The Cumberland Times News reports a city woman was left homeless late Wednesday after fire broke out in the kitchen of her residence at 510 Sheridan Place. According to Cumberland Fire Department Chief  Shannon Adams,  Suzanne Pancake was uninjured in the fire that she reported to the Allegany County 911 center at 9:56 p.m. First-arriving Cumberland firefighters found smoke pouring from the kitchen on the first floor of the two-story dwelling.  The fire was confined to the kitchen and knocked down about 10 minutes after firefighters arrived. Fifteen city firefighters were on the scene for nearly three hours.  Smoke and heat…

Ben Roethlisberger announced his retirement Thursday morning after 18 seasons in the NFL. The longtime Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback made the anticipated announcement via Twitter, officially marking the end of one of the most decorated careers in NFL history.

Due to inclement weather, all Allegany County Public Schools are operating on a two hour delay for Thursday, January 27, 2022. 

On January 26th, 2022 officers of the Cumberland Police Department served an Arrest Warrant on Roy Sheetz. The Arrest Warrant was issued by the District Court stemming from a firearms investigation. Sheetz was placed under arrest and taken before a District Court Commissioner where he was held on $5,000. Arrest: Roy Earl Sheetz, age 42, Buffalo Mills Pennsylvania. Charges: Illegal Possession of a Regulated Firearm, Loaded Handgun on Person.   On January 26th, 2022 officers of the Cumberland Police Department served an Arrest Warrant on Terrance Peterson. The Arrest Warrant was issued by the District Court stemming from a firearms…

With vaccination numbers still lagging in some parts of the state, Comptroller Peter Franchot has proposed a COVID-19 vaccine passport. The passport would be required in Maryland for  people entering businesses such as restaurants and bars. The proposal is not without issues, such as logistic concerns of requiring businesses to screen customers; and the question about what would happen if customers ignore the regulation and police are called. While Maryland has some of the best vaccination rates in the nation, unfortunately Allegany and Garrett counties remain below 50%, and Franchot says that continues to be a problem…

During Wednesday’s meeting of the Board of Public Works, Governor Larry Hogan provided an update on the state’s progress during the COVID-19 state of emergency, and continued to urge Marylanders to get boosted for maximum protection against the Omicron variant. Now three weeks since he declared a state of emergency, Hogan noted that the numbers are continuing to move in the right direction and Maryland has emerged as a leader in dealing with the pandemic…

The Allegany County Health department reports that free KN95 masks have been restocked and are available at the Willowbrook Office Complex (WOC) during regular business hours (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday).  Additionally, KN95 masks will be available at Allegany County Library System branches beginning Monday, January 31 during the library’s regular business hours.  Library branch hours vary by location and can be found online. Quantities of KN95 masks are limited to fifteen per person. There was some confusion caused by a brief supply issue on Monday with some people unable to get masks immediately- with distribution briefly…

With the suspension this week of Allegany County Emergency Service Chief Chris Biggs on hunting related charges- came the revelation that the county is continuing to investigate previous complaints made against Biggs. That a county probe examining those earlier allegations is ongoing comes in stark contrast to public comments made by the county just last month.  The county received a wide range of complaints against Biggs in October from union Local 1715 including; low employee morale; nepotism; and questionable ethics and integrity. At an early December meeting of the Allegany County Commissioners, union representatives voiced their concerns about Biggs publicly….

With $87 million in new Appalachian Development Highway System dollars flowing into Pennsylvania over the next five years, state transportation officials plan to focus it on finishing U.S. Route 219 in Somerset County. For the Johnstown and Somerset regions, the project will connect a four-lane Route 219 to Interstate 68.  U.S. Sen Bob Casey Jr., a steadfast supporter of the bill, and Somerset County officials both announced late last year that the infrastructure plan would help enable Route 219’s Meyersdale-to-Salisbury four-lane section to see completion by 2031. Another multi-year step involving final design planning, including right-of-way acquisitions, must also occur…