U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee and a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement after Senate approval of the American Rescue Plan to bring needed relief for families, small businesses and communities across Maryland and America. “We needed to pass this bill. Marylanders are hurting, and have been for more than a year now. The American Rescue Plan will invest more resources into vaccines, testing, contact tracing, public health, and related programs to contain COVID-19 and finally get control of and bring an end to this public health crisis….

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of March 6, 2021, there have been 2,230,102 total confirmatory laboratory results received for COVID-19, with 133,290 total cases and 2,323 total deaths. DHHR has confirmed the deaths of a 79-year old female from Clay County, a 79-year old male from Raleigh County, an 83-year old male from Putnam County, a 60-year old female from Cabell County, and a 40-year old female from Lewis County. “We grieve with these families during their time of loss,” said Bill J. Crouch, Cabinet Secretary of DHHR. CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (1,254), Berkeley (9,783), Boone (1,608),…

Friday, Governor Larry Hogan visited the new FEMA-supported Southern Maryland mass vaccination site located at Regency Furniture Stadium in Charles County. The site opened Thursday—one week ahead of schedule—with 493 shots of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine administered. In total, the first 15,000 appointments for the site have been booked. By the end of the month, Maryland will have at least one mass vaccination site open in each region, capable of doing thousands of shots per day.

  Savage River State Forest                       Campers looking to reserve a campsite on Maryland’s public lands can now use the Department of Natural Resources online reservation system to book one of 18 primitive sites at Savage River State Forest’s Big Run campground in Garrett County. Most of Maryland’s state forests allow camping and have used a first-come, first-serve method. The state’s reservation website, parkreservations.maryland.gov — operated by the Maryland Park Service — allows users to browse hundreds of campsites on state-owned public lands — from backpack camping to cabins, beachfront to forest — and reserve…

On Friday the Cumberland City Police Department served an arrest warrant on Anthony Edward Horn Jr. Mr. Horn was served a bench warrant from a previous trespassing complaint. Mr. Horn was also found to have an active arrest warrant through the state of Pennsylvania. Mr. Horn was taken before a District Court Commissioner and remanded to the Allegany County Detention Center on $3,500.00 bond for the bench warrant. The warrant through Pennsylvania will be used as a detainer pending extradition.   Arrested – Anthony Edward Horn Jr (22) Cumberland, MD Charge – Trespassing Private Property

Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh today joined a bipartisan coalition of 19 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in support of a Washington state initiative regulating the sale of semiautomatic assault rifles.   The coalition filed the brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in support of Washington in Mitchell v. Atkins.  The attorneys general argue that states have the right to enact reasonable firearm regulations that protect public safety and reduce the prevalence of gun violence.  The coalition argues that this includes passing regulations to ensure that only individuals who are likely to…

Bob Candy, owner/operator of the Tri State Zoo in Cumberland zoo is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review and vacate a judge’s order removing a lion and two tigers from the facility for their safety, saying the animal rights group that successfully sued for their removal had no standing to bring suit because none of its members had visited the zoo. The Daily Record was first to report.  

The statewide gas average in Maryland rose at least four cents this week, as the national average increased by six cents. Rising crude prices, tightening gas supplies, and increased gas demand have contributed to drivers seeing higher prices at the pump. According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), total domestic gas stocks decreased and gasoline demand increased last week. If these trends continue alongside higher crude prices, drivers can expect incremental price increases — of at least nickel — at gas stations in March. The national gas average has not hit $3 since October 31, 2014. The next…

Children who will enter public school for the first time in August should be registered April 6-30,2021, by appointment only at the appropriate elementary school as determined by their residence.  Parents need to contact their child’s in-district school by telephone or email to schedule an appointment.  School telephone numbers and emails can be found on the school system’s website, www.acpsmd.org.                                                                                     Parents should take their child’s birth certificate, immunization record, social security card, and physical exam (if completed) to the school at their scheduled registration meeting.  Regulations from the Maryland State Department of Education require parents enrolling their children in…

The Allegany County Health Department reports that 10,923 Allegany County residents have received at least their first dose of vaccine against COVID-19 (15.5% of the population), with 7,674 of those individuals now fully vaccinated with their second dose (10.9% of the population).  By comparison, the state reported that 15.8% of all Marylanders had received at least their first dose of vaccine, with 8.7% now fully vaccinated.   Earlier this week, the health department announced that it had transitioned to Phase 1C of the vaccination plan, which includes those age 65 and older.  Individuals interested in receiving the vaccine should complete…