On Tuesday, January 30, 2024, the Cumberland Police Department served a Circuit Court bench warrant on Natasha Groves.  The warrant was issued as the result of Groves violating probation.  She was originally charged with Burglary-4th Degree-Dwelling.  Groves was arrested and transported to the Allegany County Detention Center where she is currently being held without bond pending her appearance before the court. ARRESTED:  Natasha Marie Groves       AGE:  40         Cumberland, MD BENCH WARRANT SERVED On Tuesday, January 30, 2024, the Cumberland Police Department served a bench warrant on Kordell Stewart.  The warrant was issued as the result of Stewart failing to comply…

A Cumberland tradition that reaches back to at least 2008 will be celebrated this week at City Hall.  The annual Groundhog Day ceremony will take place in the early hours of Friday morning.  Melinda Kelleher of the Downtown Development Commission shared the details around this year’s event and its special guest… WCBC will cover the event on a livestream via our social media page on Facebook.

A temporary water outage will be affected those fed from North Centre Street, between Baltimore Street and Frederick Street. The outage will occur between 7AM and 4PM today.

Maryland’s General Assembly is working through a number of public safety bills this session.  House Bill 320, sponsored by the Joint Republican Caucus, is one that seeks to reverse a ban on police searching vehicles based on the smell of cannabis – something that House Minority Leader Jason Buckel says would help restore an important law enforcement tool.  

Construction projects for Fiscal Year 2025 by the Allegany County Board of Education were approved at the recent meeting of the Allegany County Commissioners.  Adam Patterson, the county’s director of Public Works went over the projects including the design for an early childhood center to be added on to Washington Middle School and water plant projects at both Braddock and Washington. The county’s cost is just over one million dollars or 11% of the total for the projects…    

Maryland Tax Connect, a new secure online self-service portal for businesses in the state to file their taxes, will begin to go online this week and next and should be available by February 6. According to Comptroller Brooke Lierman, the new system will simplify tax filing and give business taxpayers greater autonomy over the long term. Eventually the system will be available for all Maryland taxpayers to file and pay taxes online.  Lierman encourages all taxpayers to explore the site for resources…    

Plans for the future of the Festival Grounds was a subject of discussion at the Canal Place Board meeting on Tuesday.  County Commissioner Bill Atkinson spoke to the board about Maryland Speaker of the House Adrienne Jones’ desire to help honor the legacy of former House Speaker Cas Taylor.  Atkinson said Speaker Jones is very interested in helping to develop and fund an updated amphitheater at Canal Place that would take Taylor’s name in his memory…    

The City of Cumberland, the Downtown Development Commission (DDC) and the Parks and Recreation Department extend an invitation for the 17th annual Groundhog Day Celebration at City Hall Plaza. On Friday, February 2nd, Cumberland’s prognosticator mascot, Queen City Charlie, will be on the steps of City Hall to help answer the question, “Will it be an early Spring or six more weeks of Winter?” On hand to interpret the prediction will be Mayor Raymond Morriss and members of City Council. The program will begin at 7 a.m. with Mayor Morriss announcing the coloring contest winners, reading the Proclamation, and welcoming…

Maryland Public Television’s (MPT) original series Maryland Farm & Harvest, now in its 11th season,  will feature farms and locations in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Frederick, Harford, and Washington counties during an episode premiering on Tuesday, February 6. A preview of the episode will be available on the series’ webpage at mpt.org/farm. Maryland Farm & Harvest airs on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. on MPT-HD and online at mpt.org/livestream. Episodes are also available to view on the free PBS App and MPT’s online video player following their broadcast premiere. Encore broadcasts air on MPT-HD on Thursdays at 11 p.m. and on Sundays at 6 a.m. Episodes also air on MPT2/Create® on Fridays at…

Maryland Legal Aid (MLA) is joining Homeless Persons Representations Project (HPRP) for a virtual event spotlighting the collaborative efforts of eight organizations working to raise awareness and provide critical information about the expungement process for cannabis-related offenses. On Tuesday, February 20, 2024, HPRP will lead an engaging virtual event shining a spotlight on the collaborative efforts of eight organizations working together to raise awareness and provide critical information about the expungement process for cannabis-related offenses. This 90-minute virtual program will provide valuable insights into the crucial work of each organization participating in this education and outreach campaign, which is made…