Latest news with #AlleganyCounty
Washington Post
3 days ago
- Climate
- Washington Post
Denied federal flood relief, a Maryland town is left on its own
WESTERNPORT, Md. — As water rushed down Church Street, Theresa Boal hurried to save the antique furniture and knickknacks inside the funeral home her family has owned and operated in Allegany County, Maryland, for more than a century. A downpour had caused Georges Creek, which runs through the middle of town, to surge and flood the streets of Westernport in an hour.
CBS News
7 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
White House rejects Maryland's request for disaster assistance after flooding in May, Gov. Moore says
The White House rejected Maryland's request for federal disaster assistance after flooding in May damaged homes and businesses in Allegany and Garrett counties, Gov. Wes Moore said Wednesday. The governor requested a Presidential Disaster Declaration in June to aid in the recovery effort after the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Maryland Department of Emergency Management (MDEM) found that it could cost nearly $15.8 million. "These communities demonstrated a clear need through FEMA's own process, and Maryland will appeal the decision to seek all available resources to support the recovery efforts," the governor said Wednesday. Flash flooding on May 13 damaged more than 200 homes and affected businesses, roads and public utilities. People were rescued from flooded schools, and some were trapped overnight during power outages. According to the governor's office, the heavy rainfall caused Georges Creek to overflow into several nearby towns. Local, state and federal responders aided in rescue efforts after a State of Emergency was declared. Following FEMA assessments, Gov. Moore said the recovery effort would be beyond the capacity of state and local agencies. "After a thorough assessment of the damage, it's clear that additional support is necessary," he said in announcing the request. A Presidential Disaster Declaration would allow Maryland to receive help from FEMA. It would also allow the state to request access to funding that could support infrastructure repairs and fixes to publicly owned facilities. "The addition of much-needed federal assistance is necessary to get those affected back to their regular lives and to allow those communities to fully recover in months instead of years," MDEM Secretary Russ Strickland said in announcing the request. According to the governor's office, the estimated $15.8 million cost for recovery surpasses FEMA's threshold for disaster assistance, which in Allegany County is $321,460. In Maryland, that threshold is $11.6 million. "Historically, if the joint damage assessment process demonstrates eligible costs over and above the county and state indicator, disaster assistance has been awarded by the President," Gov. Moore said. The governor said he plans to appeal the decision. Since taking office, President Trump has claimed FEMA is unsuccessful and has suggested changes to the agency. He signed an executive order that he said would "begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA, or maybe getting rid of FEMA," though that action would need approval from Congress. In June, the administration said it wanted to "wean" states off of FEMA aid after the 2025 hurricane season. The administration indicated that governors would be in a better position to respond to disasters in their states. "We want to wean off of FEMA and we want to bring it down to the state level — a little bit like education, we're moving it back to the states," Mr. Trump said.
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.
