Allegany County Board of Education Vice-President Robert Farrell tells WCBC News that he would not be in favor of allowing the student member of the board to have a vote. The issue surfaced following a recent meeting when the School Board was publicly criticized by student member Mitchell Septoff for taking action prior to his having been allowed to comment. Septoff told the board that students should be given more of a voice and more consideration prior to the board taking action. 15 of the state’s 24 school districts, plus the state education board, allow student members to have at least partial…

While there are a few jurisdictions in Maryland that don’t plan to follow Governor Larry Hogan’s recent lift of the outdoor mask mandates- Allegany County isn’t one of them. Commissioner David Caporale tells WCBC News that with the local COVID-19 numbers better than many of the state statistics- Allegany County is fully supportive of the governor’s action…  

It is becoming a regular site in and around Cumberland- an increasing number of “help-wanted” and “now hiring” signs are being posted, but businesses across the state – particularly restaurants – are having a hard time filling vacancies. WBAL reports the problem has gotten so bad that several hospitality groups wrote a letter to the state labor secretary asking for a change in unemployment benefits policy. The signs of an economic turnaround are posted everywhere, but many of the job opportunities are going unfilled. Business owners are blaming changes in the state's unemployment system, saying people are being paid not…

Again Monday, during his virtual COVID-19 briefing, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice hammered home his pleas for more young residents to get vaccinated. The governor called on older residents to implore younger family members to get vaccinated, suggesting that they tell younger folks that they have an obligation to get a shot.  More than 110,000 of the 380,000 people in the 16-35 year old age group have been vaccinated, Justice reported. Comparatively, 53% of the state’s eligible population has gotten at least one dose.  State efforts have switched from trying to get enough vaccines for the state to trying to…

With time running out for the Cumberland Mayor and City Council to find a new city administrator- that search is made even more challenging as a result of the city code that requires residency. The city council will decide at tonight’s meeting  whether or not to retain the services of a recruitment firm to conduct the search for the next city administrator. Administrator Jeff Rhodes is retiring at the end of this month. The initial process led to 24 applications being narrowed to four finalists- but not all of the council members were satisfied with the quality or experience of those…

This week, the Allegany County Health Department will move its main COVID-19 vaccination location from Rawlings to the Allegany County Fairgrounds.  The COVID vaccine clinics will be held inside the Multipurpose Building, while COVID testing will continue to be done as a drive-thru at the adjacent pavilion.  A walk-in COVID vaccination clinic will be available at the fairgrounds Friday, May 7 from 9 to noon and 1 to 3 p.m.  Both the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccines will be available at that clinic.   In addition to the fairgrounds location, the health department will be providing walk-in clinics…

U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Anthony Brown, Jamie Raskin and David Trone (all D-Md.) today announced that Maryland can extend its Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) nutrition and meals assistance program for eligible Maryland children through June 2021. From August 2020 and with the June extension, the State will issue an estimated $727 million in benefits to help families purchase food while schools are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, benefitting more than 530,000 students who have temporarily lost access to free or reduced-price meals at school – more…

Units are on the scene of an accident on Interstate 68 East at Clarysville. The left is blocked as a result. 

Governor Larry Hogan today announced that the State of Maryland will offer a $100 financial incentive to state employees who elect to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. “With this incentive program, we are further encouraging state employees to get vaccinated to help keep themselves, their families, and their communities healthy and safe,” said Governor Hogan. “Incentives like this are another way to reinforce the importance of getting vaccinated, and we strongly encourage businesses across the state to consider offering incentives to their workers as well. These vaccines are safe and effective, they’re free, and they’re readily available with or without an appointment.”…

The Office of the State Fire Marshal, in conjunction with the Combined County Criminal Investigations Unit (C3I), is continuing its investigation into the circumstances surrounding a house fire that claimed the life of a LaVale man. On Monday, May 3, 2021, just before 7:00 a.m., an Allegany County Department of Emergency Services paramedic observed heavy smoke in the vicinity behind D'Atri's Restaurant located on National Highway. He drove to the area, determined to be the 1100 block of Simpson Avenue, and observed heavy flames coming from the front of the home, and requested the fire department to respond. Firefighters from…