Allegany County has new virtual training for state, county and city law enforcement.  Sheriff Craig Robertson told WCBC the $350,000, 360-degree wrap-around simulator from VirTra puts an officer in the middle of a target practice field or a real-life scenario with just a click of a button. “When it comes to what we call judgmental shooting which is putting an officer in a situation to determine whether it is a threat situation or a nonthreat situation, this is beyond belief from what we had the ability to do before.  And it’s going to make all the office a lot better…

The Senator George C. Edwards Fund has granted a business developing land in LaVale one million dollars.  Allegany County will be in charge of the funds while the project near the Country Club Mall is in progress, according to County Administrator Jason Bennett… “For a project being completed by PennTex Ventures on Vocke Road in LaVale that will include a future property to be named in the near future – and you guys can see the dirt moving now up there. The county will hold these funds in escrow until draw requests are made.”

West Virginia’s Cass Scenic Railroad, Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad, and the Potomac Eagle have concluded another year of both scenic and freight operations.  The Cass Scenic Railroad saw nearly 55,000 passengers, Romney’s Potomac Eagle carried 41,000, and the Rail Explorers rail bikes in Elk River saw almost 16,000 passengers.  July and August numbers were slightly down, but the fall season brought the total ridership numbers up in line with those of 2023.

Utility man Adam Frazier will return to the Pirates in 2025.  Frazier made the All Star team in 2021.  He has since played for several teams, including the Baltimore Orioles.  

On Monday, January 27, 2025 at approximately 3:00 PM, officers of the Cumberland Police Department responded to a residence in the 300 block of N. Centre Street for a disturbance.  When police arrived, they contacted the occupants who reported that Trayvon Broadus was causing a disturbance.  Officers contacted Broadus who became argumentative and refused to listen to officers’ orders to stop yelling.    Broadus was placed under arrest and transported to police headquarters.  He was issued a criminal citation and released pending trial. ARRESTED:  Trayvon Tyrek Delray Broadus   AGE:  29      Cumberland, MD CHARGES:  Disorderly Conduct

A letter to the editor in the Cumberland Times-News inferred that a “fast one” was pulled in appointing Linda Widmyer to the Allegany County Board of Education, but County Commission President Dave Caporale said it was an appointment process they decided to open to the public to get a pool of candidates…    “We could have put a name on the next meeting and approved and that would have been done but we chose to have an open application process. It was about two weeks and in that time each of the candidates, some gave references, some did not, and…

On Monday, January 27, 2025 at approximately 10:44 AM, officers of the Cumberland Police Department responded to a business in the first block of N. Wineow Street for the report of a stolen motor vehicle in the parking lot. Police arrived and located the vehicle which was confirmed as stolen.  Officers contacted the staff who directed them to the suspects who were then detained.  Police identified the suspects as Jaimie Acosta, Megan Duffy, Ernest Counsil III.  After further investigation, Acosta, Duffy, and Counsil were placed under arrest and transported to Central Booking.  Duffy was found to be in possession of…

Tonight, downtown Cumberland business owners and the public will have the chance to weigh in on parking issues on Baltimore, Centre, and Liberty Streets.  A town hall starts at 5pm in City Hall chambers to have public input on ideas and concerns. Downtown Development Director Melinda Kelleher told WCBC coming up with a parking policy is important for businesses and visitors…     “I have had a number of calls from businesses that have said that people are parking there all day and taking up the spaces that could be for customers to go in to a restaurant or a…

Monday marked the official start of tax season in Maryland. Residents can now file their tax returns. Maryland has announced a number of new initiatives designed to make it easier to get taxes done and filed quicker.  Comptroller Brooke Lierman says that on average, the IRS estimates that Americans spend $270 and 13 hours filing their taxes.  Lierman is encouraging residents to use the state’s new Direct File system for both state and federal returns…     “The Direct File is a brand new system created by the IRS. We are one of 25 states participating this year in Direct…

Saying they have already tracked 18 tax and fee increases in Governor Moore’s proposed budget for the coming year, House Republicans are saying their review shows the budget is not a good deal for Marylanders.  House Minority Leader Jason Buckel says the budget relies primarily on increases…     “We’re raising 1.3 some other data says 1.4 billion dollars a year in new taxes and fees, every year over the life of the budget forecast. That adds up to more than 6 billion dollars in new taxes and fees.” Buckel says the budget proposal needs a lot more work over…