Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
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The Blair County Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, Nov. 13, recognized the agriculture skills and long farming history of a Curryville-area farm family. The family operating Cove View Farms since the 1930s received The Chamber's Agricultural Community Excellence Award (ACE), which was presented with the award at a dinner at the Freedom Township Fire Hall. The dinner featured service by FFA members from the Central, Bellwood, Tyrone and Williamsburg clubs. Also featured was the Blair County...
The Spring Cove School District’s Central High School graduated 143 students at the varsity football field in Roaring Spring on Friday, May 31, on a summer day with clear skies, temperatures in the high 60s and a light breeze. Valedictorian Brinnley Beech, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Brett Beech of Roaring Spring, is headed to West Virginia University to study aerospace engineering. In her speech, Beech told her fellow graduates that they will be faced with challenges as they “venture out of your c...
If you check the Herald’s website regularly, you might have noticed a problem recently. For technical reasons that are still not clear, we were not able to upload the content of the March 21, 2024, edition of the Herald to the website. Please accept our apologies. We’re still not sure what happened but we have managed to (at least temporarily) regain access to the site. We will be uploading the contents of the March 21 edition and this week’s edition as soon as we can – probably by Thursday of this week (March 28). Not being able to upload...
I’m writing to provide an update on the Herald’s request to its readers and supporters for help with our printing costs. Since the last update on Jan. 22, we’ve had 27 donations to help the Herald. The running total is $6,236 toward our goal of $50,000. $3,680 came in since my last update. We’re at 12.5 percent of our goal. I must admit that I’m heartened by the response. When Karen and I decided to ask the Cove for help, we weren’t sure what the response would be. I’m very happy not only that we’ve received the donations but that the commen...
Last week’s Herald carried the obituary of Dr. Robert P. Bridenbaugh. The Jan. 4 edition of the Herald provided a look at the 31-year career of Penn State horticulture educator Tom Ford. The news of those deaths is the kind of news that when I hear it, makes me stop what I’m doing, close my eyes and lower my head for a minute. I would very much liked to have had a word with those two men before they passed. But I did not take the initiative to do so and now the opportunity is lost forever. This makes me feel a deep sadness. Dr. Bridenbaugh was...
I’m writing to provide an update on the Herald’s request to its readers and supporters for help with our printing costs. First, I’d like to give you a reason to support the Herald. Last week’s edition put a story about the wooden cane-making skills of Cove resident Fred Gutshall on the front page. Gutshall stopped in the Herald office to pick up a few additional copies, which happens often when someone is pleased to find themselves or a loved one on the front page of the Herald. Fred wanted extra copies to send to family members. While he was...
A few weeks ago, I asked Herald supporters and readers to help the Herald remain as it is, where it is. We asked Herald readers to buy subscriptions or donate to a Print Fund. All contributions, while not tax-deductible, will help the Herald serving the Cove and printing on paper. We set a goal of $50,000, which will cover about 36 weeks of printing the Herald. I promised transparency and regular reports, so here is the first report. About 14 people, couples or organizations have responded directly and generously to my request. It’s been a c...
The Herald is asking for your help. Yes, you, the Herald reader. First, some important background. Then I’ll explain what I’m asking of you. You might not be aware that local newspapers like the Herald are vanishing fast. All across the United States, many communities like the Cove have lost their only local news source. The Washington Post reported in 2021 that since 2005, about 2,200 local newspapers across America had closed. That’s an average of 44 newspapers per state. More community newspapers have closed since then. When local newsp...
If I’ve had any success in business as the owner of the Herald and laundromats, it is partly due to what Don Mingle taught me. Mr. Mingle, as I knew him, was the owner and proprietor (I love that word) of the Roaring Spring Department Store, back when it was located down near the paper mill. My grandfather, John Bassler, worked for Mr. Mingle as the manager of the grocery store section of the Department Store. Yes, back then, the Department Store had a large grocery section. In fact, back t...
A second planned electric power outage in the Cove on Saturday, Jan. 7, was necessary due to a piece of hardware being placed incorrectly during the work done during the planned power outage on Dec. 28, 2022. The notice of the Jan. 7 outage was unexpected and notifications went out too late for the Herald to publish a notice in the Jan. 5 edition. Todd Meyers, a senior communications representative with Penelec’s parent company First Energy Corp., said, “an inspector went out to check the job on the pole located at South Market Street and Sta...
