With Christmas coming, what is the best way to protect elderly people from contracting Coronavirus? WCBC's Paul Mullan yesterday took that question to West Virginia Governor Jim Justice, who said that had come up earlier this week during a visit from White House Task Force Coordinator Dr Deborah Birx…   Also during the response, West Virginia Health Officer Ayne Amjad said the state is seeing the expected spike from the Thanksgiving holiday, and that an increase from Christmas could be even higher.

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has declared December 24th, Christmas Eve, a state holiday. The declaration gives state employees a short week followed by a four-day weekend. State agencies and offices will be closed. Hogan also announced that revised revenue projections will allow Maryland to honor cost of living increases stipulated under union contracts negotiated in 2019. “In a year that has been challenging for so many, I am declaring Christmas Eve a state holiday this year to give our dedicated employees more time to spend with their families,” Hogan said in a statement. “In addition, I am pleased that our revenue projections…

The Mayor and City Council of Cumberland will be sponsoring another COVID test event for employees of Cumberland businesses on December 23rd. All employees working at businesses within Cumberland are eligible for the test, which will be administered by PharmaCare staff, at no cost to themselves or to their employer. This testing event will be conducted indoors on Wednesday, December 23 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Constitution Park. Employers located within the City of Cumberland will need to pre-register their participating employees no later than 12 Noon on Tuesday, December 22nd using the link found on the City’s…

The Western Maryland Railway Station, located at Canal Place in Cumberland, was recently showcased by the US Department of Energy's Better Buildings. The Western Maryland Railway Station has over the last few years been upgraded to make the utilities of the building more manageable and efficient.  That entailed transitioning to LED lighting and retrofitting HVAC systems. Maria Vargas directs DOE’s Better Buildings Initiative, which includes the challenge and a wide array of other efficiency programs designed for the public and private sectors. She participated this month via zoom in a media tour to spotlight improvements made to the historic structure that anchors Canal…

Carol Jean Lockard, 86, of Cumberland, passed away on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020 at UPMC Western Maryland. Born July 13, 1934, she was the daughter of the late Robert C and Pearl E (Smith) Marker. She was also preceded in death by her son, R. Bret Lockard, D.D.S.; and two sisters, Dorothy Screen and Rita Landis. Carol was a graduate of Fort Hill High School, class of 1952, where she was a cheerleader for three years. She attended Western Maryland College and was a graduate of Strayer Business College with high distinction. She started her work experience as a food…

With inclement weather and a large winter storm forecast for the local area, the following schools, organizations, and events have been CLOSED / CANCELLED:   ACPS – No meal distribution at school buildings Bishop Walsh School Allegany College of Maryland  Allegany College of Maryland  -  Bedford Campus Garrett College Garrett District Court Allegany County Transit Allegany County Circuit Court Allegany County District Court Allegany County Health Dept Drive-Thru COVID Fairgrounds Testing Allegany County HRDC Senior Centers – NO HOME DELIVERY (Seniors can call centers for info on meals) MD State Employees – Liberal Leave at 6AM for Allegany, Garrett, Washington…

After adjourning this year’s session of the Maryland General Assembly early due to the Coronavirus  pandemic- the 2021 session will continue to deal with COVID restrictions. The Maryland General Assembly will convene January 13 and run through mid-April. However according to local lawmakers, much of the work will likely be conducted virtually with fewer bills considered, fewer meetings and hearings, and limited  testimony on legislation. While the budget, some education bills and COVID issues will be addressed- members of the Western Maryland delegation told the Allegany County Chamber of Commerce they are are expecting a greatly reduced level of output. The annual re-legislative…

Although the Maryland COVID-19 rollout seems limited to front line medical workers in the metropolitan areas of the state, Governor Larry Hogan and state health officials went on the offensive to sell the safety of the vaccine to residents yesterday afternoon. Governor Hogan said the National Guard will be used to help distribute the vaccine to all areas of the state…

The Cumberland Mayor and City Council met last evening, and picked up some emergency medical equipment for the city’s EMS, fire and police departments. Administrator Jeff Rhodes said that one of the attractive things in the acquisition is the ability to use other financing…  

Governor Larry Hogan yesterday told Marylanders to be prepared for a major winter storm today, which will spread over a foot of snow from Mountain Maryland to the metropolitan areas. Obviously, it is a Snow Watch morning on WCBC, but with many of the school systems in our area already on remote learning, the cavalcade of cancellations and delays will be limited somewhat.