Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
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In last week’s Herald, I wrote an article about the incident in Claysburg where a pit bull attacked a family of three. In that article I pointed out that this was the second serious pit bull attack in our area in the last 14 months as a 6-year-old Lakemont boy was killed when attacked by his family’s pit bull. This article also cited statistics on pit-bull related incidents across the country and examples of places where this breed is banned. I pointed out that this breed has been labeled a “dangerous breed” by many city officials and organizat...
A standing-room-only crowd filled council chambers in the Roaring Spring Borough building on Monday evening, July 8, many of whom signed up to speak during the public comment portion of the borough council meeting. Approximately 30 people showed up to show their support for the Roaring Spring Community Library, which had representatives on hand to ask council to extend its lease on the Eldon Inn, the building that houses the library, until at least February 2020. The lease expired this month...
Milk haulers across Pennsylvania will have to cross their fingers this winter now that Gov. Tom Wolf has vetoed a bill that would have exempted milk trucks from interstate travel bans during inclement weather. House Bill 915 was introduced by House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee Chairman Martin Causer after emergency weather declarations were issued three time last winter, shutting down parts of the state’s interstate highways. In introducing the bill, Causer said banning milk haulers from the interstates will cause a loss of income t...
A family of three was attacked and injured by a pit bull in their Greenfield Township home on Friday morning, July 5. According to Greenfield Township police, William Cox, 69, and his wife, Connie, 67, were having a discussion in their Connie Drive home in Claysburg, when the 4-year-old male pit bull attacked the couple. The dog latched onto William and when his wife tried to get the dog off him, she was bitten in the face. The couple’s son, Allen Cox, was attempting to get the dog away from his parents when the dog turned on him, causing numer...
Sunday hunting appears to be closer to reality in Pennsylvania, although in smaller doses. A scaled-down version of the original Senate Bill 147, which called for allowing hunting on 14 Sundays a year passed through the Pa. Senate Game and Fisheries Committee, sending it to the full legislature for a vote. Editor's Note: Please search for “Sen. Judy Ward Issues Statement on Hunting” for related content. The scaled-down bill allows for hunting on three Sundays, one during deer rifle season, one during deer archery season and one to be named at...
From a public health perspective, the modern sewage treatment plant is as important as vaccines. As recently as the beginning of the 20th Century, raw sewage was diverted from homes into trenches with the idea that it would eventually make its way into the rivers and streams. During the 1800s and through the Civil War, Washington, D.C., was a cesspool of human waste. Raw sewage was dumped into the Washington Canal on the Potomac Flats, where today stands the Lincoln and World War II memorials....
Social media has given people the power to voice their opinions on any subject they choose. Politics, restaurants, the car spotted making a turn without using its signal – nothing and nobody is immune to finding their way onto somebody’s Facebook page when the mood strikes to publicly call them out. While we all have a right to voice an opinion, the growing trend is to attack before the facts, complaining about things that have no effect on our personal lives, or worse yet, complaining about something that hasn’t even happened yet. The latest v...
At approximately 11:30 p.m. on Feb. 23, the Freedom Township Volunteer Fire Company received an alarm for a fire at a home along Donnertown Road in Freedom Township. Freedom Township Police Officer Adam Ingram was the first to arrive on scene and approached the now "fully involved" structure to check on any occupants. The homeowner, an elderly man who had just had back surgery, had escaped the blaze and was waiting near the burning house when Ingram arrived. As Ingram led the elderly homeowner a...
According to statistics released last month by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), there were 106 line-of-duty law enforcement deaths in the United States and its Puerto Rican territory in 2018. Of those 106, 55 officers died as a result of a felonious act while 51 died in accidents. But no matter the manner of death, each officer gave their lives while protecting ours. The death of a public servant is a loss we all feel. Every day when they put on the uniform their lives are at risk,...
The Roaring Spring Borough Council met for its regular monthly meeting on Monday, June 10. Borough manager Lisa Peel informed council that the borough has been awarded $20,000 in demolition grants from the Blair County Demolition Fund. The award was issued for the demolition of two properties along Main Street. The properties, 215 and 223 Main St., were purchased last year and are to be torn down as part of the borough’s “Main Street Project.” A portion of the wall on Main Street across from Appvion collapsed last December forcing the closure o...