A Penelec spokesman said that the planned power outage on Dec. 28, 2022, went mostly as planned but he could not verify that the upgrades will improve electric power reliability in Morrisons Cove. Todd Meyers, a senior communications representative with Penelec’s parent company First Energy Corp., said that he was not sure if the equipment upgrade performed during the outage will reduce the number of unplanned outages in the Cove. “I’m not sure if it will have an effect,” he told the Herald. “It could be all kinds of things [that interrupt...
For the mid-term General Election held on Nov. 8, 2022, I was a poll worker at one of the Martinsburg voting locations. I have followed politics for years, kind of like the way some people follow a sports team. I understand that politics and voting is important, but there’s also an element to it that is like watching a sports season. Your team wins some and loses some and it’s entertaining (to me) to “discuss” with others the reasons behind the wins and losses. And, of course, there’s the Monda...
State Sen. Judy Ward visited the Claysburg-Kimmel school district recently to hear about the district's recent progress and improvements, especially regarding programs related to STEM. STEM is an abbreviation for "science, technology, engineering and mathematics." According to the federal Dept. of Homeland Security, "Discussion of STEM-related programs has become a [national] priority because too few college students are pursuing degrees in these fields. The U.S. Department of Labor expects...
The 2022 Blair County Farm-City dinner on Nov. 2 at the Freedom Township Fire Hall featured the Agricultural Excellence Award being presented to Dr. Barry M. England, who accepted on behalf of his wife and family. The event opened with a milk-punch reception and offered a family-style turkey dinner served to the attendees. The keynote speaker was Carissa Itle Westrick of Vale Wood Farms, Loretto, Cambria County. Westrick offered an honest and humorous take on the life of a family dedicated to...
The ambulance service that serves the Cove is putting the word out that it offers more than just emergency medical treatment. Hollidaysburg Ambulance, or HALAS, is modifying its fleet of transport vans to accommodate stretchers. The transport vans can already accommodate passengers in wheelchairs and those who can walk unaided. “We will take people on day trips,” said Jason Berardi, transport supervisor. “For example, we’ll take people from a nursing home to a family gathering and back again....
A 30-year Morrisons Cove farmer said that he hopes a grant given to Penn State will help farmers who are "already doing the right things" to help mitigate climate change. David Rice, owner of Clover Creek Cheese Cellar, LLC, on Clover Creek Road, said, "Most farmers are already doing the right thing. But I'm afraid that farmers won't get credit for things that we are already doing." Funding of up to $25 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will support a new Penn State-led collaborati...
The Hollidaysburg American Legion Ambulance Service (HALAS) is making some changes to better serve the Cove community, including offering training to upgrade the level of pre-hospital service that emergency medical technicians (EMTs) can provide. HALAS, or Hollidaysburg Ambulance, as it is commonly known, offers emergency medical services to the southern part of the Cove from its Emergency Medical Services (EMS) substation in Martinsburg. Rob Craig, HALAS's EMS chief, said that the service is...
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) has released an annual report identifying the "significant health needs" of Morrisons Cove and the surrounding region and describing its efforts to address the problems. An introduction to the report released in August 2022 states, "UPMC identified significant health needs, prioritized them, established action plans, and identified resources to address those needs. The 2022 reports build on prior assessments and implementation plans developed...
A pediatric cardiologist who overcame multiple challenges in his personal and professional life told the Northern Bedford County School District graduates that "real life is not social media. It is slower and tougher." However, Dr. Roland Crevecoeur of Hollidaysburg also told the graduates that they would "forge their own success" and offered 10 lessons from his own life, which he described as "wonderful." Dr. Crevecoeur's energetic speech to the graduates included asking them to "do something...
On Wednesday, June 1, the Herald opened the doors on a new phase of its service to the Cove community. On that day, supporters, friends and past owners and publishers of the Herald gathered to help us celebrate our move to a new home. As of that day, the Herald is officially in a new office space. We're now housed in the Morrisons Cove Memorial Park building. Our official address is 209 S. Walnut St., Martinsburg 16662. Our phone numbers and email addresses remain the same. Not much has changed...
