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…

A fire early Monday morning destroyed a home in Little Orleans.  Firefighters were called to Price Road about 8:30am for the structure fire. Little Orleans Fire Department was on scene for 90 minutes bromg the fire under control. Over $50,000 in damages resulted. The Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office continues to investigate the cause of the blaze that originated in a second-story bedroom in the residence.  No injuries were reported.

Cumberland’s Mayor and City Council are considering providing access to a service line warranty for the city’s water customers.  The National League of Cities Service Line Warranty helps residents avoid out of pocket expenses for unanticipated repairs and replacements. A letter would go to water customers about the service that would use local contractors. City Administrator Jeff Silka explained that the program covers water and sewer service lines and some internal plumbing and drainage…     “So what this program from the National League of Cities does – it’s a home warranty program. It’s $5.99 a month for external water…

CSX Corporation announced fourth quarter 2024 operating income of $1.1 billion dollars, down slightly from the same period last year. For the full year of 2024, operating income for CSX was $5.25 billion with a net income of $3.47 billion. CSX President Joe Hinrichs said the year had its challenges with major hurricanes and the loss of the Key Bridge but the company remained focused on deliverables and efficiency.  Total revenue for the year was $14.5 billion dollars, a decrease of 1% over 2023.

A late Sunday evening fire destroyed the main building at Coolfont Resort outside of Berkeley Springs.  Morgan County firefighters, along with up to 12 other fire/rescue units responded at 9:30 Sunday evening to a commercial fire on the property.  The resort’s Tree Top Restaurant and lodge were said to be a complete loss.  The cause of the fire is being investigated. The resort has been in operation since the 1960s.

At the end of this past Thursday’s Allegany County Commissioner’s meeting, Commission President Dave Caporale took a moment to recognizing that there may be closures coming to branches of the Allegany County Library System.  The library, along with other organizations in the county, faced a 10% budget cut for the current financial year, with no promise of future funding from the county or state because of their budget issues…     “We understand the concerns regarding potential library closures in Allegany County. However, this decision to close any branch lies solely on the library board of trustees, not the commissioners….

At his end of year press conference Monday, Art Rooney II, president of the Pittsburgh Steelers, admitted it is unlikely that both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields will return to the team.  Both are free agents.  Rooney also stated his continued support of head coach Mike Tomlin.