Democratic governors Wes Moore of Maryland and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania have been named to President Trump's Council of Governors.  The council is comprised of ten governors with five from each party.  Moore and Shapiro will serve two year terms.  The council has been established for over 15 years.  Its goals are to bring together leaders from both political parties to work better together on important matters like managing disasters, deploying the National Guard, and combining military efforts within states.

Work is progressing more steadily on the Cumberland Gateway project after some alley closures were recently approved. Contrary to rumors, Royal Farms has not pulled plans for their site and work is continuing there as well as for the future location of a Chipotle restaurant.  One thing that could slow things up is the cost and availability of materials. Mayor Ray Morriss says that tariffs are causing lots of construction slowdowns…     “There is a lot of uncertainty in the marketplace, especially in the construction industry right now because of some of the proposed tariffs that are out there….

A Hampshire County man died early Wednesday in a single-vehicle crash at the intersection of U.S. Route 50 and Bloomery Pike.  Joseph A. Parks, 41, was the only occupant of the 1992 Mazda passenger car that was engulfed in flames when first responders arrived at the scene. The accident occurred around 4 a.m. The sheriff's office said Parks was traveling south on Bloomery Pike when the vehicle left the right side of the roadway and crashed into a deep ditch. 

On Wednesday, February 19, 2025, the Cumberland Police Department served a bench warrant and a criminal summons on Kayden Brewington.  The warrant was issued as the result of Brewington violating probation on an original charge of Assault-2nd Degree.  The summons was issued as the result of an incident that occurred on February 12, 2025 at approximately 5:06 PM when officers responded to a building in the first block of Columbia Street to check the premise due to a subject being seen entering and exiting the property.  The building is posted ‘No Trespassing’.   Police observed that the building was not secure…

On Wednesday, February 19, 2025, the Cumberland Police Department served a bench warrant on Jason Stottlemyer.  The warrant was issued as the result of Stottlemyer failing to appear in court on an original charge of Theft: $100 to Under $1500. He was arrested and transported to Central Booking.  Stottlemyer was later seen by a District Court Commissioner for a bond hearing and posted a $1,000 percentage bond. ARRESTED:  Jason Kelly Stottlemyer      AGE:  48         Cumberland, MD.

Revenue generated in January from Maryland’s six casinos was down less than one percent from the same period in 2023.  The casinos combined take-in for January was $151.7 million dollars from slots and table games.  The revenue generated $63.6 million in tax revenue for the state and included $45 million going to the Education Trust Fund. Horseshoe Casino saw the biggest year-over-year drop of 7.8% while Rocky Gap Casino’s revenue increased 3.8% over 2023, bringing in $3.3 million dollars in January.

One of the issues facing Marylanders and in fact most of the nation, is energy. The need for more power has opened doors to new fields in solar and wind energy.  Governor Wes Moore is saying that the state welcomes all kinds of power to support the needs of its residents, including the possible expansion of nuclear power in Maryland…      “Nuclear energy is a clean energy option. And I think we need to look at this as all of these energy options that are being presented are things that have to be explored. That we can say we…

On Wednesday, February 19, 2025 at 11:30 AM, officers of the Cumberland Police Department responded to a residence on E. Second Street for an assault. Police arrived and contacted an alleged victim who reported that he was assaulted by Nicole Kasecamp.  Police observed that the victim had sustained injuries.  After further investigation, Kasecamp was placed under arrest and transported to Central Booking.  She was later seen by a District Court Commissioner and posted a $5,000 unsecured personal bond. ARRESTED:  Nicole Breanne Kasecamp          AGE:  24           Cumberland, MD SUMMONS CHARGES:  Assault-2nd Degree

The Maryland Economic Development Association has awarded a first-of-its-kind award to Cumberland’s Economic Development Corporation. The Transformative Economic Development award was given in recognition of CEDC’s efforts to redevelop historic buildings along the Baltimore Street corridor. CEDC Director Matt Miller said the scope of the project has reshaped the downtown…     “This is a huge, tremendous undertaking for a community of our size and our capacity. And the fact that we were able to pull it off and as beautiful as it turned out. I think that our citizens are proud of it and we’re seeing a lot of…

The first list of Governor Moore’s Green Bag Appointments was released this week. Almost 300 appointments to commissions and boards throughout Maryland were announced. Several appointees are from Allegany County.  Included are County Tourism Director Ashli Renee Workman and Colleen Taylor Peterson being appointed to the Canal Place Preservation and Development Authority, Tom Farrell appointed to the Allegany County Board of License Commissioners, Mirjhana Buck to the Allegany College of Maryland Board of Trustees, and Robert Parker to the State Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors.  The administration will submit additional appointments late February.