Governor Larry Hogan announced Tuesday that 95% of adults in Maryland have been vaccinated against COVID-19 and says the state will be launching new programs to get remaining Marylanders boosted. The numbers come from official CDC data.  At a press conference on Tuesday, Hogan announced a new booster action plan to reach out to all Marylanders about booster appointment availability and booster eligibility. In addition to the 539 booster clinics across the state, Maryland will now start offering booster shots at many hospital-based testing sites. Hogan also announced a $2 million ‘VaxCash 2.0’ promotion where the Maryland Lottery will randomly pick and award one boosted Marylander each…

An economic development consultant on Tuesday presented Cumberland City officials with a final draft of a proposed long term economic development. Kyle Talente, vice president of the Alexandria, Virginia-based RKG Associates, submitted a report that focused on attracting and retaining business;  a focus on smaller businesses; a beefed up staff for the Cumberland Economic Development Corporation and the need for the dozens of economic development related organizations to work together and improve the lines of communication.  Developing measurable and expectations was also indentified as a priority. City Council member Laurie Marchini agreed… While he agreed with the concept, Mayor Ray…

Last month the Cumberland Mayor and City Council voted unanimously to make Juneteenth a holiday for city employees. Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of African-American slaves. It is also often observed for celebrating African-American culture. Originating in Galveston, Texas, it has been celebrated annually on June 19 in various parts of the United States since 1865. The state of Maryland followed the federal action last year making Juneteenth a state holiday- and Mayor Ray Morriss said that the city is simply attempting to keep up with the times… As far as the cost…

A busy agenda for the Allegany County Board of Education Tuesday night with a discussion of budget priorities; an update on programs of study; new early childhood center and full day pre-k updates; and an adjustment to the school calendar. With unprecedented state funding resulting from the Kirwan Education reforms- board member Deb Frank says it is an exciting and challenging time that will allow the board to improve and expand any number of programs…

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced Tuesday that he will not run for the U.S. Senate, rebuffing an aggressive recruitment push from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans who saw the term-limited governor as the GOP’s best chance to win in the deep-blue state. Hogan said that he could not finish his term as governor effectively and run for the Senate at the same time. It has been widely speculated that Hogan will seek a run for the presidency in 2024

Governor Larry Hogan today announced that, according to official CDC data, more than 95% of Maryland adults have now been vaccinated against COVID-19—another major milestone for one of the most successful vaccination campaigns in the country.  “As we achieve another incredible vaccine milestone, I want to thank all the healthcare heroes we honor this week who have made this possible,” said Governor Hogan. “While we will continue to work to reach that last 5% of adults, we are just as focused on getting more Marylanders boosted to maximize protection against the virus and its variants.”   To date, the state…

Cumberland Police  served an arrest warrant on Brian D. Fields.  The arrest warrant was issued by the District Court Commissioner’s Office after the victim filed for charges for an alleged assault that occurred on E. Oldtown Road, on February 2, 2022.  During the incident the victim alleged that he and Fields had an argument, that escalated to Fields placing his hands around the victim’s neck.  Fields was placed under arrest and transported to Central Booking to await a bond hearing.  After a bond hearing Fields was released on an unsecured bond. Brian D. Fields, age 50, Cumberland, MD   On…

In a letter to the State Superintendent of Schools and the State Board of Education, House Republicans today called for an end to the masking mandate in Maryland's schools.  Citing data on the ineffectiveness of cloth masks in preventing the spread of COVID-19 as well as the CDC's admission that the more effective KN95 and R95 masks were not designed for and have not been widely tested on children, the letter contends that the risk to children's emotional and cognitive development is being sacrificed for a mitigation measure that is doing much more harm than good. "The damage that covering faces does…

On Monday. an officer of the Cumberland Police Department was on patrol in the area of Mechanic Street when they observed a vehicle strike the rear of a parked vehicle.  The officer made contact with William Shaver Jr., the driver of the vehicle.  During their contact with Shaver, the officer detected an odor of alcohol coming from Shaver.  Standard field sobriety tests were administered and Shaver was placed under arrest for driving under the influence.  Shaver was transported to the Cumberland Police Department, where he was issued citations for DUI and DWI before being released. William Stanley Shaver Jr., age…

Last November Congressman David Trone  spent four days in Mexico City and El Paso, Texas on a fact-finding mission to see what the United States can do to stop the flow of synthetic opioids. Trone led members of the Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking, which he co-chairs, on the trip.Trone, whose nephew died after using fentanyl in 2016, came away from the mission realizing the problem is “remarkably worse than we thought, and I had low expectations to start.” The Maryland Democrat told The Greater Cumberland Committee at February’s meeting that the flow of fentanyl coming in through the…