Maryland Governor Larry Hogan last week signed a proclamation that officials say will help the state continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The proclamation signed last Monday, and posted on the governor's website, "declares that a State of Emergency and Catastrophic Health Emergency continues to exist in Maryland." While there was some initial confusion given the timing- the governor has emphasized that the measure does not renew the State of Emergency that was lifted on July 1-  but it does keep conditions of the emergency in place through a 45 day grace period, ending August 15…

Back in 2019, members of the Washington Street Association said they were optimistic a long-standing plan to install period lighting poles along the historic street would eventually become a reality. However with the project stalled by the Coronavirus pandemic- and with one of the individuals who had spearheaded the project recently leaving Cumberland- there is now some concern as to whether the effort will continue. The  project, as designed, would provide lighting fixtures appropriate for the 1900 time period, which matches many of the historic houses and buildings in on Washington Street. Ben Wolters, who had been a key  member of the association's lighting…

Over the weekend, Delegate Mike McKay officially launched his campaign for the District 1 seat in the Maryland Senate. He made the official announcement at the Allegany Fair in Cumberland…     

The issue of gerrymandering and the Maryland redistricting process taking place is a hot topic across the state this year- and Senate President Bill Ferguson says this will be "the most transparent redistricting process that Maryland has ever seen." He told WBAL that the plan is to put forward new maps in September and to get feedback from Marylanders. He said it's essential to give Marylanders something to actually see instead of just listening to commission meetings. Ferguson said that ideally, this is an issue that should be handled at the federal level but, unfortunately, that hasn’t happened…  

On Friday, Maryland House of Delegates Speaker Adrienne Jones announced her plans to push for, and support, the legalization of marijuana in Maryland. The speaker also announced  the creation of a cannabis work group to craft the implementation of a legalized cannabis program in Maryland, should the voters approve the ballot question in November of 2022. House Minority Leader Jason Buckel of Allegany County has been appointed to serve on a committee. While polls show strong support for legalization, Buckel tells WCBC News there are some real concerns regarding marijuana use and legalization, citing driving under the influence and access to children…  

According to the CDC, as the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 spreads, hospitalizations and deaths are back on the rise in the U.S.  One very notable statistic is that the vast majority of deaths – 99% – have something critical in common.  The affected individuals have not been vaccinated against COVID-19.   “This is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky on Friday.    While high numbers of COVID hospitalizations and deaths are expected in areas of the world where vaccine supply is still limited, all of these hospitalizations and deaths are completely preventable in…

Susan “Susie” L. Tasker-Weaver, Class of 1977, is the third recipient of the Allegany College of Maryland Distinguished Alumni Award. A former nursing instructor at ACM and Frostburg State University, she is director of nursing at Southeastern University and known in the greater Cumberland region as a cofounder of Covenant Counseling Ministries, Inc.   "I am indeed honored to receive this award from ACM where my educational journey began,” said Tasker-Weaver. “ACM provided a tremendous foundation to build upon and I will forever be grateful. In addition, my years as a faculty member at ACM were priceless as I discovered…

The cost of crabs being served in Maryland restaurants has nearly doubled from year to year, according to a recent survey. Some of that increase appears to be the result of scarcity caused by Maryland's chronic labor shortage. Businesses reportedly are having a hard time finding employees to pick the meat out of the crab's sharp shells. However, there is also a notable shortage at the source: State officials estimate there are about 282 million crabs in the Chesapeake Bay, which is well below the 2020 estimate of 405 million.

For the seventh consecutive day, more than 100 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Maryland on Monday, even as the total number of vaccinated adults surpassed 3.5 million.   Officials also reported that the state’s positivity rate went up to 1.48%. Much of the increase is being attributed to the Delta variant.  The Allegany County Health Department confirmed the presence of the variant in the county last week. During a press conference earlier this month, Gov. Larry Hogan said unvaccinated Marylanders accounted for 100% of COVID-related deaths in June, 95% of all new cases and 93% of hospitalizations.

The Maryland Department of Health (MDH), local jurisdictions, and their partners operate COVID-19 testing sites and mobile testing teams, as well as mobile vaccination clinics throughout the state.  This weekly advisory provides information about testing site locations and hours operated by local health departments and MDH. It also provides some information about MDH and local health departments’ and state vaccination opportunities throughout Maryland.  Reminder: All Marylanders 12 and older are now eligible for vaccination. Directly schedule an appointment at a vaccination site or find a pharmacy, hospital or local health department near you to make an appointment.  If you are…