Allegany County Public Schools will hold graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2021 on Wednesday, May 26, 2021, with May 27th and 28th serving as rain dates if necessary. Times and locations for each ceremony are as follows: Allegany High School, 10 a.m. at Greenway Avenue Stadium Mountain Ridge High School, 1 p.m. at Mountain Ridge Stadium Fort Hill High School, 4 p.m. at Greenway Avenue Stadium Each school will communicate details with their respective senior classes regarding tickets, attire, parking, and any other pertinent information. The graduation ceremonies will be live streamed for public viewing, and details on how to…

WBAL reports the National PTA is revoking the Maryland PTA's charter. The Maryland organization, however, plans to continue. On Friday, National PTA President Leslie Boggs said officials had worked for more than a year to bring the state organization in line with national standards. “National PTA is committed to directly supporting the local and council PTAs previously chartered by Maryland PTA until a new entity can be formed and leadership elected by the members," Boggs said in a statement. "National PTA and PTAs nationwide remain dedicated to supporting the needs of students, families, schools and communities, especially in this time of crisis…

Students from Frostburg State University (FSU) and Allegany College of Maryland (ACM) will unite on Allegany County’s Day of Civility to host an community discussion about healthcare. Using a debate format developed by Braver Angels, online participants will explore the question: “Is Healthcare a Basic Human Right?” The Zoom event will be held from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 8, 2021.   All Allegany County residents are invited to attend and participate. Preregistration is required and available by visiting https://tinyurl.com/4xtx8dtu.   

Governor Larry Hogan today announced that the State of Maryland is now exceeding an average of 50,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses administered daily. The state is reporting 55,044 new vaccinations—a record high for a Monday—and a total of 2,619,551 to date. “Our daily vaccination rate continues to rise to record levels, and we are finally receiving the increase in supply promised by the federal government,” said Governor Hogan. “The nation is in a race between vaccines and variants, and it is critical for Marylanders at higher risk of COVID-19 illness to get vaccinated.”  

The Maryland Department of State Police and the Maryland Department of Labor are warning the public of an increase in unemployment insurance related fraud cases and other scams being reported in the region. In recent months, investigators have been contacted regarding a wide variety of schemes targeting individuals, vulnerable populations, charities and local, state and national government agencies. Most recently, this included a scheme where random citizens received multiple unemployment insurance debit cards that they never applied for from the state and even from other states. Another recent fraud involved gift cards, which primarily targeted the elderly population. Most often,…

In order to continue to facilitate vaccination efforts in Allegany County and to better serve the community, UPMC Western Maryland is pleased to once again hold registration for its upcoming COVID-19 vaccination clinic to be held Friday, April 2, in the hospital auditorium.      Individuals who live in or work in Allegany County age 16-64 with underlying medical conditions that increase the risk for COVID-19 illness are now eligible to receive the vaccine, along with those 60 and older who were previously eligible. Community members are encouraged to consult the state of Maryland’s Phase 2B guidelines.  The April 2 clinic…

The Allegany County Board of Education has not yet received a report on the number of students who passed or failed during the past year of the pandemic- but that data may be made available in the coming weeks. A great deal of focus has centered on what has become known as “lost learning” experienced by students unable to receive in person, in school instruction versus virtual. School Board President Crystal Bender tells WCBC News that the superintendent and his administration are in the process of finalizing some of those numbers…

How will the American Rescue Plan Act affect health insurance plans offered through the Maryland Health Connection.  Local Program Director David Stewart, wtth AHEC West, explained some of the bigger changes on WCBC’s Dave Norman Morning Program…

Maryland US Senator Chris Van Hollen conducted a roundtable discussion on the need for better broadband internet Monday morning.  Nil Grove is the Director of Technology for Allegany County Public Schools, and told Senator Van Hollen that broadband issues have presented a large hurdle for virtual learning during the pandemic…

On Monday, it was announced that the Fort Hill at Mountain Ridge football game scheduled for Thursday afternoon had been canceled due to a COVID related issue.  On a positive note, the metrics for Allegany County have been trending in the right direction.  This is Cumberland Mayor Ray Morriss…