Nicholas “Nick” Monteleone and Matthew Lamp will join Geppert, McMullen, Paye & Getty beginning on January 1, 2022. “Hidey, Coyle & Monteleone and Geppert, McMullen, Paye & Getty are two of the longest standing firms in Western Maryland,” stated Monteleone. He added, “Both firms have specialized practice areas that will complement each other, so that joining together will make us better able to serve the region.” Hidey, Coyle & Monteleone began in the 1940’s as Coby, Carscaden and Getty and over the next 70 years, with a continuous succession of lawyers, became known as Hidey, Coyle & Monteleone. Geppert, McMullen,…

On Tuesday, November 22, 2022, the Cumberland Police Department served a bench warrant on James Haines.  The warrant was issued as the result of Haines failing to comply with an order of the court.  Haines was originally charged with 3 counts of Assault-2nd Degree, Fail to Obey a Reasonable & Lawful Order, Resist/Interfere with Arrest, Disorderly Conduct, and Reckless Endangerment.  He was arrested and transported to Central Booking.  Haines was held without bond. ARRESTED:  James Christopher Timothy Haines  AGE: 37  Cumberland, MD On Tuesday, November 22, 2022, the Cumberland Police Department served a bench warrant on James Whetstone.  The warrant…

Governor Larry Hogan on Tuesday announced the formal launch of online sports betting in the State of Maryland. Beginning (today) seven sportsbooks will go live across the state.The announcement is the culmination of a multi-year effort to get sports betting fully up and running in the State of Maryland. In Nov. 2020, Marylanders voted overwhelmingly in favor of the referendum to legalize sports betting- however that was followed by numerous legal, political, and bureaucratic delays… He said most importantly, a new revenue stream is created…    

Maryland's attorney general Bran Frosh last week filed a motion to release an investigative report of child sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. That prompted a response from  Archbishop William Lori who said that  the Church feels "renewed shame, deep remorse and heartfelt sympathy" for those who have and continue to suffer…. He said the Church has and will continue to take actions to comply with law enforcement and enforce a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to accusations of abuse… Frosh says his office is seeking approval from the Baltimore City Circuit Court to release the 463-page report to the public.

Although winter is still a month away, winter conditions are already being felt in the area- leading to an early dismissal for Allegany County Public Schools one day last week. During Tuesday’s regular meeting of the Board of Education, the system’s new supervisor of transportation Homer Martz provided an update on inclement weather procedures. Martz,  who has served as commander of the Maryland State Police Cumberland Barrack, said that are many new and more effective ways to monitor the weather and its possible impact on travel… The timing of school closing decisions have always come under scrutiny from parents and…

Governor-elect Wes Moore, in an interview with WBAL radio Tuesday, said Marylanders don't have to worry about him raising taxes once he's in office. Moore says he plans to move forward with being fiscally smart in Maryland, which does not include raising taxes, which he says isn’t necessasy… He said his administration will focus on investing in key programs that must remain vital…

The City of Cumberland Engineering Department, on behalf of Belt Paving, would like to notify the public that beginning on Monday, November 28, 2022, through Wednesday, November 30, 2022, Fayette Street from Allegany Street to Luteman Road will be patched to repair the road from this summer’s water line project. The road will be flagged during construction to route vehicles around the construction equipment.   Due to the weather forecast and expected daytime air temperatures, the road will not be milled and overlayed until the Spring.   Detours will be set up as needed to direct traffic around the site. Parking…

President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that his administration will extend the pause on federal student loan payments while the White House fights a legal battle to save his plan to cancel portions of the debt. “It isn’t fair to ask tens of millions of borrowers eligible for relief to resume their student debt payments while the courts consider the lawsuit,” Biden said in a video posted on Twitter. The moratorium was slated to expire Jan. 1, a date that Biden set before his debt cancellation plan stalled in the face of legal challenges from conservative opponents. Now it will extend…

The Maryland Historical Trust (MHT), a unit of the Maryland Department of Planning (Planning), today announced two in-person workshops and four virtual sessions to inform participants about $600,000 in available funding for historic preservation grants through the Historic Preservation Capital Grant Program. The in-person workshops and virtual sessions are free to attend. Registration is required at https://bit.ly/3GjBYMj. The virtual sessions will be offered on December 1, 2022, January 17, 2023, February 9, 2023, and February 22, 2023. The in-person workshops are December 13, 2022 (in Crownsville) and January 5, 2023 (in LaVale).  During the in-person workshops and virtual sessions, MHT…

REMINDER: Allegany County Public Schools will dismiss 3 HOURS EARLY on Wednesday, November 23, 2022. Schools will be CLOSED for Thanksgiving Break on Thursday, November 24th, Friday, November 25th, and Monday, November 28th. Schools will REOPEN on Tuesday, November 29, 2022, with a 3 HOUR DELAYED OPENING.