Allegany County Commissioner Jake Shade has requested Maryland’s Superintendent of Schools to return authority on masks mandates to the local board of education. In a letter, read by Shade during Thursday’s public commissioners meeting, he tells Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury that statewide mandates and arbitrary quarantine rules are creating a school year that is “anything but normal”. He urged the superintendent to stop shifting the “goalpost” and to establish a transparent timeline for masks and other COVID related matters. In talking with WCBC News following the meeting, Shade said he hopes the superintendent presents a more clearly defined strategy when the…

The CDC formally this week authorized the use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in children ages five to eleven, opening vaccination to roughly 4,000 Allegany County schoolchildren.  On the heels of that decision, the Allegany County Health Department has announced that it is partnering with Allegany County Public Schools (ACPS) to offer after-school vaccination clinics at various schools throughout the county.  Registration information for those pediatric clinics has been sent to parents through local public and private schools.  Maryland Health Secretary Dennis Schrader…

Tens of millions of Americans who work at companies with 100 or more employees will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 4 or get tested for the virus weekly under government rules issued Thursday. The new requirements will apply to about 84 million workers at medium and large businesses. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations will force the companies to require that unvaccinated workers test negative for COVID-19 at least once a week and wear a mask while in the workplace. The largest employers in Allegany County include: UPMC Western Maryland; Frostburg State University;  CSX Transportation; Hunter…

The Allegany County Commissioners have sent a letter to Governor Larry Hogan asking him to intervene to ensure that local governments receive a fair share of the state’s recent opioid deal. In total, the commissioners request “a division of the income that gives 85% to the localities and 15% to the state”- essentially reversing what Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh is recommending.  Frosh wants the balk of the settlement to go to the state- and has proposed  the state the determine allocations to counties and municipalities. Bruce Poole, a Hagerstown based attorney, represented Allegany County as well as Cumberland and…

WBAL reports a tree from one town in Cecil County will be on one of the world's biggest stages this holiday season. For the first time, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree will come from Maryland.  A family from Elkton is donating its 79-foot, 12-ton Norway spruce for the display that millions visit every holiday season. The tree will be cut down Nov. 11 and will arrive in New York City on Nov. 13. The tree will be lit with 50,000 multicolored energy-efficient led lights, along with a Swarovski crystal star. The tree will be lit on Dec. 1st

— West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced his office will feature the Frankfort vs. Keyser gridiron matchup as an Opioid Abuse Prevention Game of the Week.   Throughout each week, the initiative engages with student athletes, coaches, school officials and communities across West Virginia. Representatives from the Attorney General’s Office inform the respective coaches as to the dangers of opioid use and provide educational material for display and distribution in the schools to foster more discussion of the issue.   The week culminates with the Attorney General’s Office staffing an information booth at each of the select sporting events to…

On Tuesday, November 2, 2021 at approximately 8:00 p.m., the Cumberland Police Department responded to St. Patrick’s Church located at 201 N. Centre Street in reference to a Destruction of Property complaint.  Upon officers’ arrival contact was made with the complainant who advised an unknown suspect had broken into a glass display case which is located in the alley beside the church.  The unknown suspect removed a statue and destroyed it by throwing it on the ground.  Estimated damages are at $250.00.   The Cumberland Police Department is requesting help with solving this crime.  Anyone with information is asked to…

On November 3rd,  officers of the Cumberland Police Department served an Arrest Warrant on Patrick Thomas Beeman. Beeman was wanted in West Virginia and was subsequently placed under arrest. Beeman was taken before a District Court Commissioner where he was held without bond pending his extradition to West Virginia.   Arrest: Patrick Thomas Beeman, age 45, Ridgeley West Virginia. Charges: Fugitive from Justice.   On November 3rd, 2021 officers of the Cumberland Police Department served an Arrest Warrant on Deserai Aliase Burns. The Arrest Warrant was issued by the District Court when she failed to appear for her trial on…

West Virginia officials have begun the process of distributing the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11. Late Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed the recommendation for the vaccine made earlier in the day by its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Governor Jim Justice and his leadership team were joined at his COVID-19 press briefing by Dr. Jessica McColley with the Cabin Creek Health System, who administered the vaccine live to 7-and-a-half-year-old Jacob Thomas. The governor thanked the young man for demonstrating how safe and easy the process is…

Another month and another break in the water line in the Decatur Heights neighborhood- this one reported Monday. The good news is that earlier this year the city secured a federal grant of $300,000 to begin the process of replacing the 24 inch main. The project will cover a total of 4,300 linear feet on the East Side- including Baltimore Street and the Cumberland Plaza areas of the city- and will improve water service to 29 businesses and 111 households.  The water main runs from Baltimore Avenue northwest beneath Decatur Street, under Frederick and Bedford streets to Independence Street.  The…