On Friday, November 21, 2025, the Allegany County Sheriff’s Office, in partnership with Maryland Department of Corrections Warrant Unit, Maryland State Police – Barrack C, and Homeland Security combined resources to conduct a comprehensive warrant sweep for 44 active warrants. As a result, the following individuals were apprehended. Russell Joseph Owens, 37 of Cumberland, was arrested on a Circuit Court warrant for Violation of Probation. His original conviction was for Conspiracy: CDS: Possession with Intent to Distribute: Narcotics where he appeared before Judge Michael Twigg and received an 8-year jail sentence with all but 23 days suspended along with 3…

Robert M. Harvey, 49, a registered sex offender, was sentenced to the statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for possession of child pornography. According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 29, 2022, Harvey was at Dismas Charities Inc., a residential reentry facility in St. Albans, when facility staff found Harvey in possession of a cell phone. Harvey was not allowed to possess a cell phone without the approval of his probation officer, and any cell phone he possessed was subject to search and seizure. Law enforcement analyzed Harvey’s cell phone and found it contained…

It’s probably the biggest shopping weekend of the year – Black Friday, followed by Small Business Saturday and then Cyber Monday.  Shoppers are quickly ticking off their holiday lists, but some could possibly lose their money to scammers who appear legitimate. Juliana O’Rork with the Better Business Bureau said fraudsters are spoofing retailer emails…     “Scammers might pretend to be a retail store, somewhere that you shop frequently and send these emails out basically saying if you provide them with some personal information, they’ll give you a free gift card.”

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is warning consumers to stop using lithium-ion batteries for Rad Power Bikes e-bikes, model numbers RP-1304 and HL-RPS1304, because the batteries pose a risk of injury and death. The batteries can unexpectedly ignite and explode, especially when the battery or the harness has been exposed to water and debris. There have been 31 reports of fire, with damage totaling over $700,000. Some incidents occurred when the battery was not charging, not in use, and in storage.

A new report by the Medill School of Journalism shows more than 3,000 newspapers have shuttered in the last 20 years. Maryland has lost over 70% of its local newspapers, more than any other state.  While communities can get news from larger, regional newsrooms, Tim Franklin with the Medill explains print coverage at the local level often goes under-reported…     "What they’re losing is the loss of local community institutions: local governments, local schools, local businesses, things like school sports coverage and coverage of events in the community, or business openings and ribbon cuttings in those communities. But they’re…

West Virginia University President Michael Benson announced Dr. Patrick Lee Miller from Duquesne University as WVU’s first director of the Washington Center for Civics, Culture, and Statesmanship.  The center was established earlier this year with a mission to teach students to think critically about the nation’s foundational principles, and Dr. Miller says he will do so by teaching how the nation got to where it is today…     “My ultimate goal is to train the future leaders of this state and of this country—leaders who will not only understand this crisis but will have realistic plans to solve it.”

Preachers to Coal Miners in West Virginia and independent churches were central to the unionization of miners in the 1930s during the periods of violence between mine owners and miners over working conditions and wages.  Richard Callahan, associate professor of religious studies, says religion’s connection to the labor struggle is evident in everything from union meetings in churches to prayer on picket lines…     “Religion is not on one side or another, so to speak. But people turn to religion and use religion to navigate change, to find purpose and meaning, and as a resource for identity and community."

On Thursday, November 27, 2025, Officers of the Cumberland Police Department served a bench warrant and a criminal summons on Seth Michael. The warrant was issued as a result of Michael failing to appear in court on November 21, 2025. The summons was issued as a result of an incident that occurred on November 20, 2025, at a local regional medical center. It is alleged that Michael destroyed property of the medical center before being trespassed. Michael was placed under arrest for the warrant and later served with the summons. He was then transported to the Allegany County Detention Center,…

There are concerns that this flu season … the flu vaccine won't be as effective as it has in years past. Here's ABC News Medical Correspondent Doctor Darien Sutton…     “It seems that this strain was created after the flu vaccine that we're using was manufactured. That creates a problem that we call in science a mismatch. And that creates concern that this strain might be better able to evade our immune response and reduce the effectiveness of our current flu vaccines.”

The Hands of Hope Toy Drive will be setup in front of Walmart in LaVale on Saturday starting at noon to collect toys for the Children’s hospital in D.C.  Rocky Stafford of Hands of Hope says $5 Walmart gift cards are also acceptable.  Last year, Stafford added that $4,000 worth of toys and gift cards were collected…    “We’ll be up their Saturday the 29th, from 12-4 and we’ll have characters.  We’ll have Santa Clause you can get pictures with and we’ll have Spiderman, Woody, Olaf, the Grinch and we have giveaways from the hospital.”