Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
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A Roaring Spring man is behind bars after leading police on a high-speed pursuit that began in East Freedom and ended with his capture in Altoona. According to Freedom Township police, on Jan.31, at approximately 11 a.m., an officer on stationary patrol on the Roaring Spring exit off I99 spotted a vehicle driven by Ronald Yerty, 51, entering the interstate headed toward Altoona. According to the officer, he was familiar with Yerty and had just arrested him two weeks prior for operating a motor...
Bedford County Judge Travis Livengood last month issued a blistering rebuke of District Attorney Leslie Childers-Potts after the December trial of Nathan D. Jackson ended in a mistrial and led to all charges against Jackson being dropped on grounds of double jeopardy. Jackson was on trial for endangering the welfare of a child and driving under the influence. In a nine-page opinion filed Jan. 24, Livengood took Childers-Potts to task for what he called “a pattern of reckless prosecutorial conduct” that is “detrimental to the proper functioning...
A former Claysburg-Kimmel Elementary School principal was sentenced last week in Blair County Court to serve three days to six months in Blair County Prison followed by four years’ probation after pleading guilty to charges of reckless endangerment and DUI in a crash that left two people with serious injuries. Matthew W. Hall, 41, was reassigned to curriculum and grant writing duties at Claysburg-Kimmel following his February 2022 arrest on DUI-related charges. Hall was sentenced by Blair County President Judge Elizabeth Doyle. According to t...
A volunteer fire company is only as good as its members, and on Saturday evening, Jan. 28, the Freedom Township Volunteer Fire Company honored the people whose contributions to the fire service exemplifies the dedication and commitment it takes to ensure a strong community presence. Junior firefighter Dakota Friedenberger, 17, a senior at Central High School in Martinsburg, received the Chief's Award. Fire Chief Ron Henry said Friedenberger puts a lot of time in at the fire station and wants to...
When Blair County Coroner Patty Ross called Ray Benton last summer and asked him to become her Chief Deputy Coroner, she did it with an eye toward the future. Ross, after a quarter-century as coroner, is retiring at the end of her current term and has tapped Benton as her successor. "I've known Patty for a long time," Benton said. "In July she called me and told me she was retiring and wanted me to come in as Chief Deputy and get me ready to take over the office." Benton, 52, of Claysburg, said...
For the first time in 16 years, the Williamsburg Volunteer Fire Department will begin the new year with a new chief. Current Chief Ted Hyle has decided to step down, passing the torch to Travis Prough. "It is time," Hyle said. "It's time to get a younger perspective and new ideas." The early years Fueled by a desire to serve his community and at the urging of friends who were already members, Hyle joined the fire department 48 years ago and began a journey that would see changes not only in...
While the month of April is designated as National Donate Life month, a time to shine the spotlight on the need for organ donors and celebrate the success stories of organ donation recipients, raising awareness about organ donations is a year-round job. As Christmas approaches, the Center for Organ Recovery (CORE) and Conemaugh Nason Medical Center in Roaring Spring are asking people to add the gift of life to their holiday shopping list. "Christmas is the time of year we are all in the giving...
AAA East Central honored local police departments for their efforts to promote safe driving on Pennsylvania's roadways. According to Terri Rae Anthony, safety advisor at AAA East Central, the award recognizes police departments that implement AAA's safety programs. "We at AAA care about the motoring public and do as many presentations and education programs as we can," she said. "But we can't do it alone so we partner with police departments to help get our message across." Anthony said police...
The Martinsburg Borough Police Department and Blair County’s seven other police departments are looking for a new company to keep police records. According to Martinsburg Police Chief Kerry Hoover, the department’s current Record Management System (RMS) is being phased out and will cease to update and provide support for maintaining police records. Hoover said the police department has been using Visual Alert, an RMS created by Metro Technologies for about 20 years, but when Metro sold out to Central Square, the new owners notified users tha...
The annual children's Christmas party at the Freedom Township fire hall took place on Sunday, Dec. 4, with nearly 70 children enjoying the afternoon with Santa and Mrs. Claus. The annual event was begun about four years ago by long-time Freedom Township Supervisor Daniel "Butch" Giarth, who passed away two years ago from complications of COVID-19. Freedom Township Supervisor Ed Bender said since Giarth's passing, the Christmas party has become not only something for the kids to enjoy, but also...
