On January 23, 2025, Officers of the Cumberland Police Department responded to the area of Decatur Street and Frederick Street for a suspicious complaint. Upon arrival to the area, Officers met with Marissa Tice who attempted to provide them with false information to conceal her identity. Officers were able to correctly identify Tice who was currently wanted on two outstanding failure-to-appear warrants. Tice was arrested and transported to the Allegany County Detention Center where she was served with the two warrants and additional on-view charges. She currently awaits her initial appearance before a District Court Commissioner. Arrest: Marissa Linnae Tice,…

After receiving and reviewing 11 applications for the vacant seat on the Allegany County Board of Education, the Allegany County Commissioners appointed Linda Widmyer.  Widmyer will complete the remainder of the late Bob Farrell’s term.  Commissioner President David Caporale thanked everyone who applied and for their desire to fill the role… “We wanted to thank everybody that applied for this.  We had eleven very good applicants, and it’s particularly good to see such an interest to be involved in such an important part in our community as the school system.”

Over $11 million dollars in federal funding is going toward upgrading the Town of Grantsville’s wastewater treatment plant.  The investment is comprised of nearly $10 million dollars in grant money and over $1 million in loans.  Funding will help the plant meet current and future permit standards set by the Maryland Department of the Environment, and will connect to 590 homes in Grantsville and the neighboring communities of Jennings, Chestnut Ridge, and the Goodwill Retirement Community in Garrett County.

With the proposal deadline of February 14th, the City of Cumberland is seeing new interest in the Memorial Hospital site from a number of housing developers.  Mayor Ray Morriss told WCBC there has been interest from larger building companies…     “D.R. Horton who is doing the Allegany High School site has shown an interest.  The Dan Ryan Homes they were actually at PACE, and we had a discussion with them about the RFP.  They’re showing an interest. So we’re getting an interest from really some of the bigger developers.”

The budget that Governor Wes Moore has rolled out for fiscal year 2026 includes two important transportation projects in Western Maryland.  Moore was in Frederick to announce funding planned for a heavily-traveled stretch of Route 15 that has had over 570 crashes in the last three years…     “This $160 million dollar project will add a third lane in each direction to improve safety and increase capacity. It’s going to make Maryland safer and it’s going to make Maryland more competitive.” In addition, funding to widen Interstate 81 in Hagerstown has also been restored to the budget, another important…

Retiring Superintendent Jeff Blank spoke recently with WCBC about his career in the Allegany County School system. He has been in the county schools for 37 of his 38-years in education.  He said that he was very pleased with how the school system responded when COVID-19 brought a new kind of education for teachers and students…    “A lot of high points and a lot of real challenging moments that ultimately when we got through it, it was rewarding. Knowing how we got through it compared to the country – I’m proud of those things.”

The 37th annual West Virginia Hunting and Fishing Show will be held this weekend in Charleston.  This year's event will feature presentations from the Three Rivers Avian Center.  Visitors can get an up close look at eagles, hawks, owls, and other large birds of prey.

Governor Wes Moore’s Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act has some Education Blueprint supporters cautious about the future.  Moore is proposing cuts to per pupil spending, collaborative time plans, and freezing other increases in coming fiscal years.  Delegate Ben Barnes who chairs the House Appropriations Committee says any proposed cuts will have a hard time coming out of the House.  Maryland Schools Superintendent Dr. Carey Wright says the board is 100% on the Blueprint but slowing the rollout of collaborative time makes sense in order to deal with the state teacher shortage.

Residents in many of rural Maryland’s counties have left hundreds of thousands of dollars on the table when they file their income taxes each year. That’s the finding of State Comptroller Brooke Lierman and she would like to see that change.  Her office is encouraging eligible Marylanders to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit that can either reduce or eliminate the amount of tax owed….     “A refundable tax credit which means you get money back, even if you don’t owe. In 2023, the average earned income tax credit in Maryland was a little over $1,000 but unfortunately, over…