There will be a vaccine kick-off event targeting high school students on Wednesday, May 19, 2021, at Greenway Avenue Stadium. The clinic will be held from 1-6 p.m. Parents can register their child using the link that was provided by their child's school. This clinic will be by appointment only and will be available to the first 100 people who register.  Any student under the age of 18 will need a parent or legal guardian to accompany them to the clinic.  Families with youth as young as 12 years old can be accommodated as appointments are available. Parking for the clinic…

Mountain Laurel Medical Center, a federally qualified health center, this morning unveilsd a new community outreach van. The van will be utilized in Allegany and Garrett Counties, as well as neighboring counties in West Virginia and Pennsylvania.  It will be used to do health assessments, and staff will be able to put residents in touch with community services. Mountain Laurel has facilities in Westernport, Grantsville and Oakland.

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic essentially shut down the state- Maryland Governor Larry Hogan is scheduled to visit Cumberland. While full details of the governor’s itinerary are still being finalized- it has been confirmed that he will be making a stop at a planned youth COVID-19 vaccination clinic to be held at Greenway Avenue Stadium this coming Wednesday, May 19th..  The youth vaccination clinic is being coordinated through the Allegany County Health Department.

On Friday an officer from the Cumberland Police Department responded to a business in the 700 block of Greene Street for a destruction of property complaint. When the officer arrived on the scene she learned that several thousands of dollars in damage had been done to the plant/flower inventory and real property of the business owner. Currently, the police department is seeking assistance from the public with this matter.  If anyone observed anything suspicious in the 700 block Greene Street during the overnight hours of 05/13/21-05/14-21 they are asked to contact the Cumberland Police Department at 301-777-1600 or http://www.facebook.com/CumberlandPD  A confidential tip can be submitted to the Allegany-Mineral…

On Thursday, May 13th, 2021, the Cumberland City Police arrested Marley Zaire Powell, 27, of Cumberland MD. Powell was contacted at a Maryland Ave residence on this date and found to be wanted on five separate arrest warrants. The charges of each were as follows: -Circuit Court Bench Warrant for failing to appear in court on 4/6/21 on a previous charge of felony 1st Degree Assault. – Circuit Court Bench Warrant for failing to appear in court on 4/20/21 on a  previous charge of felony 2nd Degree Burglary. -District Court Bench Warrant for failing to appear in court on 4/12/21…

Dunkin’ Donuts has confirmed the company will open a site later this year in the LaVale Plaza on National Highway, at the former location of First Peoples Community Federal Credit Union. A spokesperson told the Cumberland Times-News the new store would employ 20-25 people and be one of the franchise’s Next Generation stores. Features of Next Gen stores typically involve a dedicated pick-up area for mobile orders, innovative tap systems for cold beverages and energy-efficient buildings.  

Faced with a utilities budget deficit of more than $325,000- county residents could be hit with a 9% water and sewer rate hike beginning July 1. In the midst of finalizing the FY 2022 budget, county officials received water and sewer rate recommendations from the county’s Sanitary Commission during Thursday’s public meeting. Adam Patterson is the county’s director of public works and he detailed what the proposed increase will mean for the average customer…

For a second consecutive meeting of the Allegany County Board of Education student member Mitchell Septoff advocated for expanding the role of that position. Septoff, an Allegany High School senior, said that he is not seeking a vast overhaul- but rather just a few changes that would lead to students having more of a voice when it comes to matters handled by the board. His proposals included moving the student board member comments from the end to the beginning of the meeting; being permitted to sit in on executive sessions; and most importantly to be considered at least for a…

With a survey response rate of nearly 50%- the Cumberland Downtown Development Commission will now begin to review input received from business owners. A series of questions related to the COVID-19 pandemic; and the pending redesign of the mall  were recently emailed to businesses in the downtown area-  and DDC executive director Melinda Kelleher reports that 47% replied. One of the questions asked business owners to identify the biggest challenges they have been dealing with…

When all of the data from the latest Census report is released-  the numbers are  expected to show population declines in  both Allegany and Garrett counties. Delegate Jason Buckel told local business leaders Thursday that those statistics are a concern-  and need to be the single biggest priority moving forward for the “Task Force on the Economic Future of Western Maryland”. The task force, which was appointed in 2020, began as  a response to the slow rate of economic growth in Maryland’s western panhandle, especially when compared to the rest of the state.  Addressing the Allegany County Chamber of Commerce…