Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
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As the summer months approach, police are once again warning the public to be on the lookout for scammers, especially those targeting the elderly. Education is best defense North Woodbury Township Police Chief Dave Rosamilia, said scammers who prey on the elderly are predators who target the most vulnerable of the population. With two retirement communities in Martinsburg, Rosamilia said scammers have a lot of people in one area to target. "They try to scare people into giving up their money...
A piece of Freedom Township history has returned home after nearly 40 years, and members of the Freedom Township Volunteer Fire Company are excited to see their old friend. The 1959 International cabover engine truck that served the borough from 1962 until the early 1980s when age and space limitations forced the company to sell it is back where it belongs. "I hated to see it go back then," said Ed Bender, Freedom Township supervisor and longtime volunteer firefighter. "That thing was almost...
A Roaring Spring man is in jail facing multiple drug charges after police, investigating a call about a broken window and cellar door, allegedly found drugs and drug paraphernalia inside the house. On May 22, Roaring Spring police went to a Bloomfield Street home, occupied by Andrew D. Berkheimer, 36, after a caller reported finding a needle on the sidewalk in the backyard along with the damaged window and door. When the officer arrived on scene, he found the needle along with copper piping in...
A Martinsburg man out on bail after being arrested on multiple firearm charges is back in prison after police said he threatened to shoot a woman in front of two young children. According to charges filed by Martinsburg Borough police, George E. Stewart, 70, became enraged when the victim moved trash cans out of the road. On May 26, North Woodbury Township police, at the request of Martinsburg police, went to Stewart’s Lock Mountain Road home after the victim reported being threatened. Police said the victim was outside with two children w...
Sometimes a seemingly small gesture can have a large impact, and for brothers Micah and Gabe Garretson of Martinsburg, a simple act in the rain on Memorial Day weekend has touched a community that is proud to show its love of country and respect for its veterans. On Saturday morning, May 29, Micah, 9, and Gabe, 7, were riding in their father, Pastor Chris Garretson's car down South Market Street when the boys noticed three of the American flags planted at the veteran's memorial had fallen over....
An area man with no fixed address is behind bars after an investigation by North Woodbury Township police linked him to a series of burglaries throughout the Cove in late 2020. David A. Snyder, 31, is accused of burglarizing multiple businesses stealing cash, checks, credit cards, tools and other items. The investigation into Snyder began on Nov. 2, 2020, when the owner of AG Truck and Equipment, Martinsburg, reported an overnight burglary. The owner told police that $2,000 cash, a Capital One...
Blair County voters had only one contested county race to decide, and overwhelmingly gave the nod to Republican Robin Patton over primary opponent Bill Straesser in the race for Prothonotary. Unofficial tallies show Patton receiving 9,373 votes to Straesser’s 5,584. District Attorney Pete Weeks, running unopposed, received 14,637 votes while Sheriff Jim Ott, the only name on the ballot for the office, garnered 15,365. Municipal races saw familiar names continue to have voter support as Martinsburg Mayor Richard Brantner Sr., while running u...
Pennsylvania became the first state in the nation to curb its governor’s emergency powers when the majority of voters in last Tuesday’s primary election cast their ballots in favor of two constitutional amendments. The amendments give the commonwealth’s General Assembly the power to terminate an emergency declaration by limiting the governor’s emergency declarations to 21 days and can only be extended with legislative approval. Amendment No. 1 Amendment No. 1, gives the General Assembly the power to extend or terminate an emergency declara...
Summertime in the Cove means farmers working their fields, lush green rolling hills as far as the eye can see, and for travelers on South Market Street in Martinsburg, the pink hill of Supertunia Vista Bubblegum, commonly referred to as Bubblegum petunias, in front of the home of Mayor Richard Brantner Sr. Every Spring, Brantner makes his rounds to Piney Creek Greenhouse, Brubaker Greenhouse and Spring Farm Greenhouse to purchase more than 200 Bubblegum petunias that when in full bloom, add a...
A Martinsburg man has been arrested after police said he stole around $53,000 from his employer. Jay A. Garver Jr., 53, is facing 129 felony and misdemeanor charges after police said he deposited money meant for his employer into his personal bank account. According to charges filed by Blair Township Police, the investigation into Garver began in January 2020 when police were called to Metzler Bros Transport, Inc. in Duncansville after being contacted by company officials who suspected Garver had stolen money. According to police, in December...