Although the lines for voting districts are set for the next 10 years, there are many people, groups and elected officials who don’t think that the current methods used to create districts are fair and logical. Many of the objections originate with concerns that allowing elected officials to draw the lines of voting districts means that they get to “pick their voters.” This means that elected officials can draw district lines so that the voters in the district are likely to re-elect the current representative. There are also concerns expre...
Those who have called the Herald office in the last 10 years have likely talked our circulation manager, Tammy Cottle. As of April 12, Tammy has left the Herald for new employment. The Herald appreciates all the work Tammy did and we wish her the best. We will miss her, and we know our customers will, too. Tammy’s mother Kathy was a longtime advertising sales representative at the Herald, so the Cottle family has provided many years of service to the Cove community. With Tammy leaving, we ask customers to have patience during our hiring and tra...
We're packing our bags! The Herald office is relocating to the Morrisons Cove Memorial Park building. The office will be located at 209 S. Walnut St., Martinsburg. Our new office will be to the left of the library if you're looking at the park building from South Walnut Street. The Herald is making the move on May 19 and 20 and will begin offering services at the new location at the park on May 23. The office on North Market Street will be closed starting May 19. We hope to have completed our...
Two Cove high schools saw their graduation rates increase over the last two school years, while two saw decreases in graduation rates. Spring Cove's Central High School and Northern Bedford County School District's high school both saw increases from the 2018-19 school year to the 2019-20 school year. The Claysburg-Kimmel and Williamsburg Community School District both saw decreases from the 2018-19 school year to the 2019-20 school year. Williamsburg schools Williamsburg schools Superintendent...
The Altoona-Blair County Airport rebounded from a low point in 2020 with a record number of passengers in 2021, according to Airport Manager Tracy Plessinger. Manager Plessinger told the Herald that overall passenger totals for 2021 were 8,915 "enplanements," the aviation term for passengers getting on planes. That was the highest annual total since 2009, he reported. In particular, December 2021 was good for the airport, with more than 900 enplanements in the month, the highest since July...
I’m a little concerned about recent developments here in the Cove. I’m concerned that the Cove has seen some developments that might be dimming the future light of the area. Most people in the Cove know about the losses, have probably mentally grouped them and wondered what the effects will be. I’m referring here to events like the closing of the Spring Mill, the loss of the two C&S Family Market grocery stores, the relocating of Curry Supply and the death of Gene Henry, who was a strong supporter of local businesses. Williamsburg has been...
I am once again amazed at the volume of text that flows through online social media sites about issues in the Cove, yet so little of it ends up in the pages of the Herald. With a community so interested in writing and expressing opinions, you’d think there would be more submitted to the local newspaper. After all, part of the local paper’s job is to present the opinions of its readers. The Herald does so. And any accusations that we will reject submissions we disagree with or edit them into meaninglessness is just not true. Also not true is...
Last week’s Herald contained an article asking readers who support local business and local news to support the Local Journalism Sustainability Act (LJSA). The LJSA is focused on delivering benefits to local communities across the U.S. by sustaining local news organizations, including this newspaper, the Morrisons Cove Herald. Newspapers are facing significant challenges due to technological disruption, including Google’s and Facebook’s use of newspapers’ content without compensation. The legislation provides an important but temporary means o...
Dear Herald Readers: If you enjoy reading the Herald, and are aware of the importance of independent journalism to democracy, please follow this link and read this story. Thank you. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/11/alden-global-capital-killing-americas-newspapers/620171/ -- Publisher Allan Bassler... Full story
Martinsburg Borough Council has started the process of setting its 2022 municipal budget and has scheduled a budget workshop for Monday, Oct. 18. Council will meet at 6 p.m. on Oct. 18 at the borough building to work on the budget and “for general purposes.” The workshop is open to the public. A draft budget distributed at the regular meeting on Oct. 4 showed expenditures currently set $4,562 higher than revenue, and with no real estate tax increase. That budget is not final and the work of council and staff at the Oct. 18 workshop will fur...
