Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
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Three people are facing charges of child endangerment after police say a 3-year-old boy was found alone, walking the streets of Roaring Spring. According to the charges filed by Roaring Spring police, a man discovered the child walking by Greenlawn Cemetery on Hunt Club Lane at around 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 6. The man who found the boy told police he tried to take the boy home, but because the child could not talk well, he led the man toward the other end of town. After about 90 minutes of trying to find the boy’s home, the man called p...
Editor's Note: "A Mother's Grief," written by Herald Staff Writer Rick Boston, won Honorable Mention in the 2019 Professional Keystone Press Awards. Peggy Miller of Claysburg exists in two places. ""Half of me lives in heaven, and the other half is here going through the motions," she said. While her body is here on earth, Peggy said her heart is in heaven with two of her three daughters, Marlene "Moe" Holland, and Erma "Missy" Childers, both victims of a drug overdose. Moe Marlene Holland...
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has said the state is "falling behind" on keeping up with the rest of the country when it comes to maintaining its infrastructure. From aging transit systems, crumbling roads and bridges, water and sewer systems, increasing blight in its cities and even broadband service, the Commonwealth is in desperate need of an upgrade. To address the issue, Wolf has introduced a $4.5 billion plan called "Restore Pennsylvania," which he said will restore aging systems and bring...
According to a 2016 Institute of Museum and Library Services report, there are 9,057 public libraries in the United States, making up approximately 7.4 percent of the more than 120,000 libraries across the country. The 9,057 public libraries include library systems, which could have multiple locations, making the total number of buildings which house a public library at more than 16,000. Public libraries, are, as the name suggests, supported by the public, along with some government financial...
Editor's Note: Over the next few weeks, the Herald is publishing a series of articles regarding candidates for office who will appear on the May 21 primary election ballot. These articles are intended to offer voters a closer look at some of the candidates. The Herald will be publishing a special section on May 16 with information about all candidates. Blair County Commissioner Bruce Erb has announced that he is seeking re-election for a second term on the county's governing board. Saying the...
A question everyone faces is, "what am I going to do after high school?" For a lot of kids, the prospect of leaving the familiarity of the school halls and venturing out into the world for the next phase of their lives can be a confusing time as they figure out where they want to go and how to get started. To help answer those questions, Central High School hosted a Career Expo, sponsored by the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation on March 29. With more than 50 participating vendors ranging...
Exceeding the 156 signatures needed, the organizers of the The Roaring Spring Alcohol Referendum accomplished its main goal, which is to let the voters decide if there will be alcohol sales permitted for the first time in the borough's history. With 230 signatures collected, the question of whether or not to change an ordinance banning the sale of alcohol in the borough will be on the May primary ballot. For almost 100 years, residents of Roaring Spring who want to purchase alcohol had to go...
Last summer, an important member of the Blair County Sheriff's office was taken off of full-time duty through no fault of his own. Canine officer Rik, a 5-year-old Belgian Malinois, Blair County's only bomb-sniffing dog, was working out of a used vehicle that was deemed to be no longer safe. The K-9 equipped car, which was purchased used from the Logan Township Police Department, was experiencing mechanical failures. So many, in fact, that Sheriff James Ott and Rik's handler and partner, Cpl. Ju...
A Claysburg man has been jailed on charges relating to the sexual abuse of a 16-year-old minor, which the victim revealed during a counseling session last year. Joseph Michael Douglas, 33, is facing charges of corruption of minors, sexual abuse of children, unlawful contact with a minor and indecent assault after a police investigation into the alleged incidents, which happened in a Saxton home between Aug. 1 and Aug. 31, 2017. According to the charges, the victim was undergoing counseling and...
A Hopewell man is behind bars after a standoff with police following a domestic dispute. State Police, Bedford, were called to a home along Lunenberg Road, South Woodbury Township, Bedford County, on March 16 to investigate a domestic violence incident. When police arrived, they found Jason M. Gokey, 29, holed up in the residence, refusing to come out. Police said that earlier that day, Gokey and his girlfriend had broken up and when the girlfriend arrived at Gokey's residence along Brookside...
