Maryland health officials reported 897 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, bringing the state total to 141,741. Nine more state residents have died, increasing the total to 3,962 since the pandemic began…… Tuesday marks the first time cases in Maryland have risen above 800 since September 12th. It is also the highest single-day increase since August 9th. Hospitalizations continued to rise with 471 reported, adding 15 cases overnight. ICU beds went down however, now at 105 cases and 366 people are in acute care. The state’s calculation of the positivity rate is also up again, now at 3.35%.

The Maryland State Board of Elections announced that Monday's unofficial voter turnout of more than 161,000 was the highest single-day early voting turnout in the state's history. The total surpassed the previous unofficial single-day early voting record of 143,494 set on the final day of early voting in the 2016 general election. Eligible voters can cast ballots at any authorized early voting center in the jurisdiction where they live.

On October 26th, 2020, a deputy was conducting a criminal enforcement initiative in the area of Interstate 68, Lavale, MD when he conducted a traffic stop for a speed violation. During initial contact with the operator (Tony Maracelo Jobe, 21 of Gaithersburg, MD), the deputy was able to detect the strong odor of marijuana coming from the interior of the vehicle.  As the deputy awaited the arrival of assisting deputies, the operator then began to accelerate away, nearly striking the officer.   The vehicle was stopped in the parking lot of a Frostburg, MD business a short time later. The suspect was then taken…

On 10/26/2020 at approximately 8:00 PM the Cumberland City Police Department responded to the 500 block of Rizer Avenue for a hit and run which just occurred. Upon arrival officers learned a white Chevy truck had struck a mailbox and a fence then left the area. Officers checked the area and located the truck with obvious damage. Upon making contact with the operator Donald Leo Fishel the officer detected signs of impairment. A K-9 officer was requested to the scene and the K-9 alerted to the odor of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS) in the vehicle. During a search of…

West Virginia has increased its testing for COVID-19, which has identified more cases of the disease. Monday, WCBC asked State Health Officer Dr. Ayne Amjad if certain occupations, such as healthcare workers, truck drivers and restaurant employees should be tested more frequently than others…

In a very contentious election, candidates and individual voters are on alert for potential issues that could affect the final vote count. Lloyd Hysan lives just west of Frostburg and votes in Garrett County.  He called WCBC just after voting in Grantsville yesterday morning when his vote for president did not tabulate correctly… Hysan says that all voters should wait for the verification screen to come up and check that their choices have been registered correctly. WCBC News has a call in to Garrett County’s Board of Elections to see if this was an isolated incident, or is more widespread….

In a normal year, we would be gearing up for South Cumberland Halloween Parade coverage on WCBC, getting ready for our live broadcast on Virginia Avenue.  Not this year. Big parades and crowded parties are out, smaller celebrations are in.  This is acting Maryland Deputy Health Secretary Jinlene Chan… Local communities and neighborhoods have varying rules and times on door-to-door trick or treating this year.  The best advice is: the smaller the group, the better.

Early voting in Allegany County got off to a busy start Monday, as those wanting to take advantage headed to the lone county location at the county office building. Diane Loibel is the county elections director… Loibel emphasized that the county office building is the only location for early voting in Allegany County.

Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot Monday celebrated the kickoff of the holiday shopping season with an eye to keeping Marylanders shopping at home. Franchot was joined by the heads of state organizations such as the retail and restaurant associations in declaring an early start to the holidays due to the continuing pandemic… In years past, Franchot would tour the various business districts in the state and would make a visit to downtown Cumberland to meet with shop owners and restaurant operators.  

On Wednesday September 23, 2020 the Mineral County Office of Emergency Services officially placed its Mass Casualty Incident Response Trailer in service. In late 2019 Mineral County was awarded $30,000 from the Homeland Security Grant Program that is administered through the West Virginia Emergency Management Division to build a Mass Casualty Incident Trailer. A Mass Casualty Incident is any incident that overwhelms the resources of a public safety agency. Mass Casualty Incidents are usually bus crashes, multiple vehicle accidents, active shooter events, terrorist attacks, etc. According to Luke McKenzie the Director of the Office of Emergency Services “Thanks to the…