Williamsburg wants more local sports news. That was the message we heard from the third Herald “Tell Us What You Think” town meeting, which was held at the Zion Lutheran Church in Williamsburg on Monday, Sept. 27. The Herald’s meeting in Williamsburg was part of the regular meeting of the Women’s Civic Club of Williamsburg. Sixteen people attended. (Thank you!) From the comments at the meeting and the forms they submitted, it is clear that Williamsburg appreciates having its own page in the Herald every week. There was a consensus that William...
The second Herald “Tell Us What You Think” town meetings was held at the Trinity United Methodist Church at the five points in Roaring Spring on the evening of Sept. 8. The takeaways from the meeting was first, that we have to do a better job of publicity. We had only two attendees. However, we did get some great suggestions, which we very much appreciate. It seems clear that Herald readers want the Cove Calendar back in the print edition of the newspaper. We hear you loud and clear and we will be doing this. It also seems that people very muc...
The Cove would really, really like the Herald to resume publishing the Cove Calendar in our print edition. That’s the main takeaway from the Herald Town Hall meeting held at Morrisons Cove Memorial Park on Aug. 18. We had seven people from the Cove community show up to share their thoughts and feelings about what the Herald should do and what it should not do. It was an informative discussion for those of us who work at the Herald. In attendance from the Herald were Editor Anna Baughman, Composing Manager Dessie Carpenter and Publisher’s Ass...
Recently released data from the U.S. 2020 Census reveals that Bedford and Blair counties continue to lose population, even as Pennsylvania gains. Pennsylvania’s overall population grew from 12.7 million to 13 million, an increase of 300,321 or 2.4 percent. Population statistics place Bedford and Blair counties among the 44 Pa. counties which lost population. Bedford County lost 2,185 people. (For comparison, the 2019 population of Bedford borough was about 2,677.) Blair County lost 4,267 people, or about the combined population of Roaring S...
This is another reminder of the upcoming “Tell Us What You Think” Tour, intended to make the Herald a better news source for the community. The first of the town hall meetings is at 7 p.m. today, Thursday, Aug. 19, in the Banquet Hall at Morrisons Cove Memorial Park. A second town hall meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 1, at Trinity UMC in Roaring Spring. This tour of the Herald’s coverage area is to talk to subscribers, readers and advertisers. All those who want to help improve the Herald and the Cove community are welco...
The Altoona-Blair County Airport in North Woodbury Township has received the third installment of a three-part grant from the federal government designed to help the airport offset COVID-19 related expenses and losses. Airport Manager Tracy Plessinger said that the airport has received a three-part grant composed of payments of $69,000, $23,000 and $59,000, for a total of $151,000. Plessinger said that the funds can be used to offset any expenses that the airport incurred as part of the...
I am writing to provide an update on the upcoming “Tell Us What You Think” Tour, intended to make the Herald a better news source for the community. I will be conducting a tour of the Herald’s coverage area to talk to subscribers, readers and advertisers. The goal of the tour is to gather information about what the community wants the Herald to be and what services it wants from the Herald. Two confirmed dates are: • 7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 19, in the Banquet Hall at Morrisons Cove Memorial Park • 7 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 1, at Trinity UMC i...
The lot formerly occupied by Bickel's Surplus in front of Conemaugh Nason hospital will offer Cove residents Arby's and a Dunkin dine-in restaurants, according to information provided to Roaring Spring borough. Roaring Spring Borough Manager Lisa Peel told the Herald that Snyder's Gateway, Inc., of Breezewood and company official John Bittner have plans for the two restaurants. The plans are coming before the borough's Zoning Hearing Board on Aug. 18 regarding a request for a "special...
As part of the federal government's response to the economic damage done by the COVID-19 pandemic, state, county and local governments are being given grants in a program overseen by the U.S. Dept. of the Treasury. The grants come to local governments via a program called the American Rescue Plan (ARP), with the grants specifically under the "State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund" part of the ARP. Other parts of the ARP included programs that many people are familiar with, including the...
Conemaugh Nason's infection control director said that the public should be concerned about rising numbers of COVID-19 cases across the nation and in Pennsylvania. Julie Russell, director of quality and infection control at Conemaugh Nason, said to the Herald that while the hospital is seeing a "low level" of COVID-19 positive tests and patient admissions, it is important for people to be proactive in taking measures against the virus. "This can pop up anywhere," she said. "There's no way to...
