Latest news with #AlleganyCounty
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Unattended grill sparks Virginia Avenue fire
CUMBERLAND — An unattended charcoal grill sparked a Friday fire that damaged a Virginia Avenue home, Cumberland Fire Marshal Chris Ratliff said. No one was injured in the fire that started about 1:40 p.m. at 204 Virginia. Ratliff said one occupant escaped the home before the fire department arrived. He had been sleeping inside and was alerted to the fire by good Samaritans knocking on the door. Ratliff said the grill was located on a covered patio. There were no working fire alarms in the residence, which was insured, Ratliff said. Dozens of firefighters battled the two-alarm blaze for more than three hours. In addition to the city department, firefighters from LaVale, Bedford Road, Corriganville, Bowling Green, Cresaptown, Shaft, Rawlings, Ridgeley and Wiley Ford responded, as did the Allegany County Department of Emergency Services and LaVale Rescue Squad. Eastern Garrett Volunteer Fire Company set up a rehabilitation unit to assist the responding firefighters and ambulance personnel. The last fire units cleared the area about 5:10 p.m.
New York Times
06-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
She Wanted to Save the World From A.I. Then the Killings Started.
If she didn't get access to vegan food, she might die. That's what Ziz LaSota told a judge in February when she appeared via videoconference in Allegany County District Court in Maryland for her bail hearing. Ziz, who is known widely by her first name, spoke haltingly in a weak voice, but interrupted the judge repeatedly. 'I might starve to death if you do not intervene,' she said, asking to be released on bail. 'It's more important than whatever this hearing is.' On its face, it seemed like a reasonable request. But prosecutors saw a ploy. They argued that Ziz, 34, was not just any inmate but the leader of an extremist group tied to a series of murders across the country. (The official charges against her involved trespassing, resisting arrest and a handful of misdemeanor gun charges.) She had skipped bail once before while being held in connection with a murder in Pennsylvania. Before that, she had faked her death to 'escape investigation' in a different case, according to the Maryland district attorney. Besides, according to Capt. Daniel Lasher, assistant administrator of the Allegany County Detention Center, Ziz had been served vegan meals 'from the get-go.' The judge denied her bail request. Ziz had been a minor celebrity within a slice of the Bay Area tech scene known as the Rationalists — a highly cerebral, extremely online group of tech and philosophy nerds dedicated to improving the world through logical thinking and deeply concerned with whether artificial intelligence will overtake the world and destroy humanity. Over the years, the Rationalist movement has counted Peter Thiel and Sam Bankman-Fried among its community, and has influenced numerous figures, including Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Steven Pinker and Nate Silver. Perhaps more significant, for the tech workers building the A.I. tools that will undergird our world, Rationalism is something like a fraternity, and a shared language. Ziz, who is transgender, started as a typical Rationalist — a geeky optimist hoping to save the world — but turned toward an ultraradical strain of the philosophy. She wrote favorably of violence, said she was willing to sacrifice everything to achieve her goals and considered A.I.'s threat to humanity 'the most important problem in the world,' she once wrote. Now six people are dead, landing her and several friends and allies, known as the 'Zizians,' in jail, awaiting trial. Many Rationalists worry that their community will be tinged by association with a group that, while not convicted of anything, has been compared in the press to the Manson family. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Yahoo
3 arrested on drug charges in I-68 traffic stop
FLINTSTONE — Three people were arrested on drug distribution and handgun charges when a vehicle traveling at an estimated speed near 100 mph was stopped Tuesday on westbound Interstate 68, according to the Allegany County Sheriff's Office. Deputies assisted by Maryland Natural Resources Police took Tyrelle D. Brown, 36, of Baltimore, into custody along with 26-year-old Shayanne A. Thomas, of Columbia, and Gacua Crowner Jr., 23, Severna Park, on multiple felony and misdemeanor charges relating to drug distribution and weapons violations. Upon making the stop during traffic enforcement in the area of Rocky Gap State Park, deputies reportedly observed indicators in the vehicle of possible drug trafficking. A search of the vehicle allegedly led to discovery of a large amount of illicit drugs, a loaded handgun that had its serial number removed and a large sum of U.S. currency, police said. Following the arrests, Brown, Thomas and Crowner were jailed without bond at the order of a district court commissioner.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Yahoo
