The Maryland Department of Health says many people are not being cooperative with contact tracers in the effort to curb the spike in coronavirus cases.  Dr. Jinlene Chan, the state's acting deputy health secretary, said that some people are hesitant to participate, primarily because a great deal of specific personal information is being sought. She also said there have been numerous hurdles…

Congressman David Trone has announced that his bill, the State Opioid Response Grant Authorization Act, has unanimously passed the U.S. House of Representatives, and now moves on to the U.S. Senate for consideration, before heading to the President’s desk for signature. The Maryland Democrat originally introduced the legislation in May 2019 with bipartisan support. The legislation authorizes $9 billion over six years in flexible funding for State Opioid Response Grants and Tribal Opioid Response Grants to fight the opioid epidemic on the front lines…    

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan was among the governors joining in a video conference with President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to talk about the COVID-19 fight. Hogan said he continued his push for a fourth stimulus bill and a bipartisan infrastructure package. Hogan said in a news release: “I want to thank the president-elect and vice president-elect for taking the time to meet with governors on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19,” said Governor Hogan. “As I said on the day that the president-elect was declared the winner, his election has provided a mandate for cooperation. A…

The City of Cumberland Engineering Department along with its contractor Belt Paving, Inc. would like to notify the public that beginning on Tuesday, November 24th (weather permitting milling) and paving operations will be occurring on South Street between Oldtown Road and the Industrial Boulevard. The work will be occurring on the western half of the street to make permanent repairs to the water main trench and to overlay the western side of the street. During the work days, parking will be prohibited on the western side of the street between the hours of 7:00 AM and 5:30 PM on the…

A new survey by AAA indicates that a large majority of Maryland residents will not be traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday, and half of those staying home say it is because of COVID-19 concerns.   “Given the recent surge in COVID-19 and the strong urging of public health officials and the Governor for everyone to stay home for the holiday, the Thanksgiving travel landscape continues to change,” says Ragina C. Ali, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s Manager of Public and Government Affairs. “With that in mind, AAA conducted a new poll asking Maryland residents who have decided against traveling for the holiday whether…

The City of Cumberland and the Downtown Development Commission (DDC) jointly present a virtual tree lighting ceremony in celebration of the holidays. Join us on Friday, November 27 at 6:00 PM as Mayor Raymond Morriss and special guests host our favorite holiday tradition in a new virtual format. This event will be LIVE STREAMED via Allegany Media for all to enjoy. To encourage social distancing, everyone is asked to enjoy the Tree Lighting in the warmth and comfort of their homes. The livestream will begin around 5:45 with holiday music and a countdown clock. While watching the tree lighting, all…

The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) today released holiday guidance for Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day, urging families to be extremely cautious with holiday travel and celebrations as infection numbers continue to spike in Maryland and the surrounding region.  Maryland is currently experiencing a significant increase in cases and hospitalizations compared to the summer, with more than 174,733 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of today and more than 1,192 patients currently hospitalized. Since the onset of the pandemic, 4,220 Marylanders have died from the virus.  “We are all tired of this pandemic and desperately want it to be over, but now…

Maryland health officials reported 2,910 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, which is the highest single-day number of new cases in the state since the beginning of the pandemic. The statewide positivity rate continues to climb steadily, and is now at 7.19%. 19 additional deaths were reported over a 24-hour period, bringing the state total to 4,220.  A total of 174,733 COVID-19 cases have been reported in Maryland throughout the pandemic. ICU beds went down by 10 people, now at 260, but hospitalizations overall continue to rise with 48 new individuals hospitalized. There are now 1,192 hospitalized in the state. Of those, 932 are in…

This week, U.S. Congressman David Trone (MD-06) convened calls with elected officials and medical leaders throughout Western Maryland to discuss the recent spikes in COVID-19 cases and the steps we can take to mitigate the spread of the virus.   Trone has been working with local Western Maryland elected officials and medical leaders since March to determine the local needs of each county. Trone will continue to stay in touch with health officials and hospital leaders in the next coming days.   Trone has spoken with the following officials from each county in Western Maryland:   Washington County Jeff Cline,…

Gov. Jim Justice announced today that the West Virginia Game Changer initiative is launching a new promotion called “Change Their Holiday,” with a goal of making sure families recovering from opioid and substance misuse have everything they need to enjoy a happy holiday season. “I’ve said for a long time that our kids are, without a doubt, the greatest treasure we have in West Virginia, and we need to do all we possibly can do to make their lives the very best they can be,” Gov. Justice said. “There are many kids that will surely have all kinds of happiness…