Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown recently issued guidance on how Maryland law enforcement may interact with federal immigration authorities. The guidance notes federal law cannot compel state and local officials to enforce immigration laws.  State Senator Mike McKay tells WCBC he feels that states setting up barriers against the work of immigrations officials is a foolish move…     “The laws of our state and the laws of our country need to be respected. And I firmly believe that we need to work hand in glove with our federal partners when it comes to illegal immigration and I’m willing to…

First Energy is reporting that around 1,600 customers are without power in the Frostburg area.  Crews have arrived on scene to investigate the outage. FIrst Era has had widespread reports of outages across their service area due to severe weather in the region. No time for power restoration is known at this time.

On Thursday, February 6, 2025 at approximately 12:30 AM, officers of the Cumberland Police Department responded to a business in the 400 block of Virginia Avenue for a shoplifting complaint.  The staff reported to police that the suspect stole merchandise from the store.  An officer located the suspect, Ashley Shrout, on E. Fourth Street at Vancouver St.  After further investigation, Shrout was placed under arrest and transported to police headquarters.  She was issued a criminal citation and released pending trial. ARRESTED:  Ashley Kay Shrout          AGE:  38          Cresaptown, MD CHARGES:  Theft less than $100  

Governor Moore’s third State of the State address was delivered Wednesday in Annapolis. The Governor reviewed successes the state has seen over the past year, including the rapid response to the collapse of the Key Bridge and said in his proposed budget there are three pillars designed to confront with courage the “moment of crisis” the state is facing. One of the pillars Moore’s proposed tax reforms…     “Our proposed budget does not raise sales taxes, for the third year in a row our proposed budget does not raise property taxes, that we’re going to close corporate loopholes and…

The West Virginia Department of Health has opened applications for their 2025 Summer Internship program across the state’s offices. The program offers student a competitive wage and flexible schedules, and free housing for those working in Charleston. Students must have completed 30 college credit hours with a minimum 2.5 grade point average and be eligible to work in the United Stated without sponsorship. More information is available at dhhr.wv.gov.

Immediately following the State of the State address by Maryland Governor Wes Moore, House Minority Leader Jason Buckel brought the Republican response to the speech.  Buckel said that what the governor calls a practical mix of tax cuts for the middle class are not what they appear to be…     “The largest cut in Governor Moore’s budget is not a cut at all, but merely a decision not to put $420 million in to the Rainy Day Fund, our state’s savings account. He also shifts $145 million of spending onto the backs of local governments who will, as a…

Allegany High School student Ben Shanklin won first place in the Maryland High School Juried Art Exhibition. The event, hosted by the University of Maryland Global Campus (http://www.umgc.edu/) had roughly 400 submissions. Shanklin’s winning piece, titled “Conversation Medication” was made using colored pencils, markers, and pen.  Shanklin received a $5000 prize and trophy to be displayed at Allegany High School.  $1500 of this prize goes to him and will be used toward college costs, as he plans to attend the Rhode Island School of Design after graduation. The remaining $3500 will be donated to Allegany High School's art program. 

The Maryland State Fire Marshal’s office completed an investigation of the dumpster fire on West Oldtown Road that occurred Monday evening.  The fire was set in a Burgmeier’s Hauling Inc. dumpster and was discovered by a passerby around 6 pm. City of Cumberland firefighters responded to the blaze and had it under control within minutes.  The estimated loss is $1,000.  The suspect is said to have used a lighter to ignite combustible materials inside the dumpster.  With the assistance of the Cumberland Police Department, a suspect was identified and charges are being filed.

Due to the closing of the landfill because of extreme weather conditions, City of Cumberland trash collection has been suspended for the Thursday, Lower West Side, East Side, Seton Drive, Upper West Side areaa of the City of Cumberland. Residents in this area will receive double trash pickup on their next regularly scheduled collection day: Monday February 10, 2025.  Any questions may be directed to the Public Works Department at 301-759-6620 or publicworks@cumberlandmd.gov or Burgmeier's Hauling at 301-777-0416, Customerservice@burgmeiers.com.

Cumberland Mayor Ray Morriss kicked off his time with WCBC on Wednesday by taking the Cumberland Times-News to task over a story from Tuesday’s City Council Meeting.  Morriss said the headline in the paper is misleading as to when a parking app would be coming to Baltimore and surrounding streets…     “You know, if that’s all you read you believe the app is gonna go into place right now and that’s the furthest thing from the truth.” Morriss went on to say that a parking app may be used at some point in the future, but the council has…