In the event of a residential fire, preschool-aged children are the most vulnerable when it comes to suffering serious injuries or worse. According to the American Red Cross, children under the age of 5 are twice as likely to die in a house fire than the rest of the population. A major factor in these statistics are that children under the age of 5 do not react to a dangerous situation the same way an older child, or adult would. Young children tend to hide from danger, and in a fire, the...
Thursday, June 6, was supposed to be a busy, yet fun day for me, a day I had meticulously planned out to make sure I could do everything with time to spare. It was my daughter Olivia’s last day as a first grader at St. Patrick Catholic school, and I knew it was going to be an emotional day for her. As our tradition, a last-day-of-school date was planned for later that afternoon. My plan was simple, drop Olivia off at school, get to my desk at the Herald to check my email and plan stories for the coming week, and then off to Williamsburg, w...
In 1965, Congress passed a law requiring all cigarette packages sold in the United States to carry a health warning. In 1970, cigarette companies were no longer permitted to advertise their products on television or radio. Led by the surgeon general, the push was on to change America's view on smoking, shifting away from the glamorous depiction in movies, to the real, often devastating consequences for health. Statistics have shown that educating the public on the dangers of smoking is...
A resident of the Cove Forge Behavioral Health in Williamsburg is in jail facing charges of sexual assault after an incident involving a 19-year-old female resident on June 2. Lamar M. Williams, 48, of Pittsburgh, is accused of pulling the female victim into some bushes on the Cove Forge grounds and sexually assaulting her. According to charges filed by Hollidaysburg State Police, Williams and a relative of his, who is also a resident of the facility, approached the female victim at around 8...
The Vietnam War began in 1955, when Darrell Magruder, of New Enterprise, was just 11 years old. A little over 10 years later, Magruder would lose his life fighting in that same war. In mid-April 1966, Magruder, a Lance Cpl. with the United States Marines, was on patrol with his unit in Da Nang, clearing the roads of landmines. One fateful step detonated a buried mine, sending shrapnel through the young Marine, causing serious injuries. According to his family, Magruder was to be flown back to...
A Claysburg woman died of injuries suffered in a two-vehicle crash on Saturday afternoon, June 1. According to police, Iva J. Hershberger, 66, of Claysburg, was pulling out from a stop sign on Point Road, onto Lincoln Highway in Napier Township, Bedford County, when she pulled out into the path of a car driven by Andy Carosella, 61, of Herminie. The impact of the crash pushed both cars into the opposite lane. Hershberger was pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger in her vehicle, Janie M. Musselman, 62, of Claysburg, was transported by...
A body found on Memorial Day, May 27, in the Juniata River near Brooks Mills, Blair Township, just north of East Freedom, has been identified as 30-year-old Mathew W. Smith of Bakers Summit. Smith had been missing since Jan. 19. Two kayakers traveling down the river found Smith's body at around 7:30 a.m. Blair Township police, who were investigating Smith's disappearance, arrived shortly after to the remote area approximately 300 yards off Charger Highway. The Freedom Township Volunteer Fire...
A Claysburg woman is facing felony charges of theft and receiving stolen property after police said she embezzled $131,000 from the doctor’s office where she worked as billing supervisor. Danielle M. Bushore, 42, was arraigned on Friday, May 24, by Magisterial District Judge Steven Jackson, Altoona, after an investigation by State Police, Hollidaysburg, into missing money at Advanced Regional Center for Ankle and Foot Care in Altoona, where she worked as a billing supervisor. According to charges filed by police, Bushore, who worked at the doct...
A Duncansville man drowned in the Frankstown Branch of the Juniata River after he jumped into the swift currents while attempting to elude police. The body of Jeremy Ross, 37, was pulled from the river about five hours after police said he leapt into the water and disappeared in the currents. The ordeal began on Wednesday morning, May 29, when Blair Township police were called to a home along River Road, Duncansville, for a report of a domestic dispute. When police arrived, they found Ross, and Rachel M. Abbatangelo, 37, with injuries...
By RICK BOSTON Staff Writer A Martinsburg man is behind bars after fleeing an attempted traffic stop by Altoona police on May 21. According to the criminal complaint, an Altoona police officer was working traffic detail when, at approximately 3:45 p.m., he spotted a car, driven by Terry Ross Aungst III, 33, of Martinsburg, traveling on Sixth Avenue in Altoona, with an expired inspection sticker and a missing rear window. When the officer activated his emergency lights to initiate a traffic...
