Frostburg State University has hundreds of students attending class who are not on the Frostburg campus.  They are in China where the college has an active international program.  An article in the Baltimore Banner says that the outreach is one way the college is fighting to keep revenue flowing after declining enrollment and huge cuts to its budget resulted in two rounds of job cuts. Frostburg gains about a million dollars a year from 500 China-based students, helping the Western Maryland campus to stay viable.

Senator Chris Van Hollen Thursday may have won a victory for the proposed FBI Headquarters in Greenbelt. During an Appropriations Committee markup of the Commerce, Justice, and Science bill, Van Hollen had an amendment passed to prevent the Trump Administration from using earmarked funds to move the FBI elsewhere. The committee voted to approve the amendment but the bill is now in a holding pattern after some senators changed their vote on the bill as a whole…     “I never would pretend to be someone who picked the site. We set up a process designed to make sure the…

Cumberland City Police Department provided additional information regarding the Merchants Alley incident that occurred over the weekend. Lieutenant Andrew Tichnell spoke with WCBC News saying that officers responded to a number of incidents in the location involving a disturbance and fighting. No arrest were made because no one filed charges against any individuals and the crowd was very uncooperative with officers. An investigation into vandalism, destruction of property and possible disorderly conduct charges is ongoing. Lt. Tichnell said that due to the increased criminal activity in the area additional video surveillance and patrol units will be taking place in the…

The 101st year of the Allegany County Fair opens on Friday at the fairgrounds off McMullen Highway. Reithoffer Shows will once again be filling the midway with over 20 rides and attractions, including the return of the Banshee roller coaster.  Fair Manager Kevin Kamauf tells WCBC that on Sunday there is a special way to save on the cost of rides beginning at 5pm…     “If you want to ride the rides on Sunday and you bring three cans of food and make a donation to the food bank, you can ride all evening for $15.”

The Allegany County Commissioners appointed Roger Bennett as the new director of the County’s emergency services.  Bennett has served as interim director since last October when former director, Jim Pyles, retired.  Bennett served in the U.S. Navy for 23 years, worked for the Maryland Department of Emergency Management for three years, and has been with Allegany County since 2009.  At Thursday night's commissioner meeting, Bennett thanked the commissioners for entrusting him with this new position… “I really appreciate your confidence and approval of making me your next director of Emergency Services, but over the last eight months, all the work,…

The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad was recently gifted a historic executive office car from the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.  Wes Heinz, director of WMSR, says the car is fully equipped and operable with original mahogany walls.  Heinz says the car is a unique addition to the railroad and the community…     “To be able to capture these little vignettes of history and know that they are going to be accessible to our people in our region, in Allegany County and Cumberland, it’s very unique.  There are very few of these cars left intact and certainly operable in the nation,…

Maryland 6th District Congresswoman April McClain Delaney spoke exclusively with WCBC Thursday about the recently passed budget reconciliation package. She called the cuts a “tsunami” that would affect families, seniors and farmers in Allegany and Garrett Counties. She was particularly concerned about Medicaid and other health cuts…     “With these draconian cuts that are happening across the board, what we’re going to see is not only an impact on the ability for many of our seniors to have that health care, but it’s going to impact our rural hospitals.”

West Virginia House Democrats recently shared priorities regarding jobs, flood prevention, healthcare, and other issues facing the Mountain State. Minority Leader Sean Hornbuckle spoke of roadblocks in Charleston due to a Republican super-marjority. Hornbuckle says the state needs balance to serve the people, especially in the area of flood relief…     “Our president’s plan is to probably do away with FEMA and that’s the same FEMA that back in 2016 under President Barak Obama and that federal administration pumped $400 million into the state of West Virginia. It helped families; it helped put lives back together. We have to…

Governor Wes Moore has announced an additional $1 million in Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program funds for families in Garrett and Allegany Counties. The funds will support emergency furnace and hot water heater repairs and replacements for eligible households affected by May’s severe flooding.  Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program rules allow the use of emergency funds in response to natural disasters to ensure energy-related health and safety needs.

The Cumberland Economic Development Corporation received a $450,000 grant from the state of Maryland this week.  The Maryland Business-Ready Sites Program helps defray costs for site development and marketing.  The money will go toward the CEDC’s Messick Road development in Cumberland.  Director Matt Miller says the total of the project is around $1.5 million and this grant gets them just shy of halfway…     “This grant is about 30% of the funding total, but it will be a strong proponent.  All the grants require matching funds, so the fact that we have funding already committed to it makes us…