One of the busiest travel periods of the year is officially here. It actually began Wednesday with people are hitting the road or jetting off in a plane to enjoy their Thanksgiving festivities with loved ones, and experts tell us this year things are looking up. “Here in Maryland, we are looking at 1.1 million Marylander’s who will be taking to the skies, taking to the roads, the vast majority of travelers will be driving to their holiday destinations,” Ragina Ali, Manager, Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic, said. The pandemic shifted the way people travel and how safe they feel…

Maryland State Police, Hagerstown Barrack repoerted at 4:50AM Interstate 68 westbound just west of I70 is closed at this time for an overturned tractor and trailer across all lanes.  As of 7:45AM all lanes remain closed. UPDATE Maryland State Police, Hagerstown Barrack reopened Interstate 68 westbound just west of I-70.

The annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony and the arrival of Santa on the downtown mall will take place at 7:00 pm on Friday, November 26, 2021. Due to the large number of citizens in attendance, some modifications have been made to increase the safety of those attendees. Starting at 4:00 p.m. there will be no parking allowed on Liberty Street from Frederick to Dexter Place. Signs will be posted to remind citizens of these restrictions. Centre Street will be closed at Pershing Street to through traffic at 6:30 p.m. but will be reopened when safe. The parade which Santa will…

On Wednesday, November 24th, 2021 the Cumberland Police Department served an arrest warrant on Derian Montel Burton charging him with failure of driver to stop after unattended property damage accident, driver failure to locate and notify owner of unattended property damage, and failure of driver to furnish required written information in unattended damaged property.  The warrant was issued by District Court in reference to an incident that occurred back on July 10th, 2021 when Burton is alleged to have struck a building with his vehicle in the 400 blk of Virginia Avenue and left the scene.  He was taken before…

The impact of COVID-19 is forcing a record number of school superintendents to either resign, retire or quit altogether, according to a national superintendent's association. WBAL reports that the Carroll County Public Schools superintendent became the fifth school leader in Maryland to announce he's stepping down in 2022. The decision to step down was personal and it comes at a time when superintendents across the state and the nation are reassessing their roles as educational leaders in the midst of COVID-19. Locally, Allegany County School Superintendent Jeff Blank tells WCBC News while dealing with the pandemic has made an already…

On the day before Thanksgiving- West Virginia officials warned of a difficult winter ahead as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. State leaders have  been warning for weeks that a plateau of covid-19 cases, rising infection rates, holiday gatherings and cold weather could extend the difficulties brought on by the long pandemic. After reading the latest COVID death toll in the state- Governor Jim Justice sounded a somber tone for the winter season…

With Thanksgiving kicking off the holiday season, the Allegany County Health Department is urging the public to celebrate safely to reduce the spread of COVID-19.  COVID cases in Allegany County are rising again, and exercising a few common-sense precautions can help keep you and your loved ones safer this holiday season. Those include, perhaps most important: Get vaccinated. Other recommendations are to get tested; wear masks and maintain proper distance indoors; wsh and sanitize your hands frequently and if you are sick, STAY HOME and avoid close contact with others.  Do not host or attend a holiday gathering if you…

This is the second Thanksgiving celebrated during the Coronavirus pandemic, and it comes with some different challenges than last year. WCBC asked Dr. Clay Marsh about the risk involved with the Delta Variant and younger children sharing the same space as older adults at the Thanksgiving dinner table and family get togethers…

We celebrate Thanksgiving through the weekend, as families try to split time between different branches. West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito issued her annual message for the holiday this week…

Moderna COVID-19 booster vaccine appointments are available for Wednesday, December 1 at the Allegany County Fairgrounds.  Interested individuals can register for an appointment at health.maryland.gov/allegany.  In order to be eligible for the booster vaccine you must be age 18 or older and meet one of the following criteria: Received your second dose of Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at least six months ago Received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID vaccine at least two months ago   The Allegany County Health Department will also offer other COVID-19 vaccinations at the fairgrounds on a walk-in basis December 1 from 9…