7:45 PM UPDATE:  US Route 220 has been reopened to traffic. INITIAL REPORT 7:05 PM: The Allegany County Joint Communications Center has dispatched units to US Route 220 at High Rock Drive near McCoole for a vehicle accident. Initially, only the northbound lane was shut down, but moments later, units advised the entire road had to be closed for emergency response. The initial call came in just before 7:00 PM.

Since Monday, the Allegany County Health Department has identified 292 new cases of COVID-19 in Allegany County, bringing the county’s total cumulative case count to 1,909.   The death toll from the disease has also risen, with 10 additional fatalities since last Friday.  Allegany County deaths from COVID-19 now stand at 40.   Currently, Allegany County’s case rate is 124.77 per 100,000 population compared to the state average of 30.95 per 100,000.  Allegany County’s current percent positive rate is 13.22%, while the statewide average is about half that at 6.82%.    Free COVID-19 drive-thru testing is still being offered at the…

The Cumberland Times News reports that the County Club Mall was sold Wednesday via online auction, according to a representative with the commercial real estate firm Ten-X.  The mall, excluding the property occupied by Walmart, has been placed in escrow following the acceptance of a successful bid from an undisclosed buyer. According to Ten-X, the identity of the buyer and the amount of the sale, will not be disclosed until the sale closes and the information is entered into public land records. Ten-X, formerly Auction.com, posted a notice in early October that the current owner, Gumberg Asset Management of Fort Lauderdale,…

WBAL reports the pandemic has affected millions of people in all ways, shapes, and forms. The Restaurant Association of Maryland has now reported the industry lost about $1.4 billion in sales during the pandemic, and that about 40% of all restaurants in the state may close. According to the news release, as many as 150,000 restaurant employees have been laid off or furloughed. The 40% of restaurants projected to close permanently is “equivalent to 4,000 restaurants.” The news release came after Gov. Larry Hogan’s latest coronavirus restrictions, providing additional restrictions on many businesses and human interaction. All bars, restaurants and similar…

For a third weekend, Navy will be off the football field. The American Athletic Conference has postponed Navy's game at the University of South Florida and Houston's game at Southern Methodist University. While the Midshipmen are back to practice after a coronavirus outbreak on the U.S. Naval Academy campus affected their players, positive cases at Houston and USF led conference officials to postpone the games. Conference officials said they will consider their options for when the games could be played.  

Positive Case Numbers: Across the UPMC system in the U.S., we are treating 550 inpatients who are positive for COVID-19: 193 are in southwestern Pennsylvania; 35 are in northcentral Pennsylvania; 106 are in southcentral Pennsylvania; 71 are in northwestern Pennsylvania and New York; and 138 are in the Altoona region and Maryland. Because of our extensive planning and preparation, UPMC facilities are safe, and staff are well-equipped and know how to properly care for patients with COVID-19. Visitation: In accordance with Maryland Governor Larry Hogan's state order issued on Tuesday, Nov. 17, UPMC Western Maryland is restricting support persons and…

A Preston County man has been charged with second-degree murder, following the fatal shooting of a Garrett County man late Monday night, according to West Virginia State Police. Andrew W. Prudnick, 28, of Albright, allegedly shot Ryan Lee Sites of Friendsville, Maryland, following an altercation outside an apartment in the Valley Point area of Preston County. Sites was pronounced dead at the scene. Prudnick was being held Tuesday on $1 million bond at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail. The Preston County Sheriff’s Department assisted in the investigation.

On Wednesday, November 18th, 2020 the Cumberland Police Department arrested Linette Marie Chesley, age; 50 of Cumberland when she attracted officers’ attention in the Oldtown Road and Arch Street area for being intoxicated and causing a disturbance.  She was issued a citation for disorderly intoxication and was released pending trial at District Court.

On Tuesday, November 17th, 2020 the Cumberland Police Department responded to a Fredrick Street residence for the report of an assault.  When officers arrived, contact was made with a victim who stated that she had been assaulted by Deshawn Terrell Green and he broke her phone.  The victim had an injury to her face consistent with her statement.  Green was arrested and charged with assault and malicious destruction of property.  He was taken before the District Court Commissioner and was released on his own person recognizance pending trial.   Deshawn Terrll Green, age; 20, Cumberland, Maryland.

Six million dollars in federal funding has been secured for the resumption of environmental and engineering studies associated with upgrading the last two-lane section of U.S. Route 219 in Somerset County to a four-lane limited-access highway.  The studies are intended to advance the completion of four-lane Route 219 from the southern end of the Somerset-to-Meyersdale bypass to the northern end of the soon-to-be-completed interchange with Interstate 68 in Garrett County, a distance of about 5.5 miles, according to a PennDOT press release announcing the Appalachian Program Development funding. Maryland Sixth District Congressman David Trone said it has been a complicated…