West Virginia's coronavirus czar said Friday that vaccinations are already reducing COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations in the state. Less than two months into the vaccination drive, Dr. Clay Marsh, a high-ranking West Virginia University health official, said there is a 40% to 45% reduction in deaths linked to COVID-19 from December to January and hospitalizations are down more than 50%. “Which we do believe is directly related to the aggressive vaccination that we've done,” Marsh said at the governor's coronavirus news conference. About 11.5% of the state's population has received at least one vaccine dose, while nearly 5% are fully vaccinated. The separate…

Pump prices increased nationally this week, while gas demand decreased slightly last week, according to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Total domestic gasoline supplies increased total crude utilization across domestic refineries took a small step forward. The gas price average in Maryland today is $2.46, unchanged from last week, up respectively 11 cents in the last month, and 10 cents from this date last year.   Today’s national gas price average is $2.45, up respectively three cents in the last week, 19 cents in the last month, and is unchanged from this time last year.   CURRENT…

The Maryland Senate on Friday unanimously passed their amended version of the governor's emergency economic aid proposal. The Recovery for the Economy, Livelihoods, Industries, Entrepreneurs, and Families Act, or RELIEF Act, was proposed with $1.3 billion in stimulus and tax relief. It passed with a total of $1.5 billion in funding. The bill now goes to the House of Delegates. In a statement, Gov. Larry Hogan thanked the Senate for acting quickly on his top legislative proposal and called on delegates to follow suit. “With so many fighting just to hang on in this unprecedented crisis, Marylanders simply cannot afford to wait. Every…

For the week of February 1-5,  ACPS reports one individual who tested positive for COVID-19 who was within an Allegany County Public School building. This individual will complete the required isolation period. Contact tracing indicted no close contacts and no need to quarantine any staff as a result of this case. Notification was provided to school employees that there was a case in the building.

Maryland providers have administered 634,055 COVID-19 vaccines, and 76.6% of all first doses received from the federal government have been given. The average daily rate of shots administered is 21,558. The state is opening a series of mass vaccination sites to serve eligible residents. The first mass sites are open today at the Baltimore Convention Center and Six Flags America in Prince George’s County. To receive updates on appointments, text ‘MdReady’ to 898-211. The state continues to expand the distribution network for COVID-19 vaccines, including hospitals, county health departments, and neighborhood pharmacies. Use covidvax.maryland.gov to find a provider near you…

Local small businesses are continuing to struggle financially as the Coronavirus pandemic is about to enter it’s second year. While a variety of state, county, CEDC and municipal COVID relief funding programs have been made available during the past twelve months, Cumberland Mayor Ray Morriss says, unfortunately, it’s been a challenge for many small businesses in the area to keep their doors open…  

After advancing with amendments in the state Senate this week, Governor Larry Hogan’s $1 billion RELIEF Act of 2021 faced scrutiny in the House during Thursday’s Ways and Means Committee meeting. While the bill has been characterized by some as a strong starting point in helping Maryland residents still struggling under economic losses during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, one of Hogan’s staunchest allies disagrees. Comptroller Peter Franchot… 

A coalition of businesses is in the midst of a fight with the General Assembly over Maryland’s first-in-the-nation attempt to levy a tax on online advertising.  Maryland lawmakers passed the tax last year, in hopes of drumming up money for education by taxing Big Tech. Republican Governor Larry Hogan vetoed the tax, setting up a battle over whether the Democratic-led legislature will override the veto in the coming weeks of  the legislative session.  A coalition calling itself Marylanders for Tax Fairness is starting a push against the tax as lawmakers make their decision on the veto. The coalition’s members call…

Efforts to improve scheduling and administering COVID-19 vaccinations in Allegany County are continuing. However, the biggest problem remains a lack of an adequate numbers of doses coming from the state. Local residents have been met with busy signals and some of the older population have had trouble navigating the online applications. The combination of too few doses to go around and the lack of a centralized agency to oversee the process in the community has created a less than ideal local roll out. The volume of doses being distributed by the state has also been somewhat erratic. Last week UPMC Western Maryland…

Lt. Governor Boyd K. Rutherford and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources today announced a 45 percent increase in final attendance for Maryland State Parks in 2020 compared to the previous record-setting visitation attendance in 2019. In 2020, Maryland State Parks welcomed 21.5 million visitors, compared to 14.9 million in 2019.  In addition, State Parks reported a record 292 capacity closures across 11 parks statewide last year. By September, Maryland State Parks had already eclipsed the 2019 record. Beginning with a record turnout for First Day Hikes on Jan. 1, 2020, parks experienced continued high visitor turnout as the COVID-19…