Articles written by Rick Boston
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Freedom Township Police Investigating Drive-By Shooting
Freedom Township Police were called to the 1700 block of Johnstown Road, Freedom Township, on Tuesday evening, Dec. 3, to investigate a drive-by shooting. According to Freedom Township Police Chief Terry Dellinger, an unknown vehicle fired at least...
Martinsburg Plans To Honor Fallen Trooper on Dec. 6
It has been three years since Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Landon E. Weaver lost his life in the performance of his duties, becoming the 97th member of the Pennsylvania State police killed in...
District Support Creates Thriving Art Program at Central
Give any small child a crayon and paper and watch as a creative spirit is instantly awakened to transform that blank sheet into something unique and imaginative. And watch as the child's face lights...
Police Reports
Harassment Kelli Way, 43, of Claysburg, was charged with harassment with physical contact. State Police, Bedford, said a minor physical altercation took place between Way and a 46-year-old Martinsburg man at a residence along William Penn Road,...
Blair District Attorney Rich Consiglio Announces Impending Retirement
Blair County District Attorney Richard Consiglio held a press conference on Wednesday, Nov. 27, to announce his intention to retire from the office he has held for the past 15 years. Consiglio's...
Killer of Roaring Spring Woman to be Resentenced a Second Time
A man convicted of first-degree murder in the 2015 slaying of a Roaring Spring woman will be sentenced for the third time since pleading guilty to the crime in Bedford County Court in 2016. Dontaz...
District Attorney Report Concludes Officer Involved Shooting Justified
The officer involved in the fatal shooting of a man in the parking lot of the Roaring Spring Department Store in July has been cleared of any wrong-doing and can return to work. Blair County District...
A Crime-Fighting Family
To honor National Adoption Month, The Smoky Pig Restaurant in McKee hosted a superhero-themed event. Kids were invited to dress up in their favorite superhero costumes and participate in...
Bucking the Trend
Rural healthcare across the United States is facing a crisis. According to data compiled by the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, 119 rural hospitals have closed since 2010 and...
H-burg School Threat Results in Charges Filed, Dropped, Filed
A State College man was arrested and jailed on Friday, Nov. 22, on charges of making terroristic threats against the Hollidaysburg School District. Less than 24 hours later all charges were dropped, and police charged another man for the alleged inci...
Freedom Township Police investigating drive-by shooting
Freedom Township Police were called to the 1700 block of Johnstown Road, Freedom Township, on Tuesday evening, Dec. 3, to investigate a drive-by shooting. According to Freedom Township Police Chief Terry Dellinger, an unknown vehicle fired at least...
Suspect Package Found at Airport Contained No Explosives
A suspicious package discovered at the Blair County Airport Friday contained no explosives, according to State Police. Emergency personnel were called to the airport at around 7 a.m. on Friday, Nov....
Fake Name Lands Roaring Spring Man Behind Bars
A Roaring Spring man already facing felony burglary and contraband charges is in jail after the car he was riding in was pulled over by police for an equipment violation along Dunnings Highway near...
First-Ever Craft Show to Benefit McKee Playground
Tucked away on Back Street in the quiet village of McKee is a small playground that has played a big part in the lives of generations of children. Tracing its roots back to the 1950s, the playground...
Children's Roundtable Honors Families Who Help Kids
November is National Adoption Month and to celebrate, the Blair County Children's Roundtable and Blair County Children Youth and Families brought together foster and adopted families to recognize...
– Police Reports –
Burglary State Police, Bedford, are investigating the theft of a hand gun from a residence on Texas Corner Road, South Woodbury Township. The victim, a 70-year-old New Enterprise man said someone entered his house Oct. 28 and took the gun. Assault...
Update: Suspect Package Found at Airport Contained No Explosives
A suspicious package discovered at the Blair County Airport contained no explosives, according to State Police. Emergency personnel were called to the airport at around 7 a.m. after the packages were discovered on airports second floor. After a TSA...
