Maryland will commemorate the one-year anniversary of the state’s first confirmed cases of COVID-19 with a ceremony scheduled for this evening. WCBC will air the ceremony in its entirety immediately following tonight’s Allegany-Mountain Ridge High School Football game. Governor Larry Hogan has  declared Friday a day of remembrance in honor of the more than 7,700 Marylanders who have lost their lives during the pandemic. A twilight ceremony will be held at the State House Friday evening, and in coordination with local leaders, buildings across the state will be lit up amber. As of Wednesday, Maryland has reported 383,956 confirmed cases…

The driver of a tractor-trailer suffered minor injuries when his rig overturned while traveling on Interstate 68 eastbound near mile marker 69 at approximately 6:00am Friday morning. The truck came to rest on the shoulder and traffic was not impacted. No other vehicles were involved.

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…

Effective March 8, all Garrett County government buildings will reopen to the public. Face coverings are required and social distancing must be maintained. Appointments are encouraged. The March 16 public meeting will be limited to 15 people in the room who will be admitted 10 minutes prior to the starting time. Comments not made in person will be accepted via gccomments@garrettcounty. org and will be addressed at the next public meeting. Meetings will continue to be livestreamed at facebook. com/GarrettCountyGovernment.  

A large number of Allegany County government employees have been subject to identify fraud related to unemployment claims, and the state’s Labor Department has been notified. During the regular business meeting of the County Commissioners, administrator Jason Bennett read a letter into the record that has been sent to Secretary Tiffany Robinson alerting the office to the problem…   On top of the false claims being made, affected employees are having no success in getting help from Labor Department personnel…  

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice may be changing his mind about recreational use of marijuana. During Tuesday’s virtual town hall about Justice's plan to eliminate the state's personal income tax, he was asked about legalizing recreational marijuana for its potential impact on the budget. Justice has consistently said legalization could cause even more problems on top of the state's opioid epidemic. However, he admits that his position is softening…

With bids soon to be sought for the $9.7 million Baltimore Street Access Project, Mayor Ray Morriss said that the city is focused on making sure any affected businesses and well as the general public have the all of the facts moving forward. The downtown project involves reinstalling Baltimore Street through the pedestrian mall after replacing aging underground utility lines. A new streetscape will also be constructed, including parklets, trees and a variety of flowers and shrubs. With the project now several years old in terms of planning, the mayor says it is important for everyone to know what to expect…

Maryland officials Thursday announced what they called the first COVID-19 vaccine equity operations plan of any state to ensure vaccines are distributed equitably in the state. During a news conference, Gov. Larry Hogan and Maryland National Guard Brigadier General Janeen Birckhead said the vaccine equity task force will serve vulnerable and underserved communities by partnering with community groups and others to increase access to the vaccine. Communities will be able to submit proposals requesting vaccination sites. Birckhead said opening a community site will take less time than a large-scale mass vaccination site. Maryland will also work with FEMA on the Eastern Shore and…

Maryland will commemorate the one-year anniversary of the state’s first confirmed cases of COVID-19, on Friday, March 5, Gov. Larry Hogan announced. The governor will declare Friday a day of remembrance in honor of the more than 7,700 Marylanders who have lost their lives during the pandemic. A twilight ceremony will be held at the State House Friday evening, and in coordination with local leaders, buildings across the state will be lit up amber. "One year ago at this time, we could not have fathomed the toll that the pandemic would take on each and every one of us," Hogan said. "On Friday,…