WCBC 1270 AM keeps Cumberland area listeners informed on top news events 24 hours a day on the national and local levels. This week, the WCBC News Team is rolling out the top 12 local news stories that kept the attention of our audience this year… BEL AIR WATER SYSTEM – For years, residents of Bel Air, Glen Oaks, Pinto, and Highland Estates have paid more for water service than anyone in Allegany County. Private water provider Maryland Water Service has raised rates countless times. Residents practice radical water conservation including paper plates, shared bathing, and doing laundry elsewhere. Local,…

The Trump Administration has declared the drug Fentanyl a Weapon of Mass Destruction, something that West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey rallied for since he was Attorney General.  Morrisey says tackling the drug epidemic is three-pronged, but the most important one is supply…     “Attack it from a supply, demand, and an educational preventative perspective, so, President Trump’s announcement really goes after some of the supply and I applaud it.  On day one, we announced that, that that was an important priority for the state, so I think it’s very positive. The more we reduce supply, the better off for…

Cumberland has changing needs in its community development and historic preservation staffing. With the departure at the end of the month of Historic Preservation Officer Ruth Davis-Rogers, the city is now looking at a new Historic Preservation/City Planner position. Administrator Jeff Silka described the new position…     “We need a planner. We need somebody with planning experience, comprehensive planning experience, site review, plan review. We need somebody with those expertise. What I’ve done is I’ve blended the job description to make it a Historic/City Planner to go out and get somebody who has those skills.”

Allegany County’s outgoing Sheriff has decided he still wants some part in local government. Craig Robertson has filed to run for a position as Judge on the county orphan’s court. The Republican joins two others who have filed – incumbents Penny Walker and Edward Crossland.  Judge Craig Alexander is stepping down from the court at the end of this term. There are three positions on the court.

The Maryland Transportation Authority will vote Thursday on its future plans for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.  A current proposal would build two new spans across the bay and tear down the existing dual bridges.  The new spans would each have four lanes.  If approved, construction would begin in 2032.

Maryland has a new Speaker of the House.  Delegate Joseline Pena-Melnyk was elected Tuesday as Speaker, succeeding Adrienne Jones.  Pena-Melnyk was born in the Dominican Republic and grew up in New York State.

No one has matched all six Powerball numbers since early September, pushing the jackpot to more than one billion dollars. In last week’s three drawings, six Powerball players in Maryland were off by one, matching five of six winning numbers for prizes ranging from $50,000 to $1 million. With the Powerball jackpot continuing to grow each time no one matches all six winning numbers, the jackpot has hit an annuity value of $1.25 billion dollars for the December 17th drawing.

When the Maryland General Assembly does begin to meet in regular session in January, much of the attention is going to be on how to handle and increasing state deficit, currently sitting at $1.5 billion dollars.  House Minority Leader Jason Buckel thinks that one option will probably be off the table this year – taxes…     “There probably will not be any broad-based tax increases.  Not because the opinions and the mentalities and the business sensibilities of the powers that be in Annapolis have changed in the last nine months. But because it is election year.”

Governor Wes Moore has launched the second year of the Engaging Neighborhoods, Organizations, Unions, Governments, and Households or ENOUGH Initiative, with more than $19 million in funding to support ENOUGH communities. The announcement marks a continuation in addressing concentrated child poverty in Maryland. Moore said the grants go directly to the designated communities…       “ENOUGH is not just a grant program. It’s transforming communities by letting the communities take the lead. That’s what makes this unique and powerful.”