A Roaring Spring man was taken into custody on May 9 following a domestic disturbance at an East Freedom home. According to Freedom Township police, Michael P. Claar, 40, assaulted a woman on two separate occasions at the residence along Tuscarora Lane. According to the affidavit of probable cause, Freedom Township police were called to the home on May 9 after Blair County 911 received a text message from the victim stating she was being choked by Claar and was afraid for her life. When Freedom Township police, along with Greenfield Township...
John Clinton Townsend likes to make friends. If you live in Williamsburg, or passed through on a visit, chances are you have seen him walking through town selling his hand-painted rocks. For those familiar with John Clinton, they know him as a friendly, harmless man who likes to talk to everyone he sees. For those meeting him for the first time, he can come on a bit strong. Pastor John Townsend, John Clinton's father, said his son may be biologically 49 years old, but intellectually he is a...
The Cove firefighting community is mourning the loss of one of its own with the passing of Jeffery Lafferty. Lafferty, of Martinsburg, died May 14 at the age of 57 at UPMC Shadyside Hospital, Pittsburgh, from complications after surgery. Lafferty served as fire police captain and trustee of the of the Friendship Volunteer Fire Company in Roaring Spring, vice president of the Firemen's Relief Association, as well as president of the Martinsburg Volunteer Fire Company. "Fire police is very...
A Roaring Spring woman is facing multiple assault related charges after being arrested three times by two separate police agencies. Jamie J. Detwiler, 18, faces a preliminary hearing on May 20 in front of Martinsburg Magisterial District Judge Andrew Blattenberger for all three arrests. According to police reports, the first incident occurred on April 9 when Hollidaysburg State Police were called to a home along Cabbage Creek Road, Taylor Township, to investigate an assault by vehicle. According to police, a female juvenile reported that she...
A Hollidaysburg man was jailed after police said they found drugs and firearms in his home. According to the charges, on April 23 Hollidaysburg Borough police were serving a search warrant at the home of Victor D. Perruna, 37, as part of an investigation of drug activity. When police arrived, there were three people inside the home, including Perruna. Police said a search of the residence turned up about 20 mason jars containing what police believe to be marijuana as well as packaging materials...
Longtime Freedom Township Supervisor Ed Bender is seeking another six-year term on the board. Bender was first elected to the board of supervisors in 1998, serving as the liaison between township supervisors and emergency services, as well has the day-to-day operations of the township. Bender has been employed by the township since 1992 and currently serves as roadmaster. A life member of the Freedom Township Volunteer Fire Company, Bender has held the positions of chief, assistant chief, vice...
Pennsylvania voters heading to the polls on May 18 will have the opportunity to vote on two proposed amendments to the state constitution relating to disaster emergency declarations. The full text of these proposed amendments were published in the Morrisons Cove Herald on Feb. 18, March 18 and April 15, 2021. Proposed Constitutional Amendment 1: Termination or Extension of Disaster Emergency Declarations Shall the Pennsylvania Constitution be amended to change existing law and increase the power of the General Assembly to unilaterally...
The four school districts in the Herald’s coverage area have seats up for grabs in Tuesday’s primary election. Running to fill four seats for a four-year term on the Spring Cove School board, Linda Kay Smith, John R. Biddle and Amy Acker-Knisely have cross-filed and will be on both the Republican and Democratic tickets. Republican Chuck Gojmerac is on the ballot for both a four-year and to fill the two-year term vacated by the resignation of Jason Rhykerd. The Williamsburg Community School District sees Republicans Benjamin Postles and Mar...
Tuesday, May 18, is Primary Election Day and although it’s an off year with no state or national offices in our district up for grabs, there are a few county and plenty of municipal offices to warrant a strong local turnout. The only county office in Blair that is contested is the race for prothonotary where Republican incumbent Robin Patton is facing a challenge from Republican William Straesser. District Attorney Pete Weeks and Sheriff James Ott are unopposed for their respective seats. In local municipal elections, Martinsburg Mayor Richard...
