West Virginia U.S. Senator Jim Justice spoke with FOX News regarding pushback around trimming back government.  He said he thinks it’s difficult for democrats to see the big picture right now…     “Watching the liberal democrats in Washington D.C. is absolutely shocking to me.  Why in the world you would defend—you would absolutely defend- these unbelievable amounts of waste, and they continue to do it.  They act like, you know, I would say, how many cows are in the field?  Just count the egg-sucking cows.”

Maryland renters, tenant advocates, and legislators gathered at Lawyers Mall in Annapolis to rally in support of Good Cause Eviction protections this week.  The rally took place just hours before hearings on the legislation occurred in the House and Senate.  The Good Cause Eviction Bill would allow local jurisdictions to require landlords to provide a valid reason before evicting tenants.  Matt Losak, co-founder of the Montgomery County Renters Alliance says evictions with no reason are increasing…     “We are seeing countless numbers of tenants who are losing their homes for no other reason other than forming tenant associations, seeking…

Following a short investigation, the Cumberland City Police in conjunction with Allegany County School System resource officers arrested a 16-year old male for making threats over social media.  The Allegany High School student was reported to officials by another student saying concerning messages had been posted on social media over a period of time.  A search warrant was executed at the student’s residence and the student was taken into custody Tuesday and charged with threats of violence.  Cumberland Police assures the community there is no concerns regarding safety of students in the school system.

The Office of the State Fire Marshal charged a local man with arson after a fire at the Cumberland YMCA earlier this month.  On February 7, 2025, just before 3:00 p.m., the Cumberland Fire Department responded to a fire at the YMCA at 205 Baltimore Avenue. When they arrived, they were told other tenants had quickly extinguished a fire in a third-floor apartment. At the Cumberland Fire Department's request, the Office of the State Fire Marshal was requested to investigate the cause.  With the assistance of the Cumberland Police Department, Donald Lee Martin, Jr., 63, was taken to UPMC Western…

Tuesday’s Cumberland Mayor and City Council meeting saw the passage, finally, of a parking policy for streets in the downtown area.  Starting in 30 days, one hour of free parking will be available on Baltimore, Liberty, and Centre Streets.  Mayor Ray Morriss tells WCBC that the merchants of downtown say it will be a benefit to their businesses…     “They truly believe that the vast majority of their customers need less than an hour to come down and do their business downtown. And if they need more than an hour, you’ve got the first two hours free over at…

Travis Jay Martin appeared in the Circuit Court for Garrett County and entered a Guilty plea to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. Citing Martin’s prior criminal record and the amount of methamphetamine recovered, State’s Attorney Christian Mash sought and received the maximum five-year sentence in the case.  When Martin was taken into custody, he was in possession of over 160 grams of methamphetamine and almost $2,000 in case identified as proceeds from drug sales.  

The Maryland Energy Administration has issued a statement opposing proposed rate increases to cover natural gas pipeline replacement costs. A statement from MEA director Paul Pinsky to the Maryland Public Service Commission says the proposed increases from Columbia Gas and other utilities are a troubling pattern. State residents and lawmakers are voicing concerns over increasing energy costs, and the proposed increases show utility companies being tone-deaf to increases ratepayers around the state are already being forced to absorb and should consider less costly alternatives.

Maryland Democratic Congressman Kweisi Mfume said he is concerned over the speed at which President Donald Trump is moving with changes across federal agencies and programs.  While the congressman agrees that there should be ways to cut spending and uncover fraud, he believes both Democrats and Republicans would like to see more rails put around how cuts and layoffs are occurring…    “At some point in time, you gotta believe that even people who voted for Donald Trump believe that he’s doing too much, too fast, without any sort of sense of the hurt that is being caused on people…

On Tuesday, February 18th, 2025, an officer with the Cumberland Police Department observed a red Honda commit a moving violation in the area of Virginia Ave and Fourth St. A traffic stop was then initiated and contact made with the operator, Michael Steven Yetter, 44, of Cresaptown MD. Upon initial contact, the officer observed Yetter drop a CDS pipe while searching for his driver’s license. During a subsequent search, Yetter was found to have other CDS materials on his person. As a result, Yetter was issued a both a criminal citation and traffic citations and released, pending trial in District…

After extensive discussion over the past couple of months, the Cumberland Mayor and City Council voted that all parking spaces on Baltimore Street, Liberty Street, and Centre Street within the Downtown District will be made equal.  Vehicles will be limited to one hour free parking with a time reset gap of 60 minutes between one hour cycles.  The streets will be marked by signage; however, the regulations will not affect designated marked Loading Zones.  City Administrator Jeff Silka says all free zones within the City will be subject to enforcement 30 days from now… “Authorizing new parking regulations for parking…