The Administration Building at the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind in Romney was destroyed by fire Saturday morning. The initial call came at 6:09 AM, and the historic structure was fully involved quickly. Firemen from Hampshire, Mineral, Hardy, Grant, Allegany and Frederick County, Virginia responded to either battle the blaze, or cover for fire departments who were on the scene. Route 50 was closed for several hours and the cause is under investigation. Authorities report that an ambulance had passed by the campus about five minutes prior and there was no sign of the inferno that was…

Disorderly Conduct / Theft Arrest On February 26th, 2022 officers of the Cumberland Police Department responded to a Queen City Drive business for a reported theft. Upon officers arrival spoke with an employee who directed them to Joshua Wright, who was nearby the store, and advised that he had taken items from the store without paying. Officers located Wright who was acting in a disorderly manner, and drawing the attention of patrons. Wright was placed under arrest and was later released on a Criminal Citation pending his trial at District Court. Arrest: Joshua Scott Wright, age 29, Cumberland Maryland. Charges:…

Photo from Romney Fire Company Facebook page Shortly after 6 AM Saturday morning, crews were dispatched for a fire at the Administration Building, 301 E. Main Street. Crews from Hampshire, Mineral, Hardy, Grant, Allegany (MD), and Frederick (VA) were called to the scene or were filling stations as a result of this incident. Over 100 firefighters from 14 departments operated on scene. 3 additional departments covered fill assignments. Romney Fire Company gave special thanks to McDonald’s, Subway, Sheetz, Dominos, Italian Touch, 7-11, and all of the private citizens that provided food and drinks for the firefighters. The cause of the…

Cumberland City Administrator Jeff Silka will make a recommendation on the location of a proposed skate park during Tuesday's work session. Also on the work session agenda is a closed door discussion concerning the proposed acquisition of some city owned property by the Cumberland Economic Development Corporation.   Two years ago, one of the last events before pandemic restrictions were enforced was the Hooley Pub Crawl. Tuesday evening, Cumberland City Council is expected to approve a permit for open containers of alcohol within a defined area of the downtown mall from noon March 12 until 2 AM on March 13….

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of February 25, 2022, there are currently 3,339 active COVID-19 cases statewide. There have been 20 deaths reported since the last report, with a total of 6,308 deaths attributed to COVID-19. DHHR has confirmed the deaths of an 83-year old female from Putnam County, an 88-year old male from Hampshire County, a 66-year old female from Mingo County, an 82-year old male from Logan County, a 70-year old male from Wood County, a 92-year old female from Mingo County, an 80-year old male from Fayette County, a 73-year…

The Independent Investigations Division (IID) of the Office of the Attorney General is investigating a fatal crash following a traffic stop and police pursuit that occurred Saturday morning in Montgomery County. At approximately 1:30 a.m., a Montgomery County police officer observed a car commit a traffic violation in the area of Rockville Pike and Nicholson Lane in North Bethesda. The officer conducted a traffic stop on the car and while he was at the car, the driver drove away. The officer pursued the car. During the pursuit, the driver lost control of the car and crashed in the 3600 block…

On Friday an officer of the Cumberland Police Department observed a vehicle traveling in the center of the roadway on Greene Street. The officer conducted a traffic stop and contacted the operator, Matthew Alexander. The officer observed signs of impairment and requested Alexander to perform standardized field sobriety tests, which he agreed. After the performance of the tests, the officer observed further evidence of impairment and placed Alexander under arrest. Alexander was later released on citations pending his trial at District Court. Arrest: Matthew Douglas Alexander, age 50, Cumberland Maryland.   Charges: Driving Under the Influence Related Citations.

Allegany County Emergency Services reports a water main break on Church Street in Westernport. Crews responded to the scene Friday night.

An early morning fire reported on the campus of the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind in Romney. According to reports the fire in the administration building of the Main Street school posed no threat to students.  The Cumberland Times News reports the  building also houses the superintendent's residence and school archives. The fire, reported shortly after 6 a.m., engulfed the building shortly thereafter. A porch and wall of the building have collapsed

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) outlined new metrics on Friday which emphasize not only case rates in a community but also hospital capacity in determining whether an area has a high, medium, or low COVID-19 Community Level.  Different prevention steps are recommended based on an area’s COVID-19 Community Level.  More than 70% of the U.S. population now falls in the low or medium classification.  Currently, Allegany County is the only county in Maryland classified at a high COVID-19 community level.  Garrett, Washington, Wicomoco, Somerset, and Worcester Counties are in the medium classification, while the remainder of the…