The Spring Cove School District police are asking for the public's help to identify the person or persons responsible for causing damage to the grounds at the elementary and middle schools in Roaring Spring. District Police said someone driving what appears to be a pickup truck drove onto the sidewalk in front of the elementary school, before driving onto the grassy area. The vehicle then drove onto the playground and spun around, causing damage to the ground. Anyone with information is asked...
Last Tuesday's primary election produced a "too close to call" race for the second slot on November's Republican ticket in the race for Blair County Commissioner. With just three votes separating them after the votes were tallied, challenger Bruce Kelley, an Altoona City councilman, led incumbent Bruce Erb by just three votes. The unofficial results showed Kelley with a total of 5,694 to Erb's 5,691, making absentee ballots crucial in deciding the winner. On Friday, May 24, the Board of...
After nearly 40 years in business, North American Communications, a direct mail company in Duncansville, abruptly shut its doors last week, leaving nearly 300 employees stunned and facing an uncertain future. According to employee Nancy Hurley, 50, of Alexandria, who worked in the lettershop, Monday, May 20, was just like any other workday for the employees. "We went to work on Monday.We were busy because we were in the middle of some big jobs that needed completed," she said. "And then at 2:45...
A Hollidaysburg woman was taken to the hospital with injuries sustained from jumping off a roof to escape her burning home. Fire crews were called to a duplex along the 600 block of Berwind Road, Frankstown Township, at approximately 10 a.m. on May 22. When crews from the Geeseytown Community Fire Co. arrived, a woman was trapped inside a second floor room yelling for help. Firefighters were able to guide the woman to the front porch roof where below a state police cruiser was parked....
Lee Kensinger and his daughter Alice, 5, and son Tristan, 3, paint the fence in front of their East Allegheny Street home on Thursday morning, May 23. Lee said the kids love helping with work around the house and don't mind getting their hands a little dirty....
Editor's Note: Full Bedford County Primary Election results were not available by the Herald's presstime. However, Bedford has now posted more complete results at this website: https://www.mcheraldonline.com/cgi-bin/htmlos.cgi/0076.3.3341912925145982754 Blair County's results are available at this website: http://www.blairco.org/Dept/Elections/Pages/Election-Results.aspx -------------------- Republican Amy Webster, an attorney, real estate agent and minister from Hollidaysburg, easily secured a place on the November ballot in the race for a Bla...
Hollidaysburg Borough Police are investigating a case of animal abuse after a video showing what appeared to be two teenagers torturing and killing a turtle surfaced over the weekend. The incident, which happened near a pond at a golf course in Hollidaysburg, shows the teens picking up the turtle by the tail before throwing it on the ground and stomping on it. Police became aware of the incident after the video was posted on Facebook and went “viral,” meaning it was shared throughout the social media site and viewed numerous times. Once pol...
All three Cove area referendums on the question of allowing the sale of liquor easily gained enough support to pass. In Roaring Spring, unofficial vote totals show that 286 voters supported the measure while 151 voted no. North Woodbury Township voters narrowly allowed the referendum to bring the sale of alcohol to the Blair County Airport, with 222 voting yes and 184 voting no. Airport officials have stressed that the liquor license will be used only at the airport and cannot be transferred elsewhere in the borough. In Williamsburg, voters ove...
The Roaring Spring Borough Council met for its regular monthly meeting on Monday, May 13. Council addressed concerns about some parking issues in the borough, most notably in front of the post office on East Main street. Some members of council have noticed people parking on the post office side of the street which is not permitted, but there are no signs or painted curbs to alert drivers, making it difficult to enforce. Council weighed the options of putting up “no parking” signs or painting the curb yellow to indicate parking is pro...
In the event of a major disaster, resources get strained. From equipment to manpower, having the right plan in place to effectively deal with a mass-casualty situation is vitally important, not only to preserve the integrity of the scene, but also to conduct a proper investigation. While mass-casualty situations in Pennsylvania are rare, they can happen at any time, and to be prepared for that possibility, the Pennsylvania State Coroner's Association has developed a disaster response plan,...
