Middle school students in Allegany County recently received financial education bags. The county Human Resources Development Commission along with PNC Bank and Allegany County Public Schools provides students a financial literacy program through education technology company EverFi. Students have access to three online financial courses in grades 6-8. The courses help students learn about financial decision-making and long term planning. The bags included workbooks, a calculator, a coin bank, bookmarker and pencils.

Authors of a new study are calling on the state of Maryland to enact air-quality equipment standards similar to California that would phase out the sale of natural gas furnaces and water heaters and encourage using alternatives including heat pumps. The study found that in Maryland such equipment emits more than three times the amount of health-harming nitrogen oxides as all the state's power plants combined. Jamie DeMarco, Director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network says pollution from fossil fuels is worse in cities… DeMarco says a new state standard for home appliances would not impact existing equipment but would…

October is Cyber Security Month and at this week’s work session for the Cumberland Mayor and Council, Chip Watkins shared what the City has been doing to secure information they do not want falling into the hands of hackers. Watkins says City systems have been updated and redundant firewalls installed. He also talked about what employees and citizens can do to be more secure online…  

Maryland’s Attorney General Anthony Brown has announced one of the largest penalties ever levied in an environmental crime case with a $1 million fine against Curtis Bay Energy.  The medical waste disposal company has been placed on 2 years of probation as well. Katie Dorian of the Attorney General’s office says the Baltimore company routinely handled special medical waste – usually red bag waste from hospitals – in an improper manner, threatening the public health…  

A new federal program from the Centers for Disease Control is giving money to Maryland and 43 other states to create a national public health infrastructure to combat Alzheimer’s and related dementias and to preserve brain health. The Maryland Department of Health will its $2.5 million dollar share to track and report activities in the state’s plan to address Alzheimer’s and Dementia and build upon its Healthy Brain Aging awareness campaign to increase early detection and diagnosis.  In July, a report indicated that Maryland had the highest prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in the nation.

Ricky Allen Bennett, 51 of Cumberland, was arrested on a Circuit Court bench warrant for violation of pre-trial release. His original charges include: Assault-1st Degree, Assault-2nd Degree, reckless endangerment, and felony firearm use in the commission of a violent crime. He is being held without bond at the Allegany County Detention Center. Amanda Renee Swauger, 34 of Cumberland, was served two District Court Bench Warrants for Failure to Comply. Her original charges include: Theft: Less than $100, Fraud-Personal Identification to Avoid Prosecution, and Possession of contraband in a place of confinement. She is being held without bond in both cases….

The family of long-time WCBC News Director Bryan Gowans has launched a "Go Fund Me" fundraiser to provide support during his stroke recovery.  Bryan suffered a massive stroke in late March which has left him paralyzed on his left side. For the past several months, Bryan has been a resident at Allegany Nursing and Rehab but it is the family's wish for him to continue his recovery at home, surrounded by his daughters and grandchildren. Obviously, this has been financially draining on the family as this ongoing care is expensive and ongoing.  Bryan will need equipment including a motorized wheelchair. …

On Tuesday, October 17th, 2023, The Cumberland City Police responded to the 1000 block of Industrial Blvd for a warrant service. Upon arrival, officers located a female subject, Nalesia McCauley, 22, of Cumberland MD, seated inside a parked vehicle. Officers then made contact with McCauley and had her exit the vehicle. Officers then advised McCauley she was under arrest and attempted to place her in handcuffs. At that time, she pulled away from officers and began to flee the area on foot. Officers gave chase and McCauley was able to be apprehended a short time later. McCauley was also served…

More funding is coming to help Maryland residents access high-speed internet. Two programs – Home Stretch for Public Housing and Home Stretch for Difficult To Serve Properties will receive $69 million in federal money to provide internet to an estimated 15,000 households in the state. The funding is coming through the US Treasury’s American Rescue Plan Coronavirus Capital Projects program. Grants will be made to counties that will subgrant to service providers to install connections.  Governor Wes Moore has said that having internet access for all is crucial in Maryland.

Cybersecurity was the main topic at Tuesday’s work session for the Cumberland City Council.  Cyber Security Specialist Chip Watkins brought the council up to speed on efforts the City is taking to tighten systems against data breaches and internet attacks.  Watkins says that municipalities are often easy targets that hackers can breach and get access to sensitive records and areas. Watkins says recently installed firewall systems have shown him just how often the city is targeted. Dave Biser, a citizen attending the work session and regular public meeting, works in computer security and lauded the City’s efforts in keeping information…