Some movement may be coming on the development of the former Allegany High School site on the West Side of Cumberland.  Allegany County Commissioner Bill Atkinson told WCBC recently that there should be an announcement in September about a developer for the site.  Proposals are being accepted by the county through August 25 to develop housing on the 12-acre parcel where the high school once stood.  Atkinson said they are looking for housing that will compliment that planned for the Memorial Hospital site on the other side of Cumberland…

A Somerset County woman was killed in an accident involving a farm tractor at the Union County fair this past weekend.  A vehicle being driven at a tractor-pull event malfunctioned, sending a piece of the tractor airborne and hitting the victim, who was sitting in the grandstands, in the neck.  33-year old Brandy Horner was given life saving measures by off duty medical personnel on the scene until EMS arrived. She was pronounced dead at Evangelical Community Hospital in Lewistown.

 A brief meeting was held by the new board of the Senator George Edwards Fund on Monday. Mostly a meeting for the new members to go over how the fund will operate, the board quickly went into a closed session.  The board is expected to meet again in two weeks at the Allegany County government complex in Cumberland, according to board member Dave Caporale.  The new board consists of 5 voting and 10 non-voting members representing Allegany, Garrett, and Washington counties. One of the first orders of business for the new board will be to hire an executive director.  

If you think you know a lot of Cumberland’s history, your chance to shine will be at this year’s Heritage Days in September.  The Historic Preservation office for the City of Cumberland is putting together an event for the Washington Street main stage to test residents’ knowledge of the city.  Ruth Davis-Rogers said the game-show type event is being put together now…

A recent Axios poll shows that retirement for most Americans may be out of reach.  80% responded that a reason for working hard your adult life is to have a nice retirement.  But 49% say they are just getting by and unable to save for retirement.  Many say they are unprepared to retire and are unsure how to prepare.  Just 36% of those 55 and older say they will be able to retire at the age they expected by using a pension for funding with most saying they will need to find at least a part-time job to fulfill financial…

On Monday, August 14, 2023 at approximately 8:45 PM, officers of the Cumberland Police Department responded to the first block of W. Roberts Street for a disturbance.  Police contacted the parties involved and learned that there had been an argument.    It was reported that Bailey Bollinger had been causing a disturbance and broke glass out of the door to the residence.   While officers were investigating the incident, Bollinger began yelling and refused to listen to officers’ orders to lower his voice.  Bollinger was placed under arrest and transported to police headquarters for processing.  He was transported to Central Booking and…

On Monday, August 14, 2023, the Cumberland Police Department served a criminal summons on Jacob Kasecamp. The summons was issued as the result of an incident that occurred on August 9, 2023.  On this date at approximately 2:35 AM, an officer of the Cumberland Police Department responded to the first block of Weber Street for a destruction of property complaint.  Police contacted the alleged victim who reported that Kasecamp broke a window in her residence.  An application for charges was filed against Kasecamp at the District Court of Allegany County.  Kasecamp signed for his copy of the summons and he…

On Monday, August 14, 2023, the Cumberland Police Department served two bench warrants on Daniel Miller.  The first warrant was issued as the result of Miller violating pre-trial release on original charges of Assault-2nd Degree (x2), Malicious Destruction of Property less than $1000, and Malicious Destruction of Property over $1000.  The second warrant was issued as the result of Miller violating pre-trial release on original charges of Assault-1st Degree, Assault-2nd Degree, and Disorderly Conduct.  Miller was arrested and transported to Central Booking.  He was later seen by a District Court Commissioner and remanded to the Allegany County Detention Center without bond. ARRESTED:  Daniel Lynn…

Many may complain about the age of the housing stock in Cumberland, but there are gems to be found. Caring for these older homes is sometimes a challenge, but there is help for the do-it-yourselfer.  At the recent Downtown Development Commission meeting, Historic Preservation Director Ruth Davis-Rogers spoke about the concern for homeowners to learn what to do about roofing – specifically maintenance and repair for expensive slate roofs… To address this, Rogers shared details about a workshop being planned for September or October to help homeowners with repairs. Slate roofs properly cared for can last anywhere from 75 to…

Between 2019 and 2021, the number of people primarily working from home tripled from roughly 9 million to  27.6 million people, according to the 2021 American Community Survey by the US Census Bureau.  Maryland ranked third at 24% of employees working from their homes.  For Allegany County to attract teleworkers, certain areas need to be addressed. At the recent State of the County event, Dave Caporale of the Allegany County Commissioners said it is critical that connectivity be addressed in the region… Over $900,000 was recently made available through the American Rescue Plan Act to expand broadband infrastructure throughout the…