U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressmen Jamie Raskin and David Trone (D-Md.) today announced $1,381,911 in American Rescue Plan funding for fire and emergency rescue departments across Western Maryland.   “Despite increased challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency and first responders across Maryland continued to deliver life-saving care to those who needed it most,” the lawmakers said. “This new federal funding from the American Rescue Plan will ensure our rural fire and rescue teams have adequate funding and supplies to keep serving Western Maryland.”   The award comes from the Maryland Emergency Management Agency, through COVID-19 federal funding from…

Comptroller Peter Franchot announced today that his agency has processed more than three million state tax returns for the 2020 tax year, with more than 2.7 million, or 90 percent of returns filed electronically. So far, more than $2.3 billion in refunds has been returned to 2.3 million Maryland taxpayers. The average refund check is about $1,000. “As more and more Marylanders file electronically,  we try to get refunds into the hands of hard-working taxpayers as quickly as possible,” Comptroller Peter Franchot said. “For those facing financial challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become even more critical to…

UPDATE:  Pictures have been released of    On Saturday, 06/17/21 at approximately 10:15 p.m. 3 unknown males and an unknown female entered Fort Hill High School and committed vandalism in the cafeteria area of the school. The investigation is currently ongoing.  Anyone with information regarding this crime is requested to contact the Cumberand Police Department.  Confidential information can also be provided to the Allegany Mineral County Crime Solvers.  

A proclamation signed by Governor Hogan last Monday declares that a State of Emergency and Catastrophic Health Emergency continues to exist in Maryland. However, a spokesman for the governor says the measure does not renew the State of Emergency that was lifted on July 1, but does keep conditions of the emergency in place through the 45-day grace period, ending Aug. 15. Under the grace period, driver's licenses that expired to the pandemic are still valid until Aug. 15 and the state's moratorium on evictions remains in place until that date. The proclamation makes no mention of restoring indoor mask mandates, or capacity…

Health experts are seeing a historic spike in the opioid epidemic. More than 93,000 people died last year from drug overdoses – that's the highest number ever recorded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While in Maryland, nearly 2,500 opioid-related deaths were reported, the most, state officials said, on record. Allegany County is reporting the biggest surge in opioid related deaths. Emergency Services Director Jim Pyles tells WCBC News that it is simple to connect the dots leading to the high numbers in the region. He says drugs come through the southern border and move quickly to Baltimore….

Although it is now a moot point as a result of a judge blocking Governor Larry Hogan’s attempt to eliminate pandemic unemployment benefits before they expire in September, Democrats are continuing to bash Hogan for even considering the plan. Hogan argued that the extra benefits discouraged people from applying for jobs, thus jeopardizing Maryland’s economy. State Senator Jim Rosapepe called Hogan’s attempt to halt those funds appalling, and accused him of shaming those who have been hit hardest by the pandemic…  

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, enrollment numbers for Allegany County Public Schools were in decline- continuing a trend that began in the mid 1970’s. With the most recent data showing Allegany County with a population decline of more than 6%- some local officials believe that ultimately the board of education will need to scale down from three to two high schools. The new Allegany High School opened in Cumberland in 2018 while Mountain Ridge in Frostburg opened in 2007. Fort Hill High is 85 years old. While the new Allegany was built based on projections that student enrollment would be…

The Cumberland Economic Development Corporation is prepared to sign a contract with a Virginia based firm to conduct an updated economic development strategic plan. RKG Associates is the same firm that performed the original comprehensive plan back in 2014. That plan provided a roadmap for creating the nonprofit CEDC. It also identified opportunity zones in the city including Maryland Avenue and the Rolling Mill area, the Willowbrook Road corridor, the site of the former Memorial Hospital, the Canal Place property, and the Cumberland Shopping Plaza along Queen City Drive extending south toward Industrial Boulevard. CEDC Executive Director Matt Miller said that an…

On Saturday, Cumberland Police served two Arrest Warrants on Christopher Todd Ellsworth, of Cumberland. The arrest warrants stemmed from Ellsworth failing to appear in District Court in Allegany County on two separate charges of theft under $1500.00. Ellsworth was also found to have two outstanding arrest warrants through Worcester County and Saint Mary’s County.  The charges downstate included one for failing to appear on 5/25/21 and the other for Violation of Probation. Ellsworth was taken to the District Court Commissioner’s Office for his initial appearance and remanded to the Allegany County Detention Center, held on a $2000.00 bond. The arrest warrants…

Axios is reporting that President Biden will nominate Cumberland native Laurie Locasio to lead the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and she will have responsibility for promoting innovation and technology.  Locasio has been serving as Vice President for Research  at the University of Maryland, College Park.  Dr. Locascio previously worked at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), most recently as Acting Principal Deputy Director and Associate Director responsible for leading the internal scientific research and laboratory programs across two campuses in Gaithersburg, MD and Boulder, CO. Locascio received a B.Sc. in chemistry from James Madison University, a…