Operation Our Town was the focus of the 54th meeting of the Blair County Chamber of Commerce Breakfast Club meeting held at the Casino at Lakemont Park on Thursday morning, March 14. Operation Our Town was formed in 2006 as a partnership between concerned citizens and law enforcement to combat drug activity and the crimes associated with it. Operation Our Town President Michael Fiore said there has been a "drug crisis" in this area for more than 20 years, and that it does not discriminate in...
A Woodbury man is in jail after being found with various drugs and drug paraphernalia at the Turkey Hill in Roaring Spring. Roaring Spring police were called to the Turkey Hill on the night of March 12 for a report of a male slumped in the driver's seat of his car at the gas pumps with his foot on the brakes, causing concern that the car could cause an accident if his foot came off the pedal. Police arrived to find Robert C. Franklin, 42, of Woodbury, leaning back in his seat and playing on his...
A probation check on a Freedom Township man led to the discovery of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Dustin Scott Hallet, 24, was arrested after agents from Blair County Adult Probation and Parole visited his home along Poet Lane, Hollidaysburg, on March 8, to meet with him. Upon entering the residence, probation officers noticed a strong odor of marijuana, and called Freedom Township police to the scene for assistance. A search of Hallet's home turned up six baggies of marijuana weighing 2.7...
Could there be a cure for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)? Wildlife and CWD Biologist John Eveland believes so, and said one is on the horizon, but is still at least five years away. Eveland spoke to a large group of area hunters who packed the Freedom Township fire hall on Saturday morning, March 9, as they continue to seek a solution to the disease that is decimating the state's deer population. Speaking at the invitation of the United Sportsmen of Pennsylvania, Eveland said that he is working...
A Martinsburg woman who was a teacher in the Altoona Area School District and was charged in January on felony counts of disseminating obscene or sexual explicit materials to a minor and unlawful contact with a minor, waived her formal arraignment in Blair County court. Holly D. Metzler, 45, was a teacher at Altoona Area High School when police said she sent a male student inappropriate photos and a video of herself. According to charges, Metzler was contacted by the 17-year-old student several...
Blair County's five judges paid tribute to their staff and the departments that take on the task of ensuring justice is served with fairness and compassion, on Tuesday afternoon, March 11. For the 13th year, the men and women who sit on the bench held a State of the Court reception to recognize the courthouse departments and staff who help keep the wheels of justice turning. This year's theme, "Positive Employees Build Positive Outcome," brought the departments together, not only to receive...
According to the United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Statistics, there are 3,415,000 hourly paid workers in Pennsylvania. Of those, 43,000 earned the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour or less, making up 3.1 percent of hourly paid workers in the state. A person making $7.25 per hour at a full-time job makes about $15,080 per year, which for a household of one is just above the federal poverty line of $12,490. If a person making minimum wage is the sole earner of a household of two...
A registered nurse is facing charges for stealing medication from the nursing home she was employed at. Nichole S. Soyster, 46, of Martinsburg, turned herself in to Altoona police on Tuesday, Feb. 26, after an investigation by police and the Pennsylvania State Attorney General’s office found that two bottles of liquid morphine intended for two different patients at Hillview Chateau, Altoona, were tampered with. According to the charges, police were called to Hillview on May 15, 2018, for possible theft of medication. Police took possession o...
A former Williamsburg man, convicted in 2008 of the sexual assault of a 6-year-old in the Williamsburg area, had his request for an appeal to be heard by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court denied. Court records show that in 1998, Howard Scott Allison, now 53, who was then living in Arizona, visited Williamsburg over Christmas that year and while at a gathering, sexually assaulted the child. It took 10 years for the act to be reported when the victim revealed it while undergoing counseling. Allison was tried and convicted of rape of a person under...
On Jan. 19, Matthew W. Smith, of Bakers Summit, was dropped off at a home just north of Freedom Township in Brooks Mills, Blair Township. That was the last time anyone has seen or heard from him. On Saturday morning, Feb. 23, a group of people led by Matt's cousin, Crystal Gindlesperger of Baltimore, conducted a search of the woods around the area in Brooks Mills where Matt was last seen. According to Crystal, Matt was staying with his father in Bakers Summit when an argument on the night of...
