Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
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Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine on April 1 announced all 67 Pennsylvania counties will be under stay-at-home orders effective Wednesday, April 1, at 8 p.m. “This is the most prudent option to stop the spread of COVID-19 across our commonwealth, where cases continue to grow daily,” Gov. Wolf said. “We appreciate the shared sacrifice of all 12.8 million Pennsylvanians; we are in this together and this statewide stay-at-home order is being made after many discussions with multiple state agencies; Dr. Levin... Full story
I was smart enough to get out of graduate school alive, but I've never been one with a quick wit. So it often takes me a while to puzzle through things. With the flood of information coming out about the coronavirus and the various reactions, I often hear and listen but don't comprehend. Then, hours or days later, I have an "aha!"moment and everything falls into place and makes sense. When things do fall into place, suddenly certain things become clear and they make sense. Being a journalist, wh... Full story
The Altoona Mirror and other news sources are reporting that Gov. Tom Wolf on April 1, 2020, placed all of Pennsylvania under an order to stay at home. The Mirror is reporting that Gov. Wolf expanded "the geographic footprint of the quarantine as state officials combat the coronavirus pandemic. In one stroke, Wolf added 34 counties to his stay-home edict, meaning that residents of all 67 of Pennsylvania’s counties must now stay home as much as possible to help slow the spread of COVID-19." The Mirror is reporting that the order will last at l... Full story
In conjunction with the decision by the Supreme Court to close courtrooms to the public, all Bedford County Courts, County Offices, and Magisterial District Judge Offices will continue to be closed to the public effective through at least April 30, 2020. The Court is available for the following essential functions only: • Revocation hearings • Bench warrant hearings pursuant to Pennsylvania Rule of Criminal Procedure 150 • Juvenile delinquency detention hearings • Juvenile emergency shelter and detention hearings • Temporary protectio... Full story
Bedford County has closed its courthouse to the public in an effort minimize COVID-19 exposure to county employees. Any non-county employee issued a county identification badge including vendors, contractors, attorneys, abstractors, etc. should be aware that those badges will not longer be accepted. They should contact the county to schedule an appointment and check-in with Sheriff deputies on the 2nd floor courthouse entrance. For deliveries contact the courthouse at 623-4807. For access to other county departments, refer to the following... Full story
The Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities (DoBS) is warning investors of an anticipated surge in fraudulent investment schemes. “As is so often the case during times of emergency, scammers will be looking to profit from the misfortune of others by targeting investors and capitalizing on concerns related to the securities market,” said Acting Secretary Richard Vague. “The narrative of the investment scheme may change, but the underlying scam remains the same.” The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), of whic... Full story
April 1, 2020 Update - Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Information and announcements are followed by URLs or links. The 2020 Pennsylvania primary election has been moved from April 28 to June 2. The voter registration and mail ballot deadlines are extended into May. https://www.governor.pa.gov/newsroom/gov-wolf-signs-covid-19-response-bills-to-bolster-health-care-system-workers-and-education-and-reschedule-the-primary-election/ PSSA testing and Keystone exams for the 2019-20 school year have been canceled due to COVID-19. https... Full story
On April 1, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Dennis Davin reminded all Pennsylvanians to “be a good neighbor” and respond to the 2020 Census. “We’re committed to working together to make sure all Pennsylvanians are counted in the Census. said Secretary Davin. “Now more than ever, our representation and billions of dollars of funding for critical resources depend on an accurate count of all Pennsylvanians, no matter who they are or where they live.” April 1 was the 22nd National Census Day,... Full story
