On Saturday an officer of the Cumberland Police Department observed a vehicle commit several traffic violations.  A traffic stop was affected and contact was made with the driver, Jaron Watkins. Upon making contact with Watkins, the officer detected the odor of alcohol coming from Watkins’ person, as well as the odor of marijuana coming from inside of the vehicle. A probable cause search of the vehicle was conducted.  The search yielded over 200 grams of packaged marijuana, and a loaded handgun. Watkins was placed under arrest and transported to central booking to await a bond hearing.  Watkins was released after posting…

For the first time, a pub crawl will be part of the annual DelFest activities. Representatives of DelFest visited Cumberland this week as preperations continue for the 2022 event. Rob McCoury, president of DelFest, and Chris Harris of Rainmaker Music Management visited several area pubs and eateries to make plans for the crawl, which will culminate with a free concert downtown by the Davisson Brothers. Headliners for this year’s festival set for Memorial Day weekend include: Tyler Childers, Sam Bush and Robert Earl Keen and daily performances by The Del McCoury Band. Details have not yet been competed, but the pub…

Opponents of Maryland’s legislative redistricting plan filed challenges to a high court adviser’s recommendation to keep the boundaries drawn by the General Assembly. WTOP reports Special Magistrate Alan M. Wilner, a former Court of Appeals Judge, said in a Monday report that the legislative maps should stand. Four petitions were filed objecting to that map, which was enacted by lawmakers in January. All of the petitions argue that the legislative map violates the Maryland Constitution’s requirement that legislative districts be compact and respect natural and political boundaries.

Gov. Larry Hogan has announced vetoes of measures the General Assembly presented to him last week, as well as some of the bills that were passed and will go into law without his signature. The legislature, which is controlled by Democrats, has until midnight Monday to override the Republican governor's vetoes. The General Assembly needs a three-fifths vote in both houses to override a veto. Here is a look at some of the bills that have been vetoed, as well as some that will take effect without Hogan's signature: PAID FAMILY LEAVE Hogan has vetoed a bill to create a…

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan vetoed a measure Friday that would expand access to abortion in the state by ending a restriction that only physicians can provide them and requiring most insurance plans to cover abortion care without cost. The Republican governor, who isn't ruling out a run for the White House in 2024 after his second term ends early next year, wrote that the bill “endangers the health and lives of women by allowing non-physicians to perform abortions.” “The bill risks lowering the high standard of reproductive health care services received by women in Maryland,” wrote Hogan, who has previously…

Route 220 near the WCI facility was shut down Friday night around 10 pm as crews worked to remove a fallen tree. No injuries reported. 

On Friday the Cumberland Police Departement served a Criminal Summons on Samantha Marie Phillips.  The Criminal Summons was issued for an incident that occurred in the 200 block of E. Industrial Blvd. in March 2022.  During that incident it was alleged that Phillips had assaulted another subject in the residence.  An application for charges was filed and the Criminal Summons was issued.   Samantha Marie Phillips, age 22, Cumberland, MD Charges: Assault 2nd degree, Trespass/private property     Warrant Served   Police  served an Allegany County District Court Bench Warrant on Jessica Lynn Miller.  The Bench Warrant was issued after Miller…

The Allegany County Health Department reports that there have been only 11 new cases of COVID-19 added to the state’s dashboard for Allegany County since April 1.  Allegany’s case rate has remained below the statewide average for more than two weeks now.    The health department continues to offer COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters to the public each Wednesday.  Youth vaccines (ages 5 to 11) are given from 3 to 4:30 p.m. on the main floor of the Willowbrook Office Complex (12501 Willowbrook Road, Cumberland, MD).  Vaccines for ages 12 and older are offered at the Allegany County Fairgrounds Multipurpose Building…

U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressmen David Trone, Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Anthony G. Brown, and Jamie B. Raskin (all D-Md.) announced $348,108,466 in federal funding for Maryland in fiscal year 2022 to strengthen public transit infrastructure across the state. The lawmakers helped secure this increased federal funding – which can be used to modernize aging infrastructure, upgrade vehicles, expand accessibility of transit stations, improve safety, address equity in transportation, and more – through the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).   “Every day, Marylanders rely on public transit to get where they need to go. Greater federal investment in public transit is essential to make…

A bill in Maryland to ban “ghost guns” will become law without Gov. Larry Hogan’s signature. Last month, Maryland lawmakers approved a measure banning the sale and possession of so-called ghost guns, which don’t have serial numbers and can be assembled from kits purchased online. WTOP reports that in a tweet Friday morning, Hogan said he was allowing the measure to go into effect, calling it a “positive step as we seek to stem the tide of violent crime — but it does nothing to penalize those who actually pull the trigger on firearms.”