Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
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To the Editor: We need a legislator in Harrisburg with strong personal values. Someone who was raised in a small business, blue-collar family that valued hard work, personal integrity and believed in paying employees even during tough times. Someone with the determination and grit to put herself through school. Someone whose values lead them to choose people-centered professions that require compassion, empathy and a focus on helping others achieve their best selves. Carol Taylor will take her values—our values—to Harrisburg. The constituents o...
To the Editor: Each year a cost of living raise is doled out to senior citizens who collect Social Security benefits. Though the raise for 2022 was higher than previous years, it is still not enough to cover the ever skyrocketing cost of living. Each year Medicare raises the amount of money that is taken monthly to pay for Medicare benefits. But the deductible keeps increasing each year also. If a beneficiary has a Medicare Supplement plan or an Advantage plan those costs also increase. Monthly costs for a supplement increase each year with...
Matt Dillon was in charge of law in Gunsmoke’s Dodge City. People often had no respect for the law in the Wild West, so the marshal had his work cut out for him. Gunsmoke was one of the longest-running TV shows in history, airing for 20 years. Readers can relive watching their favorite western drama with this collection featuring best-loved characters like Doc Adams, Miss Kitty, Chester, and of course, Marshal Matt Dillon. Gunsmoke began as a radio drama and was adapted for television f...
The Pennsylvania Bus Association (PBA) wants to alert you to a troubling trend we are seeing across the United States regarding a new type of “bus company” primarily marketed to school districts. The problem is that these are not bus companies at all, but artfully created websites that imitate a bus company, using various names and websites. They do not own any buses or motorcoaches, or maintenance facilities, nor do they employ any drivers, mechanics, or typical support staff. Simply a phenomenon of the internet, these “companies” are known a...
One of the dearest places in Curryville was my grandparent’s house. After Grandfather retired from running Ore Hill Orchards, they moved in part of a house owned by Vernon and Estella Stayer. The Stayer’s son, Tommy, was a famous musician. Grandmother and grandfather had 12 children. My mother was the oldest. Aunt Shirley was the only child who was not married when my grandparents lived there. Shirley was only four years older than me and we were like sisters. Although dad taught me to dri...
Letty Espinosa lived with her parents, her son and her daughter in a small apartment near the San Francisco airport. Letty worked three jobs to support the family while her mother, Maria Elena, raised the children, Alex, fifteen, and Luna, six. Letty’s grandmother, who lived in Mexico, was ill. Her father, Enrique, decided to go to Mexico and aid his mother. When Enrique didn’t return, Marie Elena had Letty drive her to Mexico. The children were left alone. Letty tried to call her best fri...
“The newspaper does everything for us...comforts the afflicted, afflicts the comfortable.” Finley Peter Dunne (1867-1936) American journalist and humorist This is one of my all-time favorite quotes. Early in my career as a journalist, I was having a bad day. This very experienced newspaperman who was one of my first bosses asked me what I thought my job as a journalist was. After I gave him the typical journalism school answer, he recited Dunne’s quote to me, and it has stuck with me since I...
The new COVID-19 boosters are out from Moderna and Pfizer. Vaccines are reformed with booster doses of the mRNA vaccines and are "bivalent." This means it targets the original SARS-coV-2 as well as the omicron variant. The hope is that this will protect against the latest mutations in the virus. Being and RN and retiring in this field before this writing adventure, I fully support getting vaccinated. I believe everyone has a right to make their own choice according to their beliefs and what...
A few months ago I wrote a series about how towns in Morrisons Cove got their names. Claysburg, although not located in the Cove per se, is a neighboring community and a de facto member of our neighborhood. This is apparent as one reads our newspaper. For example, the Herald prints news about four school districts: Williamsburg, Central, Northern Bedford, and Claysburg-Kimmel. So, as a newcomer, I became curious about the town on the “other side” of Dunnings Mountain. The most common way to drive to Claysburg from our home is over Dunnings Mou...
Maggie Dawes traveled the world as a photographer. She also had a YouTube following. Maggie was diagnosed with stage IV melanoma cancer and she posted her progress, or lack of it, on her YouTube channel. She had opened a gallery in New York City, which she shared with a sculptor, Trinity. Luanne Sommers handled the day-to-day activity at the gallery since Maggie was away a good bit of the time. They were so busy they decided to hire some help. Mark Price, who was just out of college, applied and...
