13,612 unemployment claims were filed in Maryland last week, an increase of more than 2,000 from the previous week, according to the state labor department.  Many Maryland businesses are hiring but are having issues finding employees, partially due to covid-19 and partially due to people opting to stay on unemployment, according to Governor Larry Hogan. “It’s not just anecdotal, I mean there’s no question there are some people that have made the decision to stay home and to collect unemployment rather than returning to work,” Hogan said during a press conference Wednesday. Nationally, unemployment numbers have dropped to a pandemic-era low.  

In order to continue to facilitate vaccination efforts in Allegany County and to better serve the community, UPMC Western Maryland is pleased to partner with the Allegany County Health Department to announce an upcoming Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination clinic to be held Friday, May 21, from noon until 6 p.m. in the hospital auditorium.      All Individuals age 12 and older are eligible for the Pfizer vaccine, and this clinic will administer the first dose. Please note, individuals under the age of 18 must have a parent present to sign a consent form.     Those interested can register for an appointment…

The Office of the State’s Attorney for Allegany County, James F. Elliott, State’s Attorney, along with the Allegany County Narcotics Task Force, announced, John James Howard, Baltimore, Maryland pled guilty to, CDS distribution large amount of heroin, CDS distribution large amount of fentanyl and distribution of heroin in the Circuit Court for Allegany County, Maryland.  After pleading guilty, the Honorable Jeffrey S. Getty, Circuit Court Judge for Allegany County, sentenced Howard to 55 years in the Maryland Department of Correction. All but 30 years of the sentence was suspended, with the first 10 years of the sentence being mandatory minimum,…

The Cumberland Police Department is investigating the damages to a public restroom at Constitution Park.  Significant damages were found in the early morning hours of May 8th, 2021 by police.  Anyone with information about who may be responsible are urged to contact the Cumberland Police Department at (301) 777-1600.  Callers can remain anonymous.

After contradicting Donald Trump's unproven claim of a stolen election, Rep. Liz Cheney was voted from her position as the No. 3 GOP leader Wednesday morning. “If you want leaders who will enable and spread his destructive lies, I’m not your person,” Cheney reportedly told her colleagues before they voted in under 20 minutes, according to the Associated Press. “You have plenty of others to choose from. That will be their legacy.” One of her colleagues who supported the removal is Maryland's 1st congressional district Rep. Andy Harris "Like I did in February, today I supported the removal of Liz Cheney as our Conference Chair,"…

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice says he’s aware that existing unemployment benefit eligibility rules are allowing some to stay at home and collect money rather than return to work…

The Cumberland Economic Development Corporation is moving forward with plans for an updated economic development strategic proposal from the consulting firm that created the original base plan adopted by the city in 2014. RKG Associates of Alexandria, Virginia developed the original comprehensive plan for Cumberland in 2014. The plan provided a roadmap for creating the nonprofit Cumberland Economic Development Corp. It also identified opportunity zones in the city including Maryland Avenue and the Rolling Mill area, the Willowbrook Road corridor, the site of the former Memorial Hospital, the Canal Place property, and the Cumberland Shopping Plaza along Queen City Drive extending south…

The president and CEO of the Restaurant Association of Maryland says he is both optimistic and concerned about restaurant recovery from the pandemic in the state. Marshall Weston acknowledged that boosted unemployment benefits are hampering efforts to rehire industry workers who were let go during the height of the pandemic, but he also said there are other factors contributing to the labor shortage… Speaking with WBAL, Weston backed off his projection from last year that 40% of Maryland restaurants would go out of business. He now estimates about 20% of restaurants will close permanently.

As a result of the state’s rapid pace of COVID-19 vaccinations and subsequent declines in key health metrics, Governor Larry Hogan today announced the lifting of all capacity restrictions on outdoor entertainment, art, and sports venues and indoor entertainment venues and conventions, and all remaining restrictions on indoor and outdoor dining, as of Saturday, May 15. The governor also announced that the state’s indoor mask mandate will be lifted as soon as 70% of adults receive at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.  “Here in Maryland, our plan is to get everything back to normal by Memorial Day,” said…

UPMC Western Maryland is pleased to announce the expansion and transition of services offered at its Hunt Club location in Short Gap, W.Va. Beginning July 1, 2021, walk-in and appointment-based primary care will begin operation at Hunt Club, and urgent care services will no longer be offered. Jeremy Steward, FNP, is now accepting patients, and those interested should call 240-964-8921 for an appointment. The clinic will be open Tuesday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. and the option for walk-in primary care is the first of its kind for a UPMC Western Maryland clinic. This new, walk-in service…