The coming of solar energy to the campus of Allegany College of Maryland will do more than advance the state’s commitment to a green energy future. A solar array for the roof of the Allied Health Building is planned and solar parking canopies and EV chargers in the college parking lots.  Kristin Kehrwald of ACM tells WCBC the school will be able to provide training on this alternative energy…    “We’re going to be doing workforce development along with it so people in the area will have the chance to learn how to install and maintain a lot of the…

Henry Louis Gates, Jr., host of the PBS program “Finding Your Roots” had the opportunity to discover his own ancestry in a special program recorded at the Allegany Museum. The show was produced last April when Gates was handed his own “Book of Life” that he usually presents to guests on his program. Vic Rezendes of the Allegany Museum said it was the first time PBS took the show on the road…     “They’ve always filmed it always from the studio, but because it was related to Henry – Skip, as they call him, they decided to come home…

The Cumberland Country Club is closed temporarily due to a power outage.  Potomac Edison reports there is a tree down on power lines in the area.

The 21st edition of the Hooley Plunge has netted close to $125,000 in donations and pledges.  The Alhambra fundraiser for Special Olympics and many other programs was begun by the late Dr. Sean McCagh.

It will be another playoff trip across the Bay Bridge for Fort Hill High School.  Following the overtime win Thursday over Mountain Ridge, the Sentinels will play at Cambridge South Dorchester Saturday at 4 p.m.  Tickets can be purchased at mpssaa.org.

On Thursday, March 6, 2025 at approximately 12:42 PM, an officer of the Cumberland Police Department was conducting a foot patrol in the area of the first block of Greene Street when he observed three people trespassing in the area of the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad.  They were placed under arrest and identified as Gary Bookheimer Jr, Eric Brewington, and Heidi Townsend.  Bookheimer was found to be in possession of multiple controlled dangerous substances to include suspected methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl.  It was discovered that Brewington had an active bench warrant-violation of probation for an original charge of Assault-2nd Degree. …

A layout plan was presented for the old Allegany High School neighborhood project during last night’s Allegany County Commissioner meeting.  The plan that is being considered consists of 65 units which includes 35 town homes, 9 villa homes with an aging in place model, as well as detached single family homes.  Commissioner Bill Atkinson said the agreement with developer DR Horton would be to build 10 units at a time, and as they sell, the process will continue… “We think we’ve come up with a fairly good plan.  Again this is just to show you what it is as we…

Maryland’s Board of Revenue Estimates announced a $280 million dollar reduction in the estimated General Fund balance on Thursday. Board Director Robert Rehrmann said uncertainty around the federal government was a main driver in the downcast…     “Even though there are court challenges, we do believe there is a determination to significantly reduce federal spending and employment and that is going to be a negative shock to our economy. That’s going to harm Marylanders, businesses, our economy, our non-profits, and our state revenue structure.” The reduction draws attention to how much the state is tied to federal contracts and…

Allegany County’s Attorney, Lee Beeman, testified before the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee on Senate Bill 979. This bill changes collection of hotel/motel taxes from short-term rentals in the state to an intermediary, relieving the county’s costs and responsibility.  Beeman says the county has missed out on $150,000 in revenue…     “To paint the picture, currently in Allegany County we have 135 short-term rentals. We pay for a subscription to AirDNA to get that information, those statistics. Of those 135 rental units that we have, less than 10 of those units voluntarily remit to the county government.”

Rolling out across all school systems in Maryland is the “Handle With Care” program. Working with law enforcement, schools are notified when they encounter a situation where a child has been involved in a sensitive issue.  A simple message is sent to the child’s school or child care with their name and “handle with care.” This alerts the school to implement special curricula and if more help is determined to be needed, onsite trauma-focused mental healthcare can be made available.