243rd Well Drill Team Recognized

 (posted Feb 6^th 7am) A group of National Guard soldiers recently back from a year long tour of duty are recognized for their service. The 243^rd Well Drill Team was deployed for Operation Enduring Freedom from October 2010-2011.  In January 2011 the group was sent to Djibouti at the Horn of Africa where their mission changed from drilling wells to building a five classroom school to clearing and preparing a beach landing zone to reconditioning a 200 thousand square foot demolition range for the French military. The 243^rd Commander Jonathan Mendosa addressed the crowd of soldiers and family members during the ceremony Sunday morning at Fort Hill High School. “We went through this deployment and they trained very hard and we learned that the well drilling mission had been changed and they adapted very well. I would deploy with these gentlemen any time and thank you very much for all your sacrifices soldiers and families.” Maryland Adjunct General Major General A James Adkins explains the importance of the ceremony. “I think it is a closing point for the unit returning home. They have been home two or three months now they have gone through reintegration back with their families and in their communities and this is just a formal ceremony to recognize their service.”   Adkins reminded the soldiers to take advantage of all the veterans services and resources available to them. Adkins says there is also something civilians can do.  “I think just say thank you. We are very fortunate there are currently nearly 900 Maryland guard members serving and we could not do what is asked of the guard today without the support of our families, our friends, our communities, our employers, and veterans service organizations and all those who just come out and say thank you and just care about what we do.”

To hear the interview with  Maryland Adjunct General Major General A James Adkins click here

Boy Scouts Honored

(posted Feb 6^th 7am) 99 years after the fact the US Public Health Service is recognizing the Cumberland Boy Scouts.  Rear Admiral Boris Lushniak Deputy Surgeon General explains. “I am here today to commemorate an event that happened 99 years ago and that is when Boy Scout Troop Number 1 here in Cumberland Maryland assisted the United States Public Health Service in an investigation of Typhoid Fever and so 99 years later we are here to thank them for helping us stamp out a disease that was ravaging the city.”During the ceremony held Friday at the Allegany Museum Lushniak who is a Ukrainian Boy Scout gave some advice to the scouts in attendance. “You know when you look at scouting there is that aspect of leadership and we are looking for leaders in the health of tomorrow. And so part of the issue is to inspire people to serve their nation serve it in uniform and serve it perhaps for the nation’s public health so there is a health care option to serving in uniform. In addition the message to scout is take care of yourselves and take care of your body. The whole issue in scouting of us having rules that we don’t smoke that we don’t drink that we take care of our physical fitness is really important not just for the good of scouts but for the good of the scouts as they turn into adults and ultimately for the good of our nation because a healthy and fit nation is in fact a prosperous and wealthy nation.” And Lushniack says this is not his first time in Cumberland.  “ Cumberland is actually one of my favorite places. Every year I come out with a group of young officers and we do the C and O Canal or the Allegany Passage ride so we either start in Cumberland and four days later we end up in Washington D-C or we start in Pittsburgh and four days later end up in Cumberland camping along the way and basically doing physical fitness activities. Because public health service is all about prevention of diseases and physical fitness.” An exhibit celebrating the 100 years of scouting in the region is open to the public through Feb 15^th at the Allegany Museum.

To hear the interview Rear Admiral Boris Lushniak Deputy Surgeon General click here

Cumberland Woman Faces Charges After Crashing Into House

(posted Feb 6^th 7am) A Cumberland woman is charged with hit and run after hitting a house. According to Cumberland Police on Sunday at about 2:45 officers were called out to the corner of Tilghman Street and Cumberland Street. When they arrived they found a vehicle resting against a house. The vehicle had heavy damage to the front end and a ground floor window to the basement was broken on the house which was vacant and unoccupied. The driver and passenger in the car had fled after the crash. A witness gave a description of the suspects and the driver 29 year old Cherrie Mulkey was found in the area. The passenger then walked back to the scene and spoke with the officers. Mulkey was arrested on several charged including