Here in Pennsylvania and across the country, millions of seniors will get relief from a new law that will help reduce out-of-control drug prices. For the first time in decades, Big Pharma’s relentless grip on their wallets, medicine cabinets and peace of mind will begin to pry loose. After years of calling on Congress to make prescription drugs more affordable, we won the fight for Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices and help millions of seniors save money on their medications. That, in and of itself, is huge. But the new law, passed by C...
To the Editor: Hello. Thank you for the history article On High Street, Williamsburg, there was the Blyler Butcher Shop. I cannot tell you if it was the exact property as the present laudromat. William Blyler was proprietor until the economy changed over the years. Then, he became chief of police in Williamsburg. I found the photo of the butcher shop on microfilm at the Blair County Geneaological Society. What a difference we make for students to discover ancestry! Joy Blyler Eger Note: This is in response to the article “Over Brings Walking H...
Hunter Smith is a multi-talented junior football player at Central High School. He is the fullback on offense, middle linebacker on defense and kicker/punter on special teams. In the role of place kicker, he is the second in his family line to fill that specialized position. He was preceded in booting extra points by, of all people, his aunt, Erika Smith, the sister of Hunter’s father Monte. Erika was the second girl, after baseballer Jone Bush at Martinsburg High School in 1950, to play a boys’ varsity sport in our area. Therein lies a tal...
To the Editor: With perhaps one of the most critical mid-term elections of our lives fast approaching, let’s ensure that we are giving it the careful consideration it deserves. Let’s not make our choices thoughtlessly; they can affect our future lives as well as democracy itself. Please look beyond the party label of the candidates and apply critical thinking to their positions. Choose the candidates who reflect the will of a thoughtful majority, not a vocal minority. If you do this, you will be voting for John Fetterman, Josh Shapiro, Aus...
Sarah Jennings walked out on her husband and restaurant business that they had built together. The police showed up at their house that morning and demanded records from their business. They suspected that Alex Jennings was laundering money through their business. Sarah was shocked to learn that Alex was funneling money to Jemma, an ex-employee. Was he unfaithful to her after all they had accomplished together? Sarah decided to visit her father. She happened to drive through...
A recent column written by Judy Ward on her sponsored Senate Bill 106 claims that her proposed Constitutional amendment “does not propose bans on abortions.” I am awed by the amazing spin. If it does nothing, why propose it? If you have no right to something, isn’t that the same thing? It implies that your request is subject to the whim of the person of whom it is made. It is purposely unclear, and will have the same effect with medical providers, etc., refusing to provide services due to its purposeful obscurity. We are already seeing the t...
There are two documents of paramount importance to American history: the Declaration of Independence, which forged our national identity, and the United States Constitution, which set forth the framework for the federal government that is still in use today. While Independence Day is a beloved national holiday, fewer people know about Constitution Week, an annual commemoration of the living document that upholds and protects the freedoms central to our American way of life. Each year the annual...
Mac, Edie and Graham were inseparable friends since middle school. It was expected that Mac would follow in his father’s footsteps and become a doctor. Nobody was surprised when Mac and Edie married and had two children, Avery and Thomas. They were the perfect family. Mac had a pediatric office and Edie was a recognized interior designer. But 19 years earlier, Mac and Edie were not sure of their future path. The summer before their senior year of college, Mac and Edie broke up. Edie went to New York City as an intern and Mac took a job on the f...
Harold Bowser and Jim Replogle were good friends at Replogle High School in 1948 where they sang together in the chorus and boy’s octet. In fact, they were the lead tenors in the octet. It was an outstanding time for the music groups from Replogle because they regularly did very well in Pennsylvania Forensic and Music League competitions. In 1948, the chorus was topnotch in “Class C” (small schools) competition while the octet was second in “Open” competition against schools of all sizes. Th...
Most people recognize the name Ron Howard from “The Andy Griffith Show” and “Happy Days.” Some may also recognize the name Clint Howard from “Gentle Ben” and many other movies and shows. Ron and Clint Howard are the children of Rance and Jean Howard. Rance, who was born Harold Beckenholt, was born in Oklahoma on his family farm. He had aspirations of being another Gene Autry or Roy Rogers. Unfortunately, he couldn’t sing. Harold went to the University of Oklahoma where he met Jean Speegle. They...
