On Saturday, May 4, 2024, law enforcement agencies in Garrett County organized the third annual Garrett County Fish with a Cop event at Accident Pond. This event aimed to strengthen the bond between the police and the community by pairing children with police officers for a day of activities. The day included officers picking up the selected children, providing transportation to the event, engaging in fishing, enjoying food, games, and receiving gifts before safely returning them home. The event proved to be highly successful and rewarding! We extend our gratitude to all the children and parents/guardians who participated or granted…

A home on Winchester Road suffered considerable damage on Friday morning after an electrical malfunction caused a fire to the structure. Neighbors alerted the homeowners to a fire on their back deck. The homeowner attempted to extinguish the fire and suffered minor burns. The LaVale Volunteer Fire Department responded to the incident and brought the blaze under control within 30 minutes.  Winchester Road was shut down to traffic for a short time.

Allegany County Public Schools is reporting that Westmar Middle School was placed in a brief HOLD status this morning due to a medical emergency. School administrators gave the “All Clear” and the instructional day resumed as normal.

Frostburg State University has received the Military Friendly School designation for the 13th straight year. The Military Friendly Schools list honors colleges, universities and trade schools that go above and beyond to embrace America’s military service members, veterans and spouses as students and ensure their success on campus. Institutions earning the Military Friendly School designation were evaluated using public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. More than 1,800 schools participated in the 2024-2025 survey, and FSU was among 537 earning the Military Friendly appointment for going above the standard.

In addition to balancing the 2025 budget, Allegany County government faces a severe staffing problem within the Sheriff’s Office. Currently, 15 deputies cover 24-hour service, but right now, one is off with an injury, one position is open, and two others will shortly be taking family leave. These numbers, according to Patrick McAndrew, the attorney for the Fraternal Order of Police, leave the county critically understaffed and should be addressed… McAndrew made a plea to the commissioners to find funding for more deputies… County Administrator Jason Bennett says the staffing request puts the commissioners between a rock and a hard…

There has been confusing information about how often women should get breast cancer screenings.  Recently, Dr. Kim from Advanced Diagnostic Radiology talked with WCBC about conflicting information concerning screenings where some medical groups were suggesting screening should not start till age 50… A sonogram may be used to clarify what a mammogram shows and is often suggested for women with dense breast tissue that could be concealing a problem…

LEGO Discovery Center Washington, D.C. is starting their first ever mini-LEGO® competition as kids across the DMV can build their way to be crowned Washington, D.C.’s Mini Master Model Builder! The epic building competition will be virtual by submitting applications online using the form on LEGO Discovery Center Washington, D.C. website. Submissions are being accepted from May 6th until May 20th for kids 5-12 and requires each to build something animal-themed. The winner will also get to represent the area in the virtual competition to gain the title of North America’s 2024 Mini Master Model Builder. Kids 5-12 can apply to…

Technical issues with the federal government’s Free Application for Student Aid have delayed students confirming amounts of financial help for college.  West Virginia declared a state of emergency in order for students there to be able to get confirmations on available state aid.  Frostburg State University has announced that once again they are extending the date for FSU Decision Day to Saturday, June 1st for students to consider aid offers before committing to a specific school.  Allegany College of Maryland has been processing financial aid packages since early April, but has not yet sent them out to students.

This coming Wednesday is World Red Cross Day and ahead of the official date, the Allegany County Commissioners made a proclamation recognizing the efforts of local Red Cross events and volunteers.  Jason Keeling, Executive Director for the Allegheny Highlands Red Cross region, shared some numbers around blood donation… He also talked about emergencies where the Red Cross responds…

On May 6th, 2024 at approximately 12:55 am, an officer of the Cumberland Police Department observed a vehicle commit a traffic violation. A traffic stop was conducted and the operator, Benn Deal, was contacted. The officer observed evidence of impairment and after the performance of Standardized Field Sobriety, further evidence of impairment was observed. Deal was placed under arrest and was later released pending his trial at District Court.   Arrest: Benn Roby Deal, age 34, Cumberland Maryland. Charges: DUI Related Citations.