A Claysburg man is behind bars after police said he physically and sexually abused a young boy beginning when the child was eight years old. William Dale Richardson, 52, is facing felony charges on involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, aggravated indecent assault of a child, and intimidation to refrain from reporting as well as misdemeanor counts of simple assault and terroristic threats after police were notified by Blair County Children and Family Services about the possible assault of a child. According to Greenfield Township...
A fire at a Freedom Township home on Friday evening, Dec. 2, displaced a family just weeks before Christmas. Fire crews were called to 261 Back Street in East Freedom at around 10 p.m. and arrived to find the double-wide fully involved. Freedom Township Fire Chief Ron Henry said crews had the fire under control within 15 minutes but stayed on the scene for about two hours to make sure all the hot spots were out. Henry said no one was home when the fire broke out and no injuries were reported....
Bedford State Police have charged a Claysburg woman with multiple counts of cruelty to animals after police said four horses in her care suffered neglect. Katlyn P. Weyant, 20, is facing felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and torture, along with misdemeanor counts of neglect of animals, and cruelty to animals after police were called to a Kimmel Township home in early October to investigate a report of neglected horses. According to police, troopers found two horses on the property and that one appeared to have an eye injury from...
At its Nov. 9 meeting, the Claysburg-Kimmel School Board approved some change orders that add an additional $53,843 to the cost of the district’s athletic project. L.S. Fiore, the project’s contractor, requested and received approval of $4,633.68 to remove a pavement low spot and adjust the grade for drainage; $40,496.68 to install 15-inch pipe from Athletic Drive to the Rain Garden; and $8,713.37 to remove unusable soil and install structural fill for the bleacher foundations. Board Vice President Craig Burket was the lone no vote. The boa...
North Woodbury Township will have a new top police officer starting next month. Lance Morris, who is currently a police officer with the Roaring Spring Borough Police Department, has accepted an offer to become officer in charge of the North Woodbury Township Police Department. North Woodbury Township has been without a top officer since parting ways with its police chief in June. Morris graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania's police academy in 2014 and began his career as a...
When construction season begins next spring, travelers through Roaring Spring Borough will see a town buzzing with road work. Although it could mean some inconveniences with detours and reduced travel lanes, borough officials say the temporary interruption will result in a more visually appealing town with updated water and sewer lines that could save residents money in the long run. Along with the previously announced Main Street and Five Points projects, the Roaring Spring Municipal Authority will have projects underway with the replacement...
A Roaring Spring woman is facing charges after police said she stole thousands of dollars from her former employer. According to charges filed by Hollidaysburg State Police, Stefanie L. Musselman, 35, the former manager of Puff Super Value in Roaring Spring, stole more than $20,000 over a nine-day period beginning Jan. 29, 2022. According to police, on March 17, the owner of Puff Super Value reported that Musselman had stolen cash from the store’s safe. The cash, which was to be deposited in the bank, was the store’s profits from sales, lottery...
Roaring Spring Borough Council opened bids on the Five Points and Main Street projects at its regular meeting on Monday, Nov. 14. Two bids were received for the Five Points Project with M&B Services LLC of Clarion submitting the low bid of $480,936. Cottle’s Asphalt Maintenance of Everett submitted a bid of $574,558. Council voted to accept the bid submitted by M&B contingent upon the borough’s engineer reviewing the bid and making sure all specifications are met. The Main Street project attracted four bids with Excavating Associates of Ell...
Area voters who turned out for last week’s general election overwhelmingly opted to stay the course with their local representatives in Harrisburg. According to unofficial results, Republican state Sen. Judy Ward handily beat Democrat Carol Taylor by garnering 75 percent of the votes in the five counties that comprise the district. According to the state election results website, Ward received 76,771 votes to Taylor’s 23,996 in Blair, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, and Mifflin counties. Unofficial Blair County totals show Ward far outpacing her...
A nearly two-year investigation into the shooting of a Newry man has resulted in charges being filed against the woman who admitted to pulling the trigger but claimed at the time it was in self-defense. According to Freedom Township police, on Jan. 31, 2021, at approximately 11:30 p.m., police were called to a home along Shamrock Lane, Newry, after Santana Laret, 37, now of Roaring Spring, called the Blair County 911 Center and claimed her husband was beating her. Police said Ellis hung up but called back about two minutes later and told a 911...