When department of health and state officials across the country mapped out plans for mitigating the spread of COVID-19, one of the most polarizing mandates was the requirement to wear a mask while in public. Pro and anti-mask lines were drawn, creating a whole new set of issues for people who work with the public to deal with. For those who work in any service industry, enforcing their company's mask policy has been met with abuse and ridicule from some, putting them in the impossible...
A Martinsburg man is behind bars after being charged on two consecutive days for illegally possessing firearms. According to charges filed by both Freedom Township and Martinsburg Borough police, George E. Stewart, 70, and a convicted felon, had multiple guns in his home and vehicle. According to the first set of charges filed by Freedom Township police, on April 29, an officer responded to a call for an intoxicated man, later identified as Stewart, attempting to purchase alcohol at the Mckee...
North Main Street in Roaring Spring is in line for a major upgrade that will not only make it safer, but will also make the main road into town more aesthetically appealing. Pennsylvania state Sen. Judy Ward and state Rep. Jim Gregory jointly announced the borough has been awarded a $700,000 grant by the Commonwealth Financing Authority's Multimodal Transportation Fund. Borough Manager Lisa Peel said the money will be used to realign the street, moving it further from the railroad tracks toward...
An East Freedom man was jailed after police said a domestic confrontation led to an assault and the discharge of a gun. Timothy N. Musselman, 46, is facing misdemeanor counts of terroristic threats, recklessly endangering another person, simple assault and disorderly conduct after police said he physically assaulted his girlfriend. According to charges, officers with the Greenfield and Freedom Township police departments were called to a home along No Trespassing Lane in East Freedom, Greenfield Township, on April 21 to investigate a report of...
Freedom Township, along with the Martinsburg Police Department, the Altoona Police Department, and the Blair County Sheriff's Office, participated in the Drug Enforcement Agency's National Prescription Take Back Day. Freedom Township collected 61 pounds of unused or expired medication while Martinsburg collected a little more than 50 pounds. Countywide, 321 pounds of drugs were collected....
An already difficult year for fundraisers due to the COVID-19 pandemic got worse for the Friendship Volunteer Fire Company when the boiler system that heats the building and water went down, forcing the cancellation of the monthly dinners, costing the fire company nearly $3,000 a month in revenue. Shaina Musselman, fire company president, said the fire hall has three boilers that heat the building and the water. Last fall the boilers began to fail and by January, they were down to one boiler. Not wanting to put a strain on the remaining boiler,...
Martinsburg has gained a new eatery with the Smoky Pig's move from McKee to its current location at 301 N. Market Alley. The Smoky Pig's origins can be traced to 2003, when Derrick and Dessie Carpenter, owners of Dn'D Family Farms, began setting up at farmers markets and fairs where they sold products such as soaps and lotions made from their own herd of dairy goats. They soon added hot foods and started a catering business, and in 2018, realized a dream of opening a place in the Cove where...
A Martinsburg man who has been registered as a Tier 1 sex offender since 2014 has been arrested and charged with inappropriately touching a 6-year-old girl. Martinsburg Borough Police filed a felony count of corruption of minors and a misdemeanor count of indecent assault of a person less than 13 years of age against Caleb M. Runkle, 30, after investigating the victim’s claim that Runkle touched her in her private area. The investigation began in November after police were contacted after the victim told her mother that Runkle had rubbed her pr...
The Roaring Spring Borough Council held its regular monthly meeting Monday night at the Friendship Fire Company Hall to ensure enough room for social distancing in anticipation of a larger-than-usual crowd. Council devoted the first hour of its meeting to the closing of the Appvion’s Spring Mill plant and plans for moving forward. Council President Rodney Green told the handful of former Spring Mill employees in attendance that council wanted to bring community leaders together in one place to hear what they have to say about plans for the n...
No long-term power outages were reported after a car hit a utility pole on State Route 164, Cove Mountain Road, just east of the Spring Cove Middle School at around 11 a.m. Monday, April 12. According to reports, the driver was traveling east on SR 164 when he left the roadway and drove over a ditch onto the grass area in front of the Spring Cove baseball fields. The vehicle drove past two of the baseball fields before becoming airborne near the third field, hitting and damaging the outfield fen...