A Duncansville man who police said broke into a Claysburg apartment and assaulted a woman is behind bars. On Feb. 19, Greenfield and Freedom Township police were called to an apartment along Penndale Avenue, Claysburg, for a report of a break-in and assault. When police arrived, the female victim said she was watching television when a man, identified as Jamie T. Barnes of Duncansville, began "obnoxiously" ringing her doorbell and yelling for someone to open the door. When the victim went to...
Since 1991 motorists driving down State Route 164 saw the sign for Over's Country Store, a Cove staple for more than 46 years. Soon the sign will change, but the business people have come to rely on for everything from feed to housewares will remain. Stanley and Shirley Over, who describe themselves as "partners in business, and partners in life," have decided to retire and sold the store they worked side by side building. "It was time to sell and head to paradise," said Stanley, referring to...
The growing concern about how to manage the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) among the deer herd in southern Blair and northern Bedford counties has put the Pennsylvania Game Commission at odds with hunters. Since the commission announced last month a plan to hire wildlife professionals to do a controlled killing of deer in the Blair and Bedford county regions, hunters raised concerns about the effectiveness of the tactic. CWD According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,...
The Freedom Township Supervisors held a public hearing on Tuesday, Feb. 5, to hear a request from Sheetz, Inc. to approve the inter-municipal transfer of a restaurant liquor license from Altoona to the McKee Sheetz. A public hearing was required in order to give township residents an opportunity to ask questions or voice concerns; however, no opposition was presented. The state liquor code permits the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to approve the transfer of any liquor license within Blair...
Three area women, all under the age of 20, are behind bars after police said they stole $60,000 in cash from a Greenfeld Township home in September. Sarah J. Kramer, 19, of Martinsburg, and Kilee N. Frye and Kailey E. Page, both 19, and of Duncansville, were arrested on Jan. 29 after an investigation by Greenfield Township police into the missing money led them to the three women. According to police reports, sometime during the night of Sept. 21 into Sept. 22, $60,000 kept in a large manila...
If you walked under the streets of Roaring Spring Borough you would have to navigate a series of pipes that carry water to every home, business and fire hydrant in the borough. The underground maze of pipes runs under the streets in all directions, each serving a specific area of town. Connected to these pipes are a series of strategically placed valves that work much the same way as the on/off switch on your spigot, only these valves will shut water off to a specific area in town allowing...
John Rita, a conservator of art and architecture, said buildings talk to him. As a young boy, he wrote in his journal, "I see faces in the paint peelings as an erosion of time," and that it gives him a feeling of those who came before him. Preserving the past while looking to the future was the challenge Rita and his team faced when they took on the work of renovating the second floor of the Blair County Courthouse, which includes restoring two courtrooms and the lawyers' lobby to their...
A carbon monoxide leak at The Dream restaurant in Hollidaysburg on Saturday, Feb. 2, forced the evacuation of customers. According to reports, a carbon monoxide detector in the kitchen area began showing high levels of CO and when the detector was taken into the dining area, it still showed a high level of the gas. The building was evacuated and the Phoenix Volunteer Fire Department was called to the scene, confirming the presence of a high level of CO. A malfunction in the hot water boiler...
Publisher's Note: We at the Herald are sensitive to the disturbing nature of this news story. We received a telephone call on Tuesday asking us to consider the effects of the story on children. We are of course aware that the publication of this information can have an effect on readers, and especially on young readers. However, it is our firm opinion that the story published last week in the Herald and other stories released by news media do not tell the entire story of the Applemans. A...
A Martinsburg woman who teaches special education at Altoona Area High School turned herself in to police last Friday, Jan. 25, to face felony charges after an Altoona police investigation turned up nude photos and a video she allegedly sent to a student. Holly D. Metzler, 45, of Martinsburg, was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Daniel DeAntonio, Altoona, on felony counts of disseminating obscene or sexual explicit materials to a minor and felony unlawful contact with a minor....