On April 1, Sheetz, a restaurant and convenience chain across the Mid-Atlantic, announced a new Kidz Meal Bagz program providing free food to help children and families in need as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meal Bagz will be available all day starting Thursday, April 2 and will include a turkey sandwich, chips and a drink. Families interested in taking advantage of the free Kidz Meal Bagz program should go to participating Sheetz locations and ask an employee at the register for a meal. Families will be offered one bag per child. Meals... Full story
Col. Robert Evanchick, commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police, announced on April 1 a temporary change to the way troopers respond to select non-emergency incidents. With the goal of limiting in-person contact and mitigating the spread of COVID-19, the department has identified certain types of calls that may be resolved with limited or no on-scene response. The change went into effect April 1, 2020, and will remain until further notice. “To enhance social distancing and keep our personnel and the public safe and healthy, we will b... Full story
This is a list of closings, cancelations and updates for the Morrisons Cove, Claysburg and Williamsburg areas. The Herald will update this list as we receive information. Please check back frequently. --------------- Pennsylvania announces the extension of expiration for LTC The Blair County Sheriff's Office announced April 1 that the Wolf Administration and the Pennsylvania State Police will be granting extensions to license-to-carry firearms permits. Permits that expired on March 19, 2020, or later have been extended to May 30, 2020, and the... Full story
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has ordered all Pennsylvania K-12 schools to remain closed until further notice. Gov. Wolf made the announcement during a press conference on Monday afternoon, March 30. The governor said the Department of Education will be providing updated guidance and resources on the continuity of education for students to schools in the coming days. Also during the conference, Gov. Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine revised their “Stay at Home” orders to include Car... Full story
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced March 31 that 61 emergency and critical highway and bridge projects will be active statewide this week. While the normal highway and bridge construction program has paused as the commonwealth addresses COVID-19 response, urgent emergency work has continued to ensure a reliable transportation system as circumstances surrounding COVID-19 continue to unfold. On March 17, in response to Gov. Tom Wolf’s COVID-19 mitigation guidance, PennDOT paused construction projects statewide to m... Full story
On March 30, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) encouraged all Americans to only flush toilet paper, not disinfecting wipes or other non-flushable items that should be disposed of in the trash. Flushing only toilet paper helps ensure that the toilets, plumbing, sewer systems and septic systems will continue working properly to safely manage our nation’s wastewater. While EPA encourages disinfecting your environment to prevent the spread of COVID-19, never flush disinfecting wipes or other non-flushable items. These easy steps w... Full story
For an industry that is based on telling people what’s going on right now, the news media is sometimes not very good at looking ahead. We here at the Herald are trying to look ahead, but it’s hard to bring things into focus. One thing is clear – the restrictions on activities because of the coronavirus spread are hitting home. The Herald depends upon local advertising to pay its bills. What we charge for a year’s subscription to the Herald ($40 locally) doesn’t come close to paying the full cost of getting a Herald to your doorstep. Our best... Full story
The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art located in downtown Bedford at 137 E. Pitt St. is temporarily closed to the public due to the COVID-19 virus. However, SAMA Bedford has not allowed this to stop us from reaching out to the community and providing some outlets for families during this time of isolation. Monday through Friday at 1:00 pm, this week and next week there will be hour long Arts and Crafts classes live streamed through SAMA Bedford’s Facebook page. All are welcome to join and participate. Teachers live stream guidance to all p... Full story
As the Spring Cove School District kicks off remote learning at home, the community has been invited to join the district’s staff and students in participating in fun theme days through SCSD Virtual Spirit Week, while staying home, staying safe and staying well. Theme days are as follows: Monday, March 30 – “USA Day.” Wear your favorite red, white and blue apparel. Tuesday, March 31 – “Exercise Day.” Wear your favorite exercise apparel. Wednesday, April 1 – “Crazy Hat Day.” Pick your craziest hat to wear. Thursday, April 2 – “Pajama & Slipper...
