Beginning Monday, March 21, the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) will perform curb and gutter work on MD 51 (Industrial Boulevard) in Allegany County. Crews will work daily, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., on the roadway between Canal Parkway and Springdale Street. Work is expected to be completed by the end of June. During work hours, crews will close the right lane of MD 51in both directions. Signage, cones and barrels will be in place to safely guide motorists through the work zone. A barrier wall will be installed to protect crews and the public during…

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources plans to conduct a controlled burn on Dan's Mountain Wildlife Management Area. The burn will happen in late winter/early spring as weather and other conditions are appropriate. "If you see smoke in the area southwest of Rawlings it is not a forest fire," DNR said via press release. "The fire will create smoke, however it will be a low controlled flame targeting underbrush and ground cover debris." Access to the WMA at the primitive camping area and at Middle Ridge Road will be limited during the burn due to potential for low visibility from…

Maryland State Police are continuing their investigation into a Cecil County crash last night that took the life of a pedestrian. The deceased victim is identified as Raymond Blaine Frock, 34, of Elkton, Maryland. He was pronounced deceased at 4:41 a.m. today by hospital personnel at Christiana Hospital, in Delaware where he was transported after being struck. The victim’s body was taken to the Delaware Medical Examiner for an autopsy.  Around 9:15 p.m. last night, Maryland State Police from the North East Barrack responded to a call reporting a crash on Maryland Route 213, Augustine Herman Highway, near the intersection…

Since November, West Virginia Division of Highways maintenance crews have cleared more than 170 acres of trees and branches overhanging West Virginia's roadways. That's enough trees and branches to fill up about 170 football fields. The process is called canopy clearing, and WVDOH maintenance crews have cleared trees and branches along more than 500 linear miles of roadway. Moisture left on pavement degrades asphalt fast, so maintenance crews cut away limbs and branches to allow sunlight to get to the roadways below.  Like cutting grass in the summer, milling and filling potholes or clearing ice and snow, canopy clearing is part…

Governor Larry Hogan today announced the launch of a multi-pronged, first-in-the-nation workforce development initiative to formally eliminate the four-year college degree requirement from thousands of state jobs. Spearheaded by the Maryland Department of Labor and the Maryland Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the state will work with partners to recruit and market these roles to job seekers who are “Skilled Through Alternative Routes” (STARs). The governor was joined for today’s announcement by Secretary Tiffany Robinson of the Maryland Department of Labor and Byron Auguste, the CEO and co-founder of Opportunity@Work, a nonprofit workforce development organization that will work with…

On Monday, March 14, 2022, the Board of Education of Allegany County hosted the 34th Annual Teacher of the Year Celebration. This year’s award celebration was once again held virtually.  Four ACPS educators were honored for their dedication and commitment to student success. Amy Rice of Cash Valley Elementary School was selected as the 2022-2023 Allegany County Teacher of the Year.   Mr. Jeff Blank, Superintendent of Schools, and Mrs. Crystal Bender, President of the Board of Education, offered pre-recorded remarks. Mr. Nicholas Amick, last year’s Teacher of the Year, also gave a pre-recorded address during the program. Amy Rice is…

On Monday, March 14, 2022, the Cumberland Police Department served an arrest warrant on Logan Aldridge.  The warrant was issued in connection with an assault investigation.  On Sunday, March, 13, 2022, at approximately 4:36 PM, officers responded to a residence in the 500 block of Williams Street in reference to a 911 hang-up call.  The caller was not able to be located after exhausting all leads.    The caller was later contacted by police at a different location and interviewed.  The caller reported that she was assaulted by Aldridge.  Officers observed that she had sustained injuries.  It was also discovered that…

On Monday, March 14, 2022 at approximately 3:44 PM, an officer of the Cumberland Police Department observed a vehicle drive onto the train tracks while the barricade arms were down.  The officer contacted the operator and detected an odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle.  Further investigation revealed that one of the occupants, Diane Harvey, was in possession of a loaded handgun.  The handgun was seized and Harvey was placed under arrest.  She was transported to police headquarters for processing.  Harvey was seen by the District Court Commissioner and released on a $5,000 unsecured personal bond.   ARRESTED:  Diane S….

As the Allegany County Board of Education moves forward in preparing its 2023 fiscal year operating budget- the current unpredictable nature of fuel costs has added a bit of a complication. The board’s Chief Financial Officer Larry McKenzie, during the board’s regular monthly meeting, presented a budget overview that included priorities, considerations and assumptions.  Fuel costs were not an issue for the board’s transportation department during the past two years of the pandemic- but with COVID-19 numbers dropping, combined with the situation on the world stage in Ukraine- prices are spiking dramatically…

Even in dealing with COVID-19, one of the bigger success stories in Allegany County last year was the remarkable turnaround of the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad.  Ridership records were shattered for the popular Polar Express excursions and interest from across the nation soared with the long awaited debut of steam engine 1309. Most of those associated with the tourist train in recent years do not hesitate when pointing to the arrival last summer of the new general manager Wes Heinz.  Heinz and his team went to work immediately in completing what had been a seven year restoration project on 1309…