Week of October 24, 2024
Week of October 24, 2024
The Blair County Sheriff’s Office has received multiple reports of residents receiving phone calls from a male caller identifying himself as a Deputy of the Blair County Sheriff’s Office. The caller claims that a “jury duty or witness” appearance has been missed, resulting in an arrest warrant being generated for the recipient. The actor provides instructions on how to handle the warrant by paying a dollar amount that could resolve the outstanding warrant. The actor also gives a case number and the victim’s personal information...
Take Back Day The Williamsburg Lions Club will be hosting their annual National Take Back Day for prescription and over the counter drugs that are not being used or are expired. The event will take place at the St. Joseph’s Catholic Church on Saturday, October 26 from 10 a.m.-1:30...
Stiffler McGraw Engineer John Clabaugh discussed with Williamsburg Municipal Authority Members the lack of communication between Cove Forge and the authority. The authority asked for a capacity letter from Cove Forge, which has yet to be received. Clabaugh sent a letter to Cove Forge architect and others about the instantaneous water demand for the campus. Following this, a letter was sent to Woodbury Township making them aware that a letter was not received and the required certificate was not issued from the authority, which could hinder an...
For a few months, the Williamsburg Historical Society was at a standstill waiting to become a 501.c.3 organization. They were also waiting to move into their renovated space in the downstairs area of the Williamsburg Public Library. Following Tuesday evening's meeting, it looks like things are on the upswing for the Historical Society. Williamsburg Historical Society President Marge Troxell gave an update on items received from Dave Sollenberger's extensive collection and is waiting to hear...
“Things are gearing up here at the library and we are excited for our upcoming events,” Williamsburg Public Library’s Head Librarian Roane Lytle said. He said the Thursday book club held during the spring and summer months which featured local authors who talked about their books was successful. “We got such a great response from patrons and attendees, we wanted to keep the momentum going and bring in the authors again,” Lytle said. Kevin Stiver, Patty Wilson, and Jim Snyder Jr. will all be coming to the library. Stiver started the...
Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Shane Munarik was on hand at Catharine Township to address local issues within the Township – mainly speeding. Residents who were in attendance of the meeting complained of speeding on Yellow Springs Drive throughout the day, and Recreation Drive to beat the school bus in both the morning and after school. Supervisors discussed adding a speed sign, which they later voted on to purchase for $3,300 with ARPA funds, at a location to try to combat speeding in the Township. “We definitely appreciate you...
Pictured on the left is are the men's mixed bracket winners: Jeff and Colt Detwiler. Picture on the right are the women's bracket winners. From left, Kara and Beth Lansberry took first place, and Valerie Wyland Prough and Susan Houck took second place. Pickleball is in the air. A group of Williamsburg residents got together last Sunday, October 13 all in the name of pickleball. The group of residents, typically play each other on normal days but wanted to have a tournament to raise funds for a...
A few of the Herald’s own were recognized at the 2024 Keystone Media Awards which were presented on Thursday, Oct 17 at the Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey Hotel. Rick Boston won first place in ongoing news coverage for his story “Martinsburg Fire at Bobcat of Martinsburg”. Anna Miller, our previous Herald editor, received a feature story honorable mention for her story “Martinsburg Been Working So Hard - Central Students Put Hearts Into ‘Footloose’ Performance”. Herald photographer, Gary Baranec, won sports feature photo second...
By Preston Shoemaker for the Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are pleased to announce a new partnership with neighboring Lakemont Park for the 28th Anniversary of Holiday Lights on the Lake. The festive, drive-through holiday light display will open on November 15, 2024, and run through January 5, 2025, operating from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily. “Holiday Lights on the Lake is a historic tradition for many families in Blair County and the surrounding area, and we are very excited to partner with Lakemont Park to continue this tradition for...
Restored Grounds reopened with new owners Mara Laird and Ryan Bowers on Monday, October 14. They will have a grand opening on November 18. Bowers and Laird, are a couple who were workers and met when the original business was open. "We became partners and business partners," he said. They said the original Restored Ground closed earlier this year in May, because the owner had a change in the season of life. "She had to pick between the coffee shop and her real estate business, and she decided...
