Welcome to the Fall Foliage and Festival Report for October 1, brought to you by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.   Swallow Falls State Park, photo by Becky Wilson Becky Wilson, Maryland Forest Service Western Region coordinator for Urban and Community Forestry, reports: “From the land of magical beauty, I took this photo this evening from the bridge over the Youghiogheny at Swallow Falls State Park. Stunning!” Indeed.     Garrett County fall foliage collage, photos by Melissa Nash. From left to right: Boiling Springs Road, Schell Road, and Upperman Road are all in the Deer Park area.   View from…

Maryland Fire Marshal Brian S. Geraci has been awarded the American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA), Sprinkler Advocate of the Year award for 2020. State Fire Marshal Geraci has long been a vocal advocate of residential fire sprinkler legislation in Maryland. Throughout his fire service career, Geraci has excelled in educating about the importance of fire sprinklers from the fire service's perspective as a life-saving tool that is beneficial but necessary. State Fire Marshal Geraci has served in the fire service in Maryland since 1973, beginning his career with Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service. He worked his way through the…

House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, tonight announced Delegate John Mandt, R-Cabell, intends to resign from the House of Delegates effective 11:59 p.m. Saturday night, and will also end his campaign for re-election to House for the upcoming term.     Delegate Mandt contacted Speaker Hanshaw earlier Saturday to discuss the events of the past year and week, as well as his upcoming plans for his family and businesses, and concluded at this time the best course of action for his family and business was for him to step away from public office.    “We thank Delegate Mandt for his service in the House of Delegates,” Speaker Hanshaw said. “Delegate Mandt and I have spoken at length over the past several months….

The West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) has posted the October 3, 2020, School Alert System: Saturday Education Map. This map, developed with information from the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) and vetted by the COVID-19 Data Review Panel, determines which counties will hold in-person and blended instruction, and it will direct the level of extracurricular activities permitted. The weekly updates are posted at https://wvde.us/reentrymetrics. County plans should be reviewed for additional requirements. Red (Substantial Community Transmission): Counties must move to remote learning. No extracurricular competitions or practices are permitted. Staff may report to their schools, as…

West Virginia's Office of Medical Cannabis has approved 10 businesses across the state for medical cannabis grower permits, including Mountaineer Integrated Care Inc. in Fort Ashby. Director of the OMC Jason Frame said in a statement, "This is an important step in the process to make medical cannabis available to West Virginians with serious medical conditions and will generate economic activity throughout West Virginia." The permit will allow growers to cultivate medical cannabis plants before sending the raw product to processors. The OMC currently is reviewing processor and dispensary applications, with the goal of issuing patient cards in the spring.

Allegany County Emergency Services reported a vehicle accident on Interstate 68 West near the Beall Street exit in Cumberland on Friday night. All three lanes of I-68 west were closed for about an hour while units cleared the scene. No injuries reported

On Friday the Cumberland City Police Department served an arrest warrant on Paul William Thomas Geatz. Mr. Geatz was wanted for violating pretrial release conditions on a previous failing to register as a sex offender charge. Mr. Geatz was taken before a District Court Commissioner and remanded to the Allegany County Detention Center without bond.   Arrested – Paul William Thomas Geatz (41) Cumberland, MD Charge – Violate Pretrial Release Conditions   On 10/02/2020 at approximately 5:30 PM the Cumberland City Police were dispatched to a business on Queen City Drive for a theft. Officers were provided a description of the…

 For this first time since 1945, the Preakness Stakes won't be held in May when it heads to post at 5:36 p.m. ET on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course. The 2020 Preakness Stakes will conclude the Triple Crown schedule, and for the second straight year, there will be no Triple Crown winner after Authentic held off Tiz the Law at the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5. There won't be a rematch either. Tiz the Law will skip the Preakness 2020, leaving Authentic, who has five career wins, as the favorite in the 2020 Preakness Stakes field.

Depending on where you live in Maryland, you are likely paying the same price on average for unleaded gasoline as last week or a penny less, with the only exception being a slight increase of three cents along the Eastern Shore in Salisbury. Central Maryland prices have held steady, while Western Maryland (Cumberland, Frederick and Hagerstown) have all seen prices drop by a penny week over week.   The gas price average in Maryland today is $2.22, unchanged from last week, seven cents less than last month, and 30 cents less from this date last year. Today’s national gas price…

October 13 to 29, 2020 will mark the first-ever Virtual Transfer Fair for the State of Maryland.  Current and future Allegany College of Maryland transfer students will have the opportunity October 13-15, 20-22, and 27-29 to meet with representatives from more than 100 Maryland, out-of-state, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Representatives are available during two-hour timeslots and frequently on more than one day, thanks to the fair’s virtual format. A full schedule of dates and times is available at bit.ly/3kYH7eM. Many institutions offer advance registration.     Students are encouraged to download or update the platform(s) needed to connect with college and university representatives, primarily Zoom…