The Allegany County Health Department and the Allegany County Department of Emergency Services have confirmed a fourth walk-in COVID-19 vaccination clinic to be held May 6 at the Mt. Savage Fire Company in Mt. Savage, MD.  This new date joins the list of three other clinics previously announced for Oldtown, Flintstone, and Lonaconing.  All of the scheduled clinics will run from 9 a.m. to noon, and any Allegany County resident 18 or older can come to the clinic without an appointment.  The current schedule is as follows:   April 27:  Oldtown Fire Company, 18712 MD-51, Oldtown, MD April 29:  Flintstone…

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey provided a detailed critique Friday of President Biden’s plan to cut greenhouse emissions, a strategy the Attorney General contends will lead to significant job loss, as well as cause energy costs and the prices of American-made goods to soar. The Attorney General outlined his full response to reporters at a midday press conference in Charleston. The detailed response can be viewed via livestream at https://bit.ly/3tI01Lz, while a copy of his position statement can be read at https://bit.ly/3ncrAdG.  Attorney General Morrisey previously challenged the Obama-era Power Plan on the day it was published, blocked its…

WEEKLY COVID-19 UPDATE: For the week of April 19-23, 2021, ACPS reports zero cases of COVID-19 in staff members, and four 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 two of the student 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.    ACPS had eight staff members who were reported…

Governor Larry Hogan today announced the launch of GoVAX Doctors, a new public service announcement (PSA) featuring physicians from across the state who discuss the safety of COVID-19 vaccines and encourage all eligible Marylanders to get vaccinated. GoVAX encourages all Marylanders to protect themselves, their families, and communities by getting vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible. “Research shows that people feel more comfortable getting a vaccine when they hear about the experience directly from someone they know and trust,” said Governor Hogan. “Maryland’s doctors play a critical role in our statewide vaccination campaign due to their existing relationships with…

The University of Maryland System will now require students, faculty and staff to get a COVID-19 vaccine before returning to their respective campuses such as the University of Maryland College Park, University of Baltimore, Bowie State University and Frostburg State University. The University System of Maryland’s Board of Regents voted early Friday morning on the decision. Chancellor Jay Perman made the recommendation requiring students to get vaccinated before returning. 

A mobile COVID19 vaccination unit will operate on the southern end of Garrett County for two weeks beginning next week, according to county health officials. The unit will be stationed at the GCC Technologies building in the Southern Garrett Business and Technology Park off state Route 135 across from 84 Lumber. Clinics will operate from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, April 27-May 1 and May 4-8.  

On Thursday, April 22nd, 2021 at approximately 7:30p.m. deputies were on patrol in the Lonaconing, Midland area. A deputy traveling on Rt. 36 observed a motor vehicle operating with numerous safety violations including a broken windshield. The deputy conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the operator Yosmar Ortega Sosa,( 23 of Hancock, MD). Sosa immediately became argumentative and initially refused to comply with the deputy.    The deputy then summoned assistance from additional deputies patrolling the area. Upon the arrival of the assisting deputies, Sosa admitted to possessing controlled contraband inside the vehicle. At that time, deputies conducted a probable cause search of…

Governor Larry Hogan defended an emergency contract related to the state's vaccine effort that has ballooned in cost. There was a testy exchange at this week’s Board of Public Works meeting over an emergency contract related to the state's vaccine campaign. Comptroller Peter Franchot questioned why the contract with the private company Ernst and Young nearly tripled in cost without going through normal procurement. The amount of the contract was originally $3.8 million, but the Maryland Department of Health increased it to $25 million and extended it through October. The governor fired back when Franchot questioned the need for continued…

The state’s Health Secretary visited  Western Maryland this week to assess the area’s COVID-19 vaccination progress. Secretary Dennis Schrader spent the past two days evaluating each counties  progress and future plans were also part of his mission. Stops on his tour included Hancock in Washington County, Grantsville in Garrett County, and  the UPMC Western Maryland Primary Care/Vax Clinic in Frostburg. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest data, Allegany County is ranked high for the level of COVID-19 community transmission. To date approximately 26% of its population has been fully vaccinated against the disease. Schrader said that Allegany…

Although it hasn’t received the same attention in the media or the community as the Rolling Mill project or the Baltimore Street redesign- work is underway to construct a new mixed-income apartment complex on the site of the former East Side School. The school, located on Reynolds Street, was razed in 2016. City officials reached an agreement with Ohio based Woda Cooper Companies to develop that 40 unit complex to be known as Allegany Junction. The apartment complex will be adjacent to Interstate 68 and will be visable to motorists- although Cumberland Mayor Ray Morriss acknowledges that not many people are aware…