Dr Richard Strauss joined UPMC Western Maryland’s Neurosurgery Department in February- bringing 35 years of experience to the local health care industry. Dr Strauss told WCBC’s “Dave Norman Show” that it was his  brother Howard who is part of UMPC Western Maryland who recommended him to the administration and President Michele Martz…

City engineering staff, during the Cumberland City Council work session,  presented a design and  site plan for a potential splash pad at the Constitution Park pool. The idea was first discussed and proposed by Councilman Rock Cioni last summer. A splash pad or spray pool is a recreation area for water play that has little or no standing water. It appears as though the best option at this point would be to install it within the fenced area adjacent to the small kids pool- and would require the replacement of the aging wooden deck area. Estimated price tag is in the $450,000 range. Mayor…

Soaring inflation and skyrocketing prices at the pump is threatening  to put a dent in Maryland’s usual booming vacation season- with many families unable to afford travel to the mountains of Western Maryland or the board walk and beaches of Ocean City. This past week gasoline hit a new record  high of $4.45, and the start peak summer travel season is still several weeks away. Governor Larry Hogan…

 “Nothing to see here”  seems to be the message coming from Allegany County education officials when it comes to a controversial state health framework that instructs educators how to teach about gender identity. The framework broadly outlines how to teach health topics by each grade level; its family life and sexuality guidelines have been the most controversial. Some school districts have not yet discussed the framework- and that is the case in Allegany County. School Board president Crystal Bender told WCBC News last week that this a guideline- not a mandate from the State Department of Education. School Superintendent Jeff…

The Cumberland Police were called to the North End of Cumberland several times for false reports by Kevin Paul Bailey, age 35, of Cumberland, MD. Bailey reported that he was being chased by a male with a gun. This was investigated and found to be false. Bailey called additional times reporting other complaints of being followed and people unlawfully entering his residence. After each report was found to be false, Bailey was placed under arrest and charged with three counts of False Statement and Obstructing and Hindering. He was taken to Central Booking for his initial appearance before the District…

A vehicle accident with injuries on Main Street in Westernport that saw  a pole and utility lines downed. Main Street was closed between Philos Avenue and Lincoln Drive for several hours while State Police Trooper 5 Helicopter responded to the scene. Potomac Edison crews were on the scene

Following a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the CDC has recommended that children ages 5-11 receive a booster dose five months after their initial Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine series.    CDC Director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky said “Children 5 through 11 should receive a booster dose at least 5 months after their primary series. Vaccination with a primary series among this age group has lagged behind other age groups leaving them vulnerable to serious illness. With over 18 million doses administered in this age group, we know that these vaccines are safe, and we must continue to…

The Baltimore Street Bridge was officially renamed the Casper R. Taylor Jr. Bridge in a dedication ceremony held Saturday afternoon at the Western Maryland Train Station platform.  A group of citizens attended an early February meeting of the Cumberland City Council with the proposed name change to honor Taylor, the former Speaker of the House who represented the city in Annapolis for nearly 30 years, and after a few months of planning friends, family, community and business leaders and elected officials gathered to pay tribute to the man who was instrumental in dozens of key projects for the region during a…

The 2022 Preakness Stakes will take place today at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. The nine-horse 2022 Preakness Stakes field will include an intriguing mix of horses who ran in the Kentucky Derby, colts who appeared on the Derby undercard, and others who are coming onto the Triple Crown scene fresh. Skippylongstocking is a sire of Exaggerator, who won the 2016 Preakness Stakes, and trainer Saffie Joseph likes how he's developed. Skippylongstocking finished third at the Wood Memorial, will be on nearly six weeks' rest, and is a 20-1 long shot in the latest 2022 Preakness Stakes odds. Kentucky Derby…

Allegany County Public School graduation ceremonies for the class of 2022 are set for today- with morning and afternoon events scheduled for each area high school campus. On Saturday, the Fort Hill ceremony will begin at 10 a.m., Greenway Avenue Stadium or the auditorium; Mountain Ridge at 1 p.m., Mountain Ridge Stadium or the gymnasium; and Allegany at  3 p.m. at Allegany High School’s gymnasium. Allegany's ceremony has been moved from Greenway Avenue Stadium to the school's gymnasium because the weather forecast for Saturday afternoon is in the high 90's with a heat index over 100. Graduation ceremonies will be…