As COVID-19 metrics continue to improve in West Virgina, Mineral County Superintendent Troy Ravenscroft on Tuesday announced that full-time in-person instruction at area schools will resume later this month, with a “Wednesday waiver” be granted on the condition that it will be in effect for a duration of not more than three weeks. Parents will have the option of utilizing virtual learning on Wednesdays, during that period. The five-day school week starts March 22.  

A light agenda for the Cumberland Mayor and City Council Tuesday with city officials approving a consent agenda in about 15 minutes. Among the orders approved, authorizing the chief of police to accept the Allegany County Health Department’s Overdose Follow-Up Grant. The $3,500 grant will allow city police officers to partner with UPMC Western Maryland and the Allegany County Parole and Probation Unit to perform follow-ups with non-fatal overdose victims with 24 to 48 hours after their release from the hospital. Mayor Ray Morriss…  

Add Cumberland and Hancock to the list of Western Maryland municipalities that would like to see MARC commuter-rail service run a little farther west. A proposal to study whether to expand Maryland Area Regional Commuter rail service to Western Maryland is currently in the hands of the Senate Finance Committee in Annapolis with Senator George Edwards among the primary sponsors of the legislation. The bill would require the state’s Department of Transportation to conduct the study- to  determine the need and potential cost for expanding MARC service to include Allegany and Washington counties. The Allegany County Commissioners, during the regular…

With the Board of Education in the midst of implementing a phased-in return to school plan this month,  Allegany County Commissioners President Jake Shade said the county is ready to offer any assistance necessary to ensure students get back to in-person instruction safely.  The system began the transition for concurrent in-person/hybrid learning this week with Pre-K, Kindergarten  Grade 1 and special needs students. Next Monday, March 8th will see students in grade 2-5, 6,9 and 12 return; followed on Monday March 15th by grades 7,8, 10 and 11. Commissioner Shade said the county is working with the school board, discussing any possible resources…

Governor Larry Hogan announced Tuesday that a former federal official has joined Maryland's team as an adviser as the state works to get more COVID-19 vaccines out to residents. And after weeks of anticipation for local residents, Hogan finally provided details of when a mass vaccination site will be ready to open in Western Maryland…     Introduced as part of Maryland’s COVID-19 team was Dr Robert Redfield, former director for the Centers for Disease Control. He will serve as a senior advisor for public health. As far as additional vaccine news, Hogan announced that while nearly 50,000 doses of…

It seems like the heavy rainfall Sunday and Monday caused another issue. All water customers in Westernport, Luke and connected communities are advised to boil water. The advisory covers all residents and businesses.  

The number of new coronavirus cases in Maryland is plummeting. The state's health department reported just 468 new infections on Tuesday, the lowest daily case count since early October. The statewide positivity rate and coronavirus-related hospitalizations also were down slightly, according to Tuesday's report. State health officials noted the low numbers could be accounted for, in part, by lower testing in the last day than average, with 11,040 tests conducted. 26 deaths related to the pandemic in Maryland were reported over a 24-hour period    

The C&O Canal Towpath and Great Allegheny Passage have both earned top spots in USA Today’s 2021 10Best Readers’ Choice travel awards for the top 10 Best Recreational Trails in North America. Both trails were initially nominated by a panel of urban planning experts tasked to select the top 20 best trails. Ultimately, the public had the final say, voting on the ‘best trail’ from the top 20 during a four-week online voting contest. Ashli Workman, director of tourism for Allegany County described the recognition as “an incredible honor”  The C&O Canal Towpath runs 184.5 miles from Georgetown to Cumberland,…

On March 1, 2021, the Allegany County Narcotics Task Force arrested Edward Samuel Maxfield, IV, 31, of Baltimore, in the 200 block of Virginia Avenue, Cumberland, MD. Maxfield was the subject of a CDS investigation for the distribution and sales of fentanyl in the Allegany County area. Maxfield was found to be in possession of fentanyl, buprenorphine, CDS packaging materials and U.S. Currency. As a result of the investigation Maxfield was charged with the following: Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl Distribution of Fentanyl Possession of Fentanyl Possession with Intent to Distribute buprenorphine Possession of buprenorphine Maxfield was held without…

The Office of the State’s Attorney for Allegany County, James F. Elliott, State’s Attorney, along with the Allegany County Narcotics Task Force, announce the following Grand Jury Indictments: Joshua Ian Cline, 44, Cumberland: CDS: Possess-Not Marijuana CDS: Poss W/I Dist: Narc Kandie Lee Scarpelli-Miller, 31, Cumberland : CDS: Possess-Not Marijuana (2 Counts) CDS Distribution (2 Counts) Kerry Davon Langston, 44, Cumberland: CDS Distribution (2 Counts) CDS: Poss W/I Dist: Narc (2 Counts) CDS: Possess-Not Marijuana (2 Counts) Olgierd Adam Urbanski, 42, Cumberland: CDS: Possess-Not Marijuana CDS: Poss W/I Dist: Narc CDS: Poss-LG Amt Mark Jonathon Tallman, 52, Cumberland: CDS: Possess-Not Marijuana…