For 72 years, Cpl. David Defibaugh of Duncansville rested as an unknown in a grave at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii, known as the Punchbowl. Defibaugh was killed in the Korean War in 1950 but was listed as unknown until the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) positively identified his remains this year. For more than seven decades Defibaugh was among the nearly 82,000 Americans still unaccounted for from World War II through the Gulf Wars. More than 400,000...
When Conemaugh Nason Medical Center in Roaring Spring opened its Cardiac Cath Lab in 2019, patients no longer had to travel outside the area to receive heart care and diagnosis. Early detection and treatment of heart-related issues can be the difference between life and death. According to Karma Darnell, Conemaugh Nason education director, since the cardiac catheterization lab officially opened in January 2019, Nason has seen more that 4,800 patients and performed more than 2,800 heart catheterizations. “We have exceeded all our expectations w...
An early morning fire on Wednesday, Oct. 26, destroyed three Freedom Township trailers and two scrapped vehicles at Clark's Auto Salvage. According to Freedom Township Asst. Fire Chief Tim James, the call came in around 4 a.m. and firefighters arrived to find the structures fully involved. James said fire crews set up a dumpsite and shuttled water to the scene in a tanker truck. James said additional crews were called in to assist Freedom Township when the fire spread to a hill near the junk...
After more than 70 years, a local soldier who lost his life in the Korean War is coming home and will be laid to rest on Friday, Nov. 4. According to The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, (DPAA), U.S. Army Cpl. David N. Defibaugh, an 18-year-old from Duncansville, went missing in action on July 20, 1950, when his unit, C Company, 3rd Engineer Combat Battalion, 24th Infantry Division, was forced to retreat from the vicinity of Taejon, South Korea. Because of ongoing fighting, Defibaugh's body co...
Fire ripped through two barns and threatened a third on Friday afternoon, Oct. 21. Multiple crews responded to the 4:15 call at the Piney Creek Rd. farm owned by Dwayne Keithley and arrived to find two structures fully involved and a third in danger of catching fire. According to Williamsburg Fire Chief Ted Hyle, a team effort of fire departments from Williamsburg, Martinsburg, Roaring Spring, East Freedom, Geeseytown, Alexandria and Marklesburg got the fire under control and saved the main...
In less than two years, Homewood Martinsburg will celebrate 50 years in the Cove. Part of Homewood Retirement Centers, Homewood Martinsburg opened in 1974 with an initial 67-bed facility. Before Martinsburg celebrates its half-century mark, it hosted a 90th birthday celebration for its parent company with an open house on Wednesday, Oct. 12. Homewood's beginnings can be traced back to 1929 when George C. Pearson, an elder in Christ Reformed Church in Cavetown, Md. left $100,000, (the equivalent...
Republican Jim Gregory, vying for his third term as 80th District state representative, is being challenged for his seat Nov. 8 by Democrat Kimberly Capenos. According to her Facebook page, Capenos, from Tyrone, is an advocate for people with autism and other disabilities and works to ensure school districts and insurance companies are providing the services people with disabilities need. Capenos supporters said she is pro-choice, pro-labor, and supports the use of electric cars, solar power and windmills. Capenos, who previously ran for...
When voters go to the polls on Nov. 8, they will choose to stay the course or opt for change in who represents them in Harrisburg. Republican state Sen. Judy Ward is facing a challenge to her 30th District senate seat from political newcomer Democrat Carol Taylor. The 30th comprises all of Blair and Fulton counties, and parts of Cumberland, Franklin, and Huntingdon counties. Taylor, an addictions counselor at Cove Forge Behavioral Health in Williamsburg, ran unopposed in the May primary to secure the nomination and setting her up for a...
The upgrade of services at the Altoona-Blair County Airport hasn’t stopped with the switching of carriers from Boutique Airlines to Contour Airlines. While Contour offers a new flight experience for travelers, a new rental car agreement with Aero Corp. has brought an Avis/Budget franchise to the airport. While Boutique offered rental cars, Nick Bechtel, rental car manager, said this is the first time a national chain has set up at the airport. Bechtel said Boutique’s rental service had limitations and the cars that were rented at the air...
A cool, crisp, fall day provided the perfect backdrop for Martinsburg to honor a man who spent most of his life giving to his community, and on Saturday, Oct. 15, the community gave a little back by dedicating a permanent memorial to W. Gene Henry, a man many considered "Mr. Martinsburg." Henry, who died last February at age 88, was a benefactor of the community who used his resources for the betterment of the place he called home. Shortly after he passed away, former Borough Manager Randy...
