On Thursday, CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H., endorsed the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation for a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in certain populations and also recommended a booster dose for those in high risk occupational and institutional settings. The endorsement follows the FDA’s authorization of the Pfizer booster on Wednesday. The CDC is only recommending boosters for the following groups only at this time. people 65 years and older and residents in long-term care settings should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary…

Weekly COVID-19 Update: For the week of September 17-23, 2021, Mountain Ridge High School and the Center for Career and Technical Education met the Maryland Department of Health's (MDH) definition of a school-wide outbreak of COVID-19 by having three or more classrooms/cohorts with at least two or more positive cases within a 2-week period.  These two schools, along with Fort Hill High School, remain on the MDH list of schools with School Wide Outbreaks.   ACPS had three schools with classrooms/cohorts that met the definition of a classroom/cohort outbreak due to two or more individuals in the classroom/cohort testing positive for COVID-19….

Governor Larry Hogan today issued the following statement after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gave final approval for Pfizer COVID-19 booster shots: “While this action was long overdue, I am glad that the federal government has finally approved booster shots for seniors and high-risk individuals. It is a significant step toward providing additional protection for our most vulnerable residents, and supports the data-based decision we made earlier this month to move ahead on booster shots for seniors in congregate settings. “Maryland has already administered more than 50,000 additional doses, and we have both the supply and the capacity to provide…

President Biden’s handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan remains a point of contention- with most Republicans calling it a disaster- while many Democrats say Biden’s hands were tied by the failures of previous administrations. The Biden administration executed a full withdrawal of all U.S. military assets from Afghanistan on Aug. 31, after having a presence in the region for 20 years following the attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. The withdrawal of U.S. forces came after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, a Maryland Democrat, said while there were certainly problems with…

With groundbreaking for the $9.7 million Baltimore Street Redevelopment Project set for spring of 2022- Cumberland officials are preparing a strategy for downtown businesses to deal with the expected construction interruptions. The redevelopment project is expected to include replacement of underground utility lines followed by reinstalling Baltimore Street through the pedestrian mall. Discussions on the need for  a business mitigation plan to offset any adverse effect that businesses may realize during the construction phases of the project are about to get started. Cumberland Economic Development Corporation executive director Matt Miller…

Progress on Cumberland Gateway – commonly referred to as the Rolling Mill project-  after a number of delays is about a week away from seeing actual construction. The project, which began in 2014, includes the construction of a commercial center between Maryland Avenue and Park Street that will include restaurants, shops and a hotel. It previously has been slowed by several homeowners who declined to sell their property. The project had recently made progress as some permits were secured and ground leveling was completed. Developer Ed Scott, of Kline Scott Visco Commercial Real Estate, has been preparing to build along…

A new COVID-19 update from the Allegany County Public School System is expected today- following last weeks report that two schools had reported outbreaks. Ten staff members and 81 students reported positive for COVID; two staff members and 280 students were identified as a close contact; and eight staff members and 249 students were identified as having COVID-19 symptoms. Despite those numbers, Allegany County Board of Education president Crystal Bender tells WCBC News there are no plans at this time to implement any changes… She said kids who are quarantining are having packets sent home…

Troopers from the McHenry Barrack stopped a 2005 Dodge Neon, traveling eastbound on I-68 at the 14 mile marker. The vehicle was stopped for an inoperable brake light and following too closely. During the course of the traffic stop a K-9 scan of the vehicle was conducted, which resulted in a positive alert. A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of quantities of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, Clonazepam tablets and Buprenorphine tablets. As a result, the driver, Brenda Kay Watson, 60 years old  of Green Springs, WV and the two passengers, Timothy Brent Kirby, 39 of Romney, WV and…