Cumberland man arrested in South End assault incident
CUMBERLAND — A city man was arrested Tuesday in the 200 block of Seymour Street after he allegedly assaulted two people, one of whom he attempted to hold under water in a nearby pool, according to Cumberland Police. Police arrested Donald J. Pryor, 58, on first- and second-degree assault charges, assault of a law enforcement officer and related offenses before he was jailed at the Allegany County Detention Center without bond. Police said Pryor also assaulted one of the arresting officers. It was not known if the victims or the involved police officer required medical care.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion: Voters must separate fact from fiction on role of treasurer in Allegany County
The Allegany County Treasurer is an elected official who takes a sworn oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of New York. At the beginning of each term, they pledge to faithfully perform their duties as Treasurer. FACT: The Treasurer has NO voting power on decisions by the state, federal, local government or any other appropriate standards that govern the operation of the Treasurer's office. The responsibilities of the Treasurer are defined by various laws. The County Treasurer must abide by these laws, rules and regulations as does every other Treasurer/CFO across the state. FACT: The Treasurer does NOT have any voting authority regarding the approval of service contracts. FACT: The County Treasurer has very little choice in a court ordered appointment as Administrator of an Estate. FACT: The County Treasurer has no voting power on any policy, procedures, contracts, union contracts, raises or salaries, projects, payments of bills, borrowing, tax foreclosures, sales tax, budgets, etc. – the position holds NO voting power on any County Board decisions. FACT: The Treasurer has NO voting power on the approval of the tax foreclosure process or the sale of county owned property of any kind. FACT: While there are no real qualifications for the position of County Treasurer, this job would be a very difficult job for someone off the street with no experience in Governmental Accounting. It takes education with a concentration in accounting/finance/math and several years of institutional knowledge to comply with all the laws, regulations and policies to take care of the people's money. FACT: The Treasurer has NO voting power on the approval of the county budget nor and authority to approve budget transfers within the annual budget. FACT: The Treasurer has NO voting power in any Board decisions. FACT: The County Treasurer has NO voting power in paying of the county bills. FACT: The Treasurer has NO voting power or authority to set the rate of sales tax charged or decrease or increase that rate nor does she have the vote to share or not share sales tax revenue with municipalities. FACT: The Treasurer has NO voting power or authority to set the county tax rate nor the County tax levy. FACT: The Treasurer has NO authority over the town's assessor or the assessments of properties within Allegany County. FACT: The Treasurer has NO voting power on collecting property taxes by partial payments. More: Here are the Allegany County primary candidates on the ballot in June More: Here are the Steuben County primary candidates on the ballot in June FACT: Nine of the employees of the County Treasurer's office require a minimum of a high school diploma and are required to comply with civil service rules. There are Account Clerk Typists, Tax Specialist, Junior Accountant, Accountants, Sr. Accountant and a confidential secretary. The Deputy County Treasurer's position is a personal appointment of the Treasurer and serves at the pleasure of the Treasurer during the Treasurer's elected term of office. The elected Treasurer is a full-time position that works side by side the staff in the office. The commitment is to get the job done whatever it takes and as Treasurer, I work regular hours, not only during the work week but weekends as well. Most often putting in 50-70 hours a week. It is crucial to emphasize the importance of verifying facts before spreading them. Misinformation can easily lead to misunderstandings and misinformed opinions. Let's commit to seeking the truth and sharing only what is substantiated. It does not make fiscal sense to choose a person that does not have a clear understanding of the position/role of the Treasurer. — Terri Ross, of Angelica, has served six terms (24 years) as the Allegany County Treasurer. She is retiring at the end of 2025. This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Opinion: What is treasurer's role in Allegany County? These are facts