1. Unauthorized use and display of registration plates.
2. Driving without a license.
3. Negligent driving.
4. Driving uninsured vehicle.
5. Failure of vehicle driver to stop after unattended property damage accident.
6. Failure of vehicle driver to furnish written identification information in unattended damaged property

DUI Patrol

(posted Feb 6^th 7am) 16 warnings and 4 citations were handed out by Maryland State Police during a DUI patrol in Allegany County between last night and this morning. Motorists are encouraged to report possible intoxicated drivers by contacting the Maryland State Police at 301-729-2101 or #77

No one is arrested or injured after customers waiting for some new Nike shoes get rowdy

(posted Feb 6^th 7am) No one is arrested or injured after customers waiting for some new Nike shoes get rowdy. According to Washington County Sheriff’s officials, deputies were called out to the Valley Mall for a disturbance in front of Footlocker. About 150 people were in front of the store waiting for the new Nike Foam sneaker and the crowd had become unruly. About 15 officers from the Sheriff’s office, State Police and Hagerstown Police responded and calmed down the crowed. The entire mall was temporarily evacuated and on lock down. Then the people wanting shoes were escorted into the store a few at a time and then escorted back out. A Footlocker representative said they had about 90 pairs of shoes in stock and were sold out before 10:30 am. Some people claimed they had been waiting in line since 7:30 pm the night before. The Valley Mall opened for business at 10 am without any further incident.

Three Arrested in Frostburg Vandalism Case 4th to be Charged

(POSTED Feb 3^rd 7am) Three people face charges in connection with a string of thefts and destruction of property complaints in Frostburg on December 15^th. Charges are pending against a fourth suspect. According to Allegany County Combined Criminal Investigations Unit officials on December 15^th at about 9 pm victims began calling Frostburg Police and reporting that their Christmas decorations had been stolen and someone had thrown large rocks through the windows of their cars and in one case through the window of a home. The vandalism affected 16 different victims and the total loss was valued at more than 13 thousand dollars. Witnesses gave police and C3I officials  a description of the vehicle and the suspects. FSU Police found the car in a student parking lot and when they approached the vehicle they found Christmas decorations in the bed of the truck and several large rocks similar to the ones thrown through the victims’ windows. The owner of the truck told police he had lent the vehicle to a friend who was identified as one of the suspects. Through interviews officers  learned that four suspects had gone out that night to several neighborhoods in Frostburg. While out, they stole Christmas decorations from different locations. They then returned to the FSU campus. Later, two of the suspects went out by themselves, which is when the rocks were thrown through the windows of parked vehicles and the one residence. Thanks to help from FSU Police and the FSU Administration, Investigators were able to recover video surveillance of the individuals involved, and were able to document and verify the times they left campus and returned, as well as the clothing being worn by the suspects, which matched that described by witnesses. Investigators were able to charge 19 year old Robert Evans Patterson II, of Elkton, MD, 19 year old Brandon Shea Nils MacMurphy, of Riva, MD, and 18 year old Nicholas Edward Dorsey, of Temecula, CA. Patterson and MacMurphy have both been charged with three (3) counts of Theft and sixteen (16) counts of Malicious Destruction of Property for their involvement. Dorsey has been charged with three (3) counts of Theft and one (1) count of Malicious Destruction of Property, for damaging decorations they attempted to steal. The fourth suspect is pending the same charges as Dorsey for his part in the incident. A representative of the Frostburg State University administration confirmed that the three individuals were students of the University in the fall semester. None is currently enrolled. All three defendants are free on their own recognizance pending their next court appearance.

The following statement was released by Frostburg State University: “Frostburg State University appreciates the close communication regarding this matter with Frostburg City Police and C3I. FSU will continue to cooperate fully with the investigation and to work collaboratively, including through the continued representation of University Police in C3I, to enhance the safety of our community.”

