Bishop Walsh held its annual History Day competition Wednesday evening in the school cafeteria.  For high school, first place went to Ella Riley for her project on the Scientific Revolution.  Second place went to Dayton Wilson for his project on Civil Rights. At the middle school level, first place went to Stella Taylor and Grace Orndoff for their project on the First World's Fair.  Second place went to Alyas Williams and Joseph Khachan for their project on the Building of the Berlin Wall. The History Day projects were overseen by Social Studies instructors Tony Orndoff and Jim Zamagias. Judges were…

U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen has reintroduced legislation to help better protect seniors from financial securities fraud. It is reported that older Americans lose almost $28 billion each year to financial exploitation.  Van Hollen’s bill – the Empowering States to Protect Seniors From Bad Actors Act, will provide grant funding to support investigation and prosecution of senior fraud cases and conduct outreach to increase scam awareness.

Maryland’s 988 helpline for those needing emotional and mental health supports will now be permanently funded, thanks to legislation recently signed by Governor Wes Moore.  A new 988 telecom fee of 25 cents per month will appear on cell phone and landline bills and will generate more than $25 million each year to allow the state’s 988 call centers to hire staff, invest in technology, and prepare for the continued growth in the demand for 988 services.

On Tuesday, May 28th, 2024, the Cumberland City Police responded to a residence in the 200 block of Baltimore St for the report of a breaking and entering. Upon arrival, officers contacted the owner of the property. They advised that they returned home to find that their property had a broken window and their belongings had been ransacked. Officers then discovered that an extension cord had been run from through the broken window to an abandoned property next door to the victim’s property. Upon further investigation, officers located a male inside the abandoned property. As a result of the investigation,…

On Tuesday, May 28th, 2024, the Cumberland City Police arrested Joshua Gene Day, 33, of Cumberland MD. Day was arrested on an active Bench Warrant issued by the Allegany County District Court on March 28th. The warrant alleges Day failed to appear in court on that date for previous charges that include theft, obstructing, and CDS possession. Day was taken before the District Court Commissioner for an Initial Appearance where he was remanded to the Allegany County Detention Center. He is currently being held on $500.00 bond. Arrested: Joshua Gene Day                     Age: 33 Charges: Bench Warrant – Failure to Appear…

A Somerset man is home after a vacation trip turned into a detention for mistakenly carrying ammunition in his luggage.  Bryan Hagerich found himself imprisoned in Turks and Caicos when shotgun shells were discovered in his luggage.  Officials held the man for over one hundred days.  Pennsylvania U.S. Senator John Fetterman went to the islands located off the coast of Cuba to meet with officials and gain the man’s release. Ultimately, Hagerich received a suspended sentence and a fine.  Hagerich reunited with family over the weekend…

Both Allegany County and Emergency Services say talks continue to find ways of shaving $2 million dollars off the county EMS budget in 2025.  Emergency Services Director Jim Pyles and County Commission President,  Dave Caporale, appeared on WCBC’s Dave Norman show last week and it appeared a deal had been struck but the win was short-lived once the numbers were crunched.  Steve Corioni, President of IAFF 1715 that represents EMS employees, tells WCBC the union is waiting on information from the county to execute a vote which could happen in a week… County Administrator Jason Bennett says the county is…

Staffing regulations for nursing homes set by the Biden Administration mean that some facilities will have to staff up or downsize to meet the new requirements.  New rules stipulate how much care time per day should be given to each resident by a registered nurse and by nurse aides.  Vice President Kamala Harris says the requirements mean better patient care… Egle Nursing in Lonaconing already meets the new standards, but Administrator Jeff Metz says he is aware of at least one lawsuit filed by the American Healthcare Association saying the government exceeds statutory authority and creates impossible-to-meet standards with the…

U.S. Cellular customers may begin to see better signal reception, especially in rural areas.  T-Mobile has purchased the company’s wireless operations in a deal valued near $4.4 billion.  T-Mobile will get more than 4 million new customers in the deal and current U. S. Cellular customers will gain access to its 5G network, getting more coverage area and speed. Customers can remain on their current plans or switch to a T-Mobile plan without cost.

Residents may have noticed a change to the landscape of the historic Emmanuel Episcopal front lawn in downtown Cumberland.  Recently, parish members and community volunteers joined to plant a pollinator garden on land below the steeple.  Reverend Dr. Scott Rieker of Emmauel says the garden serves different purposes in addition to beautification…