The website Move.com has released its rankings of best places to live for under $31,000 a year, and Cumberland is the best in the nation. According to the survey, local rent is about $300 below the national average, and groceries are also cheaper here than most other places. Cumberland was ranked #1, with McAllen Texas in second.
Maryland State Parks have surpassed visitation records the past two years, and 2021 is on track to meet or exceed these unprecedented numbers. Although visitation to Maryland’s parks is traditionally heavy in spring, numbers ramp up even more significantly during the Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial kickoff to the summer season. While the Maryland Department of Natural Resources is pleased that more people are getting into nature and discovering our 75 beautiful State Parks — many for the first time — this trend has brought with it some significant challenges. The sheer number of visitors, compounded with many newcomers inexperienced with outdoor, resource-based recreation…
Maryland spends up to $1 billion on teacher professional development every year, but there is little to no data showing that teachers improve in classrooms from such programs, according to a recent report. WTOP reports public school teachers in Maryland must renew their teaching license every five years, which involves three years of annual satisfactory evaluations and a certain number of hours of state-approved professional development opportunities and courses at colleges and universities. But the effectiveness of teacher recertification requirements is ambiguous, according to Abell Foundation’s “Reconsidering Teacher Recertification in Maryland” report. And because of how many public dollars are invested in…
With Maryland courts working through a backlog of eviction cases filed throughout the pandemic, Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D) released guidance for tenants facing eviction. The guidance issued Thursday by the attorney general’s Consumer Protection Division includes information about where tenants facing eviction can access legal aid and their rights in the eviction process. “The COVID pandemic has substantially affected the ability of many Marylanders to pay rent due to job loss, diminished wages, health crises, and more,” Frosh said in a release. “For families facing eviction and possible homelessness, there is help available. We encourage Maryland residents struggling to pay…
In Allegany County, 25,300 residents have received their first dose of a two-dose vaccine against COVID-19 (35.9% of the population), with 22,002 of those individuals now fully vaccinated with their second dose (31.2% of the population). The number of residents who have received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine is 2,571 (3.7%). By comparison, the state reported that 52.7% of all Marylanders had received their first dose of a two-dose vaccine, with 43.4% having had both doses and 3.8% vaccinated with the single-dose vaccine. Allegany County COVID-19 Case Statistics as of May 27: New COVID Cases: …
Memorial Day weekend is here- and although the temperatures will be cooler than usual- most area swimming pools will be open for business. The Constitution Park Pool and the Frostburg Community Pool are both planning to open for the Memorial Day weekend. The Constitution Park Pool will be open May 29 through May 31, closed June 1 through June 4, and reopened June 5 and June 6. It will open for daily use June 8. The Keyser Swimming Pool will open next weekend- Saturday June 5th
Governor Larry Hogan Friday announced in letters to General Assembly leaders that, in accordance with Article II, Section 17 of the Maryland Constitution, he has vetoed the following legislation passed during the 2021 legislative session: HB 1322 – Primary and Secondary Education – School Personnel Not Returning to In-Person Instruction and Work – Accommodations and Discipline “As we move forward in our recovery, we must do everything in our power to keep Maryland students healthy, safe, and learning. We cannot create additional barriers, which would only lead to further confusion with limited time left in the school year. Our students deserve…
For the week of May 24-28, 2021, ACPS reports zero cases of COVID-19 in staff members, and 5 cases of COVID-19 in students who were within an Allegany County Public School. These individuals will complete the required isolation period before returning to their school buildings. Close contacts at school were identified in all five of the cases. Those identified close contacts will complete a ten-day quarantine before returning to the school building. Parents were notified through the ACPS Blackboard notification system if there was a positive case in their child's school building or on their child's bus. ACPS had…
Walk-in COVID-19 vaccination clinics are slated next week in Lonaconing and Mt. Savage. On Tuesday, June 1, Good Will Fire Company Armory in Lonaconing will host a vaccination clinic, and the Mt. Savage Fire Company will host a vaccination clinic on Thursday, June 3. Both clinics will run from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines will be offered at the clinics in addition to second doses of Moderna vaccine. No appointment is needed. Those getting their second dose of Moderna are asked to bring their COVID vaccination card with them to the clinic.
Deputy State Fire Marshals charged a Lonaconing woman after dialysis patients were delayed receiving care when she intentionally caused a false fire alarm at a local hospital. On Monday, May 18, 2021, around 6:20 a.m., the City of Cumberland Fire Department responded to an automatic fire alarm at UPMC Western Maryland, located at 12500 Willowbrook Road in Cumberland. The fire department arrived and determined the activation was an intentional false alarm. At the time of the false alarm, a total of 16 patients were in the beginning steps of receiving dialysis treatment at the Medical Arts Center. Assisted by nursing…