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s near-total ban on Sunday hunting has long had the support of farmers and outdoor groups, but crop-hungry deer and swing district lawmakers could tip the state toward lifting restrictions. The debate over hunting on Sundays isn’t new in Harrisburg, but this year something changed: The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau dropped its longstanding opposition to the practice, potentially clearing the way for a shift. Farmers like Mark Duda made the trade association change its tune. Duda’s Farm is a family-owned operation...
There was a shed fire that occurred off of North Road, in New Enterprise at around 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 15, according to Southern Cove Southern Cove Volunteer Fire Company Fire Chief Darl Ritchey. “It was fully involved when we got on scene, but we had no challenges with getting the fire out,” he said. Ritchey said crews were on the scene until about 2:30 a.m. He said the homeowners were on the scene at the time. Ritchey said everything in the shed was a total loss including a tractor, skid loader, and other equipment being...
Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates, school architects, did a facility study update for the board and the public in attendance at the October Regular School Board of Directors meeting for the Spring Cove School District. Joseph Crabtree and Larry Levato revealed that Spring Cove has seen an 11% decline in student population over the last decade and meets Pa. Dept. of Education guidelines for space. The secondary level only has a 76% utilization rate and Spring Cove Elementary a 79% rate. The biggest focus of districts are 1) Safety and security...
By Juls Bratton Sales & Marketing Director, Homewood at Martinsburg Team Homewood donates $7,000 to the Alzheimer’s Association, bringing their total donations over the past three years to $17,000.00. As an individual with many years’ experience working with individuals afflicted with the various stages of dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease, Sandy Deininger, Director of Therapeutic Recreation, has always been an advocate for the patient, to try and enhance their daily lives each and every...
At the recent Roaring Spring Borough Council meeting, Fire Marshal James Musselman reported that fire activity has been relatively quiet. He said he had a conversation with other fire chiefs, noting that current fire prevention efforts appear to be working well. However, Musselman highlighted the importance of staying proactive, especially as the number of volunteer firefighters continues to decline across Pennsylvania. "This week was pretty busy," he said, referring to the Friendship Fire...
North Woodbury Township Police Department recently installed the Motorola Vigilant Automatic License Plate Reader on its patrol vehicle. Chief of Police Lance Morris said the purchase of the system was approved at the township's July meeting and has been in operation since October 1. He received a total of three quotes with Motorola's being the number one recommended choice with multiple departments that already use it. Morris said he was able to purchase the system for $12,650 with a year...
The Blair County Chamber of Commerce's Farm City Dinner will be on Wednesday, November 13 at the East Freedom Firehall. During the event, Cove View Farms of Curryville owned and oeprated by the Bechtel Family, will be honored as the recipient of the Agricultural Community Excellence Award. They were nominated by Tom Ritchey and in his letter to the Blair County Farm-City Committee, he thought they were an example of the true spirit of family farming and dedication to their community. The farm...
By Doug Mingle and Jo Ellen Mingle from Roaring Spring True Value Hardware On October 14, Illinois-based True Value Company announced that it was filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy and had entered into an agreement to sell substantially all of the company's business operations to Do it Best, another distribution company serving independent retailers in the home improvement industry. While the True Value brand is well known by do-it-yourselfers, contractors and tradespeople around the country, what...
Northern Bedford County High School Football 2024...
The Herald will accept Letters to the Editor regarding the Nov. 5 election until 12 p.m., Monday, Oct. 28, for the Oct. 31 edition. Candidates and candidate supporters can send typed letters to cati@mcheraldonline.com. Those interested are encouraged to use email to ensure the letters are received at the Herald by the deadline. Those with questions are encouraged to call the Herald or email Cati Keith at the address provided above. Note on Policy Regarding Letters to the Editor and Editorial Content: The Herald does not publish any opinions...
Setting The troll sightings took place along I 99 in Bedford County Pennsylvania in the summer of 1986. A rather portly troll approximately 33 years old and rumored to weigh over 175 lbs at the time was spotted (as expected) waiting patiently under a bridge that carried I 99 over state route 869 near the vicinity of the little hamlet known as St. Clairsville. In spite of the fact that this sighting took place along an interstate highway, very few people actually witnessed the super sprite sitting in the shade of the overpass on that hot and...
