A team of investigators from the Office of the State Fire Marshal and Allegany Combined County Criminal (C3I) is conducting an investigation involving a fatal dwelling fire at 210 Welsh Hill Road in Frostburg that claimed one person. At around 3:45 a.m., Frostburg Fire Department and nearby fire companies responded to the three-alarm fire. It took 60 firefighters fifteen minutes to control the fire. Once the fire was extinguished, firefighters located a deceased occupant within the single-family dwelling.  The victim will be transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore to determine the exact cause of death and…

On Sunday at 3 p.m. Hancock Volunteer Fire crews respoed to a two-story single-family residence at 14736 White Oak Ridge. The homeowner sustained non-life-threatening injuries. An Occupant heard a crackling noise and observed a glow on the exterior of the residence. The occupant notified family members who were then able to escape. The family is being assisted by the American Red Cross. The Office of the State Fire Marshal is an agency of the Department of State Police dedicated to helping protect citizens from fire and explosion through a comprehensive program of education, inspection, investigation and fire protection engineering.

Frostburg Fire Department supported by Allegany County Emergency Services responded to a two alarm apartment building fire early this morning in 200 block of Welsh Hill Road that resulted in a fatality. Fire has been extinguished in the building however crews remain on scene awaiting the State Fire Marshall. State Medical Examiner is also responding to the location. The American Red Cross is helping a number of individuals displaced by the apartment building fire.

On Sunday, July 21, 2024 at approximately 2:02 PM, officers of the Cumberland Police Department responded to the area of George Washington Headquarters on Greene Street for an assault in progress.  Police arrived and contacted the parties involved.  One of the subjects, identified as Thomas Scannell Jr, was intoxicated and refused to listen to officers. Scannell kept aggressively approaching police and would also keep walking away as they were attempting to conduct an investigation.  Scannell was placed under arrest and transported to Central Booking where he is currently being held awaiting a bond hearing. ARRESTED:  Thomas Scannell Jr.            AGE: 63               Cumberland, MD CHARGES:  Intoxicated…

On Sunday, July 21, 2024 at approximately 9:53 AM, officers of the Cumberland Police Department responded to Greene Street for a theft that occurred at a residence in the 200 block of Washington Street the previous night.  Police contacted the victim who reported that the suspect stole home décor from their front porch.  Officers contacted the suspect at a business in the 200 block of Greene Street and identified him as Harry Frotman.  During this investigation, police learned that Frotman had also stole merchandise from the business.  Frotman was placed under arrest and transported to police headquarters.  He was issued…

Sunday, President Joe Biden announced he was ending his reelection campaign and endorsed his Vice President Kamala Harris to be his successor at the top of the Democratic ticket. Leaders from around Maryland had immediate reactions to the President’s decision. Maryland Governor, Wes Moore said “Maryland has had a stalwart ally and tireless friend in President Biden. We could not have delivered such enormous progress for 6.3 million Marylanders without his and Vice President Harris’ leadership and support. Together, we’ve created nearly 40,000 jobs, made historic investments in our state’s infrastructure, and seen the most significant drop in crime in…

The state of West Virginia announced positive news about its foster children numbers this summer. The state has an ongoing commitment to reducing the number of children in the state’s custody. Governor Jim Justice said the trend is a good one and more progress can be made…  

Last week, the City of Cumberland ratified a three-year contract with the union representing city fire fighters. The county will go to the negotiation table soon to start talks on their next contract with Emergency Medical Services union officials, amidst the ongoing budget shortfall the county is dealing with. Recently, Mayor Ray Morriss was asked what kind of advice or direction he would offer the county about the public safety workers – he said the model the city follows works across the state…  

Good news for the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad came at the Board of Public Works meeting in Annapolis. The board approved grant funding of $250,000 for the railroad’s operating expenses.  The funds will be appropriated quarterly.  Wes Heinz, Railroad Director, spoke during the BPW meeting, saying that the scenic railroad is now the number seven heritage railroad in the country and brings close to 85,000 people to Western Maryland annually…   Heinz also said the railroad is pleased to be able to give back to the local community throughout the year with over $100,000 in intangibles…  

As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the Appalachian Regional Commission awarded funding for projects to boost growth in outdoor tourism and aviation industries across Appalachia. The grants, awarded through ARC’s ARISE program include projects in Virginia, Ohio, and Maryland.  The Great Allegheny Passage Conservancy received $196,000 to create a strategic plan for maintenance of the 150-mile Great Allegheny Passage trail that connects Maryland and Pennsylvania.