Governor Larry Hogan recently announced the increase of restaurant capacity in Maryland to 75%, but Marshall Weston, president of the Restaurant Association of Maryland, says it does not fully help restaurants while 6-foot guidelines are still applicable. Weston shared his thoughts on the capacity increase with WBAL Radio Thursday. When asked about what the biggest struggles are for the restaurants, Weston said it can "clearly" be seen when going into the establishments, as half the tables have been removed or marked off as not usable…  

Bishop Walsh School has sent a letter to families saying that a 12th grade student has tested positive for COVID-19, but was not in the window of being contagious while in the school building. According to the letter, the school was notified on September 15th that the 12th grader, and an 8th grader, were identified as close contacts of a person outside of school who had received a positive COVID-19 test notification. The 12th grade student had been in compliance with the safety protocols required by the school, which include wearing a face mask.  The student was also socially distanced…

Today, U.S. Representative David Trone issued the following statement regarding newly-released data from the Maryland Department of Health’s Opioid Operational Command Center showing significant increases in overdose deaths in Maryland during the second quarter of 2020.  According to the new data, every county in Maryland’s Sixth Congressional District saw an increase in overdose deaths:  Garrett County – 50% increase Allegany County – 53.8% increase Washington County – 46.2% increase     Rising the alarm about the impact that COVID-19 would have on Marylanders suffering from mental health and substance use disorders. Sadly, these numbers released by the Maryland Department of…

Allegany College of Maryland’s Adult Basic Education (ABE) program will host an information and orientation session for interested students at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, October 7. Interested students may attend in person or online using Zoom. To register, contact Melanie Valentine at 301-784-5448 or mvalentine6162@allegany.edu.   The Adult Basic Education program at Allegany College of Maryland provides educational services to Maryland residents seeking to earn high school diplomas or improve basic skills for employment or higher education. Adult Basic Education classes are offered free of charge and support services are available to help students during their studies. ABE’s offices are located on the third floor of the Gateway…

According to state health department officials, there were no West Virginia counties in the ‘red’ category on the state’s daily COVID-19 map for a second day in a row on Thursday. A designation of 'red' from the Department of Health and Human Resources corresponds to the most significant spread of the virus, with a rolling average of cases topping 25. There were six counties in the ‘orange’ category Thursday, one step away from ‘red,’ including Kanawha, Fayette, Putnam, Logan, Wayne and Monongalia counties. Wednesday was the first day since the map debuted that there were no counties in ‘red.’ There are now 3,505 active cases…

Fall sports practices at Maryland public high schools can begin October 7. That announcement Thursday from  Governor Larry Hogan and Superintendent Dr. Karen Salmon announced Thursday.  Golf competitions can begin on October 7, with other fall sports starting competitions October 27.  Face coverings and social distancing guidelines must be enforced.  The October 7 date gives seven weeks of competition for fall sports- including cross country, field hockey, football, golf, soccer and volleyball. The last play date will be December 12, with the end of season competitions set to occur December 14-19, 2020.  

The U.S. Department of Education on Thursday announced the schools that have received National Blue Ribbon honors for 2020.  The recognition is based on a school's overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. Up to 420 schools may be nominated each year.   The 10 Maryland schools to be recognized nationally this year are: Bayside Elementary School, Queen Anne's County Cash Valley Elementary School, Allegany County Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, Montgomery County Hampstead Elementary School, Carroll County Jacksonville Elementary School, Baltimore County Lucy V. Barnsley Elementary School, Montgomery County Mount View Middle School,…

West Virginia Metro News reports a former Mineral County chief deputy circuit clerk was sentenced Wednesday to 2-20 years in prison after stealing money to fuel an alcohol and gambling addiction. Gary Duane Feaster apologized to the court for his three years of theft that resulted in criminal charges after an investigation by the Public Integrity and Fraud Unit of the state Auditor’s Office. Feaster pleaded guilty earlier this year to a prosecutor’s information As chief deputy circuit clerk, Feaster would pocket money residents were paying through the clerks office for various fines. He also took money that was being…

For the first time since March, new unemployment claims fell below 10,000. There were 9,185 new unemployment claims filed for the week of Sept. 19. The Maryland Department of Labor reports unemployment claims by type: regular or pandemic related assistance (PUA and PEUC). There were 5,280 regular claims and 3,905 PUA and PEUC claims. The DOL said there was an average of 2,592 new unemployment claims per week in Maryland between Dec. 28, 2019, and March 7. The DOL launched a new, interactive unemployment claims database in which the numbers are broken down by industry, occupation, jurisdiction and ZIP code.

Maryland’s COVID-19 recovery continues as Governor Larry Hogan today announced that the statewide seven-day positivity rate has dropped to a record-low 2.57%, the state’s case rate fell to its lowest level since July 11, and weekly unemployment claims are at their lowest level since March 14. Seven-Day Positivity Rate Drops to Record-Low 2.57%. Maryland’s seven-day average positivity rate fell to 2.57% today, the lowest level reported since the pandemic began. The daily positivity rate remained steady at 2.63%. The statewide positivity rate has been under 5% since June 25–91 days ago.