As the Director of the American Federation of State and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) District 83, Mickey Sgro provided the voice for the workers when negotiating with their employers. And although Sgro recently retired from AFSCME, he has continued to be that voice, shifting his attention to providing safer working conditions for state and municipal employees. Sgro, along with State Rep. Jim Gregory (R-80), is working to bring public employees under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) umbrella, which would improve safety, and reduce...
The Freedom Township Volunteer Fire Company resumed its monthly Sunday dinner fundraiser this past weekend after taking the summer off. Fire Chief Ron Henry estimates the dinners bring in about $3,000 each month, money he said helps keep the fire company in business. While the pandemic forced a halt to the monthly dinners for much of 2020, the fire company started them again last year as a strictly drive-up service. This year, diners will have a choice of take-out or coming inside for a sit-down dinner. “We did try to resume eat-in last s...
The Freedom Township Volunteer Fire Company resumed its monthly Sunday dinner fundraiser this past weekend after taking the summer off. Fire Chief Ron Henry estimates the dinners bring in about $3,000 each month, money he said helps keep the fire company in business. While the pandemic forced a halt to the monthly dinners for much of 2020, the fire company started them again last year as a strictly drive-up service. This year, diners will have a choice of take-out or coming inside for a sit-down dinner. “We did try to resume eat-in last s...
Earlier this year, the Roaring Spring Borough Council heard from neighbors of two borough properties concerning the condition of the unoccupied structures. According to the neighbors, the properties in question, one along East Main Street and the other on Rockingham Avenue, were falling into disrepair and creating a health and safety hazard. Under the borough’s Dangerous Structure Ordinance, council sent an engineer to inspect the properties to determine if they were a public safety hazard. Borough Code Enforcement Officer Tom Holsinger i...
Family and friends of Bryan "Chipper" Chamberlain gathered at the Claysburg Volunteer Fire Company on Thursday morning, Oct. 6, to help dedicate the Dunnings Highway Bridge over Pine Run in his honor. Chamberlain, a 2006 graduate of Claysburg-Kimmel High School, was killed in 2018, at the age of 30, in a work zone accident. Chamberlain was working for PennDOT at a site along Juniata Road, Frankstown Township, when he became trapped beneath a piece of heavy equipment machinery. According to...
Cove Forge Behavioral Health, located in Williamsburg, was recently certified as a Veteran Ready Healthcare Organization when its staff was trained in providing specialized care for veterans who have needs that their non-veteran peers don’t. Cove Forge CEO Bobbi Jo Glunt said there has always been a need for veteran services at Cove Forge and the training provided a better understanding of the specific issues veterans may have. “This gave us more education so we can better meet their needs,” Glunt said. Glunt cited Post Traumatic Stress Disor...
PennCrest Bank's purchase of Mid Penn Bank's Williamsburg office has received regulatory approval and is scheduled to begin operations on Oct. 17. Last December, Mid Penn, the borough's only bank, announced it was closing its Williamsburg location, forcing residents travel out of town to do their banking. PennCrest, based in Altoona, stepped up last spring and entered into a purchase assumption agreement with Mid Penn, taking on certain deposit liabilities and loans. The agreement also called...
A Claysburg man is behind bars after the discovery of drug paraphernalia in his garage led police to a suspected meth lab. According to charges filed by Greenfield Township police, on Sept. 7, police were called to a home along Canine Trail, Claysburg, when the home's owner discovered what she suspected to be drug paraphernalia. According to police, the homeowner was cleaning out the garage when she found a bench with plastic bottles, batteries that were cut open, drain cleaner and other...
The Freedom Township water project resumed construction this week after a nearly summer-long break due to supply shortages. Workers were forced to halt construction when they exhausted their supply of meter pits. The meter pits were due to be delivered an August but another delay in securing the approximately 50 needed to complete construction pushed the project’s resume date to this week. The approximately $3 million project, $1.7 for the new water lines and the remaining costs going for sewage will provide 86 public water hookups to homes a...
Blair County, Williamsburg Borough, and Woodbury and Catharine Townships are poised to adopt two ordinances that will provide tax breaks for new construction as well as improvements to existing structures within the respective municipalities through the Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance Act (LERTA), and the Deteriorating Real Property or Areas of Tax Exemption Act, known as RLERTA. Last Thursday, the Blair County Commissioners voted to advertise the proposed LERTA ordinance for the three municipalities and will vote on its adoption...
