As per a directive from the Maryland State Department of Education, local school systems have until this Friday the 13th to submit 2021-2022 reopening plans. Last week the Allegany County Board of Education reviewed staff recommendations which essentially follow state guidance. The local board voted to tentatively support a plan that “strongly recommends” but does not require individuals who are not fully vaccinated to wear face coverings in indoor settings, and in outdoor settings when physical distancing cannot be maintained.  Although COVID cases have been on the rise in recent weeks, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said there are no plans…

The application process has closed and the recruiting firm hired to help select the next Cumberland City Administrator is expected to narrow the list of candidates in the near future.  Jeff Rhodes retired from the position at the end of June and since then the city’s director of administrative services, Ken Tressler, has been serving in an interim capacity. An in-house search was initially conducted and even though 24 applications were received- the list was largely viewed as lacking in the number of quality candidates the council had been hoping for. In May the council agreed to hire a firm…

The Senate passed a roughly $1 trillion infrastructure package with broad bipartisan support Tuesday, advancing a central piece of President Biden’s economic agenda that would amount to one of the most substantial federal investments in roads, bridges and rail in decades. The 69-30 vote tally was the result of a sizable number of lawmakers showing they were willing to set aside partisan pressures, eager to send billions to their states for rebuilding roads, broadband internet, water pipes and the public works systems that underpin much of American life. Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, said his home state will…

Governor Hogan today announced that Project Restore, the State of Maryland’s $25 million economic recovery initiative to support small businesses and revitalize vacant retail and commercial spaces, will begin accepting applications in early September. “The entire mission of our state government continues to be keeping Maryland open for business, and with this transformative Project Restore initiative we are jumpstarting the next phase of our economic recovery from COVID-19,” said Governor Hogan. “As we begin accepting applications, I encourage local businesses and developers to apply for these financial incentives and be part of our efforts to revitalize Main Streets and communities…

On Tuesday at approximately 9:30 a.m. a uniformed Cumberland Police Officer responded to the District Court Building in reference to a wanted subject being at the Parole and Probation Office.    Upon the officer’s arrival he made contact with the wanted individual who was identified as Jerry Lee Brown of Cumberland, MD.  The officer advised Mr. Brown that he had a warrant for his arrest.  Brown argued the facts of the warrant and told the officer that he did not have a warrant, that he got it taken care of.  As the officer was explaining the details of the warrant to…

According  to the Garrett County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation of an alleged rape in Swanton resulted in the arrest of a LaVale man Sunday. James Walter Booth IV, 31, was arrested on a warrant charging him with first- and second-degree rape, first- and second-degree assault, false imprisonment and theft. Following a bond hearing and bail review, Booth remained jailed without bond Tuesday at the Garrett County Detention Center. A preliminary or show-cause hearing is scheduled Sept. 8 in district court. The warrant was issued following an investigation at a Swanton residence on Lower White Oak Road by sheriff's office patrol…

The cause of a May 3 fire that claimed the life of 25-year-old Daryl Blank at his Simpson Avenue residence in LaVale will “most likely be left undetermined,” according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office. The fire occurred about 6:50 a.m. at 1104 Simpson Ave., where Blank lived in a second-floor apartment. The structure also housed an apartment on the first floor, but no occupants were home at the time of the incident. State fire investigators “cannot rule out discarded smoking materials as the cause” said Alkire, a senior deputy state fire marshal.

A couple of weeks ago, the COVID health metrics map in West Virginia showed all but one county in the green. Today, as the result of the Delta Variant, case numbers are on the rise, and officials are scrambling to get more people vaccinated. Dr. Clay Marsh had some sobering statistics for a news briefing that was covered by WCBC… Monday's map had some good news for our local area, as Mineral and Grant Counties remained in the green, with Hampshire, Hardy and Morgan Counties in the slightly elevated designation of yellow.

A big day for information at the West Virginia COVID-19 media briefing. After he displayed a map that showed many bordering states with high infection rates, WCBC asked Governor Jim Justice if he was considering travel restrictions or recommending quarantine measures for those visiting hot spots… As a followup, WCBC asked General Jim Hoyer if the state had concerns that the fast advance of the Delta Variant had the potential to overrun hospital resources in the Mountain State…

Another Mountain Maryland lawmaker is not running for re-election. District 1A Delegate Wendell Beitzel tells WCBC News that he is retiring at the end of his current term. Beitzel has represented Garrett County and Western Allegany County since 2006, when he won a five person Republican primary to replace George Edwards, who opted to run for the State Senate… Beitzel's retirement does not come as a surprise, as he told WCBC at PACE five years ago he was seriously considering not running in 2018.