Frantic Phone Call Leads to Search; Roaring Spring Man Taken Into Custody
A Roaring Spring man has been apprehended in Indiana County in connection with a missing, endangered persons investigation of his daughter-in-law and her two children. Edgar Lee Decker Jr., 56, was ta...
Roaring Spring Borough to Hold Public Hearing on Alcohol Ordinance
Roaring Spring Borough Council will be holding a public hearing on Wednesday Nov. 20, to give citizens a chance to have their voices heard regarding the proposed alcohol ordinance. The hearing will take place at the borough building at 5:15 p.m, and...
Blair County's New Voting System Makes a Successful Debut
Voters who went to the polls last Tuesday to cast their votes for their favorite candidates were met with a new, simplified way to vote. Adhering to the state mandate that all votes have a paper trail, Blair County’s new paper ballot system made...
East Freedom Man Charged With Indecent Assault Against Two Minors
An East Freedom man is behind bars after being arraigned on multiple charges for the sexual assault of two underage girls in two separate incidents in 2018. According to charges filed by the...
'Because of them, we live free'
The human heart can be a big place, with plenty of room for the many things a person holds dear to them to reside. For Pennsylvania State Sen. Judy Ward, veterans of all branches of the United...
Erb, Webster, Burke In, Beam Out in Blair Co. Commissioner's Race
The Blair County Board of Commissioners is going to have a new look as two new faces will join a familiar one in steering county government for the next four years. Unofficial results show newcomer Re...
Dallara, Lang, Baughman to Lead Bedford County; Emerick Takes Sheriff Race
Bedford County returned two incumbents to the commissioner's office while electing one new face. Unofficial results show Republican incumbents Josh Lang and Barry Dallara as the top vote getters with...
Getting A Head Start On Christmas
Borough employees Dusty Russell (in bucket) and Brian Miller take advantage of the dry weather to install Christmas decorations along North Market Street in Martinsburg on Tuesday, Nov. 5....
Williamsburg and Claysburg Losing Pharmacies as Dick's Ends a Long Run
Two Cove communities are losing a business with the announcement that Dick's Pharmacy, an Altoona-based business founded in 1928, will be permanently closing its doors this month. Dick's has two Cove...
Early Morning Barn Fire
Fire broke out in the barn of Harker Farm along Dunnings Highway on Wednesday morning, Nov. 6. Fire crews from Freedom Township, Roaring Spring, Claysburg, Blue Knob, Duncansville and Hollidaysburg...
Blair County Genealogical Society Celebrates 40 Years
Everywhere we go can be a lesson in history, all it takes is a little imagination and a willingness to look behind the surface of the present. Blair County is 173 years old and filled with stories of...
Weather Forces Local Municipalities to Move Trick or Treat
The threat of thunderstorms and heavy winds have forced municipalities to postpone trick-or-treat night from Thursday Oct. 31 to Saturday No. 2. Trick-or treat will now be held on Saturday, Nov. 2 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the following areas. Martinsburg...
– Police Reports –
Terroristic Threats Daniel Brunner, 43, of Martinsburg, was charged with making terroristic threats at a home along Pulpit Road, Woodbury Township, Bedford County on Sept. 20. State Police, Bedford, said Brunner threatened to burn down the house of...
200 Pounds of Medication Collected in Blair Co. on Drug Take-Back Day
Prescription medication in the wrong hands can be deadly. According to Safe Kids Worldwide, thousands of kids accidentally ingest prescription drugs every year. Medication is the leading cause of...
Appvion Announces Permanent Layoffs at Spring Mill
The local workforce took another blow when Appvion announced last week that it will permanently reduce the number of employees over the next several months. According to company officials, an agreemen...
Fire Destroys Greenfield Trailer
Fire tore through a Greenfield Township Trailer on Wednesday evening, Oct. 16. Fire crews were called to the Ranch Drive trailer at approximately 9:40 p.m. and arrived to find the structure fully...
National Newspaper Week. Keep Community Newspapers Viable
How do you get your news? This week we celebrate National Newspaper Week in which we recognize the valuable service and important role newspapers play in our daily lives. For more than 300 years, countless words have been printed and delivered to...