PA Father Killed in Crash

(POSTED Feb 3^rd 7am) A Pennsylvania father is dead but her nine month old daughter survived after a crash in Somerset County. At about 10:30 yesterday morning 28 year old Joshua Berkey was heading eastbound on State Route 653 when he lost control traveled off the road and hit a drainage ditch. The car rolled over and Berkey was thrown from the car and  died at the scene. He was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. His passenger his nine month old girl was secured in the back seat and suffered minor injuries.

Frostburg Girl Honored for Saving Family

(posted Feb 3^rd 7am) An 11 year old Frostburg girl is being honored for her bravery. Frostburg Fire Chief  Nathan Blubaugh explains. “ On the morning of Jan20th at 3 o’clock we were alerted of a house fire  at 286 East Main Street in Frostburg. We had fire showing from the front of the house and firefighters had the fire knocked out in about 10 minutes. The gentleman who was living in the house her grandfather approached me and told me if it wasn’t for his granddaughter they would never have made it out of that house alive. She was awoken to smoke in the room and she had enough mindset to get up and get her sister out of the house first and get her grandfather up. Once she got him up he tried to see where the fire was out and he tried to extinguish the fire and she stopped him and told him they needed to get out of the house and call 9-1-1because that is what she learned in fire prevention. “  On Wednesday Lauren Kerr was given the Deputy Chief Badge. “As firefighters we go in knowing what can happen and settle our fears when we go in to fight a fire and to see an 11 year old girl have that much call and collection about herself to get everybody out of the house it is almost unheard of and above and beyond the call of herself to save her family it is priceless.” Blubaugh says her focus during the ceremony was not on her own actions. “It was on the tragedy that unfolded exactly three hours later that morning in Cumberland where the two girls perished in the fire that was where her mindset was. Her comment to me was the house can be replaced and her things can be replaced but her thoughts were to help the victims of the fire in Cumberland Jan 20^th.”

To hear the interview with Nathan Blubaugh click here

Boy Scouts to be Honored

(POSTED Feb 3^rd 7am) Today is a special day from Cumberland’s Boy Scouts. The First Cumberland Boy Scout Troop to be recognized by the Public Health Service’s Deputy Surgeon General for critical community service project during the 1913 Typhoid Fever Epidemic. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin stated, “This lost history is a great piece of history.” Rear Admiral Dr. Boris Lushniak will speak at the Allegany Museum’s exhibit of the 100 years of scouting in the Potomac Council’s on Feb 3^rd at 3:30 pm. Troop1 scouts volunteered to conduct a two week long sanitary survey of the entire town. Valuable information was gather on about 4.500 homes and was used by the health service in their report about the epidemic. No mention of the troop’s service was ever published in any reports or history book until the story was uncovered by local historian Andrew Sparber. The event is open to the public.

Seante Approves Stock Act and Two Local Senators Speak Out on Koman Foundation

(POSTED Feb 3^rd 7am) US Senator Ben Cardin is praising the passage of the STOCK Act. The bill passed in a 96 to 3 vote. Cardin cosponsored an initial version of the legislation, which prohibits federal lawmakers and their staffs from trading stocks based on nonpublic information they have obtained in the course of their congressional work as a means for making a private profit.  The legislation passed by the Senate includes a 30-day reporting requirement on all investment activity of more than $1,000, and requires that the information as well as annual financial disclosure forms be published online to ensure public access to the information.

Meanwhile US Senators Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin along with 24 other senators are urging the Koman Foundation to reverse its decision to cut funds to Planned Parenthood.  

Each year Planned Parenthood provides important breast cancer screenings for poor women, including 750,000 breast exams and 770,000 PAP tests. In 2011, grants from the Komen Foundation provided Planned Parenthood with $650,000 in funding for breast cancer prevention and screening.

