On Thursday, October 29th, 2020 a Cumberland Police Officer on patrol stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation in the area of Industrial Blvd.  Upon contacting the driver, the officer made the driver aware of the reason for the stop.  A records check through the MVA showed a registration discrepancy on the vehicle.  While the officer sorted out the issue with the registration, a K-9 officer arrived to assist.  A free-air-sniff around the vehicle was performed by the K-9 and resulted in a positive alert for the presence of CDS.  The driver and passengers were then subject to a search…

Frostburg State University has suspended in-person instruction until at least Nov. 4, in response to rising COVID-19 cases in the region and a steady increase in symptomatic cases monitored by the campus health center. In a news release, the university said access to Cordts Physical Education Center activity areas will be suspended but residence halls will remain open and food service will continue to be available. COVID cases in the region have risen steadily since early October.

Grow West this week held a groundbreaking ceremony that will lead to an expansion of operations and 60 additional jobs at its cannabis production facility in Cumberland. Wiliam Valois (French-Va-WAH) is the CEO of the firm, and says that it was always the goal to make the operation a true community asset…

With about 150 new cases of COVID-19 being reported by the Allegany County Health Department during the past two weeks, and Mineral County closing schools in the Frankfort District for a second day, there is no doubt the predicted fall surge of Coronavirus is upon us. West Virginia COVID Czar Dr Clay Marsh reviewed some of the sobering statistics at a briefing this week…

Maryland Superintendent of Schools Dr. Karen Salmon says some districts in the state are being overly cautious in deciding to hold back on bringing students back, and that many teachers are, in fact, ready to return.  And while Salmon acknowledges that virtual learning has steadily improved over the past several months, she says it also has its limitations…. Speaking to WBAL this week, she also said schools have not been shown to be the biggest spreaders of the virus, despite concerns to the contrary.

Due to the decision to not hold in person classes or extracurricular activites Friday, the Oak Glen at Frantfort football game will also not be held.  Superintendent Troy Ravenscroft also says the game will not be rescheduled for Saturday for safety reasons. All Frankfort football games are broadcast on Classic Hits 107.  With a hole in the schedule, Classic Hits 107 will instead air the Keyser at John Marshall game live, with High School Gameday at 5:00 PM, and the pregame show live from Marshall County at 6:00 PM.

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources confirmed seven additional COVID-19 deaths Thursday, increasing the overall number to 443 since the pandemic began. The majority of the deaths occurred in Wetzel County in the northwestern portion of the state. The state has reported 19 deaths in the past week. Hospitalizations climbed to 238 in Thursday’s report, the highest since the pandemic again. Of those, 84 patients are in intensive care with 28 of those patients on ventilators.  

10.29.20 Advisory regarding COVID-19 Cases in the Frankfort District. Full statement attached. Exercising an abundance of caution, and to ensure comprehensive contact tracing, all schools in the Frankfort District will be closed tomorrow, Friday the 29th. Tomorrow will be a distance learning day. Meal packs for “B Day” students at these 5 schools will be delivered on a two hour delay tomorrow morning. FHS Extracurricular activities are cancelled for this evening and tomorrow evening.

It has come to the attention of the City of Cumberland that the term of one of the members of the Board of Zoning Appeals had expired prior to the Board's hearing on an application requesting permission to locate a cellular communications tower on Knox Street. This hearing took place on October 21, 2020. All parties involved have been notified of the technicality and the City is working with them to resolve the matter. Questions regarding this issue may be directed to the City Administrator's office at 301-759-6424.

With the recent spike in COVID-19 cases, there has been concern about hospital readiness should more people need advanced care. Nancy Adams, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. UPMC Western Maryland, issued the following statement:  "As expected, there are growing numbers of people with COVID-19 in the communities UPMC serves throughout Pennsylvania, western Maryland and New York. Across the UPMC system, COVID-19 cases occupy less than 5% of our hospital beds. We remain fully able to care for all patients, with or without COVID-19. Our hospitals – urban, suburban and rural – are well staffed, have excellent personal protective equipment…