Spring is just around the corner on March 20, and to get everybody ready for some warmer weather ahead, it’s time to adjust those clocks forward one hour before you go to bed this Saturday night. The time will officially jump ahead an hour at 2 a.m. Sunday morning. Daylight Saving Time (DST) begins each year on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. Hawaii and most of the state of Arizona except for the northeast corner of the state stay on standard time throughout the year and do not change their clocks forward…

The White House says the $1,400 direct payments for most Americans funded by the American Rescue Plan will start showing up in bank accounts as early as this weekend. Press secretary Jen Psaki says the government will make the first direct deposits this weekend. She says payments will continue throughout the next several weeks. President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan in the Oval Office on Thursday. Besides the $1,400 direct payments to individuals, the plan includes money to help distribute coronavirus vaccines, provide relief to homeowners and renters, help reopen schools, provide aid to state and…

The Maryland House of Delegates approved an extensive police reform measure on Thursday that includes repeal of job protections long criticized for impeding accountability in misconduct cases. WBAL reports that the bill, which passed on a 96-40 vote, would require body cameras by 2025. It also would put limitations on no-knock warrants and create a statewide use-of-force standard that bans chokeholds and creates a duty to intervene. The Senate already has approved a package of nine bills with many provisions similar to those in the 66-page omnibus House measure. The two chambers will need to reconcile differences to send the legislation…

The Arc of Maryland, a Maryland non-profit organization supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, filed a federal lawsuit that named the Garrett County and five other political subdivisions as defendants claiming people with disabilities were prevented from accessing information about COVID-19 vaccine in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.   In January of this year, as vaccine was first being made available, the Garrett County Health Department aggressively worked to protect this specific population and worked with partners in the community to ensure that individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities were…

Governor Larry Hogan today announced that COVID-19 ICU levels in the State of Maryland have dropped below 200 for the first time since November 12. Overall, COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state have fallen by more than 60% since peaking close to  2,000 in January, to 765 (570 acute, 195 ICU). Since the third wave peak, the state’s positivity rate has dropped by 61.7%, and the case rate has dropped by 74.3%.

On March 11,  members of the Allegany County Narcotics Task Force, with the assistance of the Frostburg City Police Department, Maryland State Police S.T.A.T.E. Team and Allegany County Sheriff’s Office executed a search and seizure warrant in the Bowery Street area of Frostburg, MD. The search warrant was the result of a six-month investigation by the Allegany County Narcotics Task Force into the distribution and sales of fentanyl in the Allegany County area. During the subsequent search, Allegany County Narcotics Task Force investigators located large amounts of fentanyl, CDS packaging materials and U.S. Currency. The approximate street value of the…

A recorded message phoned to parents of Flintstone area students regarding back to school plans has caused some confusion.   Allegany County School Board vice president Bob Farrell joined WCBC’s “Dave Norman Show” Friday morning to clarify the issue,  

The City of Cumberland has responded to an ongoing dispute with Allegany Medical Marijuana on Beall Street by re-installing a guardrail, blocking an area in which the owner, George Merling, had cut into the existing floodwall to construct a drive-thru for the business. Cumberland Mayor Ray Morriss told WCBC News the Army Corps of Engineers previously notified the city Merling had directed workers to cut into the earthen flood wall, thereby weakening the strength of the wall. Morriss said Merling had been warned about the situation on several occasions. Merling joined WCBC's "Dave Norman Show" Friday to give his side of…

On 3/1/2021 at approximately 3:00 AM the Cumberland City Police Department were dispatched to a residence on West First Street for a destruction of property complaint. During the incident officers learned that one of the victim’s tire had been cut. The officer conducted an investigation and developed Samantha Leigh Smith as the suspect. The officer filed charges through District Court and an arrest warrant was issued. On 3/11/2021 Ms. Smith was arrested on the warrant. Ms. Smith was taken before a District Court Commissioner and released on a $2,500.00 unsecured bond.   Arrested – Samantha Leigh Smith (33) Cumberland, MD…

In February it was reported that the Federal Railroad Administration had ordered the replacement of railroad ties between Cumberland and Frostburg- with an estimated price tag of more than $2 million. With concerns growing on the part of county officials- and no firm dates established as to when the scenic railroad can begin operations again or when steam engine 1309 will be ready- the Allegany County Commissioners are planning to takeover track maintenance. A lack of confidence in railroad management has been evident for sometime as the county commissioners had a performance audit conducted in 2019- and just two months…