When Jason Buckel. House Minority Leader in Annapolis, spoke at the recent legislative preview, he did so with brutal honesty.  He has served the region for ten years, and sees that more concentrated effort is needed to bring development and worth to the area.  He appealed to both the residents and business set to ask themselves what they can do to precipitate change along with the Western Maryland delegation to change the direction of the region…     

The extension of the 2018 Farm Bill gives lawmakers until the end of 2024 to pass a new bill or approve another extension. Farm advocates say many programs West Virginia farmers rely on are up in the air, and are urging lawmakers to create a new bill as soon as possible.  Farmers continue to face rising operation costs and extreme weather events such as the current drought conditions. Spencer Moss with the West Virginia Food and Farm Coalition says Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP funding depends on the next Farm Bill. In 2021, more than 151,000 West Virginia households…

Governor Moore has proclaimed that 2024 will be the year of Military Families in Maryland.  At a press conference in Annapolis on Wednesday, Moore announced that two bills dealing specifically with the families of military personnel will be introduced in the next legislative session.  One of the bills, the Families Serve Act, will assist those military spouses who have difficulty finding employment even though they are qualified…     

On December 14th Cumberland Police Officers served a Criminal Summons on Jeremy William Everett who was then released from the scene. The summons was a result of an Assault-Second Degree. Arrest: Jeremy William Everett, age 25, Cumberland MD Charges: Assault-Second Degree

The Allegany County Sheriff’s Office and Maryland State Police have combined resources to target open and active warrants. As a result, the following individuals have been apprehended Thursday, December 14, 2023. Javas Chayton Bohrer, 22 of Cumberland, was served a Circuit Court Bench Warrant for Violation of Probation. His original conviction was for False Statement to Officer where he was sentenced to 6 months incarceration with all but 41 days suspended and 3-years of Supervised probation. He is currently held without bond pending a bail review. Matthew Alan Portmess, 40 of Frostburg, was served a District Court Bench Warrant for Failure…

The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development has awarded major funding to Cumberland.  A pilot program entitled "Choose Cumberland" includes $100,000 for relocation packages to attract new residents and remote workers.  A Midtown Facade program worth $50,000 will be aimed at commercial properties on North Centre and North Mechanic Streets.  Another $50,000 will go toward Roof Replacement within the city limits.  The programs should be implemented in the spring and summer months of 2024.

Power has been restored after a brief outage this morning along the western end of Allegany County.  Power was reported out at around 9am and First Energy was notified.  Power was restored by 9:30am for the area.

Maryland’s Housing and Community Development program is funding $1.6 million for 12 projects in Western Maryland through state revitalization programs.  The City of Cumberland will receive money for implementing their “Choose Cumberland” program promoting remote workers moving to the city. Garrett County will receive money for renovations at the Friend Family Museum in Friendsville. Frostburg State University’s will also receive monies for work on the Prichard Building. In total, over sixty-three million dollars was awarded across Maryland for fiscal year 2024.

The initial licensing round for new cannabis growers, processors, and dispensaries closed on December 12, with more than 1,700 applications submitted. This round marked the first cannabis licensing round in the nation that was exclusively open to qualifying social equity applicants. The Maryland Cannabis Administration may award up to 179 licenses in this round, and is now reviewing each application to determine whether it meets the minimum requirements for licensing. Any application that meets the minimum requirements will be placed into a lottery based on region or county, depending on the type of license. 

On 12/13/2023 at approximately 1:30 PM an officer from the Cumberland City Police Department observed a traffic violation on Williams Street. The officer initiated a traffic stop and contacted the operator David Shilling and passenger James Miller. During the traffic stop a Cumberland City Police K-9 was requested to the scene. The K-9 team conducted a scan of the vehicle which led to the discovery of suspected crack cocaine on Miller and drug paraphernalia on Shilling. Both subjects were arrested and transported to the police station. Miller and Shilling was served with Criminal Citations and released pending trial in District…