State County and Local Officials Working to Bring Smoke Detectors to Those Who Need Them

(posted Feb 2^nd ) Nine fire deaths in past year is prompting state and local officials to work together to make sure every home in the area has a working smoke detector. Cumberland Mayor Brian Grimm explains. “Smoke detectors save lives. We have actually had now five fatalities in the city of Cumberland in a short period of time and nine across the county and in each of those cases working smoke detectors were not present. They are free and I understand the county fire companies will have access to them the city of Cumberland here if you call the Cumberland Fire Department if you don’t have batteries if you are unable to install them if you simply can’t afford them call the fire department we would much rather spend five minutes installing a smoke detector in your home than coming to your home to save your life.” Local Firefighters Union 1716 officials presented Cumberland’s Fire Chief Donny Dunn with 60 smoke detectors and batteries to hand out to local residents. They will be establishing a fund where local residents can donate to help pay for more smoke detectors. Dunn says in the past year Cumberland fire officials were called out to 39 home fires. 16 of those homes did not have working smoke detectors. Five did not have batteries in the smoke detectors. In the fires with working smoke detectors there were no fatalities. A five hundred dollar grant from Safe Kids USA Rapid Response Grants was given to the Cumberland Fire Department for an additional 30 smoke alarms. County officials announced they will be matching the Local 1716 Union donation and will be developing a community outreach program focused on fire safety. The county donation will go to the local office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office to be distributed throughout the county.

To hear the interview with Mayor Brian Grimm click here

As for the investigation into the fire that took the lives of two young girls Deputy State Fire Marshal Jason Mowbray says it remains under investigation. “There is no indication of any fowl play or suspicious activity the investigators are still pursuing what the exact cause is but based on the evidence and information we were able to get at the scene there does not appear to be any type of a criminal involvement at this point. We have not concluded what the cause of the fire was at this point we are still considering any and all possible causes. And I do know that local message board and social media sites were a blaze with rumors and speculation and theories as to what happened and I would caution people to draw conclusions from the information that’s out there and look toward   investigators as to what the cause was and not to fuel the rumor mills.”

To hear the remarks made by Jason Mowbray click here  

To hear Mowbray discuss the fire investigations click here

Meanwhile Cumberland Fire Chief Donny Dunn showed the ladder that was damaged during the fire fighting efforts at East Harrison Street. “Thirty five years and I have never seen a ladder break like that.” To hear the remarks from Chief Dunn click here

Anyone who needs a smoke detector including those who are hearing impaired can do so by calling their local fire department

To hear the announcement about the state and local partnership click here

Search For Robbery Suspect

(posted Feb 2^nd) Allegany County Combined Criminal Investigations Unit officials are searching for the suspect involved in an armed robbery. At about 4:00 in the morning yesterday a lone white male suspect entered the Circle K convenience store formerly the Dairy Mart on East Oldtown Road in Cumberland. The man displayed a sharp metal object and demanded money from the clerk. The clerk then removed an undisclosed amount of cash from both cash registered and placed it in a plastic bag. The suspect then forced the clerk to leave the store with him and walk down an alley adjacent to the store then he forced the clerk to the ground and fled on foot. The suspect was described as a white male, in his early to late 20’s in age, 5-05 to 5-06 in height, and thin. He was wearing a black long sleeve t-shirt, faded blue jeans, and a black ski mask to conceal his identity. Investigators reviewed the store’s video surveillance and obtained photos of the suspect. Anyone with information regarding this case can call the Cumberland Police at 301-777-1600, or the C3I Unit at 301-777-0326. If callers wish to remain anonymous, they can call the Allegany/Mineral County Crime Solvers at 301-722-4300, where callers may be eligible for a reward of up to $1500.00 for information leading to an arrest in this case. The investigation is continuing by the Cumberland Police and C3I.

