Weekly COVID Update: For the 7-day period of December 10 – 16, 2021, there were no new schools identified with a School Wide COVID-19 Outbreak. The following schools remain on the Maryland Department of Health School Wide Outbreak list: Allegany High School, Fort Hill High School, Mountain Ridge High School, and Mount Savage School.   George's Creek Elementary School, West Side Elementary School, John Humbird Elementary School, Parkside Elementary School and Washington Middle School each had cohorts that met the definition of a cohort outbreak.   ACPS had nine staff members and 63 students reported as positive for COVID-19 during this time,…

The Washington Football Team's Week 15 game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field, which was originally slated for Sunday at 1 p.m., has been moved to Tuesday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will continue to air on WCBC.The announcement comes as a response to Washington placing several of its players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list over the past three days

WBAL reports a review of emergency procurements for supplies in Maryland during the COVID-19 pandemic found “a lack of compliance” in general with state regulations and “ineffective monitoring" of payments, according to a report released Thursday by the Maryland Office of Legislative Audits. The review found that 11-of-15 emergency procurements totaling $189.4 million were not in compliance with all state regulations. “For example, there was no formal written contract for three of the procurements and the contracts for the other eight procurements did not include all of the critical provisions required by State procurement regulations,” wrote Gregory Hook, the legislative…

On Friday an officer of the Cumberland Police Department served a criminal summons on Tashia Danielle Nave.  The criminal summons was issued by District Court, regarding an incident that occurred on December 10th, 2021 at an East Offutt Street address.   Tashia Danielle Nave, age 47, Cumberland, MD Neglect of a minor Criminal Summons   On December 17th, 2021 an officer of the Cumberland Police Department served a criminal summons on Debra Jean Brent.  The criminal summons was issued by District Court for traffic related offenses from an incident that occurred on Baltimore Avenue on December 3rd, 2021.   Debra Jean…

Fire in a heavy brush area off Elizabeth Street along the Potomac River was brought under control just after 1 p.m. Friday when the scene was turned over to Department of Natural Resources personnel, according to Cumberland Fire Chief W. Shannon Adams. The Cumberland Times News reports the  covered a 40 by 40-square foot area and was extinguished by Cumberland firefighters, Ridgeley and Wiley Ford volunteer fire departments and DNR units. The fire occurred in an area about 15 feet away from the Maryland river embankment. The cause is being investigated by DNR.

WBAL reports the University of Maryland is canceling all winter commencement activities and implementing other safety precautions amid a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases on the College Park campus. The main winter commencement ceremony on Dec. 20 and all college, school and department ceremonies on Dec. 21 and 22 are canceled. All winter graduates will be invited to the spring ceremony in May, the university said. University President Darryll Pines sent a letter to the campus community saying the actions are intended to help curb potential further spread of the virus. On Thursday, the university's COVID-19 dashboard showed 98 positive cases from university…

Governor Larry Hogan today issued the following statement after the state surpassed 1,200 COVID-19 hospitalizations, a threshold that triggers new actions by Maryland hospitals: “Having surpassed 1,200 COVID-19 hospitalizations statewide, we are 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. “Based on preliminary data, Omicron is believed to be far more transmissible than previous variants, and it is anticipated to rapidly overtake Delta as the main…

On Thursday, December 16, 2021 at approximately 8:30 AM, officers of the Cumberland Police Department responded to a business on Maryland Avenue in reference to a subject under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance.  Officers contacted the subject, Dustin Ray Miller, as he was attempting to gain access to a vehicle that did not belong to him.  It was learned that Miller was told multiple times to leave the store property.  Miller was placed under arrest and transported to the police station for processing.  He was issued citations and released pending trial.   ARRESTED:  Dustin Ray Miller     AGE:  40          …

On Thursday, December 16, 2021 at approximately 7:50 PM, Cumberland Police responded to an Oak Street residence in reference to a domestic disturbance.  The victim reported that the suspect, Todd Lee Shaffer, had assaulted her.  The victim had sustained visible injuries.  Shaffer was placed under arrest and transported to the police station for processing.  He was then transported to Central Booking at the Allegany County Detention Center.  He was later released on his personal recognizance.   ARRESTED:  Todd Lee Shaffer     AGE:  53                 Cumberland, MD CHARGES:  Assault-2nd Degree