On Monday, October 13th, 2025, the Cumberland Police Department arrested Joseph Henry Dowell, 61, of Cumberland MD. Dowell was arrested on an active Arrest Warrant issued by the Allegany County District Court for an incident that occurred on October 12th, 2025. During that incident, officers with the Cumberland Police Department responded to a residence in the 300 block of Fayette St for the report of an assault. Upon arrival, officers contacted a female victim who advised she had been assaulted by Dowell inside the home. The victim advised they had been struck in the face multiple times and also choked,…

The Washington Commanders host the Chicago Bears tonight on Monday Night Football.  The Commanders are 3-2 and the Bears are 2-2 entering the contest.  Last year the Commanders defeated the Bears on a memorable Hail Mary at the game's end.  Kickoff is 8:15 tonight on WCBC.

On Monday, October 13, 2025, the Cumberland Police Department served an arrest warrant on Tammy Iliff.  The warrant was issued in connection with an incident that occurred on October 6, 2025 at approximately 7:18 PM when police responded to the 200 block of Paca Street for an assault.  Officers contacted the alleged victim who reported that Tammy Iliff illegally entered her apartment and assaulted her. Officers observed that the victim had sustained injuries.  Iliff had left the area prior to police arrival.  After further investigation, police filed for charges against Iliff at the District Court of Allegany County.  Iliff was…

Chief Jim Pyles may just be starting his new position as Cumberland’s top officer, but he has had enough experience in law enforcement to know that something repeated is something important.  Pyles spoke to WCBC about priorities he has for the police department, one of which he has heard of problems with time and again…     “I’ve heard three things over and over – the downtown mall, the downtown mall, and the downtown mall.” The chief says he is already putting methods together to deal with issues in that area…     “Problem-oriented policing. 80% of the crimes are…

Maryland Transportation staff met late last week with Allegany County officials as part of the department’s Consolidated Transportation Program for the next five fiscal years. Participants included county and city officials, MDOT personnel, and members of the Annapolis delegation.  Delegate Jason Buckel said that the state needs to start now to look at ways to fund spending that may be needed in the Westernport and Lonaconing areas…    “I would not bet my house, I would not bet my car, I would not bet my cellphone that we’re going to get FEMA money in any kind of fashion. So, I…

The City of Cumberland has honored the Bishop Walsh Mock Trial Team for completing an undefeated season, becoming the 2025 Maryland State Champions. The school now holds two state championships in Mock Trial competition. The win also marks the second year in a row that an Allegany County school has won the state title – Allegany High won in 2024. Mayor Ray Morriss says the titles say a lot about the community…     “It’s great to see that for our young people. It says a lot about the Allegany County Public School system, it says a lot about our…

The USDA has announced the end of an annual report on nationwide food insecurity. The Household Food Security Report has been published for 30 years and advocates say the lack of data will leave a hole in understanding food insecurity among low-income Americans. Eddie Oliver with the Federation of Virginia Food Banks says 33% of Marylanders are food insecure but future numbers will be hard to uncover. “You’re just going to see a patchwork of different alternatives spring into place in states across the country, but we won’t be able to understand as clearly the long-term trends in food insecurity…

On Sunday, October 12, 2025 at approximately 8:51 PM, officers of the Cumberland Police Department responded to the 100 block of W. Reynolds Street for an assault.  Officers contacted the parties involved and identified them as Jordan Shook and Shantay Shook.  Police determined that no assault had occurred and advised them to keep the peace and to not cause any further disturbances.  At approximately 9:45 PM, officers responded back to the residence for a disturbance.  Officers contacted Jordan and Shantay and learned that a mutual assault had occurred between them. Officers observed that both subjects had sustained injuries. After further…

Lonaconing Mayor Jack Coburn is continuing to work with his town’s residents in flood recovery and restoration efforts. The delay in getting an answer from FEMA on whether Maryland will be given any disaster relief funds has been a point of contention for local and state officials.  Mayor Coburn said residents pay for coverage like that from FEMA and deserve to receive it…     “Our federal tax dollars are used for this, I assumed. I always felt that was what it was for – for an emergency. We had the same emergency that other states had and we have…

The use of short promotional videos may be in the City of Cumberland’s social media future. The mayor and city council discussed the implementation of “reels” for sharing information about city departments and activities. As the Virginia Avenue revitalization project progresses, Councilman Brian Lepley suggested creating short videos for interest. Mayor Ray Morriss agreed, saying videos could make city information more accessible…     “I think some short little 15-30 second little videos, you know, that more than anything give enough information to lead you back into clicking on the link that brings you into the information on who to…