With the start of school about three weeks away, Cove school districts are planning to continue with relaxed COVID-19 mask policies while continuing to perform enhanced cleaning and encouragement of hand washing. School begins for students on Aug. 25 for all four Cove school districts. The main difference among districts is that three districts are requiring masks to be worn on school buses while one district is not requiring masks to be worn on school buses. The districts are planning to make...
I was discussing the Herald recently with a caller who had a concern. As always, I am very willing to listen and consider seriously when someone takes the time to contact me with a concern about the Herald, whether it’s praise or criticism. I can’t say that there was a full meeting of our minds, but we did have an extended discussion that provided me with some helpful information. It also provided me with a certain viewpoint that I’ve heard before from Herald subscribers and advertisers. The caller was a longtime Herald subscriber and adver...
We would like to address some comments and concerns about recent Herald news coverage. Any event that happens within the Cove is news. The role of the Herald is to report local news. Anything reported in the Herald is not to make a statement or choose a side; we are simply doing our job and informing readers about what has happened around the Cove. There will be news that all readers do not enjoy. There will be news about events that all readers do not support. It would not be fair or right to withhold coverage that is important to members of o...
The Nason Foundation has distributed $304,000 in grants since Duke LifePoint purchased the hospital in 2015, according to the foundation. The Nason Foundation held a celebration and reception on May 19 in Weaver Hall at Morrisons Cove Memorial Park. The event was intended to highlight the foundation’s work since the hospital ownership changed hands. Mistress of Ceremonies Betsy Harmon-Garach, opened the event with a brief overview of the hospital and the foundation’s history. The hospital and the foundation were tightly connected since the fou...
April Harmon's family has a playground in memory of her daughter and Jen McCoy has a career in health care thanks to the Nason Foundation. The stories told by Harmon and McCoy were the centerpiece of a celebration held May 19 by the Nason Foundation to bring public attention to the work it does to make the Cove community a healthier place. Both Harmon and McCoy benefited from the annual grants that the Nason Foundation distributes. Both told their stories at the May 19 event, held at Morrisons...
The Herald’s sports pages look different this week. The main reason is that long-time Editor Brian Hess has moved on to a new position outside of the Herald. Brian had been employed at the Herald since 1999 and he did a lot of good work while he was here. He will be missed. As will all the work that he did every week. We have not yet filled the editor position, so all the work that Brian did has been divided up. That means the workload has substantially increased for several of us in the office. We might miss something or not do something t...
Your Herald might look a little different this week. First of all, and most important, long-time Editor Brian Hess has moved on to a new position. Brian had been employed at the Herald since 1999 and he did a lot of good work while he was here. He will be missed. As will all the work that he did every week. We have not yet filled the editor position, so all the work that Brian did has been divided up. That means the workload has substantially increased for several of us in the office. We might miss something or not do something the same way... Full story
The Herald’s print sports pages look different this week. The main reason is that long-time Editor Brian Hess has moved on to a new position outside of the Herald. Brian had been employed at the Herald since 1999 and he did a lot of good work while he was here. He will be missed. As will all the work that he did every week. We have not yet filled the editor position, so all the work that Brian did has been divided up. That means the workload has substantially increased for several of us in the office. We might miss something or not do s...
As usual, social media is getting it wrong, so I want to be clear about a recent change at the Herald. The Herald is not ending any of our local columns. All three of our current columnists have been told that they may continue writing and continue to have their work published in the pages and website of the Morrisons Cove Herald. What has changed is that the Herald is changing its policy on opinion content to match its policy on news content. That’s all. Wayne Bush, Dave Scott and Linda Williams have all been told that they may continue to w...
I’m letting readers, advertisers and contributors to know that there has been an important change in the Herald’s policy regarding political content. As of Jan. 1, 2021, the Herald will no longer publish any opinions regarding political matters beyond what is immediately local. This policy affects any commentary on any state, national or international political issues unless there is an unambiguous, clear, direct and definable effect on Morrisons Cove. General musings or opinions about national politics will not be published, in accordance wit...
