Allegany County Sheriff’s Office and Maryland State Police – Barrack C have combined resources to target open and active warrants. As a result, the following individuals have been apprehended. Monday, August 28, 2023 Jason Michael Brown, 39, of Pasadena, MD was served a District Court Bench Warrant for Failure To Appear. His original charge is Motor Vehicle/Unlawful Taking, Theft: $1,500 To Under $25,000, Unauthorized Removal of Motor Vehicle and Theft Less Than $100. He is currently held at the Allegany County Detention Center on a $5,000 bond in this matter. John Michael Pinson, 35, of Frostburg, was served a District…

Washington County has received $3.1 million for their Rural Legacy Program.  The funds will be used to purchase conservation easements on properties that are near or surround the Antietam Battlefield.  Chris Boggs, Rural Preservation Administrator for Washington County, says they have an applicant list of about 50 landowners wishing to settle an easement for their property…

From 7AM to 5PM today water service will be interrupted for valve replacement on Butler Alley.  The area affected includes N. Centre Street from Baltimore Street to Frederick Street, Butler Alley to George Street, and Baltimore Street from Centre Street to George Street.

On Monday, August 28, 2023 at approximately 12:14 PM, officers of the Cumberland Police Department responded to Canal Pl. in reference to a suspicious subject.  Police located and contacted the reported subject who was identified as Brit Redden.  Witnesses explained that they did not know Redden and that he had entered their vehicles without permission.  Redden was issued a criminal citation for Disorderly Conduct.  Police also served a criminal summons on Redden.  The summons was issued as the result of an incident that occurred on July 28, 2023.  On this date at approx. 11:54 AM, officers responded to the District…

With colleges including Rutgers and Georgetown requiring mask use for indoors this fall, the issue of mask mandates are again in the headlines.  The Center for Disease Control’s mask order expired along with the declaration of the national health emergency in May.  But with students returning to colleges across the country, some schools are trying to mandate both vaccines and masking as return-to-campus requirements.  WCBC checked with local college campuses to see what their policy is for the coming semester.  Kristin Kehrwald of Allegany College of Maryland told WCBC that masking is totally optional on campus and proof of COVID…

Cumberland’s Historic Preservation Plan is one step closer to reality.  The Lakota Group, a consultant group from Chicago hired by the City, visited in the spring and is now ready to present a draft of their plan to the public.  Historic Preservation Planner for Cumberland, Ruth Davis-Rogers, said that the plan is more than freezing properties in time – it facilitates development in different areas including tourism, housing and economic development…   The draft plan is available for view online now at www.cumberlandpreservationplan.com and the public workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, September 12th from 6:30 to 8pm at the Allegany…

The state of Maryland awarded Washington County over $3million for the 2024 cycle of the Rural Legacy Program.  This year’s grant is the largest amount the county has ever received and will be used to permanently preserve significant properties in the Antietam and Sharpsburg areas.  Rural Preservation Administrator Chris Boggs spoke to WCBC and explained the coverage area deals with Antietam Battlefield area…   Boggs explained that these are conservation easements so that further development cannot occur on the preserved properties…  

On Monday, August 28, 2023, the Cumberland Police Department served five bench warrants on Ruby McCullough.  Four warrants were issued by the District Court of Allegany County as the result of McCollough failing to obey an order of the court.  McCullough was originally charged with two counts of CDS: Possess-Not Marijuana, CDS: Possess Paraphernalia, Violate State Fire Prevention Reg, Malicious Destruction of Property less than $1000, and False Alarm/Fire: Cause.  The other warrant was issued by the Circuit Court of Allegany County as the result of McCullough violating pre-trial release on the original charge of Obstructing & Hindering.  She was…

Maryland county leaders are looking to gain more control of cannabis regulations at the local level.  The issue was a topic of discussion at the MACO Conference in Ocean City recently.  When recreational marijuana became legal on July 1, zoning requirements for the location of dispensaries were vague and left to the counties to work out individually.  State law does prohibit dispensaries from being within 500 feet of schools, playgrounds, and libraries but counties are looking to be able to extend that distance.  Allegany County Commissioner Bill Atkinson was at the Maryland Association of Counties and said regulations over locations…

Starting today, code compliance officers from the City of Cumberland will be setting out to do neighborhood nuisance sweeps.  They will begin on Mechanic and Centre Streets and continue throughout the city.  Denise Adams, Citizen Service Representative, tells WCBC that the officers will be using doorhangers to notify residents of any code violations needing addressed…   Residents who are complying with code laws can also expect to see doorhangers…   The sweep will take a couple of months to complete as the compliance officers visit each house on each street.