The massive hiring goal set by Governor Wes Moore when he took office is pretty much still that – a goal.  The governor had promised to fill 5,000 state vacancies but the hiring spree hasn’t paid off quite the way it should.  Reports show that actually only 893 employees have been hired since January, but that is a net figure as over 2600 employees have left.  Senate President Bill Ferguson said in January that department heads in the state would have work to do in order to fill jobs…   

Governor Wes Moore joined Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie Su, Senior Advisor to the President of the United States Mitch Landrieu, and U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen at Carver Vocational School to announce Amtrak, Baltimore City, and the state of Maryland’s commitment to support the Baltimore Workforce Hub. Through the Workforce Hubs Initiative, the Biden-Harris Administration is partnering with local officials, employers, unions, and other stakeholders to ensure a skilled workforce is ready to meet the demand for labor driven by historic public and private investments. “In the state of Maryland, we will work with the Biden Administration to…

Senator Mike McKay has released a statement on the ongoing Hamas-Israel confrontations taking place in the Middle East.  McKay takes to task the universities and organizations across the country that have come out calling for genocide of Jews and supporting known terrorist organization Hamas.  He is especially critical of the hate speech being heard on college campuses…

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey says his office stands ready to fight an appeal filed by GenBioPro – a company that makes a generic version of the abortion pill mifepristone. The company filed an appeal saying that the decision of the US District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia to prevent the sale of the drug into West Virginia conflicts with FDA regulations.  Judge Robert Chambers in his decision for the state said it was clear that the US Supreme Court Dobbs decision left the regulation of abortion to the states.  

The City of Cumberland Engineering Department, on behalf of CSX, would like to notify the public that the Valley Street Crossing will be closed to thru traffic between North Centre Street and Henderson Avenue on Tuesday, November 14th,  to Friday, November 17th, in order for paving of the crossing to occur.  Signage will be in place to detour passenger vehicles around the road closure. Traffic is expected to be restored on Friday morning, November 17th. Additional information will be released in the event the closure duration needs to be extended. Please use caution in the area and follow all traffic control devices…

On November 12th, 2023 the Cumberland Police Department served a bench warrant on Thomas Heinrich Lee. The warrant was issued as a result of Lee failing to appear for court on November 6th, 2023. Lee was placed under arrest and transported to Central Booking where he was later seen by a District Court commissioner and released on his own recognizance. NAME: Thomas Heinrich Lee  AGE: 51  Cumberland, MD CHARGES: Failure to Appear

State Senator Mike McKay is already saying that the next General Assembly session is going to be, in his words, “a mess.”  Legislators will be faced with how to create revenue to pay for all of the programs passed in the last session – where a $5 million surplus has quickly become a $320 million deficit that will grow to over $2 billion by 2029. Democrats have not ruled out tax hikes to cover their commitments… Several Maryland counties have already raised or are discussing raising property taxes in order to pay their share of the Blueprint for Education, and…

Maryland’s Senate and House Republicans are holding a press conference on Tuesday to announce their 2024 Public Safety Agenda.  After a disappointing General Assembly session last year that saw little done to combat growing issues with crime and juvenile justice while handcuffing concealed-carry laws, the Joint Republican Caucus is hoping that this coming session will create legislation to balance the criminal and juvenile justice systems and safeguard communities from violent offenders. 

The City of Cumberland isn’t the only one investing in the future of downtown.  Mayor Ray Morriss tells WCBC that more investors are seeing the value of investing in Cumberland right now… Morriss detailed some of the investments that are being made from locals and those out of the area…

Art within cities is a growing area of interest.  Cumberland has an active arts presence, and according to Historic Preservation Planner Ruth Davis-Rogers, arts in a city is a complement to community and economic development.  The Allegany Arts Council has long encouraged the arts in the area, but now the City is in discussions to develop an Arts Commission.  While the Arts Council supports and encourages all different types of art, a city commission would have a different role, according to Rogers…