2009 eventful year for region, nation

2009 eventful year for region, nation

From Staff Reports
Cumberland Times-News

CUMBERLAND — As the Times-News and the Associated Press take a look at 2009 in today’s Year in Review, there’s no surprise that the state of the economy and President Barack Obama’s inauguration are billed as the top two stories.

But the 12-page annual special section digs much deeper into local happenings from January through December 2009, for readers to refresh their memories or learn what they missed the first time around.

Cumberland’s New Year’s baby in 2009 was David Patrick Kitzmiller Jr., born Jan. 1 at 7:37 p.m. in the Western Maryland Health System’s Memorial Hospital, which officially closed Nov. 21. That was the day that the new Western Maryland Regional Medical Center opened on Willowbrook Road after three years of construction.

In February, the bid for a slots parlor at Rocky Gap State Park was shot down for failure to include a $4.5 million licensing fee. The seven-member state Video Lottery Facilities Location Commission voted unanimously to reject the bid from Empire Resorts Inc. of New York.

March brought the announcement that Roses Store would locate as the anchor business in the Queen City Drive shopping plaza in the months to come.

Washington Street residents voted in April against the proposed restoration of a brick roadway, opting for repaving the asphalt instead.

Plans for a new water park hotel near Deep Creek Lake were suspended in May after the developer for Aqua Mountain Resort was unsuccessful in gaining financial support from public sources.

Allegany County’s first confirmed case of the H1N1 virus was reported in June by county health officials. The swine flu outbreak was voted the No. 5 story of the year in both an AP poll and Facebook voting results.

The county lost two school board members in 2009. President Jane Dawson died of cancer in July, and Fred Sloan died following a lengthy illness in December.

Also in July, a fire raged through the Comcast building on Main Street in Keyser, W.Va., causing $200,000 damage to the structure and an equal amount of damage to the communication equipment housed inside.

In August, police arrested 19-year-old Thomas Lance Krenn in the beating death of his 42-year old aunt, Rose Marie Leyh, over Memorial Day weekend.

Cumberland officials began a discussion in September that has not been decided on whether to continue operating the city’s fire department in its current form or to make changes to help tackle state budget cuts.

Garrett County teacher Jennifer Burdock Rankin was named Maryland’s 2010 Teacher of the Year in October. She is a language arts and math instructor at Northern Middle School in Accident.

The new Allegany County Human Resources and Development Commission building on Virginia Avenue opened Nov. 6.

Finally, in December, the first measureable snowfall of the winter season hit the Cumberland area, causing injuries to several motorists.

For complete lists of the top 10 stories voted by the AP, plus Facebook users, turn to today’s Year In Review. You may be surprised.



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