West Virginia Governor Jim Justice announced Friday that he is targeting June 20 to get rid of indoor face masks.  State medical experts project that by then, the state will have 65% of all West Virginians 12 and older who are eligible to take the vaccine will have at least a first dose by that time. Also by that date, state experts predict 75% of the population 50 and above will have had a first dose by that time. And also by that time, state experts predict 85% of those 65 and older will have a first dose by that…

For the week of May 3-7, 2021, ACPS reports one case of COVID-19 in a staff member, and two cases of COVID-19 in students who were within an Allegany County Public School.  These individuals will complete the required isolation period before returning to their school buildings. Close contacts at school were identified in all three of the cases. Those identified close contacts will complete a ten-day quarantine before returning to the school building. Parents were notified through the ACPS Blackboard notification system if there was a positive case in their child's school building or on their child's bus.    ACPS had four staff…

A ban on bare-chested women at the beach in Ocean City, Maryland, violates the Constitution's guarantee of equal protection and should be overturned, advocates argued to a federal appeals court.   The Washington Post reports  that the Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is reviewing a ruling last year that upheld Ocean City's ordinance barring women, but not men, from going topless at the beach to protect “public sensibilities.”   During oral arguments Wednesday, Chief Judge Roger Gregory expressed skepticism about Ocean City’s rationale for the measure. Gregory asked how many calls town officials received complaining about the possibility of…

Governor Larry Hogan today announced that over $6.5 million in state funding has been awarded to 33 strategic industry partnerships through the Employment Advancement Right Now (EARN) Maryland program. EARN Maryland is the state’s nationally-recognized workforce initiative that helps businesses cultivate the skilled workforce they need to compete while preparing Marylanders for meaningful careers. “As we continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical to keep investing in a well-trained, highly-skilled workforce in order to rebuild our economy and ensure a sustainable future,” said Governor Hogan, “Our state continues to be nationally-recognized for our programs on workforce development…

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan on Thursday announced a $25 million initiative aimed at helping school-age students recover from the pandemic's destructive effects on mental and emotional health. The initiative, called Project Bounce Back, will include the creation of six regional crisis teams that will help local school systems care for young people who are struggling. The project will also expand the reach of the Maryland Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs, Hogan said, with a focus on schools serving low-income populations and rural areas.  

It was announced last month that students, faculty and staff at a dozen Maryland universities including Frostburg State will be required to get a COVID-19 vaccination before attending classes on campus in the future- however many questions remain. University System of Maryland Chancellor Jay Perman issued the mandate in late April after consultation. Under the mandate, all eligible students, faculty, and staff who will be on USM campuses in the fall must be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. There will be exemptions for medical or religious reasons. Tom Hickey with the University System of Maryland Administration said that the initial feedback…

Maryland’s spending panel has approved funding for a memorial honoring five people killed at the Capital Gazette newspaper in 2018. The Board of Public Works approved a $300,000 grant this week to partially fund the Guardians of the 1st Amendment Memorial in Annapolis. Unstable soil at the site meant new soil had to be brought in and steel helical piles had to be installed. This added another $200,000 to the project’s cost, bringing the total to about a half million dollars. The memorial is still expected to be complete before the dedication on June 28, the three-year anniversary of the…

On March 7th Cumberland Firefighters Brayden Pennington and Nick Miller responded to a medical call from the Cumberland Arms apartment building at Baltimore and Liberty streets. Arriving at the scene the two men rescued Bonnie Friend and Timothy and Barbara Savage using a fire extinquisher to knock the blaze down. Residents of the high-rise were evacuated for about an hour until it was ventilated and cleared for the occupants to return. For their lifesaving efforts, Pennington and Miller were recently granted the Kenneth P. Schell Award, the highest service honor the department bestows. The award was presented by Chief Donnie Dunn in an informal ceremony….

Deputy State Fire Marshals are investigating an incident where a man was injured when a fuel tank exploded. The forty-five-year-old man sustained burns and traumatic injuries after he attempted to weld a 100-gallon portable fuel tank to the rear of a flatbed truck. Investigators determined vapors within the tank exploded, causing the victim to become engulfed in flames and throwing another employee, who was on the rear of the truck, to the ground. Fellow employees immediately came to the aid of both, discharging a portable fire extinguisher on the victim who was welding. The 11:47 a.m. incident occurred at Advantage…

Gov. Jim Justice announced today that the Summit Bechtel Reserve in southern West Virginia will host the 2021 Adventure On! Freedom Fest – a weekend of adventure and celebration of freedom – on Sept. 10-12, 2021. The Governor also announced that West Virginia’s renowned National Hunting and Fishing Days will also be held at the Summit the same weekend; along with several other outdoor adventure-related events that have been scheduled to coincide with the festival. Summit Events is teaming up with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources and GNCC Racing to launch the nation’s most unique adventure festival.