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced March 27 that expiration dates for driver licenses, identification cards, learner’s permits, persons with disability placards, vehicle registrations and safety and emission inspections will be extended for Pennsylvania residents in response to statewide COVID-19 mitigation efforts. Deadlines on the following products will be extended effective March 27, 2020: • Driver licenses, photo ID cards and learner's permits scheduled to expire from March 16, 2020 through April 30, 202... Full story
On March 27, Gov. Tom Wolf issued a statement to reassure all Pennsylvanians that essential services critical to the lives, health and safety of vulnerable populations will continue regardless of actions taken to slow the spread of COVID-19. “Under no circumstances will this administration withdraw life-sustaining services from Pennsylvanians who depend on these support systems,” Gov. Wolf said. “My commitment to maintaining essential services is uncompromised by the COVID-19 pandemic. We will not abandon older adults, individuals with disab... Full story
Pennsylvania CareerLink Blair County and Bedford County have announced updated unemployment Information and a Job Fair update. The best way to file a new unemployment claim or to check on an existing claim is on the Unemployment Compensation (UC) website at https://www.uc.pa.gov/Pages/covid19.aspx. This site has a significant number of answers to questions about layoffs to due COVID-19. The main UC phone number, (888) 313-7284, is experiencing high call volumes so a long hold time should be expected. To avoid long phone hold times here is an... Full story
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) on March 27 announced a new tool available on the department’s website designed to help essential workers connect with child-care providers that have been granted a waiver by the department’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) to continue serving the families of essential personnel during the COVID-19 emergency. “While many Pennsylvanians are responsibly heeding guidance from the Department of Health to stay home, there are still many thousands of essential workers whose... Full story
Experts around the world agree that drinking water is not a source of the novel coronavirus causing the global COVID-19 pandemic, so that should be one less thing for stressed-out Pennsylvania residents to worry about, according to a Penn State Extension educator. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, the novel coronavirus has not been found in drinking water. That’s a very strong indication that drinking water can be obtained from your normal sources, says Danielle Rhea, water r... Full story
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture on March 26 issued guidance for the commonwealth’s essential grocery stores to ensure continuation of services to Pennsylvanians while maintaining a healthy workforce. “In our current COVID-19 pandemic, retail food workers are among the heroes,” said Secretary Redding. “We need their workforce to remain healthy – physically and mentally – and encourage managers and employees to heed this guidance. For their own sake and for all who rely on their life-sustaining service.” The guidance documents issued f... Full story
he Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of midnight March 27, that there are 531 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 2,218 in 50 counties. The department also reported six new deaths among positive cases, bringing the statewide total to 22. County-specific information. All people are either in isolation at home or being treated at the hospital. The department also reported seven new deaths among positive cases, bringing the statewide total to... Full story
The Blair County Board of Commissioners on Friday, March 20, voted unanimously to close the courthouse to the Public in an effort to minimize the COVID-19 exposure to the employees carrying out the essential functions of the Courthouse operations. Any non-County employees who were previously issued a county identification card (i.e. construction contractors, vendors, attorneys, abstractors, etc.) should be aware that these badges will no longer be accepted at the door for immediate entry. Badge... Full story
The Pennsylvania State Police released data on actions taken yesterday, March 25, against non-life-sustaining businesses that failed to comply with Governor Tom Wolf's order closing their physical locations. Enforcement began on Monday, March 23, 2020. Officials in the Troop G area, which includes Blair and Bedford counties, gave three daily warning on march 25, bringing the total to five. Overall, there were 13 warnings throughout the state on March 25, bringing the toal to The governor has... Full story
The 57th Judicial District (Bedford County) has implemented policies in the Common Pleas Courts, Magisterial District Judge Courts, and court-related departments (Probation and Parole and Domestic Relations) in an effort to reduce the possibility of the contraction of, and exposure to, the COVID-19 virus. While these courts/offices shall remain fully functional at the present time, the public is requested to limit their visits to that which is necessary. Effective Friday, March 13, 2020, courtroom galleries shall be limited to 1/3 of normal... Full story
On March 25, Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf announced that new funding is available to help small businesses impacted by the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, through a new program under the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority’s (PIDA) Small Business First Fund, the COVID-19 Working Capital Access Program (CWCA). The Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) recently authorized the transfer of $40 million to the Small Business First Fund for CWCA. PIDA authorized making $60 million available to provide loans of $100,000 or less to for-profit businesses w... Full story
The ALTOONA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, under the direction of Maestra Teresa Cheung, has made the decision to cancel both the March concert "The Voice of Deliverance" which was originally scheduled for March 21, 2020, but postponed, and the April concert "Lasting Inspiration" scheduled for Saturday, April 18, 2020, due to serious concerns over the spreading COVID19 Virus and in compliance with orders for non-essential businesses to close. The Altoona Symphony Orchestra recognizes the fact that many... Full story
Today, March 26, Gov. Tom Wolf announced that he will spend up to $50 million in transferred state funding to purchase medical equipment and supplies for hospitals, nursing homes, and emergency workers to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic in Pennsylvania. "We need more beds, more ventilators, more personal protective equipment, and so much more and we need it as soon as possible because the virus is here," Gov. Wolf said. "I am working to get this funding moving as quickly as I can. We need to... Full story
The Pennsylvania Department of Health today, March 26, confirmed as of midnight, March 26, that there are 560 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 1,687 in 48 counties. The frst positive case in Blair County was reported by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The department also reported five new deaths, bringing the statewide death total to 16. County-specific information and a statewide map are available here. All people are either in isolation at home or b... Full story
Due to school closures, The Scarlet Dragon Packs will be distributing weekend food bags for students enrolled in the program at three locations on Friday, April 3, at the following locations: East Freedom: Through Inc. building (former East Freedom Elementary building across the street from the Freedom Township Fire Hall) – 10 to 11 a.m. Roaring Spring: The Cove Creamery (along Route 36 across from Giant Eagle and Roots in the Cove) – 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Martinsburg: Martinsburg Grace Brethren Church (300 S. Mulberry St.) – 12:30 to 1:30... Full story
Freedom Township Public Notice The Freedom Township Audit for the year of 2019 has been completed and is available for review. If you would like to review the 2019 Audit please call Lisa Edmundson at 814-695-8051. As required by the second class township code (section 904), Freedom Township is audited each year. This audit reviews the financial activity of the township and prepares the required financial statements to be submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economical Development (DCED). The 2019 Audit was performed by... Full story
"Blindside" is the 12th book in James Patterson's Michael Bennett series. Bennett is a New York police detective. He is a widower with 10 adopted children and a grandfather who, in his later years, has become a priest. Bennett's oldest son is serving time in prison, and the entire family misses him tremendously. In "Blindside," Bennett is at a murder scene where a young mother and her daughter have been shot at close range. Bennett leaves the crime scene to get some air and is held up at gun...
