Today is the last day for American forces to be deployed in Afghanistan. Pennsylvania 13th District Congressman John Joyce, who represents Bedford and Somerset Counties, places the blame for the chaos associated with the withdrawal, solely at the feet of President Joe Biden.

On 08/29/2021, at 6:17 PM, the Cumberland Police responded to a reported fight in the 200 block of Arch Street. When first responding Officers arrived they learned that several people were involved in an argument in the street that soon turned into a physical confrontation. The fight was over by the time Officers arrived, who were advised that the suspect had fled the scene in a vehicle driven by another subject.             Officers also learned that one of the participants had suffered several serious stab wounds to the neck and chest. The Cumberland Fire Department…

Maryland House Republicans today issued the a statement regarding the AELR Committee's review of the school masking mandate issued by the Maryland Board of Education. Minority Leader Jason Buckel, Delegate Haven Shoemaker, Delegate Jay Jacobs, and Delegate Susan McComas are the House Republican representatives on AELR Committee.  "We have serious concerns regarding the State Board of Education's unprecedented usurpation of local control in mandating masking for students across Maryland. We support the request that the AELR Committee hold an open and transparent public hearing to fully evaluate this controversial decision. Moreover, the 10-day review period is the public's best tool to…

The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) today announced an update on the top 10 and bottom 10 skilled nursing facilities in the state ranked by percentage of staff with at least one dose of a vaccine against COVID-19 and highly contagious variants. MDH also announced skilled nursing facilities that did not submit adequate staff COVID-19 vaccination data as required by the state.   As announced by Governor Larry Hogan on August 18, new vaccination protocols have taken effect, with all nursing home staff required to show their first or single dose of COVID-19 vaccine by September 1. On May 4,…

On August 29th, 2021, the Cumberland City Police responded to the 100 block of E. First St for the report of an assault. Upon arrival, officers contacted the involved parties as well as a witness. It was learned that two male subjects had gotten into a loud verbal disturbance in the street that turned physical. One of the suspects, Richard Eugene Dentinger Jr, 36, of Cumberland MD, then assaulted a male victim causing minor injuries. As a result, Dentinger was placed under arrest and transported to police headquarters for processing. He was taken before a District Court Commissioner for an…

House Democrats have passed legislation that would strengthen a landmark civil rights-era voting law weakened by the Supreme Court over the past decade, a step party leaders tout as progress in their quest to fight back against voting restrictions advanced in Republican-led states. The measure faces dim prospects in the Senate chamber however, where Democrats do not have enough votes to overcome opposition from Senate Republicans. Once again playing a key role will be West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin.  Although a lifelong Democrat, Manchin is one of the more conservative members of his party in a deep red state- and…

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is continuing to push the federal government to speed up making the booster shot available for everyone. Hogan said the country can't wait eight months to make the booster shot available to everyone-  adding that anti-body research in Maryland nursing homes is finding that the COVID-19 vaccine loses some of its effectiveness against the virus after five or six months. Hogan said he's not surprised some people are still against the COVID-19 vaccine, citing how even Donald Trump supporters booed him this past weekend when he said he recommended people get the vaccine…

The Maryland State Board of Education voted last week in favor of adopting emergency regulation for universal masking in schools.  The vote came just two days after  Maryland State School Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury said  that he supported universal masking this fall. Board President Clarence Crawford…. The vote was 13-1, with board member and former State Sen. Gail Bates casting the only vote against the regulations. Bates said she didn’t feel the action is necessary given that local boards of education already have the authority to make those decisions…  

The proposal to reopen the Downtown Cumberland Mall to vehicular traffic-  part of a significant redesign project- has been on the table since the fall of 2016- and to date it is still somewhat bogged down in paperwork. Despite the hurdles, Mayor Ray Morriss is remaining optimistic. The redevelopment project is ultimately expected to include replacement of underground utility lines followed by reinstalling Baltimore Street through the pedestrian mall. Initially costs estimates were in the $3.5 to $5 million range- but that has now ballooned to close to $10 million. Talk of a groundbreaking first centered on the summer of…

Pennsylvania State Police, in Somerset, have confirmed to WCBC News that the body of local orthopedic surgeon Dr. Siddappa Nagabhushan was recovered from Youghiogheny Lake this morning.  Dr. Nagabhushan had been boating with family on Friday and was the subject of a two day search that began that evening and continued through the day on Saturday.  WJAC TV reported earlier that a body had been recovered at 9:14 AM Sunday.  Dr. Nagabhushan was 77 years old and had served patients and hospitals in Cumberland, Frostburg and Keyser for several decades.  The Durst Funeral Home, Frostburg, is in charge of arrangements, which…