According to the Center for Organ Recovery and Education (CORE), nearly 110,000 people in the United States are waiting for an organ transplant. Every 10 minutes someone is added to the transplant waiting list while at least 20 people die each day while waiting for an organ. To shine a light on the need for organ donors, April has been designated "National Donate Life Month," and on Wednesday, April 7, Conemaugh Nason Medical Center in Roaring Spring held a flag-raising ceremony to raise...
A Hollidaysburg man was jailed after police said he secretly put tracking devices on the vehicles of two former coworkers and harassed them. According to charges filed by Hollidaysburg Borough police, Donald W. Byers, 46, began stalking the pair around December 2019. Police said the male victim reported that he and the female victim were in a relationship in December 2019 when he received a text message with a threatening tone from a number he didn’t recognize. The person who sent the message claimed to be a cousin of the female victim. The m...
A Roaring Spring man was jailed after leading police on a chase through the Cove that reached speeds of nearly 110 mph. Jerimiah J. Albright, 23, was arrested after police said he hit another vehicle and left the scene, leading to the high-speed chase. According to charges filed by Freedom Township police, on the evening of March 30, police received a call from a man who was traveling south on Dunnings Highway near Walmart when he was struck from behind by a vehicle police later identified as be...
Michelle McIntyre wasn't going to let a pandemic keep her from doing what she loves. As the director of the Roaring Spring Community Library, McIntyre has faced plenty of obstacles to keep the library's doors open, so the pandemic was just one more thing to overcome. When COVID mandates last March ordered the closing of non-essential businesses, the library was forced to lock its doors, but McIntyre found a way to continue to serve the public. To keep the library's main function, providing free...
State Police at Hollidaysburg have arrested a Claysburg man they said raped a five-year-old girl while she slept. Richard Scott Sensibaugh, 35, is facing felony counts of rape of a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault of a child, child pornography and filming a sex act involving a child along with misdemeanor counts of indecent assault of an unconscious person and indecent assault of a person less than 13 years of age. According to the charges, on April 2,...
Most of Appvion’s Spring Mill plant employees clocked in for their shifts for the last time on March 17, and when the last roll of paper came off the machine, they walked out its doors for the last time, drawing the curtain on a plant that had been a symbol of prosperity in Roaring Spring for more than 150 years. With production stopped, preparing the plant to sit idle is all that remains to be done. Some hourly employees are staying on until April 15 to perform final cleanup duties. Spring M...
Three men are behind bars after police said they attempted to purchase two Apple iWatches from the East Freedom Walmart while using a stolen credit card. According to the charges filed by Freedom Township Police, on the morning of March 24, a Freedom Township woman called police to report unauthorized transactions on her credit card. She told police that her account was used to purchase two Apple iWatches from Walmart. The victim said she notified Walmart of the fraudulent purchase. Later that...
High winds kept area emergency crews busy on Friday, March 26, as wind gusts of more than 50 mph in Blair County led to downed trees and electric power loss in parts of the county. While Cove-area municipalities didn't report any power outages or property damages, road crews and fire departments were dispatched throughout the day to clean up downed trees and debris from the roads. Martinsburg and Williamsburg came out mostly unscathed with Martinsburg responding to one call for a downed wire whi...
The chief of the Phoenix Volunteer Fire Company of Hollidaysburg was in federal court in Johnstown on March 26, where he entered guilty pleas to one count of embezzlement and four counts of filing false income tax returns for his part in diverting money for his personal use from a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant. Anthony J. Dibona, of Hollidaysburg, issued the pleas in front of U.S. District Judge Kim R. Gibson. Dibona assisted former Phoenix fire company member Benjamin Rhine in managing the $5.1 million FEMA grant that was to...
The $1.9 trillion federal stimulus package signed by President Joe Biden earlier this month includes an estimated $168 billion "American Rescue Plan" for schools. According to the U.S. Department of Education, Pennsylvania is in line to receive an estimated $13 billion to distributed to school districts, with nearly $8 million going to Cove-area schools. While area schools have not yet been notified of the exact amount they will receive, reports indicate that Claysburg-Kimmel School District...
Scamming in the United States is as old as the country itself. For centuries scammers have used the same basic method of deceit to con people out of their money with only their methods changing with technology. The newest scam involves a tactic known as "spoofing." Spoofing is when a caller, using easily available technology, intentionally changes the number that shows up on a caller ID to show a local number or number of a well-known business or government office, fooling the recipient into...