Roaring Spring Borough is a step closer to closing the books on its ownership of Plum Creek Mountain after the Pennsylvania Game Commission voted to purchase the 1,367-acre tract of land from the borough for $1.2 million. Earlier this year, the borough entered a land lease option agreement with the game commission and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, allowing for a six-month timeline for the organizations to decide on purchasing the land. The mountain ground has been a hot-button topic since council closed access last year citing insurance...
A Roaring Spring man who was arrested last August with $250,000 worth of illegal drugs will spend at least 20 years in prison after pleading guilty last week in Blair County Court. Jayme W. Walter, 43, along with his companion, Erica Lynn Eckert, 44, was stopped by police in Taylor Township after police followed them from Allentown where they made drug purchases. During the traffic stop, police seized six pounds of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl. Police said at the time that it was one of the largest drug seizures in Blair...
The Roaring Spring Borough Council met for its regular monthly meetings on Monday, Sept. 12, and gave an update on Plum Creek Mountain. Councilman James Musselman said the borough is waiting to hear from the Pennsylvania Game Commission on whether it is going to proceed with purchasing the ground. Earlier this summer, the borough entered into a land option agreement with the game commission and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy giving the organizations six months to decide on purchasing the ground. Musselman said a decision should come from...
The Claysburg-Kimmel School Board met on Wednesday Sept. 7, and again on Wednesday, Sept. 14 and continued to award contracts for the athletic project. During its Sept. 7 meeting, the board awarded the electrical contract to Mashan Inc. in the amount of $51,900. Two bids were received and Mashan was chosen after reference checks were done. The board also approved the $1.188 million contract with L.S. Fiore, pending solicitor review, to complete the football stadium. Fiore was awarded the contract during the board’s August meeting and this month...
A Martinsburg man is facing multiple felony charges after police said he sexually assaulted a female minor beginning when she was about 13 years old and lasting until she was 16. William R. Corley, 40, is facing a total of 20 felony and eight misdemeanor sexual assault-related charges stemming from an investigation by Martinsburg Borough police. According to the affidavit of probable cause, in September 2020, the victim’s mother reported that Corley began sexually assaulting her daughter in 2017 in his Martinsburg home where the victim would b...
A Roaring Spring man is behind bars after police said he was caught on camera burglarizing a garage. According to the charges filed by Roaring Spring police, on Aug. 27, police were called to a home in Roaring Spring after the homeowner noticed items missing from her garage. The homeowner told police that she checked her security camera and saw that on July 17, just after midnight, a man entered the garage and took a leaf blower. The suspect then walked out of the garage but returned and took a trimmer. Police said the value of the stolen...
The estate of the Blair County Prison guard who was killed in the line of duty in November has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the county and several other entities alleging a “state-created danger” that led to Rhonda Russell’s death. The lawsuit, filed last month in the U.S. District Court in Johnstown, names the county of Blair, Blair County Prison Warden Abby Tate, deputy wardens James Eckard and Shaun Edmundson, Lt. David Fogle, shift commanders Nathaniel Port and Zachary Stitt, Blair County Sheriff James Ott, the City of Altoona, an...
While the Hollidaysburg team's run in the Little League World Series came to an end with an 8-4 loss to Texas, the Southwest Region Champions capped off an historic year to become the first ever team from Blair County to play in the storied tournament held annually in Williamsport. Hollidaysburg's journey began with wins in the district and sectional qualifiers before pounding out five straight wins after an opening round loss in the state tournament to take the Pennsylvania state crown. The tea...
When Ron Glunt retired last year as mayor of Roaring Spring, he capped off a decades-long career in local politics that began on council before taking his seat at the center of the table as mayor. Retiring from office, however, did not end Glunt's service to the borough as he continues to work at the food pantry he helped begin nearly 10 years ago. In 2012, Glunt, along with Pastor Mark Halliday, saw a need to help people put food on the table and after securing a site in the St. Luke's...
Citing a declining number of deliveries over the past several years and a focus on community needs, Conemaugh Nason Medical Center in Roaring Spring has announced it will no longer offer scheduled obstetrics deliveries effective Oct. 9. In a statement released earlier this week, Nason CEO Tim Harclerode said limited community demand for the service combined with increasing operational challenges have made it difficult for the hospital to provide OB services in an effective way. Although scheduled deliveries will end, Harclerode said Nason will...
