A Maryland man has pleaded guilty to his role in a bid to victimize businesses and cause losses totaling more than $4 million through a stolen check scheme. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Maryland says in a news release that Oyekanmi Oworu, 35, of Hyattsville pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. According to his guilty plea, between February 2017 and July 2020, Oworu conspired with his co-defendant and others to get checks made out to legitimate businesses, then fraudulently register shell companies to obtain state business certificates in the identical or similar name…

State health officials confirmed three cases of the COVID-19 omicron variant in Maryland. The omicron variant's presence in Maryland was confirmed by the Maryland Department of Health Public Health Laboratory, in collaboration with partner laboratories. All three of the cases involve individuals from the Baltimore area – two cases are from the same household, including a vaccinated individual who recently traveled to South Africa and an unvaccinated person who was a close contact of that individual. One unrelated case involves a vaccinated individual with no known recent travel history. None of the three individuals are hospitalized. Comprehensive contact tracing efforts…

Robert A. Godfrey, Behavioral Health Therapist, UPMC Western Maryland, will serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Chamber in 2022.  James S. Crowder, Manager, External Affairs, FirstEnergy, will serve as the Chamber’s First Vice Chairman, Parika Andreassen, Owner, Hampton Inn Frostburg will serve as the Second Vice Chairwoman and Nicole R. Wigfield, Vice President Finance, Skypacket Networks, will serve as Past Chairwoman.                  Newly elected members to the board were Ahmad H. Ahmad, Assistant General Manager, Rocky Gap Casino Resort, Catie M. Brenneman, Program Coordinator, Healing Allegany, AHEC West, Marisa Bowen Miller, Senior Talent Acquisition…

Today, U.S. Congressman David Trone and U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (all D-Md.) announced $1,202,449 in new American Rescue Plan funding for the Hagerstown Regional Airport ($1,143,449) and the Frederick Municipal Airport ($59,000). The federal relief funds will be used to cover costs of operations, personnel, cleaning, sanitization, janitorial services, debt service payments, and to prevent the spread of pathogens at the airport amid the COVID-19 pandemic.   “Investing in our airports supports our local economies and helps drive business in the region,” said the lawmakers. “That’s why we fought to pass the American Rescue Plan and…

Weekly COVID Update: For the 9-day period of November 24 – December 2, 2021, there were no schools identified with a School Wide COVID-19 Outbreak.    Northeast Elementary School, West Side Elementary School, and Washington Middle School each had one cohort that met the definition of a cohort outbreak.   ACPS had eight staff members and 54 students reported as positive for COVID-19 during this time, and one staff member and 128 students were identified as a close contact to a positive person and required to be quarantined.  

The Cumberland Times News reports a Hardy County man was arrested late Thursday after leading police in two states on a lengthy chase that ended when officers shot and disabled his vehicle on U.S. Route 220 in Moorefield. Matthew Kline, 48, of Moorefield, was being held Friday in the Potomac Highlands Regional Jail in Augusta on numerous charges, including possession of a .380-caliber handgun, which he allegedly waved at pursuing officers. The chase reportedly started in Rockingham County, Virginia, after police learned Kline was operating a stolen vehicle and was wanted on an outstanding felony warrant in Hardy County, according to…

Monday, December 6, 2021, will be a 3-HOUR DELAYED OPENING for students to allow for supervisor staff development and teacher work time. Please note that this is a change from the original calendar that was approved by the school board at their November meeting. 

Gov. Jim Justice and First Lady Cathy Justice are encouraging all West Virginians to watch the annual Joyful Night celebration on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021, at 7 p.m. The festive evening will feature many beloved holiday traditions and several captivating performances by West Virginians from near and far to ring in the holiday season.  This year’s program will again be virtual. The celebration will be broadcast statewide on the West Virginia Channel.

On Wednesday, December 1, 2021 at approximately 10:16 PM, officers of the Cumberland Police Department responded to a Lafayette Street residence for an assault.  Upon their arrival, they contacted the suspect, Robert Kyle Miller, standing outside.  Officers then contacted the victim who reported that Miller entered her residence, grabbed her by the throat and began to strangle her.  The victim advised that she was then slammed to the floor and Miller began to stomp on her head with his foot.  Miller then ran out of the residence.  The victim sustained injuries to face and neck area. After further investigation, Miller…

UPMC clinical leaders on Thursday announced the preliminary results of the first ever clinical study comparing methods to administer COVID-19 treatment during a surge in cases, discussed plans to analyze the effectiveness of vaccines and treatments against the Omicron COVID-19 variant, and shared safety measures to take during the holiday season. Dr Donald Yealy, chief medical officer overseeing the entire system including UPMC Western Maryland, says that the number of beds available and staffing shortages are issues of concern heading into the winter season. He says that while there are more questions than answers about the Omicron variant at this…