were identified:  Behavioral health  Chronic disease management  Access to care and navigating resources  Prevention and community-wide healthy living    “Information from the CHNAs allows us to prioritize programs and services, because through this process, we can better understand the needs of our communities and develop a roadmap to direct resources where services are most needed and where our impact would be most beneficial….

Beginning Tuesday through Friday the residents in the Fayette Street area will experience intermittent interruptions of water service while city crews continues work in the area.

Common Cause Maryland today urged outgoing Governor Larry Hogan to issue an Executive Order implementing his support for pre-processing of mail ballots. According to the Attorney General, an Executive Order can be narrowed to allow for the early canvassing of mail-in ballots. In his veto message for SB 163/HB 862, Hogan said “Early canvassing of absentee ballots would allow hard working election officials to get a much needed head start on the deluge of ballot envelopes that, under current law, must wait until after Election Day for processing.” In a letter sent today, Common Cause Maryland Policy and Engagement Manager Morgan Drayton noted the…

A CSX train derailed around 730PM on August 14th allong Queen City Drive in downtown Cubrerland with two empty cars dislodged from the tracks.  CSX officials arrived on the scene shortly after Allegany County Emergency Services.  After several hours, the necessary equipment arrived on scene to clear the derailed train cars.  Queen City Drive will be shut down between Bedford Street and Centre Street for equipment removal. This project is expected to take several more hours to be completed.  WCBC;s Bryan Gowans reports from the site of the delrailment…