It's almost time for Halloween. That means most stores have their Christmas decorations out and ready! We're not sure if we should say "Trick-or-Treat" or "Scary Chr..." I mean "Merry Christmas." Most of us are used to tales of horror at Halloween. In many areas of the world, it is commonplace to celebrate with ghostly tales at Christmastime. Yuletide ghost stories were more common than one might think. In the Victorian era, it was quite common to share ghost stories with eggnog and sugar...
Joseph Max Imler "Jody", 65, of Hopewell, formerly of New Enterprise, passed away Oct. 14, 2024, at his residence. He was born July 10, 1959, at the Bedford Hospital, son of the late Joseph Leroy and Alta Ruth (Eshelman) Imler. He is survived by a sister, Barbara Bendetti of Florida; sister, Susan McCormick of Texas; brother, Jeff Imler (Jackie) of New Enterprise; nieces and nephews: Robert McCormick, Corey McCormick, Michelle Diehl, Preston Imler, Donn Imler, Wesley Imler, David Imer, Caiden...
John G. Stump, 82, of Roaring Spring, went home to be with his Lord, Sunday evening, Oct. 20, 2024, at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, Johnstown. He was born Dec. 2, 1941, in Roaring Spring, son of the late Charles A. Jr. and Anna L. (Poorbaugh) Stump. He is survived by five nieces; three great-nieces; three great-nephews; and two great-great nephews. He was preceded in death by a sister, Charlotte L. Price; and a brother-in-law, Fred C. Price. John was a 1959 graduate of Roaring Spring High...
Phyllis L. (Crissman) Lamborn, 85, of Martinsburg, formerly of New Enterprise, passed away Oct. 19, 2024, at Homewood at Martinsburg. She was born Nov. 20, 1938, in St. Clairsville, daughter of the late Blair F. and Isabelle (Weyant) Crissman. On May 20, 1958, at the Osterburg Lutheran Church Parsonage, she was united in marriage to Merle W. Lamborn. He preceded her in death Nov. 9, 2015. She is survived by a son, Wayne E. Lamborn of New Enterprise; daughter, Tammy Jo Barkman (Lance) of Roaring...
Mary Elizabeth “Betty” Claycomb, 100, a resident of The Village at Morrisons Cove, Martinsburg, formerly of Baltimore, Md., passed away early Sunday morning, Oct. 20, 2024, at the home. She was born May 23, 1924, in the Eldorado area of Altoona, daughter of the late William B. and Mary B. (Russell) Eckhard. On Feb. 23, 1946, she married Jack Lincoln Claycomb in Washington, DC. He preceded her in death June 17, 2008, following 61 years of marriage. She is survived by several nieces, nephews...
I came across a Sunday School lesson I had taught some time ago. I think it has lessons for me and for us. The text is taken from the Book of Lamentations, 3:19-40, written by Jeremiah later in his life. By this time he is an old and broken man. His prophetic words and he himself have been rejected by his people. Israel has been captured, then scattered by the Assyrians. Babylon, under King Nebuchadnezzar, has destroyed Jerusalem, the Temple, the nation of Judah, and carried many away into captivity. Jeremiah has issued his prophecy that this...
Recently I finished listening to a biography of Elon Musk. He emerged from a troubled childhood and became the cofounder of PayPal and the founder of Tesla and SpaceX. If we could poll society as to what constitutes success, I believe Mr. Musk could check nearly all the boxes. He has made lots of money, is regarded as making a real difference in the world, has evident giftedness, has been the partner of numerous celebrated women, is able to spend time with wealthy and important and powerful people, and is able to throw exotic parties in...
Mark 9:38-50 Think about the people you have known for a long time or maybe someone you recently met. Would you say that they are salty? Would you call them “salt of the earth people”? When I was a teen-ager I would often joke with my mom that she was the Queen of Cliches. She had a lot of pat statements for situations we faced in our everyday lives. Once in a while she would use the phrase “salt of the earth person” to describe someone we had encountered. I didn’t give it a lot of thought at the time, but I do think of her saying...
