U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Representative Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) reintroduced the IDEA Full Funding Act, bipartisan, bicameral legislation to finally ensure Congress' commitment to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). In 1975, Congress passed IDEA to ensure that every child with a disability has access to educational opportunity. This law was a historic step forward, but since its passage Congress has failed to provide the funding promised under this bill.                                                                         Under the 1975 IDEA legislation, the federal government committed to pay 40 percent of the average per pupil expenditure for special education. However, that…

On November 15th, 2021, the Cumberland City Police arrested Charles Ronald Adams II, 53, of Cumberland MD. Adams was arrested on an active Bench Warrant for failing to appear in District Court on a previous charge of driving on a suspended license. Adams was taken before the District Court Commissioner for an Initial Appearance where he was released on his own personal recognizance. Arrested:   Charles Ronald Adams II Charges:  Bench Warrant – Failure to Appear   On November 15th, 2021, the Cumberland City Police arrested Katrina Hope Clark, 36, of Cumberland MD. Clark was arrested on an active Arrest Warrant…

Allegations, accusations and clarifications are all part of a complex story coming out of Frostburg State University. On Sunday, an email was sent from Lukas O'Brien, who is the public relations chair of the Frostburg State University Student Government Association and the campus chapter of the NAACP, alleging that free lance writer Cassie Conklin was behind a Twitter Account that had racially harassed SGA presidential candidate Aryiana Ward. The email detailed how they had discovered the identity, demanded an investigation of Conklin, and banning her from campus. On Monday, the Allegany County Chapter of the NAACP expressed support for the…

According to a new audit released, mail service standards in Maryland are significantly below national averages. A U.S. Postal Service inspector general's audit found that some post offices in the state have the second-highest number of missing mail inquiries in the country and more than three times the national average. U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen provided an update on the audit on post offices that have had a high number of customer complaints for more than a year- some of those in the Baltimore area actually receive and deliver mail from Cumberland. There have been complaints about mail delivery service in…

When 2023 rolls around, the State of Maryland will have a new comptroller, as four term incumbent Peter Franchot  is an announced candidate for governor. Delegate Brooke Lierman, who represents District 46 in Baltimore, announced during the 55th annual National Federation of the Blind state conference that she is running for the job… 

According to law enforcement statistics- many of the crimes being committed in Maryland are from repeat violent offenders. What to do about that is top of mind for state lawmakers, but how they handle it differs widely. Baltimore police announced recently that almost 60% of people arrested for violent crimes are repeat violent offenders. It's far from a new problem in Maryland, but one that so far has not been solved. Governor Larry Hogan’s has proposed legislation which calls for repeat violent offenders to be incarcerated; and increase the amount of time they have to serve. Whether increased penalties and mandatory…

On Sunday, an email was sent from Lukas O'Brien, who is the public relations chair of the Frostburg State University Student Government Association and the campus chapter of the NAACP, alleging that free lance writer Cassie Conklin was behind a Twitter Account that had racially harrassed SGA presidential candidate Aryiana Ward. The email detailed how they had discovered the identity, demanded an investigation of Conklin, and a banning of her from campus. On Monday, the Allegany County Chapter of the NAACP expressed support for the campus chapter, and said that the Allegany County chapter had been rebuffed in efforts to…

  Allegany County COVID-19 Case and Vaccination Statistics as of November 14:     New COVID Cases: 59 (cumulative total 10,092) Additional Deaths: 0 (cumulative total 259) Cases Per 100,000 Population: 31.04 (Maryland: 13.48) Positivity Rate: 6.06 % (Maryland: 3.3%)        

On Friday, U.S. Representatives David Trone (MD-06) and Tom Emmer (MN-06) introduced legislation to ensure that veterans who fall victim to fraud receive proper reimbursement. Current law states that if a veteran passes away before their fraudulent case is resolved, their family can’t seek reimbursement for the misused dollars. The Restoring Benefits to Defrauded Veterans Act would allow families and beneficiaries of a deceased veteran to reclaim defrauded dollars.   “I want to do everything I can to help veterans and their families who have experienced fraud,” said Congressman Trone. “Falling victim to fraud is bad enough, but what’s even worse…

The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) today announced an update on the top and bottom 10 skilled nursing facilities in the state ranked by percentage of staff with at least one dose of a vaccine against COVID-19. MDH also announced an update on skilled nursing facilities that did not submit adequate COVID-19 vaccination data as required. Per vaccination protocols in effect since September 1, 2021 and reinforced on November 4, 2021 by the Federal government, all nursing facility staff are required to have their first or single dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Nursing facilities that fail to comply with vaccination protocols…