A Martinsburg man is behind bars after police say he was shooting at cans in his driveway in a residential area. According to the criminal complaint, officers from North Woodbury Township and Martinsburg Borough police were called to a home along Ayers Lane in Martinsburg, North Woodbury Township, on May 15 for reports of shots being fired near houses. A neighbor told police she was inside her house when she heard shots being fired near her residence and then observed Ryan Reininger, 33, across...
A Claysburg man is in jail following his arrest in the parking lot of Claysburg-Kimmel Elementary School April 3. According to charges filed by Greenfield Township police, Joshua A. Hileman, 33, was sitting in his car in the parking lot of the school while his girlfriend, Brooke McGeary, took Hileman's son inside at approximately 10:20 a.m. Greenfield Township Police officer Brittany Diehl, who also serves as the school's resource officer, was notified by staff that a woman had dropped the boy...
When the Revolutionary War ended in 1783, the people of the newly minted United States of America were free to explore new boundaries and seek new opportunities without interference from the British crown. This opened up opportunities to settle into areas rich in resources and to build communities in the new country. In 1790, a full 14 years before Lewis and Clark began their trek to explore newly purchased land in the Louisiana territory in 1804, a man named Jacob Ake, settled on former Indian...
A Claysburg man is behind bars following his arrest in the parking lot of Claysburg-Kimmel Elementary School on April 3. According to charges filed by Greenfield Township police, Joshua A. Hileman, 33, was sitting in his car in the parking lot of the school while his girlfriend, Brooke McGeary, took Hileman's son inside at approximately 10:20 a.m. Greenfield Township Police officer Brittany Diehl, who also serves as the school's resource officer, was notified by staff that a woman had dropped...
Hollidaysburg Borough Police are investigating a case of animal abuse after a video showing what appeared to be two teenagers torturing and killing a turtle surfaced over the weekend. The incident, which happened near a pond at a golf course in Hollidaysburg, shows the teens picking up the turtle by the tail before throwing it on the ground and stomping on it. Police became aware of the incident after the video was posted on Facebook and went “viral,” meaning it was shared throughout the social media site and viewed numerous times. Once pol...
A Martinsburg woman has been arrested after police said she faked a robbery to cover up for money she stole from her employer. According to charges filed by Blair Township Police, Brandi L. Ferry, 27, called police on Jan. 6 to report she had been robbed in the parking lot of Golf World in Duncansville. Ferry allegedly told police that she was taking trash out to her car at closing time when she heard something behind her and then felt a hard object in the middle of her back. Ferry told police she heard a man’s voice say “don’t move and don’t...
A Roaring Spring man is in jail after police say he stole cash, guns and jewelry from a friend's home. According to State Police in Hollidaysburg, Wade A. Rhodes, 32, was "house sitting" for his friend while the friend and his wife were out of town in late December. Upon returning to his home, the victim noticed a $10 lottery scratch-off ticket that he had left behind was missing but didn't question Rhodes about it. In February, the victim had Rhodes over to his house to play cards and during...
Crime Solvers of Blair County and the Pennsylvania State Police in Hollidaysburg are asking for the help to solve a fatal hit and run along Nason Drive in Roaring Spring. John R. Garner, 64, was treated at Conemaugh Nason Medical Center on the evening of April 17 and was discharged at around 6:30 p.m. He left Nason on foot. Garner’s body was discovered at 9 a.m. the next morning in the rear parking lot of the former Bickel’s Surplus store just off Nason Drive. Police believe that Garner, who was 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed app...
The Williamsburg Municipal Authority has been awarded a $4.3 million loan to be used for upgrades to the borough's aging water system. The low-interest loan through the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (Pennvest) was obtained with the aid of state Sen. Judy Ward and state Rep. Jim Gregory. "We are so pleased that Williamsburg was able to get these dollars," Ward said. "This kind of funding means a lot to this community." Williamsburg Borough Manager Joseph Lansberry said the funds will be used to replace some of the water lines...
Since 1902, the 4-H Club has been attracting kids aged 8 to 18 who want to learn while enjoying the teamwork of like-minded people. With more than six million members nationwide and 160 in Blair and Huntingdon counties, 4-H has remained a consistently strong organization with a commitment to teaching skills that kids will carry with them through life. That commitment was on display at the Williamsburg Community Center on Thursday, April 25, as 60 4-H members participated in the A.B. Ross...
