It appears likely that Allegany County may soon have less of a voice in Annapolis. The Maryland General Assembly is expected to approve  a committee’s recommendation- redrawing  district lines. The House of Delegates  District 1C seat- which for many years was represented by Cumberland’s Casper Taylor who served as Speaker of the House-  will soon likely consist of just a relatively small portion of east and south Cumberland- with the district expanding further into Washington County. The General Assembly’s legislative commission has not yet released draft maps for the newly proposed  district lines-  however committee member Delegate Jason Buckel said…

UPMC has announced the creation of  a new in-house travel staffing agency as a solution to the nationwide nursing shortage and to attract and retain highly skilled nurses and surgical technologists to its workforce. The UPMC Travel Staffing program is designed to help combat against burnout. UPMC, like virtually every health care system in the nation, has brought in external travel nurses and surgical technologists to help at the bedside and in operating rooms throughout the past year. The goal of UPMC Travel Staffing is to rely less on outside agency staff and empower UPMC employees who would like to travel…

On the day before he himself tested positive for COVID-19, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said he isn't planning to issue any new lockdown orders despite his concerns about a surge in infections and hospitalizations. Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Hogan reported that  hospitalizations in Maryland have risen by about 150 percent over the past two weeks. Although numbers are on the rise across the state, Hogan said he simply doesn’t see a need to mandate any closings at this time…

Governor Larry Hogan Monday announced the first round of awardees for Project Restore, a $25 million economic recovery initiative that provides financial incentives for small businesses and commercial developers to revitalize vacant retail and commercial space. A total of 144 businesses in 23 jurisdictions will receive $3.6 million in rental subsidies and $7.2 million in business operations grants over the next two years, totaling $10.8 million in support. Locally 9 Allegany County and 4 Garrett County businesses received awards.  

The Allegany County Health Department has announced that the COVID testing clinic at the Allegany County Fairgrounds will be open as usual, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Friday December 24 and Friday, December 31.  Testing is also available on Mondays from 2 to 7 p.m. and Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.   “We encourage all county residents to get tested before gathering with friends and family for the holidays,” stated clinic coordinator Alison Robinson.  “For the public’s convenience, the testing clinic staff will be offering testing on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve at the usual…

The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) today resumed topline data reporting on its main COVID-19 surveillance dashboard hosted at coronavirus.maryland.gov. Numbers for statewide confirmed cases, persons tested negative, testing volume, and seven-day rolling average testing positivity rate will now again be updated daily—along with vaccination and hospitalization data, which MDH resumed reporting on Dec. 7 and Dec. 8, respectively.   “I want to thank the team of people who have been working diligently over the past 16 days to bring our COVID-19 data reporting back online,” said MDH Secretary Dennis R. Schrader. “This data is critical to our keeping the…

Maryland Governor  Larry Hogan has announced he has tested positive for COVID-19. Hogan, who has been a strong proponent of COVID-19 vaccinations, is vaccinated and has received a booster.  The omicron variant is currently the variant to watch as it has been tested across the nation. In a tweet on Monday, Hogan said "This morning, as part of my regular testing routine, I received a positive rapid test for COVID-19." Hogan said he is "feeling fine at the moment." In a recent rise in cases following the new variant, school systems across the state are taking precautions  "As the Omicron…

On Sunday, December 19, 2021 officers of the Cumberland Police Department responded to a business parking lot on Greene St for a single vehicle crash into a utility pole.  Through the investigation, the police determined the driver to be under the influence.  She was placed under arrest and charged with several traffic violations.

On Sunday December 19, 2021 officers from the Cumberland Police Department responded to a residence on the 1100 block of Shades Lane for a report of a burglary.  Upon arrival officers spoke to the occupants who advised that they were woken up by an unknown subject walking inside the residence.  The male suspect fled the residence when he saw that the occupants of the residence were home.  The victims saw the suspect run to a black Chevy Cobalt with black and red wheels.  The vehicle then fled the area.  The vehicle was not located.  Officers observed damage to the back…

Having surpassed 1,200 COVID-19 hospitalizations statewide, Governor Larry Hogan has announced that the state  is triggering a new round of actions for Maryland hospitals, including making available all staffed bed capacity and reducing non-urgent medical surgeries. The vast majority of these hospitalizations are unvaccinated patients, who remain at grave risk of serious infection, severe illness, and death. With this latest COVID-19 surge hitting the state,  Bob Atlas, president and CEO of the Maryland Hospital Association, provided some  insight on hospital capacity and the issues being created as beds rapidly fill…