Highway work starting Monday, May 20 will have overnight detours in a heavily used area near Hancock.  Maryland is beginning work to replace the US 522 bridge over I-70 and will be installing concrete barrier walls. Detours around the construction set-up will start at 8pm in the evening and last until 6am and last for about 5 days. Drivers should use caution in the area and watch for workers and signage for the detours. The bridge work should be complete in 2025, weather permitting.

Allegany County Public Schools will hold graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2024 on Saturday, May 18. Times and locations for each ceremony will be 9am at Greenway Avenue Stadium for Fort Hill, Noon in the school gymnasium for Allegany High School, 4pm at the stadium for Mountain Ridge, and 6pm at Canal Place for the Career Center.  Options to view the graduations online can be accessed on the Allegany County Public Schools website.

On Thursday, May 16, 2024, the Cumberland Police Department served a criminal summons on Cristina Moore.  The summons was issued as the result of a private citizen filing for charges against Moore at the District Court of Allegany County.  Moore signed for her copy of the summons and she was released pending trial. ARRESTED:  Cristina Dawn Moore                    AGE:  30                           Cumberland, MD CHARGES:  Assault-2nd Degree, Peace Order: Fail to Comply (x2), Disorderly Conduct (x2), Disturb Peace-Loud Noise, Harass; A Course of Conduct (x2).

On Thursday, May 16, 2024, officers of the Cumberland Police Department responded to the area of Park Street and S. Central Avenue for a suspicious subject who was later identified as Brian Simmons Jr.  It was reported to the police that Simmons was in possession of a firearm.  Officers located Simmons in the 700 block of Maryland Avenue at which time he fled on foot.  Officers then engaged in a short foot pursuit.  They were able to catch up to Simmons in the 500 block of Maryland Avenue and place him in hand restraints.  It was learned that Simmons had…

A new general surgery practice, and an endocrinology specialist are recent additions to UPMC Western Maryland. A new general surgery practice at the UPMC Western Maryland Medical Arts Center brings together familiar faces of longtime area providers Drs. Michael Stasko, Milton Lum, Roy Chisholm, and Physician Assistant Wendi Shillingburg. Dr. Hannah Schrift, and Michael Schrift, CRNP are new to the community. Also new is Kacey Barb, CRNP, who specializes in endocrinology and will see patients in the diabetes management clinic at the UPMC Western Maryland Center for Clinical Resources.

The warming weather has shed new light on the progress of the Baltimore Street reconstruction project. While imagining the finished product during the first phase of the redevelopment was somewhat difficult, Melinda Kelleher with the Downtown Development Commission urges people in the area to come and see the area to get a better idea of what will be accomplished…

A large and vocal crowd was present Thursday evening at the Allegany County Fairgrounds, protesting one of the proposed cuts to Allegany County’s 2025 budget – a $2 million reduction in Emergency Services. Over 25 individuals spoke before the county commissioners against the budget reduction.  Steve Corioni, president of county firefighters association 1715, said the growth in service calls, moving to 24 hour service and the improved cardiac survival rates did not equate to a budget reduction…   A possible solution that is still in discussion would be an add-on to property taxes… Many of the speakers talked about the…

The Governor Moore Administration held its last bill signing ceremony on Thursday, signing the last of hundreds of laws passed in the 2024 General Assembly.  One of the bills that the Governor touted as being a bipartisan success was the establishment of the Center For Firearm Violence Prevention and Intervention.  The Center will be run by the Maryland Department of Health and is one of the first in the country…

Allegany County Economic Development is thinking out of the box when it comes to attracting businesses to the area. What used to be a cookie-cutter approach to getting manufacturing and large-scale business has been replaced by a niche called the circular economy.  Jeff Barclay, Economic Development Director for the county, explains that the concept is based on the reuse and recycling of materials that would go to waste… Geocycle is one such business to recently locate to the area, and another waste-to-value business is set to move to the county…

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is now the official candidate for the Republican party in the state’s race for Governor.  Morrisey beat out Moore Capito, son of West Virginia Senator Shelly Moore Capito, two-time Secretary of State Mac Warner, and businessman Chris Miller.  He will face Democrat Steve Williams of Huntington in November.  Morrisey had an election night party in Martinsburg where he addressed the crowd after receiving a concession call from second-place finisher Capito…