Authority of Maryland State Police McHenry Barrack, and Maryland State Highway Administration, the Snow Emergency Plan is In Effect for Garrett County, Effective 1030 hours on 12/1/2020. The following State Highways in Garrett County have been designated Snow Emergency Routes:   Interstate 68                    Maryland Route 38                   Maryland Route 495 U.S. Route 40                 Maryland Route 39                   Maryland Route 546             U.S. Route 50                 Maryland Route 42                   Maryland Route 560             U.S. Route 219               Maryland Route 135                 Maryland Route 669                    Section 21-1119(c) of the Transportation Code states, “The Secretary of the State Police or the Secretary’s representative may declare…

The City of Cumberland Engineering Department along with Potomac Edison would like to notify the public that beginning on Wednesday, December 2nd (weather permitting) the Liberty Street Surface Parking Lot will be closed for EV parking improvements. The parking lot is planned to be closed from 3:00 PM December 2nd to December 3rd at noon.   If there are any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the City of Cumberland Engineering Department at 301-759-6600.

As of 8:40AM: An overturned box truck was partially blocking eastbound traffic on Interstate 68 in the Grantsville area just past Old Frostburg Road, heading eastbound. The vehicle was not carrying any cargo but there was a fuel spill on the roadway, and a hazmat team was sent to the scene.  No other vehicles were involved. There were no initial reports of injuries.    

On Tuesday, December 1st, 2020 the Cumberland Police Department served a bench warrant on Martin Ray Kent.  The warrant was issued by the Cecil County District Court for failing to appear for trail back on November 11th, 2019 for a theft charge.  He is awaiting an initial appearance before the District Court Commissioner.   Martin Ray Kent, age; 53, Elkton, Maryland.

With the hope that groundbreaking can take place sometime next summer, city officials are urging the owners of properties on the downtown mall to take advantage of available utility upgrades when renovations get underway.  The Downtown Development Commission was recently given an update on the $9.6 million Baltimore Street Renovation Project. One of the main reasons behind the project is a need to replace aging below-ground utilities –  water service, in particular – including a fire suppression system and upgraded fiber optic cable. Matt Miller, executive director of the Cumberland Economic Development Corporation, said that property owners will have new service available…

  A caller to WCBC’s “Dave Norman Show” Friday reflecting an attitude that apparently is fairly common among may Allegany County residents- despite COVID-19 numbers surging and the death toll rising. One caller compared the Coronavirus to the common flu. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has been pushing back- saying that people have no right to not wear a mask during this pandemic…  

With Mineral County remaining one of the COVID-19 hot spots in the state, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice said Monday that he is seriously considering implementing additional restrictions for the eight counties currently in the red zone. According to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, there have been 1,130,956 total confirmed results received for COVID-19, with 47,842 total cases and 735 deaths, as of Monday. Grant County has now joined Mineral and 6 other counties designated as red. Justice said with the numbers continuing to spike, he is ready to announce additional safety measures for those counties…

Even with coronavirus spiking and new restrictions taking effect, Congress remains stalled on fresh relief for Americans in need. While there's support from both Republicans and Democrats for sending out another round of payments, it's unlikely Americans will get a second round of stimulus checks before the end of the year, and lawmakers have been unable to come to any agreement on a broader economic aid package. Congress returns to Washington this week focused on passing a broader spending bill by December 11 to avert a partial government shutdown, though it's possible that some relief programs could be added to such a…

The Allegany County Health Department reports that Allegany County’s cumulative total number of COVID-19 cases is now at 2,804, with a total of 73 deaths attributed to coronavirus. Currently, Allegany County’s case rate is 136.33 per 100,000 population, while the state average is 33.81 per 100,000.  Allegany County’s current positivity rate is 13.66%, while the statewide average is 6.86%.  The health department continues to offer free drive-thru COVID-19 testing at the Allegany County Fairgrounds on Mondays from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. and on Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. No insurance, appointment, or doctor’s order is…

The Tribune-Democrat reports that Bedford County Correctional Facility's warden and a top aide have been abruptly suspended by the county's commissioners — and the state Department of Corrections has stepped in to oversee the facility's operations.  County officials did not elaborate on what prompted their decision to suspend Warden Troy Nelson and deputy Rocky Beranazzoli on Monday, but commissioners acknowledged they reached out to the Department of Corrections to assess prison operations in the aftermath. “Based on information we received, we believed it was in the best interest of the county and BCCF employees and inmates that Warden Nelson and…