Senator Chris Van Hollen released a video statement Thursday afternoon on his intentions surrounding legislation to prevent a government shutdown. The Senator said a bill needs passed that will represent the best of the American people, not benefit specific classes…     “I don't want a government shutdown. And that's why I'd like to vote on a bill to keep the government open for 30 days while we have a bipartisan negotiation. But I will not support this Republican House bill that simply gives Elon Musk more fuel and more tools to dismantle big parts of the federal government in…

A bill that could set up a possible new transmission line through Allegany and Garrett Counties is going to a Third Reader in the Maryland Senate. Senate Bill 399’s wording has preliminary approvals from the Department of Natural Resources and the Maryland Farm Bureau.  The main concern from constituents has been its effect on wildlands. Senator Brian Feldman said the bill includes replacing any wildlands that may be used and clarified what the bill does not do…     “The bill does not approve the line of transmission on that route, does not put any thumb on the scale for…

Congresswoman April McClain Delaney defended the National Park Service who will reportedly see up to a 30% cut to their payroll by the Trump Administration in coming weeks.  Delaney said the National Park Service maintains the country’s beauty and has generated tens of billions of dollars for local economies…     “My district is the sixth district in Maryland, and we’re home to seven national parks, including Antietam and the C&O Canal which has over four million visitors annually.  This supports thousands of jobs, hotels, and restaurants.”

Thursday was the final day for a survey released by the Allegany County Board of Education for public input on the search for a new county school superintendent.  The survey sought to uncover which characteristics and background the community is looking for in the position.  Board of Education President Crystal Bender said the Maryland Boards of Education will give the school board the findings…     “We will wait for the committee that we’re working with to kind of get the results tallied, and we’ll go from there.  It’s just gathering the results. I think it’s more feedback for the…

A full moon lunar eclipse will be visible overnight Thursday into early Friday.  This is when the Earth passes between the sun and the moon and casts a shadow on the moon.  While the eclipse gets underway around 1 a.m., the moon won't appear red until 2:30-3:30 a.m. 

The University of Pittsburgh has informed its employees that a hiring freeze is in place.  The freeze impacts all campuses, including UPJ in Johnstown.

A crash involving three passenger trucks on I-81 Wednesday afternoon in Martinsburg claimed two lives and injured two others. State police troopers along with other law enforcement and Berkeley County emergency services responded to the crash just after 4:30 Wednesday afternoon on the southbound lanes of the interstate near the Inwood exit. The investigation revealed a Dodge truck driven by Steven Souders, 64, of Warfordsburg, Pennsylvania was traveling north when that vehicle crossed the median and entered the southbound lanes, striking a Dodge truck driven by David Cain,59, of Kernersville, North Carolina.  The vehicle operated by Souders continued and struck a…

Plans for privately funded murals at the front and side of Awesome Gifts and Collectibles on Baltimore Street were presented Wednesday at a joint meeting of the Historic Preservation and Cumberland Arts Commissions. Throughout the meeting, not the art itself but the abilities and charater of the artist, Elijah Thane, were challenged, leading Awesome Gifts owner Jim Weir to address the commission… "I was under the understanding that we were coming here to decide about putting mural on a buildling – not his character, not my character, not your character. What's all this about?"

On Wednesday, March 12th, 2025, the Cumberland Police Department arrested Maranda Chere Pearson, 27, of Cumberland MD. Pearson was arrested on an active Bench Warrant issued by the Allegany County District Court on February 19th, 2025. The warrant alleges Pearson failed to comply with an order of the court that stemmed from a previous theft charge. She was taken before a District Court Commissioner for an Initial Appearance where she was remanded to the Allegany County Detention Center. She is currently being held without bond. At the time of her arrest, Pearson was also found to be in possession of…

Maryland’s sports wagering market completed its ninth-best month in February, generating over $6 million dollars in tax revenue to the state. The first 8 months of tax collections for FY2025 has surpassed the total of 2024 collections. Sports bettors in Maryland wagered $475.7 million dollars in bets in February and won $415.7 million dollars. The state had 11 mobile sports books and 13 retail locations operating in February. Tax revenues from wagers go to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Education Fund.