The Bel Air portion of the Maryland Water Service has been bought by the American Water Works Company Inc., the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the U.S.  Bel Air’s water service was one of multiple systems recently bought by American Water across eight states.  County Administrator Jason Bennett says more information is coming, but right now they know few details… “From what we know it is going through the regulatory process which means back through the PSC, back through Federal Agencies, as well, to approve.  Literally just learning about this, so don’t have much in the way of…

New housing has been a concern for the western part of Maryland for some time. It’s also something that Mineral County in West Virginia is working on.  West Virginia Delegate Gary Howell says developers are combing Mineral County to find land to build tract housing on. Howell says with more people coming to the area for jobs at Northrup Grumman, housing and its location is of prime interest to buyers…     “Coming into the area especially like Northrup Grumman, or even the ones in Allegany County, and you’re looking at it like, ‘do I want to live in Maryland…

Allegany County Water customers can expect a water rate increase of over 20% for the coming fiscal year.  The county purchases water from Cumberland who raised purchase rates by 20%.  That raise, coupled with other increases in cost and maintenance means customers may see bills increase up to 26%.  County Administrator Jason Bennett says they don’t want to make money on water bills….     “So the 6% is just for us to keep our head above water in operating districts. We try to operate our water and sewer at basically flat – no affect to our general fund. So…

Community colleges often struggle with developing resources, but Allegany College is an exception. The ACM Foundation annually looks at areas of growth and challenge they and other Maryland community colleges face. Foundation Director Courtney Jensen shared with WCBC that ACM’s assets rank near the top in the state…    “It’s amazing to see that despite living in an economically depressed area, having a lower number of population, we just have such generous people.  And despite all that, our net assets are third within the state which is truly incredible. It shows that people really just support our college and we’re…

Maryland’s Capitol Hill team is encouraging Allegany and Garrett County small businesses, non-profits, homeowners, and renters to seek resources available through the Small Business Administration’s Disaster Assistance program. The SBA announced the area’s inclusion in the program after severe flash flooding left businesses and property severely damaged. Senator Chris Van Hollen got the confirmation from SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler during a hearing…     “Absolutely, Senator. And my prayers are with all who are impacted. Our team is already actively evaluating that. And as you know, an SBA declaration can be made even if there’s not a FEMA declaration. So…

The opening of the Constitution Park pool has been pushed back another week.  The pool was originally planned to open during Memorial Day weekend but was delayed due to a rip in the liner.  Now, due to weather, the Constitution Park Pool is planned to officially open for the summer season on Saturday, June 7th.  Dans Mountain Pool is also delaying opening until June 7th because of the cooler weather conditions.

The public will have two opportunities to meet the new superintendent of schools for Allegany County, Dr. Michael Martirano.  On Tuesday, June 3, Dr. Martirano will meet with the public informally at Mountain Ridge High School between 6 and 8 p.m.  On June 5, Dr. Martirano will be at Allegany High School from 6-8 p.m.  Light refreshments will be served.

On Wednesday, May 28, 2025, the Cumberland Police Department served three bench warrants and a body attachment on Devonta Blowe.  Three warrants were issued as the result of Blowe violating probation on original charges of CDS: Possess-Not Cannabis, CDS: Possess-Not Marijuana, and CDS Dist-Narc.  The body attachment was child support related.  Blowe was arrested and later seen by a District Court Commissioner for a bond hearing.  At the conclusion, he was remanded to the Allegany County Detention Center without bond. ARRESTED:  Devonta Matthew Blowe     AGE: 30            Frostburg, MD  

Governor Wes Moore repeated his stand on the veto he handed down on setting up a Reparations Committee to look at redressing slavery in the state. The Governor told reporters now enough study has been done on the subject…   “This is the time for action. And I’m really proud of the work I’ve done in partnership with the legislature where we’ve been able to make historic investments in our HBCU’s, we’ve increased investment in HBCU’s since I’ve been the governor by over $1.3 billion dollars. We’ve done expungement reform. We’ve done procurement reform. I signed the largest mass pardon…

A recent survey revealed that Maryland is the fifth most expensive state for common cost-of-living items like mortgages, utilities, and insurance.  The state ranked 22% over the national median, meaning households spend an extra $2000 in monthly costs.  WCBC spoke with House Minority Leader Jason Buckel says it’s no surprise, given the rising costs of taxes and fees for state residents…    “We’re still cheaper than a lot of our metro neighbors to the East, but those costs are going up and our economy doesn’t match it. So, it affects everyone from Oakland to Ocean City – these high costs…