On Friday the Cumberland Police Department served a criminal summons on Aaron Michael Ashby charging him was assault.  The summons was issued by District Court in reference to an incident that occurred back on May 17th, 2021 when police responded to a South Street residence for the report that Ashby had assaulted a female victim.  Officers did observe injuries to the victim consistent with a recent assault.  Ashby signed and received copies of the charging documents and was released pending trial.   Aaron Michael Ashby, age; 29, Cumberland, Maryland.     Also Friday the Cumberland Police Department served a criminal…

The Allegany County Health Department has released the latest COVID-19 news. Four walk-in COVID vaccination clinics are scheduled at local fire departments:   Oldtown Volunteer Fire Company:  Tuesday, May 25 Flintstone Volunteer Fire Company:  Thursday, May 27 Lonaconing Good Will Fire Company Armory:  Tuesday, June 1 Mt. Savage Fire Company:  Thursday, June 3   At all four clinics, single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine will be provided.  Also, individuals can receive their second dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.    Hours for all of four clinics are 9 a.m. to noon.  No appointment needed.  Please bring your vaccination card if…

A Maryland budget official says the state is expecting to receive about $3.7 billion in federal pandemic relief “within the next week or so.” Gov. Larry Hogan’s deputy budget secretary outlined more than $62 billion in overall federal and state pandemic relief funds on Thursday during the first meeting of a state workgroup on pandemic-related spending. The $3.7 billion is Maryland’s portion of federal American Rescue Plan funds. The federal government provided Maryland and local jurisdictions with almost $24 billion in grant funding for education, relief for physicians and childcare providers, COVID tests and vaccinations, mortgage and rent assistance programs.

Maryland's state song, which refers to Abraham Lincoln as a "tyrant," urges the state to join Virginia in seceding and refers to the Union as "northern scum," has officially been repealed. Governor Larry Hogan signed the bill into law this week, calling "Maryland, My Maryland" "a relic of the Confederacy that is clearly outdated and out of touch," he said Tuesday. The signing this week came after ten unsuccessful attempts to repeal it since 1974, three of them in the last three years. In the wake of George Floyd's death, the effort to repeal the song gained new momentum and passed in the…

U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) applauded the Federal Emergency Manage Agency’s (FEMA) announcement that 65 Peace Corps Response volunteers will be deployed to Maryland to help with COVID-19 vaccination efforts. The volunteers, who will serve three-month assignments, will be organized by FEMA in mobile teams focusing on urgent needs and engaging in logistics, outreach, education, and language support for under-served communities across the state, removing barriers to vaccine access.   “We need all hands on deck to ensure that every Marylander has access to a COVID-19 vaccine. The immediate deployment of Peace Corps Volunteers to…

WEEKLY COVID UPDATE: For the week of May 17 – 21, 2021, ACPS reports zero cases of COVID-19 in staff members, and 6 cases of COVID-19 in students who were within an Allegany County Public School. These individuals will complete the required isolation period before returning to their school buildings. Close contacts at school were identified in all six of the cases. Those identified close contacts will complete a ten-day quarantine before returning to the school building. Parents were notified through the ACPS Blackboard notification system if there was a positive case in their child's school building or on their child's…

More than two years after Cumberland city officials decided not to pursue construction of a skateboard park-  the concept is now back on the table and is gaining momentum. In December of 2018 the mayor and City Council agreed that the project- at the time planned for Constitution Park- was no longer viable,  largely the result of a general lack of interest from the public. That apparently is no longer the case. During this week’s city work session, Councilman Seth Bernard announced that the individual who spearheaded the development of a skateboard park in Hagerstown would be in Cumberland next…

The Virginia Avenue subway at Industrial Blvd is now re-opened after both directions had been closed due to a spill. The scene has now  been cleared. 

The 24th annual United Way Day of Caring and Sharing was held Friday, a return to its original timeframe after being rescheduled in 2020 because of the COVID pandemic. The Day of Caring and Sharing is an annual community cleanup partnership between United Way of Allegany County, Let’s Beautify Cumberland! and the city of Cumberland. Major corporate sponsors of the event include Columbia Gas of Maryland and CSX Transportation. Michele Walker, executive director of County United Way. “It is both a symbolic and practical program that brings beauty and pride in our city.”   34 projects were identified-  located throughout…

On May 20, 2021, officers from the Cumberland Police Department responded to Decatur Street for an assault with a knife.  When officers arrived, they learned that there had been an argument between Russell Owens, age 33 of Cumberland, Maryland and the victim.  Officers investigating the incident found that the argument then escalated, and Russell attempted to get to the victim with the knife.  Officers were able to recover evidence corroborating the victim and witness statements.  Subsequently, Owens was arrested and charged with first degree assault, second degree assault, reckless endangerment, and dangerous weapon with intent to injury.  Owens was later…