The rumblings have been around for months that even when a COVID-19 vaccine arrives, many won’t get a shot because of a variety of reasons, including fears that the vaccine was rushed and isn’t safe. West Virginia Coronavirus Czar Dr. Clay Marsh tried to calm some of those fears at the most recent media briefing on the pandemic…  

One revenue stream that has continued through the pandemic is funding for subsidized housing.   Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Ken Holt announced yesterday that it has been a record-breaking year.      

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan's media briefing Thursday turned attention to the impact of the pandemic on small businesses in the state, saying that if Congress does not approve additional stimulus money, many businesses will cease to exist.   That said, Hogan announced a series of moves designed to take the heat off of struggling business owners…  

The newly elected members of the Allegany Board of Education were sworn into office in brief ceremonies Thursday.  Crystal Bender will begin her first term while Tammy Fraley and  David Bohn were re-elected to new terms on the board.  Bender told WCBC News she fully supports the decision to continue virtual learning for all students, given the status of the ongoing pandemic in the western Maryland region, but also said she is among those who are eager to see students return to classrooms as soon as possible Bohn was not able to attend the formal ceremony in front of the Board of…

The District 1 Legislative Delegation met with the Allegany County Commissioners yesterday afternoon, and one of the topics that came up concerned the distribution of COVID-19 vaccine in Western Maryland.   WCBC News has been told that front line medical workers in the rural areas of the state were not included in a significant way in the first round of the rollout next week. Yesterday's meeting was called to separate facts from rumors.   The rollout of vaccinations for high risk patients, such as those in nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities, will proceed as scheduled. We have been unable to…

Following an extensive investigation, Maryland Natural Resources Police charged three men with illegally hunting multiple deer in Garrett County. In November and December, Natural Resources Police investigated reports of deer illegally killed near the Blakeslee community. On December 3, officers learned of an additional incident where an antlerless albino deer was illegally hunted, and received information from concerned citizens. After investigating, police identified three suspects: Jeremy Hoalcraft, 18, of Oakland; David Georg, 29, of Swanton; and Jordan Dawson, 22, of Deer Park. Each suspect admitted to being involved in illegally hunting and killing the deer, according to police. The suspects…

After learning that UPMC does not plan to make the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for its employees, WCBC asked for clarification about the reasons for that decision. Dr. Graham Snyder, Medical Director, Infection Prevention and Hospital Epidemiology at UPMC, issued the following statement: "We are not currently planning to make any COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for employees or our Senior Community residents. Unlike the flu vaccine – for which we have a universal vaccination policy because we have a wealth of data showing its safety and efficacy – we don’t have full safety and efficacy data for COVID-19 vaccine, much less a body of…

The Board of Directors of County United Way unanimously appointed Michele Walker as interim executive director of the organization earlier this week. Walker has been with County United Way since 1997. “Michele has been with CUW for quite some time and has been fortunate to have worked under the direction of several Executive Directors throughout her career. She has led this community through good and bad times in her current role with County United Way and I only expect to see greater things to come as she assumes this new position”, said Cliff Wendricks, Board president. “If you have ever spoken with Michele,…

Downtown Development Commission Executive Director Melinda Kelleher announced Thursday that the city of Cumberland will not hold its traditional New Year's Eve celebration this year because of the worsening pandemic. The city traditionally rings in the new year with a ball drop and fireworks at midnight. Kelleher said after a discussion with Mayor Ray Morriss and members of the City Council, it became apparent that there was no safe way to accommodate the crowd that the celebration tends to attract, even if people were staying in their cars to view the presentation.  The Mayor made the announcement on the Dave Norman Show in recent weeks that the…

The Mayor and City Council of Cumberland will be sponsoring another COVID test event for employees of Cumberland businesses on December 16th. 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 16 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 4:00 p.m. on Monday, December 14th using the link found on the City’s…