Childrens' Home Offered Kids a Second Chance
On Aug. 2, 1975, a quiet afternoon in Williamsburg was shattered by the sounds of screaming sirens. It didn't take long for people to realize where the fire trucks were rushing to. A look in the...
Two Flee Tuesday Morning Vehicle Crash on Dunnings Highway
Two people fled their overturned vehicle after crashing on Dunnings Highway near Benton Road in Freedom Township on Tuesday morning, Oct. 8. According to witness reports, the vehicle was traveling north on Dunnings Highway when it attempted to pass...
Speaker urges States to do More Research on Marijuana
Last year, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman embarked on a tour of the state to gage public interest in the legalization of recreational marijuana. One of those stops included Blair County, where...
W-burg Man's Conviction Upheld by Supreme Court
A Williamsburg man’s challenge of his conviction of sexual assault of a 6-year-old was dealt another blow by the Pennsylvania Superior Court last month. Howard Scott Allison, 53, was sentenced to 12.5 to 25 years after being found guilty of rape...
Child Porn Downloaded to IP Address Traced to Roaring Spring
An Altoona man is behind bars after police said he used various Wi-Fi connections, including his mother's in Roaring Spring, to download more than 100 images of child pornography on his cellphone and...
Fire Prevention Week is Oct. 6-12
By RICK BOSTON Staff Writer For Elizabeth Hoffman, fire prevention is a way of life. A 32-year member of the Claysburg Volunteer Fire Company, Hoffman teaches fire safety and prevention at schools...
Freedom Township Woman Arrested for Assault, Resisting Arrest
A Freedom Township woman is facing charges after police said she punched a man in the face and then struggled with an officer attempting to take her into custody. According to the criminal complaint, Freedom Township police were called to a home on...
RS Traffic Stop Leads to Drug Charges for D-ville Man
A traffic stop in Roaring Spring turned up drugs and drug paraphernalia. According to charges, on Sept. 6, Freedom Township Police were notified by Hollidaysburg Borough Police that a car being...
Hollidaysburg Man Jailed on Sexual Assault Charges
A Hollidaysburg man is behind bars after police said he sexually abused a now 13-year-old boy for approximately three years. According to charges filed by Blair Township police, Brandyn Koll, 20, began abusing the boy in 2014 and continued until...
M-burg Mayor Reflects On 25-Year Friendship With Det. James Leavelle
Some people choose the spotlight, and sometimes the spotlight chooses them. On Nov. 24, 1963, James Leavelle, a homicide detective with the Dallas Texas Police Department, found himself with the spotl...
Valor Awards Presented to Four Freedom Township Men
Four Freedom Township men were recently presented valor awards at the Central Pennsylvania Volunteer Firemen's Association convention held in Clymer last month. The Valor Award is given to an individu...
Truck Crashes Into House on Charger Highway
No one was injured when a tractor-trailer struck a house along Route 36, Charger Highway, just south of Pope Lane, on Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 9. According to State Police, Hollidaysburg, a 1999...
Martinsburg Man Facing Multiple Assault Charges
A Martinsburg man is behind bars facing multiple charges stemming from the abuse of a 5-month-old girl and her mother in separate incidents. Felony charges of aggravated assault of a child less than...
East Freedom Man, Bedford Woman Jailed in Robbery
An East Freedom man is behind bars after police said he conspired to rob a man in Bedford County on Sept. 1. According to charges filed by State Police, Bedford, Thomas M. Burkett, 27, robbed a man who went to a location in Bedford to meet a woman,...
Roaring Spring Council Names New Maintenance Supervisor
The Roaring Spring Borough Council kicked off its regular monthly meeting on Monday, Sept. 9, by saying goodbye to a long-time employee and welcoming his replacement. Maintenance Supervisor Dane Noel...
World War II Navy Vet Looks Back on a Well-Lived Life
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, John Fisher was a 14-year-old boy living in the borough of Saxton. Four years later he found himself on a ship just off the coast of Japan,...
