On November 30th, 2021 the Cumberland Police served an arrest warrant on Glenn D. Cooper, age 57 of Ridgeley, WV.  Cooper was charged First Degree Assault, Second Degree Assault, Second Degree Burglary, Disturbing the Peace.  The arrest warrant stemmed from an incident that occurred on October 28th, 2021 on the 100 block of N. Mechanic St, Cumberland, MD.  Cooper was taken before the District Court Commissioner and was released on a $3,500 unsecured bond.  Arrested:  Glenn D. Cooper   Age: 57     Ridgeley, WV Charges:  First Degree Assault, Second Degree Assault, Second Degree Burglary, Disturbing the Peace.    On November, 30th, 2021…

On November 30th, 2021 officers with the Cumberland Police Department responded to a business parking lot in the 1000 block of W. Industrial Blvd for a report of an unconscious male in a vehicle.  As the initial responding officer approached the vehicle, he observed the male operator slumped over the wheel with the vehicle running.  The officer knocked on the window several times, in order wake the subject.  When the male subject, identified as Joshua Michael D’Atri, age 40, of Cumberland MD, woke, he accelerated his vehicle striking the officer’s marked Police vehicle.  The officer opened the driver’s door of…

Governor Larry Hogan is urging Marylanders to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as a new variant emerges across the globe. Hogan said he has been briefed by the state's COVID-19 Response Team regarding the new variant and said the state is closely monitoring it. The governor said that although Maryland has one of the most robust testing surveillance systems in the country to identify and track variants- as is the case with any variant, there is a level of  concern…

Residents on Cumberland’s West Side were without water service for much of the day Tuesday as crews worked to repair a 24 inch main in the area of Fayette and Washington Streets. Water line breaks unfortunately have become a regular occurrence as a result of Cumberland’s aging infrastructure. Mayor Ray Morriss tells WCBC News that the engineering department has a priority list that the city plans to tackle incrementally as soon as funding can be secured…

Canal Place executive director Dee Dee Ritchie provided a river park project update Tuesday- with the  goal remaining for a fall of 2022 groundbreaking. Plans for the river park will include docks, a whitewater river course, viewing area and trail along the Potomac River behind Canal Place. Preliminary costs estimate are in the $12 to $15 million range- with federal and state funds being pursued. Now that plans have been submitted for federal and state review- Ritchie says the next step will be to schedule a public hearing…

Getting in the holiday spirit, Comptroller Peter Franchot is kicking off the annual Shop Maryland and Save for the Holidays campaign. Comptroller Franchot has once again partnered with the MD|DC Credit Union Association to provide savings to members who shop locally and support Maryland small businesses…

Tourism along the 150-mile Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) drove over $121 million in economic impact in 2019, according to a year-long analysis by Pittsburgh-based consulting firm Fourth Economy. To determine the extent of tourism-related spending on the Great Allegheny Passage and to evaluate how the GAP and its visitors are viewed, Fourth Economy conducted 64 interviews with local stakeholders and surveyed 125 owners of trail-facing businesses, 784 GAP users, and 163 residents of trail towns – typically, small communities once dependent on coal, coke, paper, lumber, and manufacturing.  Its team estimated that GAP tourism generated over $74 million in direct…

The Tribune Democrat reports suspended Somerset County District Attorney Jeff Thomas' pay and benefits are now halted. Somerset County's salary board – in this case, the county's three commissioners and Treasurer Donna Matsko-Schmidt – took formal action on the change Tuesday, acknowledging the suspension as a move to comply with the recently state-approved ACT 88. The act prevents elected prosecutors from overseeing their offices without an active law license. In the same motion, the county salary board also formally acknowledged now-Acting District Attorney Molly Metzgar will earn Thomas' state-set wage – $185,000 per year to oversee the office. "What happens next…

Democrat Mike Rosenbaum announced Tuesday he is dropping out of the Maryland governor’s race. WBAL reports his decision narrows the field of Democratic candidates in the primary from nine to eight. Rosenbaum, who is a tech entrepreneur with a Baltimore-based business, said his campaign was launched around the vision that Maryland can do more to help more Marylanders achieve economic security. “I will continue to advocate for this vision, but at this time, I have concluded that a campaign for governor is not the most effective way forward in achieving the kind of change I believe is necessary for Maryland…

The Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration will temporarily close in early December as it upgrades it IT systems. Branch offices will close from the close of business Dec. 2 through 8:30 a.m. Dec. 6 as it deploys phase two of the agency’s IT modernization project known as Customer Connect. MDOT MVA’s eStore, appointment scheduler and 24-hour self-service kiosks also will be unavailable from 9 p.m. Dec. 2 through noon Dec. 5. All Vehicle Emissions Inspection Program (VEIP) stations and self-service VEIP kiosks will remain open and do not require an appointment for testing. MDOT MVA deployed the first phase…