There appears to be growing concern over the conduct of some bus drivers working for the Allegany County Public School system with one man raising the issue with the elected school board. During the public comment portion of this month’s meeting, Zachary Barbe said he is the parent of a student who was told by a school bus driver, as a disciplinary matter, to clean chewed gum from beneath the bus seats. Even though this was said to have occurred during the COVID pandemic, he said the bus driver ordered his child to carry the gum in his hand until…

With construction tentatively set for next spring to redesign the Downtown Cumberland business district- a project that will include tearing up Baltimore Street to replace aging infrastructure- notifying business and property owners is a primary concern. Creating up to date, step by step notifications during the anticipated 18 month construction phase should be a priority, according to Downtown Development Commission vice chair Larry Jackson… City council member Laurie Marchini said the city makes a concerted effort to inform businesses anytime a construction project is about to start however unfortunately there are still some who claim to be missing the information…

WCBC Radio is once again sponsoring a series of candidate forums ahead of the November General Election with the first scheduled for this coming Wednesday, October 19th and a second set for the following Monday, October 24th. Each night will feature two forums, the first with candidates for the Allegany County Board of Education and the State Senate; the second evening focusing on the Cumberland City Council and the Allegany County Commissioners. WCBC Station manager Mary Clites said the objective is to provide voters an opportunity to become more familiar with the candidates and their positions on key issues… The forums…

Comptroller Peter Franchot recently announced that the state of Maryland has closed its books on Fiscal Year 2022 with a revenue surplus of $2 billion in its general fund. The comptroller said this is the second straight year that the state’s coffers have seen a massive unanticipated influx of revenues in the year-end report. In remarks delivered at this month’s Board of Public Works meeting, Franchot emphasized that the positive closeout report is welcome news that should be taken with caution, due to the volatile global economy. He said it is vitally important to prepare now for the economic downturn…

Governor Larry Hogan Friday highlighted the State of Maryland’s infrastructure transformation over the course of his administration in an address to the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance in National Harbor. During his remarks, the governor touted some of the state’s signature infrastructure achievements, including record investments in both roads and transit, and advancing priority projects in every jurisdiction. He said there has been a dramatic shift in addressing infrastructure problems since the start of his administration…

Although Maryland law provides broad abortion-rights protections, perhaps no single issue offered more of a direct contrast between gubernatorial candidates Wes Moore and Dan Cox than the question of whether a woman should have the right to end a pregnancy. Democrat Moore and Republican Cox squared off last week for their first and only debate. On the abortion question, Moore said he would seek to make Maryland “a safe haven” for women seeking an abortion. He said the data shows that 99% of late term abortions result from emergency heatlh crisis situations… Moore said Cox would seek to “arrest” women…

On October 14th, 2022, The Cumberland City Police responded to the 200 block of Frederick St for the report of a male subject laying in traffic. Upon arrival, Officers located the subject in question. It was also learned at this time that the subject had been observed yelling at cars passing by and throwing items into the roadway in an attempt to impede traffic. The subject was also continuing to create a disturbance while speaking to officers on scene. As a result, Marquis Lamar King, 25, of Cumberland MD, was placed under arrest and transported to Police Headquarters. King was…

On 10/15/2022 at approximately 3:23PM, Troopers from the McHenry Barrack were dispatched to the 2400 Block of Blooming Rose Road Friendsville MD 21531 for a vehicle crash. Troopers identified vehicle 1 as a 2022 Polaris Razor. Vehicle 1 was being operated by James Watson who was the sole occupant. Troopers identified vehicle 2 as a 2011 GMC Sierra 1500. Vehicle 2 was being operated by Clayton Baker who was the sole occupant of that vehicle. Preliminary investigation revealed the Polaris Razor was traveling south on Blooming Rose Road in the northbound lane when it collided with the GMC Sierra which…

As organizers of the 2021 and 2022 Heritage Days Festivals and the new Wills Creek Muster event, the Allegany County Historical Society (ACHS) owes thanks to many partners, including hobby and professional historians, community volunteers and the public sector agencies, that have helped revive one of Cumberland’s longest running annual attractions. Seeds of Heritage Days’ turnaround were sown in 2019 by Allegany Museum Vice President Vic Rezendes, long-time Heritage Days organizer Gayle Griffith and local marketing executive Becky McClarran, for finding a way to implement a 2018 Maryland Heritage Areas Authority grant designed to energize the historical side of a…

    CHARLESTON, WV - First Lady Cathy Justice is inviting all West Virginia students to participate in the eighteenth annual First Lady Student Ornament Competition. All kindergarten through 12th grade students who are public, private, or home-schooled are encouraged to create a “Nutcracker” themed ornament for the tree, which will be on display at the Culture Center in Charleston during the holiday season. Ornaments will be classified in four divisions according to grade: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Each ornament will be individually judged and four winning classes will be selected, one from each division. In January 2023, the winning ornaments…