I am getting a little tired of clamoring for “Medicare for All” as though it is free. Medicare is NOT FREE! We paid into a Medicare program for many years. For me, that was a long time, as I worked until I was 74. Now that we get Social Security we find an absence of about $145 per month per person to pay for Medicare. That figures out to $290 per month for a couple or $3,480 per year. Medicare pays only 80 percent of your medical bills, so most people get some kind of a supplement. We chose a Medicare Advantage which costs us another $44 per...
By ALLAN J. BASSLER Publisher Can we please stop panic buying? My daughter Helena and I were making the rounds last week, just as the first “quit going anywhere” order came down. We were looking for some basics for the weekend ahead: Milk, bread, eggs, frozen pizzas. We thought we’d dash into a local grocery store, pick up what we needed and be on our way in minutes. I see now that we were fools. Instead of the usual rows of shelves stocked in the good old American way with a tremendous variety of colorful products, we found row after row o...
Herald of March 21, 1895 Levi Sparr loaded a rail car with baled straw at Mount Etna for shipment to Altoona. S.C. Brantner, while in the act of loading the car, had the misfortune of losing his balance and fell backward to the ground, landing on his shoulder with his head turned under. No bones were broken, but his neck was badly wrenched and he was shaken up. A truly wonderful piece of mechanism was on exhibition for one evening at the Lutheran Church in Roaring Spring. It was a graphophone or talking machine. The Republican county...
Herald of March 26, 1970 Sherman Croft of Martinsburg, has been appointed manager of the Hershberger Memorial Swimming Pool for the 1970 season. 16 year family memberships are $150. The family rate for a single season is $16. Changes to the Sewage Facilities Act of 1968 were made this month and requires all municipalities to enforce the provisions that require permits for septic tank installations on any lot less than 10 acres. The Entriken homestead, a mansion built around 1850, will soon be swallowed by the waters of the Raystown Reservoir....
Herald of March 26, 1920 The local W.C.T.U. on Friday evening, met in their Annual Due Social at the Martinsburg hotel. Notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather, there were in attendance sixty-five members and friend of the W.C.T.U. Broom Sale this week at Martin’s, Roaring Spring. Good brooms at 55c, 88c and 98c. A thunderstorm and a snow storm, both at the same time on Friday night, was the closing scene of the groundhog period and the opening act of springtime. Walter Mentzer, youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Mentzer, was taken to t...
Herald of March 23, 1995 The Williamsburg Lady Pirate basketball team hammered District 7 champion Monessen, 82-39, to advance to the state’s Class A “Final Four.” Williamsburg (29-1) was scheduled to play Saegertown (30-0) in the Western Finals on March 22 at Clarion University. Richard K. McGraw and son Steven R. McGraw offered the successful bid for purchase of the United Methodist Church property at 202 S. Market St., Martinsburg. The new owners were considering plans for the brick and stone building, remodeled several times throu...
