Gov. Jim Justice has directed his Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF) and his COVID-19 pandemic leadership team to review and approve requests from West Virginia hospitals for additional staffing support. Staffing support is to be provided by the West Virginia National Guard. Requests will be coordinated by the JIATF to assign available Guard resources. “From the very beginning of this pandemic, I have been committed to protecting our hospital systems, which are already struggling with staffing shortages due to the current COVID-19 surge,” Gov. Justice said. “We must keep our hospitals operating fully. I firmly believe that by reassigning our valued…

On January 12, 2022 the Cumberland Police responded to I 68 W/B for a tractor trailer that struck a crash barrier at exit 43C.  Due to the debris, I 68 had to be closed for a brief period along with the on ramp.

On January 11, 2022 the Cumberland Police Department served a Criminal Summons on Les Allen Bishop, age 25 of Cumberland MD.  Bishop is charged with Harassment is currently awaiting trial in the matter. A criminal summons was served on Defone Maurice Davis by the Cumberland Police.  The summons charged Davis with a Concealed Deadly Weapon.  He is currently awaiting trial on the matter. 

On January 11, 2022 the Cumberland Police Department served an arrest warrant on Terrell Makai Littlejohn, age 19 of Cumberland, MD.  The warrant charged Littlejohn with a Violation of Probation for an original charge of CDS Possession, not Marijuana.  He was taken to Central Booking for his initial appearance with the District Court Commissioner.  He is currently being held on $500 bond at the Allegany County Detention Center.    Arrested:  Terrell Makai Littlejohn  Age: 19  Cumberland, MD Charges:  Violation of Probation

On January 11, 2022 the Cumberland Police were called to a residence on the 300 block of Grand Ave for a report of a female being assaulted with a chair.  Upon arrival officers spoke to the victim and the suspect.  Through the investigation it was learned that the two were involved in an argument when the male struck the female with a stool and grabbed her.  Officers observed injuries consistent with the victim’s statement.  Anthony Jerome Causion, age 52 of Cumberland MD was placed under arrest for Second Degree Assault.  He was taken to Central Booking for his initial appearance…

On January 11, 2022 an officer with the Cumberland Police Department was on patrol on Henderson Ave when he observed a vehicle with an equipment violation.  The officer initiated a traffic stop and contacted the operator and a passenger.  When the officer approached the vehicle he was able to detect the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle.  A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed a loaded handgun under the passenger seat.  A quantity of marijuana was also located.  The handgun was found to be stolen from an individual in Virginia.  Both the operator and the passenger initially gave false…

ACPS Bus #156 to the RESTART Program will not be running today, Wednesday, January 12, 2022. Students will need to find alternate transportation to and from school. Contact the school with any issues. 

Another legal blow for Bob Candy, owner of Tri-State Zoological Park, handed out last week as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed a sanctions order against the zoo;  Candy;  and his legal counsel Nevin Young.  PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, was awarded more than $56,000 after the U.S. District Court found that the defendant,  Candy, with assistance from Young, had attempted to intimidate witnesses just days before the group’s “Endangered Species Act Lawsuit”. It is just the latest in a decade long battle between the local zoo owner and the animal rights group…

Numbers among Maryland voters are trending in the wrong direction for President Joe Biden in the latest Gonzales poll. The telephone poll of 807 registered voters was conducted between Dec. 20 and Dec. 30, and it has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5%. More than half of voters in Maryland approve of the job that Biden has done since taking office- however the number is down significantly from his election vote percentage in 2020. Pollster Patrick Gonzales told WBAL that the difference between Biden's vote total and approval rating is the result of his low approval rating among…

The use of the word “privatization” in connection with Rocky Gap State Park caused several month’s of controversy at the end of last year- sparked by a grassroots citizens effort to  “Save the Gap”.  Although elected officials repeatedly offered clarifications and assurances that there were absolutely no plans on the table to close the state park in favor of commercial business development- that didn’t stop mass mailings and signs being posted  county wide touting the “Save the Gap” mantra. Brian Kurtz, the newly appointed senior vice president and general manager of Rocky Gap Casino Resort, tells WCBC News that there…