Public Notice – PLEASE NOTE CHANGE IN VENUE The Mayor and City Council of Cumberland will hold a Public Work Session on Tuesday, April 2, 2024 at 5:15 PM in Room 100 at 701 Kelly Road, Cumberland – the Allegany County Government building.  The Mayor and City Council's regularly scheduled Public Meeting will be held at 6:15 PM in Room 100 at 701 Kelly Road, Cumberland. Meeting agendas are attached and may be further referenced through the City's website at http://www.cumberlandmd.gov/129/Agendas-Minutes  Questions regarding this matter may be directed to the City Clerk's office.

This is a reminder of the second Public Hearing for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) 2024 Annual Action Plan which will be held on Tuesday, April 2, 2024 (see agenda for final date confirmation) at 6:15 p.m. during the regular Mayor & City Council meeting at City Hall  to provide a forum for participation and comments on the draft Annual Action Plan recommended projects. Final adoption of the Annual Action Plan will occur at the end of the comment period, at the regular Mayor & Council meeting on Tuesday, May 7, 2024 (see www.ci.cumberland.md.us under Community Development for confirmation.) All questions…

Wednesday, March 27, 2024 Alexander Thomas Carlyle Lyddane, 23 of Frostburg, was arrested on two (2) Circuit Court Bench Warrants for Violation of Pre-Trial Release on Violation of Probation charges. His original convictions include: Assault-Second Degree where he was sentenced to a 2-year jail term with 3-years Supervised Probation in one case; and Assault-Second Degree where he was sentenced to a 2-year jail term with all but 106-days suspended and 3-years of Supervised Probation. He was released on a $2,500 Unsecured Personal Bond in each case. Drezdin Jose Delgado, 22 of Lavale, was served a District Court Bench Warrant for…

Major League Baseball officially approved the sale of the Baltimore Orioles to a group headed by David Rubenstein on Wednesday.  The owner group that includes Hall of Fame Oriole Cal Ripken, had reached an agreement with the Angelos family in January. Peter Angelos whose family had the Orioles since 1993, passed away this past week.  Rubenstein’s group bought the team for $1.7 billion. The Orioles open their 2024 season today, coming off a 101-win season last year.

The Appalachian Regional Commission’s Regional Energy Hub Initiative is making up to $5 million available for eligible applicants to conduct research on natural gas and natural gas liquid supply and demand opportunities; or support the implementation of an energy hub for hydrogen produced from natural gas using carbon capture technology.  Congress directed ARC to create this initiative in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021.  Application information is available at arc.gov.

Dry and windy conditions are expected to develop later this afternoon in the wake of a cold front. Relative humidity values may drop to as alow as 20-25% in strong northwest winds of around 15-20 mph, with gusts up to 25-30 mph. Residents are urged to exercise caution if handling open flames or equipment that creates sparks. Dispose of cigarette butts, matches, and other flammable items in appropriate containers. Obey local burn bans.

The City of Cumberland Parks and Recreation Department will host the annual Easter Egg Hunt at Constitution Park on Friday, March 29, 2024, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. The event is open to children ages 12 and younger, and they can get their picture taken with the Easter Bunny. Please bring your device for pictures. For the egg hunt, participants will be divided into four age groups: 3 years and under, 4-5 years old, 6-8 years old, and 9-12 years old. The egg hunts will occur simultaneously but in different park sections. Participants are reminded to bring a basket or bag…

The City of Cumberland is another step closer to getting work started on the repair of the Cumberland Street Bridge on West Side. At the most recent City Council meeting, City Administrator Jeff Silka read an action item that was approved by the council for determining the city’s 20% investment in the bridge reconstruction…  

While it may seem obvious that the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed because a container ship ran into it, the structural integrity of the bridge itself has been questioned as salvage operations begin. An answer could be the age of the bridge itself.  Structural Engineer Ken Davis told CTV news that when the bridge was built almost 50 years ago, the size and weight of container ships was much different… Davis1   16 secs   Davis said that a rebuild is not going to happen within a short timeframe… Davis2    7 secs

U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen held a special update meeting with the Western Maryland Delegation in Annapolis on Wednesday.  He went over the funding for the region that was approved recently in the Federal budget for Fiscal Year 2025…