A New Enterprise man has been jailed after police charged him with multiple counts of sexually abusing and threatening two minors over a 17-year span. Stephen John Beegle, 45, faces more than 100 felony charges of rape, statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, statutory sexual assault and indecent assault after the victim's mother contacted state police and reported that Beegle had been sexually assaulting her now 21-year-old daughter since she was 4. According to police...
A single fingerprint match has led to the arrest of a man in connection with the burglary of a Claysburg home last September. According to charges filed by Greenfield Township Police, William Phoenix McKinley Dibert, 22, of Claysburg, entered a home along Hilltop Road, Claysburg, through an unlocked window and allegedly stole $40 in cash from a bedroom. According to police, the victim said she had left her home and locked her bedroom door with a deadbolt and closed her window, and when she...
An Everett man found dead along Nason Drive in Roaring Spring on Thursday morning, April 18, was the victim of a hit and run. State Police, Hollidaysburg, said John R. Garner, 64, had gone to the emergency department at Conemaugh Nason Medical Center on Wednesday evening, April 17, for treatment of a laceration. Police said Garner was discharged at approximately 6:30 p.m. and hospital surveillance video showed him leaving the hospital on foot. Garner was reported missing when he did not return home. Garner’s body was found at around 9 a.m. a...
April is Child Abuse Awareness month and on Wednesday, April 17, Blair County officials, law enforcement and citizens gathered in front of the courthouse to raise a flag and shine a spotlight on child abuse. Every year child protection agencies across the United States receive more than 3.6 million complaints involving more than 6 million children involved in suspected child abuse. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that one in four children in the U.S. experience some form of child...
A Roaring Spring woman has been arrested for stealing checks and using the credit cards of a man she was hired to help. Tonya J. White, 36, of Roaring Spring, faces multiple felony counts of forgery, access device fraud, theft and receiving stolen property after police said she used the victim’s credit cards and forged checks without his knowledge. According to the charges, White had been hired to help the victim, a Roaring Spring man, with housework and paying his bills. The victim told police that most of the work was done in November and D...
Editor's Note: This story featuring Peggy Miller of Claysburg initially appeared in the July 26, 2018, edition of the Morrisons Cove Herald. This is a follow-up story to "A Mother's Grief," which appeared on the Herald's website on April 11, 2019. Peggy Miller is fighting to get a portion of the HIPPA law changed that will allow families to have input into the treatment of adult family members suffering from addiction. Peggy Miller of Claysburg did everything she could to save her two...
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has been travelling across the state asking for the public's feedback on the legalization of recreational marijuana. Fetterman plans to visit all 67 counties in the commonwealth during a listening tour that began earlier this year, and on Sunday afternoon, April 14, he made Blair County the 38th stop on his tour, giving local residents an opportunity to voice their support or opposition to make recreational use of marijuana legal. About 80 people came to the...
Fire ripped through a double-wide trailer in East Freedom on Saturday morning, April 13, chasing the occupants out of bed before completely consuming the interior. A passerby noticed smoke coming from the back of the property of Ronald Mellott and his wife Angie and called 9-1-1. Freedom Township Fire Chief Ron Henry, who had been at the station since 8 a.m., was preparing for the next day's ham potpie fundraising dinner when a call came in at approximately 11 a.m. for a shed on fire behind 526...
The Roaring Spring Borough Council met for its regular monthly meeting on Monday evening, April 8, in the borough building. Representatives from the Roaring Spring Community Library informed council that they have received the certified letter sent by Borough Solicitor Larry Lashinsky informing them that when the current lease between the borough and the library for the use of the Eldon Inn expires on July 1, council will not be renewing it on a yearly basis. However, council has agreed to renew the lease on a monthly basis while library...
The Republican candidates for the Office of Blair County Coroner squared off in a debate on Tuesday evening, April 9, in the ballroom at the Altoona Grand Hotel. Incumbent Patricia Ross, who has held the top spot in the coroner's office since 1998 and before that served as deputy coroner, and newcomer Erin Myers fielded pre-selected questions from moderator Amanda Kenney of WTAJ. Myers said she is running for coroner because she wants to see changes in the county, saying that the coroner's...
