Main Street west bound in the area of Bowery Street is closed as there is a large water leak.  Crews are on site. As repairs are being made, portions of town from Bowery Street to Mountain Ridge High School may not have water.

 The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) will begin a roadway improvement and safety enhancement project on I-68 (National Freeway) at Haystack Mountain in Allegany County tonight, September 14. The work is expected to complete by Friday, October 8, weather permitting.  Starting at 8 p.m., crews will begin a three-step project that includes patching, milling and resurfacing a portion of I-68. Crews will work 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sundays through Thursdays. During work hours and until completion, motorists can expect short-term lane closures on I-68 westbound between Exit 41, Seton Drive, and the top of Haystack Mountain and I-68 eastbound between Exit 40, MD 658 (Vocke Road) and Exit 42, US 220 (Greene Street) southbound.     Throughout the project, crews are…

Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh today announced a settlement reached by his Consumer Protection Division with California-based StubHub, Inc. concerning the company’s refusal to pay refunds to consumers for concerts, sports events, and other events that were cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Maryland led an investigation that included nine other states and the District of Columbia in a multistate resolution with the company.    StubHub operates one of the largest ticket reselling marketplaces in the country.  Under its “FanProtect Guarantee,” StubHub offered consumers full refunds of the purchase price and fees they paid for tickets if…

On August 26, 2021, the Maryland State Board of Education voted to approve an emergency regulation requiring face coverings in schools to help stop the spread of COVID-19. This mandate couldn't go into effect until it was reviewed and approved by the General Assembly's Joint Committee of Administration, Executive and Legislative Review (AELR). By law, this bipartisan panel of representatives from both the House of Delegates and the state Senate had to wait 10 business days from the state board's vote to vote on this emergency regulation. After hearing public testimony today, the regulation passed 10-7 and will go into…

On September 13th, 2021 officers of the Cumberland Police Department served an Arrest Warrant on Tammy Sue Shoemaker. The Arrest Warrant was issued by the District Court when Shoemaker failed to appear for her trial at District Court. Shoemaker was taken before a District Court Commissioner where she was released on her own recognizance. Arrest: Tammy Sue Shoemaker, age 51, Cumberland Maryland. Charges: Failure to Appear.   On September 13th, 2021 officers of the Cumberland Police Department served an Arrest Warrant on Rahmier Hussan Chase. The Arrest Warrant was issued by the District Court in reference to an assault that…

Heritage Days 2021 concluded Sunday, and there have been mixed opinions concerning the change in dates, the number of vendors, and the organization of the festival. Dave Williams, of the organizing committee, joined the WCBC Dave Norman Show Monday for a review of the weekend…     Ed Taylor, of the Cumberland Historic Cemetery Organization, was critical of the festival, and we will present his points, and Williams’ rebuttal, in a follow up story Wednesday.  

Our entire region has been suffering through a resurgence of Coronavirus cases, with several hundred infected in Allegany County over the last couple of weeks. West Virginia is in the same boat, and during remarks at a media briefing attended by WCBC Monday, state COVID-19 Czar Dr. Clay Marsh said cases are way up over the last two months.  Marsh hopes booster shots will help slow breakthrough cases, beginning next Monday…  Health officials are placing the blame on low vaccination rates, both across Mountain Maryland and West Virginia.

Last week, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced that he was making COVID-19 booster shots available to senior citizens living in congregate settings, saying that population is a greatest risk as the effectiveness of vaccines seems to drop off after about six months. West Virginia Governor Jim Justice has similar concerns and during yesterday’s briefing, WCBC News asked him why he didn’t do the same thing….  

Republicans in Washington have been hammering the Biden Administration over the military withdrawal from Afghanistan and the crisis at the southern border. Congressman John Joyce, who represents Bedford and Somerset in DC, recently took President Biden to task for his economic policies…