The 32nd Annual Adopt-A-Highway (AAH) Volunteer Appreciation Day will take place on Saturday, Aug. 7 at the Tamarack Convention Center in Beckley.   The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) will host the day-long celebration of volunteers who pick up litter along West Virginia highways. The festivities begin at 9 a.m. with bingo, broom making, a painting class, children's games, and other activities. Volunteers will be served a catered lunch at noon. Afternoon activities include presentation of the annual AAH awards, including the 2021 AAH Volunteer of the Year. Volunteers with 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years of…

Today Congressman David Trone (MD-06) announced that he secured $2,500,000 to improve service centers, abandoned properties, and parks in Maryland as part of the FY 2022 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development funding bill. Trone secured $1,500,000 to create a new Asian American Service Center in Frederick County, $500,000 for an initiative to repurpose blighted and abandoned properties in Hagerstown, and $500,000 for improvements to roads and trails in South Germantown Recreation Park. The bill will be considered by the Appropriations Committee this week and then head to the House floor for a vote before August.   “I have always made investments in our local community services and infrastructure a…

Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Lawrence Fletcher-Hill has extended an injunction against Maryland Governor Larry Hogan's attempt to end extended federal unemployment benefits.     Governor Hogan had wanted to end the additional money in order to encourage the receipients to reenter the labor force.   Those bringing the suit claimed it would cause additional harm to those who are having hardship in recovering from the pandemic.  

Library users ages 17 and under will no longer be charged late fines on overdue items. The mission of the library system is to provide information and services to enrich the lives of the people in Allegany County. Fines, especially for children, are a barrier to accessing information. An analysis by the Maryland State Library Resource Center and other libraries shows that charging fines to library patrons affects lower-income users disproportionately and punishes children who might have limited control over returning books on time and limited means to repay those fines. Removing this barrier is possible thanks to legislation passed…

U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressman David Trone on Tuesday announced $575,000 in federal funding to upgrade the Grantsville sewer system in Garrett County. “Upgrading our water and wastewater infrastructure, particularly our local sewer systems like Grantsville’s, will have a lasting impact on the health and safety of our communities,” said Senator Cardin, Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Transportation Infrastructure. “I look forward to working with the Western Maryland delegation to securing additional funding to repair and restore the integrity of our rural infrastructure.” “Maryland’s economic growth depends on modernizing our…

WCBC has confirmed that District 1 State Senator George Edwards will retire at the end of the current term, ending 40 years in the Maryland General Assembly.  Edwards released the following statement.  "After much thought and prayer I have decided that I will not seek re-election as a Senator in the Maryland General Assembly. The 2022 Session will be my 40th year in the General Assembly, with 24 years in the House of Delegates and 16 years in the Senate. Being in Annapolis for 3 months out of every one of those years for session is equal to 10 years…

Health officials from here and across the nation have been stymied by residents who have opted not to get vaccinated against COVID-19.  In Allegany County, 40% of the population has been fully immunized against the disease, and that percentage has not moved significantly since Memorial Day. According to Retired National Guard General Jim Hoyer, the State of West Virginia has also been running into reluctance in the rural parts of the Mountain State…  

Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot stopped short of calling for the firing of Labor Secretary Tiffany Robinson. In an exclusive interview with WCBC News, Franchot was critical of the unemployment issues at the department, but said he would rather fix the problem than fire the administrator…    

West Virginia U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito recently gave remarks on the usage of natural and nature-based features in water resources projects before a House subcommittee…  

Throughout the course of the legal battle over extended unemployment benefits in Maryland, there’s been no shortage of criticism of Governor Hogan from elected officials across the state.  House Delegate Lorig Charkoudian, a Democrat representing District 20, went so far as to say Hogan is not being upfront about his actual goal, as far the reduction in jobless benefits is concerned….