COVID-19 seems under control in the local Federal correctional facilities. FCI Cumberland, at Mexico Farms, is reporting four staff cases and zero inmate cases in the latest report. In Hazelton, between the two prisons there are two staff cases and two inmate cases. Across the country, 70 federal prisons are making intense modifications. State prisons in our area are part of a report from the Maryland Department of Safety and Correctional Services. In the latest report, Western Correctional Institution reports 15 staff and 6 inmates with COVID-19. North Branch Correctional Institution is reporting 10 staff cases, and zero imates testing…

The Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) charged numerous individuals in November for conservation law violations including striped bass poaching and illegal deer hunting.  A Pennsylvania man faces charges after police say he falsely obtained a hunting license and committed other deer hunting violations. On Nov. 27, officers were checking a Baltimore County property for illegal hunting activity when they observed an all-terrain vehicle ridden by two armed individuals wearing camouflage. Police spoke with one passenger, identified as Christopher Gunter Jr., and conducted a weapon safety check. Officers said Gunter was using an illegal caliber rifle. When police asked Gunter for his identification,…

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of December 10, 2021, there are currently 9,037 active COVID-19 cases statewide. There have been 30 deaths reported since the last report, with a total of 5,085 deaths attributed to COVID-19.   DHHR has confirmed the deaths of a 61-year old male from Nicholas County, a 70-year old female from Preston County, a 75-year old male from Berkeley County, an 82-year old female from Ohio County, a 71-year old female from Jackson County, a 94-year old female from Ohio County, a 72-year old male from Mason County, a…

On Friday,  at approximately 3:49 PM, officers of the Cumberland Police Department responded to a S. Allegany Street residence for an assault.  Upon their arrival, it was reported that a child had been assaulted by the suspect, Keith Trussell.  After further investigation, Trussell was placed under arrest and transported to the police station for processing.  Trussell was held without bond.   ARRESTED:  Keith A. Trussell      AGE:  44         Cumberland, MD CHARGES:  Child Abuse-2nd Degree-Custodian, Child Abuse-2nd Degree-House, Assault-2nd Degree, Reckless Endangerment

The Allegany County Health Department will hold a COVID-19 vaccination clinic for youth ages five to eleven on the ground floor of the Willowbrook Office Complex from 3 – 5 p.m. December 15.  Appointments are required, and the child’s parent or legal guardian must come with them to the appointment.  Appointments can be scheduled by going online to https://www.marylandvax.org/appointment/en/reg/2869370621.  The WOC building is located directly across the street from UPMC Western Maryland, at 12501 Willowbrook Road, Cumberland, MD.   The Allegany County Health Department continues to offer the following COVID-19 vaccinations on a walk-in basis every Wednesday from 9 a.m….

Starting in January 2022, all regular status employees at the University System of Maryland (USM) will be paid at least $15 after the Board of Regents passed a measure ensuring the pay bump. USM Chancellor Jay Perman thanked the board for its efforts on Friday, saying, “It’s the right thing to do for our employees and their families. It’s the right thing to do for our Maryland communities, where our employees spend their money and support local businesses and jobs.” Perman said the university system will be studying how the minimum wage bump affects employees currently earning more than $15…

Preliminary data indicates West Virginia hunters harvested 42,674 antlered deer during the two-week firearm season from Nov. 22 to Dec. 5. The harvest is a 10 percent increase over the 2020 harvest of 38,785 bucks. Only the north central portion of the state had a decline, while all other areas of the state registered increases. The southeastern and southwestern areas of the state had the largest increases from the 2020 harvest at 31 percent and 20 percent, respectively. The top 10 counties for the 2021 buck harvest included Hampshire and Hardy.  Several days of deer hunting opportunities remain for 2021,…

Maryland child care advocates told the comptroller’s workgroup examining pandemic stimulus spending that although the additional money has been critical in stabilizing their industry, they are still operating “razor-thin margins,” struggling to find qualified workers and want to receive aid faster. Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot (D) called the state’s child care shortage and ongoing struggle to stay open the “worst example of government failure.” “Child care is something that is connected to the overall economic prosperity of the state…we have to have child care,” he said. WTOP reports since the pandemic hit the state in March 2020, Maryland has lost…

WEEKLY COVID UPDATE: For the 7-day period of December 3-9, 2021, there were no schools identified with a School Wide COVID-19 Outbreak or classroom/cohort outbreak. ACPS had six staff members and 51 students reported as positive for COVID-19 during this time, and three staff members and 89 students were identified as a close contact to a positive person and required to be quarantined.

As the state surpassed 1,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations today, Governor Larry Hogan announced a series of actions to ensure hospitals are prepared for current and future surges due to the convergence of the flu, and the Delta and Omicron variants. “Maryland has begun to see an uptick in our key health metrics, and we are increasingly concerned by the sharp rise in hospitalizations, which have doubled over the last three weeks,” said Governor Hogan. “State health officials are taking these additional actions as we continue to use every tool at our disposal to help Maryland hospitals have the resources they need…