Flyers, postcards and signs around the county have been popping up in the past few months with the slogan “Save the Gap”, a reference to what some believe is an effort to privatize Rocky Gap State Park. Members of a task force studying future potential uses of some sections of the park made it clear at a recent public meeting that there are no plans to sell the park or see it closed to the public. State Senator George Edwards, co –chairs the 11-member Task Force on the Economic Future of Western Maryland, and he tells WCBC News that language…

​While plenty of parents are rushing out to have their children as young as five years old vaccinated, there are others holding back. A recent survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation found a quarter of parents said they’d go right away, another 30 percent said they definitely would not, and the other 33 percent were in the wait-and-see crowd. Addressing the Allegany County Board of Education during the regular monthly meeting- deputy health officer Dr Jennifer Corder said parents need to know that the impact of COVID-19 on children can be significant. While smell and taste can be affected in…

Nearly 150,000 used the Great Allegheny Passage in Allegany County last year- making it by far one of the largest tourist attractions in the region. The GAP winds 150 miles through the mountains of Southwest Pennsylvania and connects Cumberland to Pittsburgh. Larry Brock, president of Mountain Maryland Trails, told the city council this month that unfortunately some of the blacktopped portion of the trail in Cumberland are in poor condition- and he would like to see the city pave those sections. He said the more attractive the trail is, the more it will be used and the greater the economic…

Hundreds gathered on the Downtown Cumberland Mall Friday night to officially open the Christmas season. Mayor Ray Morriss was master of ceremonies for the tree lighting and arrival of Santa…

Date: 11/27/2021  Time: 2:32 p.m.  Location / Address:  200 National Highway, LaVale, Allegany County Type of Incident: Structure Fire Description of Structure / Property: Three story, wood framed, single family dwelling  Owners: Michael Bradenberg    Injuries or Deaths: N/A   Estimated $ Loss: $30,000 Smoke Alarm Status: Present, failed to activate     Fire Alarm / Sprinkler Status: Not present, no action taken  Arrests(s): N/A Primary Responding Fire Department: LaVale Volunteer Fire Department     # of Alarms:  1  # Of Firefighters: 45 Time to Control: 20 minutes  Discovered By: Passerby  Area of Origin: Ceiling of third story storage room      Preliminary Cause: Under Investigation

On Saturday, Cumberland Police responded to a Frederick Street business for a report of a male threatening others with a knife. Upon officer’s arrival a victim directed officers inside the business and advised that Defone Davis had assaulted them. Officers entered the store, located Davis, and detained him. They spoke with a store employee and learned that Davis had been in an argument with another individual, but once it turned physical the other individual fled the business. Davis then is said to have approached the employee and threatened them while displaying a knife and assaulted another individual. Officers spoke with…

Just before 9:00 PM Saturday evening, the Joint Communications Center of Allegany County dispatched police, fire and EMS units to Eastbound Interstate 68 at the top of Haystack Mountain due to a vehicle accident. Traffic was able to get by in one lane during the initial response. However, there was a traffic backup as three lanes went to the single lane for about 15 minutes. 9-1-1 also sent units to the area of 68 east of Exit 42 for a mishap.  That instance was reported prior to 9:30 PM and interrupted traffic flow for a short period of time.

Several fire companies assisted the LaVale Volunteer Fire Department in battling a house fire on National Highway. The initial call came in around 2:00 PM and National Highway had to be shut down for over an hour during the response, until around 3:30 PM. The Maryland State Fire Marshal is expected to issue a report in the coming days detailing the cause and damage amount  

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced that the two-week firearms hunting season for sika and white-tailed deer opened Saturday and runs through Saturday, December 11.  “The two-week firearms season is our most popular season with deer hunters,” Wildlife and Heritage Service Director Paul Peditto said. “The season traditionally has been a time for hunters to head to hunting camps or otherwise spend time with family and friends enjoying the outdoors. The harvest during this popular season helps significantly with managing the state’s abundant deer population.” The two week season includes Sunday hunting in all but three counties, affording hunters more weekend opportunities to hunt and contribute to managing…

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of November 24, 2021, there are currently 6,754 active COVID-19 cases statewide. There have been 47 deaths reported since the last report, with a total of 4,817 deaths attributed to COVID-19.     DHHR has confirmed the deaths of a 72-year old female from Hancock County, a 75-year old female from Harrison County, a 64-year old female from Harrison County, a 72-year old male from Kanawha County, an 89-year old female from Lincoln County, a 65-year old female from Harrison County, an 82-year old female from Kanawha County, an…