A Winter Park, Fla., man was in Martinsburg District Court on Thursday, March 18, where he waived multiple felony counts of deceptive business practices to Blair County Court. James C. Housel, 48, was extradited from Florida to face charges after an investigation by police allegedly turned up deceptive business practices by Housel, doing business as Cove Helicopter at Blue Knob Airport. Police allege he bilked customers out of nearly $200,000. According to the complaint filed by Freedom...
The beginning of the spring season also marks an increase in outdoor burning as people get outside to clean up debris the winter has left in their yards and fields. But with the increase in outdoor burning, the risk of brushfires is high. From the beginning of March until around mid-May, conditions are high for setting off a fire that can quickly burn through acres of land. "It only takes one spark, one hot ember," said Ron Henry, Freedom Township fire chief. Henry said most brushfires are...
With employees at Appvion’s Spring Mill plant in their final weeks of employment, the Cove community continues to step up to offer aid to the soon-to-be-displaced workers. The Albright Church of the Brethren in Roaring Spring is planning a non-perishable food and Easter basket drive for Spring Mill employees and their families. The church is asking the community for donations to fill the baskets and suggests food, gift cards, Easter basket supplies for children up to 17 years of age, empty Easter baskets and money donations. The church is a...
The chief of the Phoenix Volunteer Fire Department in Hollidaysburg is facing federal charges alleging he stole more than $57,000 in federally funded grant money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). According to the indictment filed last week in U.S. District Court in Johnstown, Anthony J. Dibona of Hollidaysburg, is charged with one felony count of embezzlement for converting federal funds for personal use along with four felony counts of filing a false tax return. The indictment filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Arnold P....
North Woodbury Township Police Chief Dave Rosamilia and Blair County Sheriff James Ott have teamed up with a series of radio ads to warn residents to be on alert for scammers. “Citizens across the United States are being defrauded of their life savings every day.” Rosamilia said. “Criminals use the phone, internet and social media to scam victims out of money.” Rosamilia said criminals use a variety of tactics to scam people such as pretending to be a family member or friend in trouble and that they need money wired to them quickly. Another...
A Williamsburg woman is facing charges after police said she repeatedly entered a restricted area at the Blair County Airport on March 6. According to charges filed by State Police at Hollidaysburg, Jessica L. Castro, 35, entered the restricted area multiple times despite being told by an airport employee that she was not allowed in the area. The airport employee told police that he witnessed Castro arrive at the airport at around 8 a.m. and sit down in the baggage-claim area. The employee told police that he saw Castro walk over to a sliding...
Editor’s Note: The Herald does not normally allow sources for news articles to remain anonymous. However, in this case, the Herald believes that there is an important story to be told. At the same time, there is a risk that the person speaking up could suffer repercussions. Herald management is aware of the identity of this mill employee. Also, the print edition of this story contained an incorrect name for a group of lenders who purchased the mill in 2018. The correct name of that group of l...
A new tenant moving into a trailer in North Woodbury Township led to the discovery of a suspected methamphetamine lab and the arrest of two Martinsburg men. Joseph N. Meade, 29, and Seth A. Delozier, 36, are facing multiple felony charges after an investigation by police led to the pair’s arrest. Methamphetamine (meth) is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system, according to drugabuse.gov. Also known as meth, blue, ice, and crystal, among many other terms, it takes the form of a white, odorless, b...
A Claysburg man is behind bars after police said he assaulted his live-in girlfriend and another woman. Gary J. Pleva, 63, was arrested on March 1 after Greenfield Township police were called to his home to investigate a domestic disturbance. The woman told police that Pleva had been “harassing” her for several days and on March 1 she went to retrieve a bird feeder from the rear of the residence. The woman told police that Pleva had “come after her” and started to yell. The woman said Pleva then struck her across the left side of the face, c...
The announcement that Appvion plans to close its Spring Mill plant in Roaring Spring by the end of March ends what has been a turbulent ride for employees since they purchased the company in 2001. Then known as Appleton Papers, employees agreed to give up a portion of their retirement savings to purchase stock in the company. More than 90 percent of employees participated in the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), contributing more than $100 million in retirement savings as a down payment on...
