New procedures around code enforcement are in the works for the City of Cumberland. At Monday’s Mayor and Council work session, Kevin Thacker, the city’s Code Compliance Manager, said that new rules and procedures will be drafted that can help speed up the abatement process. Thacker told the council that overall, nuisance complaints have been down over the past four years and pointed to the increased code enforcement staff that put in extra effort to address complaints…   "Starting now so, hopefully by springtime we'll have these new ordinances in place that will give us teeth to do the abatements…

Anyone visiting downtown Cumberland lately can now see big changes underfoot – literally. New Pavers for pedestrian and auto traffic continue to be installed along Baltimore, Centre, and Liberty Streets as the reconstruction project nears completion. The hot weather of the last few weeks has not hampered construction efforts, according to Downtown Development Commission Director Melinda Kelleher tells WCBC that Triton Construction has been continuing to keep the job on schedule.   

Leaders across the state have raised concerns regarding the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education plan and now, Governor Moore may be hinting that the price is steep.  The multi-billion dollar Blueprint was passed by the General Assembly in 2021, and calls for $3.8 billion in education funding yearly over the next decade with $4 billion each year after that. Moore told Baltimore’s Fox 45 News there are challenges in implementing a plan that has a feasible financial pathway for everyone…   I believe in the tenants of the blueprint, I believe that we need to make sure we have a…

Garrett County Government has announced a new round of funding to support and promote small, non-agriculture business in the area. Businesses with 25 or fewer employees may apply for grant awards of up to $1000 to cover costs of eligible marketing or promotions projects. Signage, radio advertising, and brochures are among projects where the money can be used. The county says the program helps small business improve market access and stability.

The West Virginia Department of Health has garnered some national recognition for its commitment to delivering quality rural healthcare.  The state’s health department ranked 4th nationwide in the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project rankings.  The MBQIP rankings, in which West Virginia placed 6th last year, measure patient safety, inpatient/outpatient care, patient engagements, and care transitions.  For more information, visit the West Virginia Department of Health at dhhr.wv.gov."    

A federal grand jury has indicted several Martinsburg, Ranson, and Sheperdstown individuals on drug trafficking charges. United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced charges against individuals who were operating a large-scale fentanyl and cocaine trafficking operation out of an autobody shop in Martinsburg, West Virginia. The group is alleged to have imported significant amounts of drugs from Puerto Rico through the U.S. Postal Service as well as from a source connected to the Sinaloa Cartel.

A Martinsburg man is dead and a Ridgeley man is hospitalized following a collision with a Berkeley County Sheriff’s vehicle on Saturday. Initial investigation reports say that a car driven by Peter Christensen of Martinsburg failed to yield right-of-way to a Sheriff’s department vehicle displaying lights and sirens that was responding to a call.  Both vehicles traveled off the roadway on King Street. Christensen was pronounced dead at the scene and a passenger, Christopher Dodrill, was transported by EMS with life threatening injuries. The sheriff’s deputy was transported by EMS and later released. The investigation is continuing.

US Senator Chris Van Hollen announced the Senate Appropriations Committee announced passage of the Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act. The legislation provides over $25 billion in funds, including operational funding for the Treasury Department, the federal judiciary, and the Small Business Administration.  The bill includes $48 million in defense spending, as well as $375 million for the construction of the new FBI Headquarters in Greenbelt, Maryland.

The Cumberland Mayor and City Council meeting will take place this evening, beginnig at 6:15pm at Cumberland City Hall.  The meeting is moved this week from Tuesday to Monday because of National Night Out events taking place tomorrow evening along Somerville Avenue in Mapleside.

On 08/04/2024 at approximately 12:30 PM the Cumberland City Police Department were dispatched to the intersection of Centre Street at Market Street for a motor vehicle crash. Upon arrival officers learned that the vehicle operated by Timothy Kesner had driven into the rear of a vehicle that was stopping at the intersection. Officers contacted Kesner and he showed signs of impairment. Kesner submitted to standardized field sobriety tests and was eventually placed under arrest. During a search incident to arrest, officers located suspected crack cocaine and fentanyl on Kesner. Kesner began to show signs of a medical emergency and an…