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,…

Ben Roethlisberger is returning for an 18th season with the Pittsburgh Steelers and is taking a pay cut to do it. The team and the two-time Super Bowl winner announced on Thursday they have agreed on a new contract that assures the 39-year-old will be back in 2021. Financial details were not immediately available, though the Steelers made no secret of the need for Roethlisberger to take a pay cut to ease some of the burden of his NFL-high $41.25-million salary-cap hit scheduled for 2021. NFL Network, citing anonymous sources, said Roethlisberger's new deal will essentially pay him $14 million…

New unemployment insurance claims in Maryland remained essentially flat last week, according to the state's Department of Labor. The total number of new claims continues to hover around 12,000, week-to-week. There were 80 claims in Allegany County, 50 in Garrett County and 157 in Washington County. The US Labor Department said the number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims was up last week, indicating that layoffs remain high despite signs of an improving economy. Roughly 745,000 people filed for jobless aid in the week ended February 27, up 9,000 from the previous week.   

Allegany County Public Schools will live stream all junior varsity and varsity football, soccer, and volleyball games through the National Federation of State High School (NFHS) Associations beginning with the Mountain Ridge at Allegany varsity football game on Friday, March 5, 2021. The NFHS Network is the leader in streaming live and On Demand high school sports.               The NFHS Network covers 27 different regular season and postseason sports, as well as other high school activities, highlighting the accomplishments of student-athletes, student broadcasters, and high schools across the country. The NFHS Network is a joint venture created to provide fans…

Event organizers made it official on Wednedsay announcing that DelFest 2021 has been scheduled to return to the Allegany County Fairgrounds for the weekend of September 23rd through the 26th.  The popular bluegrass and Americana music festival is typically held each Memorial Day weekend. However, like many live events, it was canceled last year due to the coronavirus. While the lineup has not yet been announced, Stan Strickland, manager for Del McCoury, told WCBC ‘s ‘Dave Norman Show”  in January that most of last year’s lineup will return. Artists scheduled for 2020, which would have been the 13th DelFest, included Old Crowe Medicine Show,…

On Wednesday, March 3rd, 2021 the Cumberland Police Department responded to a Cumberland pharmacy for the report of a shoplifter.  When officers arrived, they spoke with an employee that stated Mary Concetta Yoder picked up several items while in the store and then tried to obtain cash for the items by attempting to return them.  She was arrested and issued a criminal citation for theft and released pending trial at District Court.  Mary Concetta Yoder, age; 45, Cumberland, Maryland.

On Wednesday, March 3rd, 2021 the Cumberland Police Department served an arrest warrant on Aaron Devone Manning charging him with 1st and 2nd degree assault, and burglary.  The warrant was issued by District Court in reference to an incident that occurred back on February 25th, 2021 at a Spring Street residence.  On that date, Manning is alleged to have entered the residence and assaulted a female.  He was taken before the District Court Commissioner and was remanded to the Allegany County Detention Center held without bond.   Aaron Devone Manning, age; 45, Cumberland, Maryland.

The Allegany County Health Department reports that 10,308 Allegany County residents have received at least their first dose of vaccine against COVID-19 (14.6% of the population), with 7,206 of those individuals now fully vaccinated with their second dose (10.2% of the population).  By comparison, the state reported that 14.9% of all Marylanders had received at least their first dose of vaccine, with 8.2% now fully vaccinated.   In a press conference on Tuesday, Governor Larry Hogan announced that the state would be receiving an initial allocation of 49,000 doses of the newly approved Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine (also known…

During his Wednesday press conference, Governor Jim Justice announced the state will be lowering the minimum age threshold for general vaccine eligibility from 65 years old to 50 years old. Justice also noted West Virginia's continued progress in improving its COVID-19 metrics.  Justice announced that 232 new cases of the virus have been confirmed in the past 24 hours, leading to a total of 6,451 currently active cases in the state. He also noted a 3.13 daily percent positivity rate…