A Claysburg woman has been jailed without bail in connection with the shooting death of her husband last September. Nancy Lee Focht, 71, of Claysburg, Kimmel Township, was arrested on Sunday, Jan. 27, after admitting to fatally shooting her husband, 74-year-old David Glenn Focht Sr., in a shed at their home on Sept. 11, 2018. According to police, they were dispatched to the Fochts' home along Mountain Penny Lane at approximately 2:35 p.m. on Sept. 11, to investigate an active domestic dispute...
As the government shutdown enters its second month, a lot of attention has been focused on the thousands of government employees who have either been furloughed or have been forced to work without pay since the standoff between President Donald Trump and the Democratic-controlled Congress began. With many federal services either cut back or closed completely, there is no shortage of people struggling to survive while feeling the effects of the bickering between the White House and congressional...
Two people who were involved in a deadly domestic dispute in North Woodbury Township, Blair County, just outside of Martinsburg Borough, were both found dead on Monday morning, Jan. 21. According to police, Cassandra Lynn Appleman, 30, and Sheldon Howard Appleman, 49, were found dead in a home along Cove Mountain Road around 11:30 Monday morning, Jan. 21. According to Trooper Joseph Dunsmore of the Pennsylvania State Police, Hollidaysburg, a neighbor called police on Monday morning to request a...
The Roaring Spring Borough Council held its first meeting of the new year on Monday, Jan. 14. The new year brought old problems as council once again discussed the ongoing issue with the wall along East Main Street, across from Appvion. The wall, which has been leaning and having pieces of it fall out onto the sidewalk and roadway, became an even bigger hazard when a portion of it collapsed on Dec. 15, sending large stones onto the street. In the interest of public safety, borough officials...
The Blair County Commissioners were the guest speakers at the monthly Blair County Chamber of Commerce Breakfast Club held at the Casino at Lakemont Park on Thursday, Jan. 10. Commissioners Terry Tomassetti and Bruce Erb and former Commissioner Donna Gority, sitting in for Ted Beam, who was unable to attend due to illness, answered pre-selected questions. Gority did not give her own opinion on the subjects discussed, but relayed Beam's prepared answers . The topic of home rule, a subject first...
A New Enterprise man is behind bars, charged with simple assault and strangulation stemming from a domestic incident in an apartment in South Woodbury Township, Bedford County, on Jan. 7. According to the criminal complaint, police were dispatched to the apartment for a report of a domestic dispute in progress. When police arrived, a female victim told them that Garrett Dalton Foor, 23, had assaulted her. The victim told police that she and Foor were in the back seat of a friend’s car, driving to her apartment, when they began arguing about m...
According to statistics from the Center for Disease Control and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, a child will find a loaded gun in his home today and pick it up. That gun will discharge and either kill or seriously wound the child. The CDC estimates that in the United States, eight children per day are victims of what is known as “family fire,” an accidental shooting from an unsecured firearm in the home. According to the CDC, in 2016, the latest year data is available, imp...
A Duncansville man faces a list of charges, including felony counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, unlawful contact with minors and corruption of minors, after a state police investigation into the sexual assault of a girl beginning in 2017. Michael D. Lastra, 48, allegedly began molesting the girl in 2017 when she was 13 years old. Police charge that Lastra continued molesting the girl in 2018 when she was 14. According to the charges, state police were...
The Roaring Spring Borough Council, at its last meeting of the year on Dec. 10, wrapped up the year by adopting some ordinances and approving department budgets. Ordinance 2018-7, the Fireworks Ordinance, regulates the discharge of consumer fireworks within the borough. The ordinance permits the discharge of fireworks within a 24-hour period prior to, and immediately after certain holidays. Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day and Veterans Day are the listed holidays. The ordinance states that consumer fireworks in the borough may only be...
When the United States Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life sentences without parole for juveniles under the age of 18 (unless it can be proven they are unable to be rehabilitated) were unconstitutional, thousands of cases – some decades old – were sent back to local courts for resentencing. One of those cases was back in Bedford County Court on Thursday, Dec. 20, in front of Judge Travis Livengood. Deauntay Dontaz Moye, was 16 years old in 2015 when he, along with 15-year-old Ryan Har...