PA State Police Search for Rape and Robbery Suspects

(posted Feb 2^nd) Pennsylvania State Police are investigating a rape and robbery. Sometime between the hours of midnight and 4:30 am on Saturday a woman claims she agreed to give two men a ride home from Tony’s Bar. She told police she drove a short distance and the suspects asked her to pull over and when she did she was dragged from the car by her throat and placed on the ground. She told police she woke up outside of her car with her pants down and her shirt open. Her cell phone and 200 dollars in cash were also stolen. The first suspect is described as a white man 29-30 years old wearing a black baseball cap, blue jeans and a black long sleeve shirt with black boots and blonde hair. The second suspect is described as a white man about 33-34 years old with brown hair and a thin beard with sideburns and a mustache. He was also wearing blue jeans, with a white shirt with a red symbol and lettering on the front. Anyone who may have any information is asked to call Bedford State Police at 814-623-6133.

State of the State Address

(posted Feb 2^nd ) Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley in an impassioned state of the state address last night tackled several topics. He discussed his plan to increase the gasoline tax and plans to expand rural broadband and build new schools. O’Malley says this year’s budget is a jobs budget and includes money for 78 thousand teaching jobs and more than 2,750 jobs building facilities like the Center for Communications and Information Technology at Frostburg State.  He says that balancing the budget with 800 million dollars in spending cuts and reductions. He also announced  his Administration has entered into a settlement with Exelon Energy with some very positive results for Maryland families. Not only will ratepayers and families in need of energy assistance receive some immediate benefits, but Exelon has also agreed to build a new gas-fired power plant in Maryland –And finally he will support gay marriage legislation. “The very reason our State was founded was for religious freedom – and at the heart of religious freedom is respect for the freedom of individual conscience. The way forward, the way to sustain and enhance our common life together, is equal respect for the freedom of all. We all want the same thing for our children; we want our children to live in a loving, caring, committed, and stable home protected equally under the law. It is not right or just that the children of gay couples should have lesser protections than the children of other families in our State.”

One Dead in I-81 Crash

(posted Feb 1^st 7am)One person is dead after a crash on I-81. At about 3 pm on Monday Maryland State Police were called out to I-81 northbound near Maugansville Road and found a tractor trailer driven by Benson Lewis of Dallas Texas was heading southbound and crossed the center lane and hit a vehicle driven by Leroy Corbin on Huntingdon, PA. Corbin was killed on impact. Another vehicle driven by Mark Siegrist of Fayetteville was hit by the tractor trailer as well. He refused medical treatment and a third car driven by Shelly Jason of Hagerstown was also hit by the tractor trailer. Jason was transported to Meritus Medical Center with non life threatening injuries. The female passenger of the tractor trailer Tammye Lewis was also transported to Meritus Medical center with non life threatening injuries. I-81 was closed for several hours while the scene was being reconstructed and cleared. Fire & Rescue and the State Highway Administration assisted. TFC David Thompson of the Maryland State Police Hagerstown Barrack was the initial investigator. The investigation was turned over to the Maryland State Police Crash Team for further investigation.

Hagerstown Police Investigate Two Shootings

(posted Feb 1^st 7am) Hagerstown Police are continuing their investigations in two shootings last week. Charges against Juan Barnes, the shooter in the Jonathan Street incident, have been amended to include second-degree murder. Barnes still faces charges of first and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, handgun use during a crime of violence and felon in possession of a handgun. Autopsy results for the victim, Christopher Follett, are still pending. Law enforcement agencies are working together to bring Barnes into police custody. He has ties to the Prince George's County area where he is also wanted on parole violations in connection to robbery charges.As for the first shooting on Cannon Avenue, the victim remains at Meritus Medical Center and his condition is improving. Detectives were able to speak with him personally about the incident.To report information about either shooting, contact the Hagerstown Police Department at 301-790-3700 ext. 234, email crimetip@hagerstownpd.org or send a text message to TIPS 411. Sources can remain anonymous.

New Child Care Website

(posted Feb 1^st 7am) The Maryland State Department of Education’s Division of Early Childhood Development has launched an online collection of child care licensing inspection results, designed to help consumers make informed choices.The site, www.CheckCCMD.org, offers detailed compliance findings from child care licensing inspections as well as links to a wide range of information about early care and education in Maryland.