The Allegany County Health Department still has several appointment slots available for Tuesday, November 2 and Wednesday, November 3 for Moderna COVID vaccine boosters.  Those clinics will take place in the Multipurpose Building at the Allegany County Fairgrounds.  Individuals seeking a Moderna booster at the clinics must pre-register for an appointment online at health.maryland.gov/allegany, be at least six months out from their last dose of COVID vaccine, and fall into one of these classifications: age 65+; age 18+ living in a long-term care setting; age 18+ with underlying medical conditions; or age 18+ working in a high-risk setting.   Pfizer…

Over 12 fire companies responded to a house fire in Lakewood late Wednesday night. Mineral County 911 Center dispatched crews to the scene at approximately 11:32pm. Eyewitness accounts reported a fully-engulfed structure. The fire was reported under control at approximately 12:30 a.m. There were no injuries reported at the scene. WCBC news has just confirmed that the house fire earlier this morning in Lakewood was the property of Bill and Linda Freas, a local prominent businessman.  Mark Yoder owner and developer of Lakewood enterprises called the WCBC's Dave Norman show to report what he saw last night.    

On October 27th, 2021, the Cumberland City Police responded to a Queen City Drive business for the report of a shoplifter. Upon arrival, contact was made with an employee that advised a female customer had attempted to leave the store and the security alarm sounded. The female was stopped and advised they had not stolen any items from the store. Police identified the female as Carlie Jane Bohrer, 23, of Cumberland MD. The female was asked to again walk through the security scanner which again sounded. Officers did locate items on Bohrer that had not been paid for. As a…

On Thursday, the Cumberland Parks and Recreation Department and the Downtown Development Commission will be jointly hosting some Halloween fun. A drive-up Trick or Treat event will be held at Constitution Park from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Participating cars should enter Constitution Park from Williams Street onto Reservoir Avenue. DDC executive director Melinda Kelleher…

WBAL reports a new Goucher College poll finds most Marylanders are vaccinated against COVID-19, but are still are not sure when their pre-COVID-19 lives will return. While Allegany and Garrett counties populations have shown some resistance to getting vaccinated- with both below the 50% rate- Goucher Poll director and political science professor Mileah Kromer reports that the rest of Maryland is excelling… The poll results also show high marks for Governor Larry Hogan’s handling of the pandemic…

How much longer will Maryland students and staff members will be required to wear masks in school was  a topic of discussion this week  among state education leaders and one they're planning to continue. That conversation will take place at the December Maryland State Board of Education meeting. The statewide school mask mandate went into effect a little more than a month ago, but indications are that it could be dropped before the required 180 days.  That's something that's not being ruled out by state school board President Clarence Crawford who says the state board must consider a number of…

The days of the large smoke stack industries are gone;  and the population in the area has dropped more than 7% in the past ten years. Faced with those challenges, city officials are being encouraged to focus on small business as the best way to go to revitalize the local economy.  RKG Associates, the consulting firm in the process of updating Cumberland’s economic development strategic plan, presented an overview to the City Council during a Wednesday afternoon work session at City Hall. The original plan encouraged the pursuit of more health care and social service business opportunities while promoting a…

ACPS bus #33 will be back in operation beginning tomorrow, Thursday, October 28, 2021, until further notice. This bus will transport bus #33 Washington Middle School students as well as bus #50's Fort Hill High School students. Bus #33 will also transport bus #50's John Humbird Elementary School students. 

The Tribune Democrat is reporting  Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey Thomas has been suspended by the State Supreme Court. The order temporarily suspends Thomas' law license from the Pennsylvania Bar – and comes a month after Thomas was charged with sexually assaulting a woman in Windber. Thomas is fighting the charges in court but has taken a leave of absence from his post while he focuses on the criminal case against him.

The Cumberland Times News reports more than 170 current and former employees of the Federal Correctional Institution in Cumberland have filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims seeking monetary damages, back pay and attorneys’ fees for alleged violations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 107-page complaint filed Monday by the Whitehead Law Firm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, details alleged violations concerning each of the 174 plaintiffs in the legal action seeking hazardous duty pay, environmental differential pay and possible or actual exposure to the coronavirus during their employment at prison. An electronic copy of the court filing…