In 2014, Judy Ward won election to the Pennsylvania General Assembly, becoming the first female to represent the 80th District in the state House. On Jan. 1, 2019, Ward will be sworn in to the Pennsylvania state Senate, becoming the first woman elected to the seat from the 30th District. Although proud of being the first female elected to those seats, Ward said she never made her gender an issue when running for office. "I never made my campaign about being a woman," she said. "I always wanted...
A portion of the wall along East Main Street, Roaring Spring, across from Appvion, collapsed on Saturday, Dec. 15, sending several large stones onto the street. The portion of the wall that gave out was in front of the Roaring Spring Mennonite Church. The condition of the wall, which stretches nearly the length of Appvion's property, has been a concern of borough council for some time. Council has been keeping a close eye on the wall and periodically sending engineers to inspect it because...
Calling himself a "homegrown tomato," Dr. John Joyce said he is taking the allegiance and support of the community with him when he is sworn in as a member of the 116th U.S. Congress on Jan. 3. Joyce spoke to a packed house at the 538th monthly Blair County Chamber of Commerce Breakfast Club meeting, held at the Casino at Lakemont Park on Thursday, Dec. 13. Joyce said his journey to Washington, D.C., began with the people he has met in his 25 years as a doctor practicing in Altoona. "I have...
By RICK BOSTON Staff Writer State and county leaders broke ground Wednesday, Dec. 12, on a 1.7-megawatt solar array on the grounds adjacent to the Bedford County Jail. The solar array, set to be completed in the spring 2019, will help power the jail, courthouse and library. The 1.7-megawatt photovoltaic system will produce more than 2.1 million kilowatt-hours of energy a year. One kilowatt-hour is the consumption of 1,000 watts for one hour. Bedford County Commissioner Josh Lang said bringing...
A Williamsburg man who was on active probation was arrested for providing a fake urine sample to his probation officer. According to the criminal complaint, state probation and parole officers went to the home of Joseph M. Castro, 35, of Williamsburg, on Nov. 14, and requested Castro provide them with a urine sample to test for narcotics. Castro provided the urine sample which tested negative for narcotics. On Dec. 16, parole agents returned to Castro’s residence to conduct another home visit. During this visit Castro allegedly admitted to u...
With the death of George H.W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States, the country lost the patriarch of one of the last true dynasties of public service to America. Bush passed away on Friday, Nov. 30, at the age of 94. His passing brought tributes from around the world as people from all walks of life shared their thoughts – and for those fortunate enough to have crossed paths with him – memories of the man who you didn't have to agree with politically to like. For Cove-area res...
Janie Myers moved to McKee in the late 1950s when she was 8 years old. Within five years, a piece of ground owned by her grandfather, Chester Woomer, became the foundation of the McKee playground. Since its beginnings, the McKee playground has been the center of the youth of McKee, and every year for more than 50 years, the playground has hosted a Christmas party for area kids. This year's party was held on Saturday, Dec. 8, at the McKee Community Center. Jodie Dellinger has been involved in...
By RICK BOSTON Staff Writer Back in July, the Roaring Spring Municipal Authority began the process to paint and clean the borough's one-million gallon water tank by voting to advertise for bids. The authority had sent a diver into the tank earlier in the spring to inspect the condition of the inside of the tank, and determined that both the outside and inside of the tank needed to be painted. The authority then awarded the contract to L&T Painting of Michigan to sandblast, prime and paint the in...
About 20 years ago, Roaring Spring native Lowell Burket began photographing wildlife, a hobby he said he always wanted to do, but never had the time for. While pursuing his hobby, Burket, a lawyer who now lives in Pittsburgh, said he began to notice the very colorful birds that would fly out of a birdhole on his family’s farm when he walked past. “I started taking pictures of these birds and would review them with my father-in-law,” he said. Burket’s father-in-law, Larry Stump, had been sending...
By RICK BOSTON Staff Writer Those who attended “A Salute to Our Veterans” presented by the Claysburg P.A.S.T. (Preserving Artifacts Stories Traditions) at the Claysburg-Kimmel High School auditorium on Saturday evening, Dec. 1, were presented with more than an opportunity to say “thank you” to those who served. The nearly two-hour program was a history lesson, as narrators told the stories of the local men who went off to fight in the various wars throughout history. The program presented the military history of the Claysburg area by sharing...