Herald of March 29, 1945 A fire destroyed the Smith home along the Plum Creek Road leading from the Five Points in Roaring Spring to the former Plum Creek school building. The Smith place is about a mile northeast of the town. Mrs. Dorothy McGregor and Thaddeus W. Smith both died of burns sustained in the Monday morning fire. Pvt. Melvin Rhodes, Jr. of Martinsburg, who is somewhere in France or Germany with the 343rd Engineers of the Army, has been awarded the Silver Star. Pfc. Cecil P. Wierman of Martinsburg, who has been with the Ninth Army...
Herald of March 25, 2010 Jeremy Aiello, 16, a sophomore at Central High School, advanced to Eagle Scout rank during a Boy Scout Court of Awards ceremony held March 15. His service project was a major upgrade to a 25-year-old storage shed at Morrisons Cove Memorial Park. Northern Bedford school directors reviewed proposals for a 2010-11 general fund budget Monday evening that could include a half-mill property tax increase. Teri Biddle, business manager, presented a budget overview while administrators outlined needs within their schools....
It's impossible to get away from news about the Coronavirus and Covid-19 these days. But strangely enough as we are immersed in information, reliable information is still hard to find. For example, some information is circulating on social media stating that the virus lives in the throat of an infected human before it moves to the lungs and can therefore be killed by gargling with salt water. I have encountered no medical experts who agree with this and have read several who have stated flatly that the information about salt water is not true....
BRIDENBAUGH – Donna L., 91, rural Roaring Spring JOHNSON – Helen A. “Sis,” 86, Martinsburg SAUER – Eugene E., 88, Altoona, formerly of Martinsbur... Full story
Donna L. Bridenbaugh, 91, of rural Roaring Spring, passed away on Friday morning, March 20, 2020, at Homewood at Martinsburg. A private funeral service will be held at the convenience of the family. Private interment will follow at Fairview Cemetery, Martinsburg. Donna was born in Sharon, PA, daughter of the late William A. and Hilda G. (Taylor) Sumner. She married Robert P. Bridenbaugh on Aug. 23, 1958. Surviving are her beloved husband of 61 years; two sons: Andrew S. (Kim) of Chantilly, Va.,...
Helen A. "Sis" Johnson, 86, of Martinsburg, died Friday evening, March 20, 2020, at home, surrounded by her loving family. Services for Helen will be private at the convenience of the family. Pastor Dave Crumrine will officiate. Interment will be made in Fairview Cemetery, Martinsburg. Helen was born on July 7, 1933, in rural Martinsburg, the daughter of the late Denver and Delcie (Mowery) Brumbaugh. She married Russell W. Johnson on Aug. 30, 1952, in Martinsburg. Helen is survived by her...
Eugene E. Sauer, 88, of Altoona, formerly of Martinsburg, passed away on Friday, March 20, 2020, at Elmcroft of Altoona, Duncansville. A private funeral service and interment at Alto Reste Park Cemetery, Altoona, will be held at the convenience of the family. A memorial service to celebrate Gene's life will be held at a later date. Eugene was born on July 22, 1931, in Port Washington, Wis., son of the late Arno and Margaret (Enders) Sauer. He married Mary Alice Smith on Jan. 28, 1964, in Washington, D.C. She preceded him in death on May 26,...
In recognition of National Women's History Month, March is an ideal time to look at the history of women in the Pennsylvania judiciary as well as those women currently serving. It has been 90 years since the first woman, Sara M. Soffel (Allegheny), served as a judge in Pennsylvania. Today, 31 percent of Pennsylvania's active judges are women. In fact, there are currently three women serving on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The majority of the judges now serving on the Superior Court (73...
Students from Blair County have been recognized as Provost Scholars at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Provost Scholar status is achieved when students complete a minimum of 45 semester hours at IUP and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher. Duncansville: Marissa Renee Dubrow, B.S.Ed. in Early Childhood Education; Kamrynn Renee Wantz, B.S. in Communications Media/Media Marketing Hollidaysburg: Mohammed Ali, B.S. in Biology/Pre-medical; Brandon D. Haun, B.S. in Computer Science/Cyber Security Roaring Spring: Braeden Todd...
Pennsylvania hunters posted their highest overall deer harvest in 15 years when they took 389,431 deer during the state's 2019-20 hunting seasons, which closed in January, the Pennsylvania Game Commission reported on Thursday, March 19. The 2019-20 deer harvest topped the previous year's harvest of 374,690 by about 4 percent. The last time the total deer harvest exceeded this season's total was in 2004-05, when 409,320 whitetails were taken. The statewide buck harvest saw a generous bump of 10...