We had many Revival Meetings at our Curryville Church of the Brethren. I remember when I was very young and had to sit on the front seat during the service because mother played the piano. The sermon was on Grace. I felt very special, my first name being Grace. I told mother that the preacher talked about me the whole time. We kids were all baptized there. We certainly spent a lot of time there. There were many banquets and events with food unsurpassed to this day. Mother and I sang many duets....
Francisco Alcalde lived in Madrid, Spain with his wife, Amparo, his son, Marco, and two daughters, Isabel and Ana in 1934. Francisco worked at a publishing house. He was a member of the union and loyal to the Second Spanish Republic. He chose to fight the Falangists who were trying to over throw the government. He participated in the Montana Barracks attack, which began the Civil War. As the Falngists became stronger, it became dangerous for the Alcalde family. Men were being dragged out of...
Regardless of age, experience, or geographical location, the agricultural industry presents an opportunity for young and beginning farmers to pave their own unique path. Here at Farm Credit, we believe in providing them with the resources to do just that. Our Association’s footprint is uniquely positioned across five states, serving 100 counties of urban, suburban, and rural agriculturalists alike. The mid-Atlantic region offers a diverse perspective of agriculture in our corner of the United States — and while our Association’s area of reach...
To the Editor: In the latter half of March this year, Paul had a medical condition requiring urgent care. For reasons obvious to many, we chose to drive from Altoona to Conemaugh/Nason to receive prompt treatment. In early April, he also received treatment in Pittsburgh at UPMC. Those events became the less unpleasant parts of a continuing saga in which we ceased to believe that professionals were participating with us to ensure a positive experience. The adventure with both Nason’s and UPMC’s billing offices proves to be empirical evi...
To the Editor: State Sen. Judy Ward at a recent Blair Chamber breakfast when asked twice if Joe Biden was the legally elected President of the U.S. answered “Joe Biden is President.” Earlier in her remarks, she said election integrity was her district’s number one issue. No wonder! Since as early as November 10, 2020, two days after the election, she has worked alone and in tandem with state Sen. Doug Mastriano to prevent Biden from taking office and more recently to alter election laws in order to conform to baseless election conspiracy theori...
The Blair County Libraries have a new data base available to you. Are you wondering what you should read next? You know what you like, but do you know what books are out there that you would like? NoveList Plus helps you find the genre you like. The very top of the page allows you to search by author, title, key word, series and narrator. If you are looking for a specific author or title, you can use this option What appears at the top of the page is: “I’m in the mood for books that are…” The first option you see on this sight is the age level...
Nancy and I have recently closed a unique chapter in our new life in the Cove. Our church hosts an ESL (English as a second language) program. As part of that initiative, for the past nine months we have been helping a young lady become a naturalized citizen of the United States of America. If you want to learn great lessons in civics, government, history, (or you simply have the urge to complete mounds of paperwork) just help someone become a citizen. It was a personally rewarding experience;...
Earlier this month a group of old time baseball players from the Blair County area gathered at DelGrosso’s park at Tipton to reminisce about their playing days decades ago. Most of those aging athletes played in the Altoona Greater City league, with perhaps a few from the long-gone Blair Twilight League that existed between 1947 and the 1960s. It is unlikely that any players from the Blair Baseball League, that played weekly Saturday games between 1919 and 1953, attended. In fact, with the r...
We are officially in the heat of the summer, which means it’s nearly impossible to drive anywhere without passing a roadside market with fresh produce. I could make a meal off of fresh-picked sweet corn. In Maryland, where there are more than 90 farmers markets to choose from (according to Maryland Department of Agriculture’s 2022 Farm Market Directory), getting my sweet corn fix is no problem. Whether you’re stopping by the farmers market, on-farm store, or roadside stand, buying local is a...
Cate Reilly is a 33-year-old detective in the St. Louis PD. She once did an undercover job and she said never again. But she is the only one on the force that could pass as a teenager for the latest case. Stephanie Laurent and her boyfriend, Alex Johnson, were missing. Gabe Laurent, her father, does not believe they ran away and wants the St. Louis PD to dig deeper into her case. Cate was asked to pose as a teenager and enroll in the exclusive Ivy Hill Academy where Stephanie was last seen....
AAA officials thanked the members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly for passing a bill to improve the safety and livelihood of Pennsylvania drivers against impaired drivers who threaten the lives of their fellow drivers every day. AAA supports enactment and vigorous enforcement of laws against driving under the influence of any intoxicating substance. Along with distracted drivers and aggressive drivers, motorists rank impaired drivers among their top concerns on the highway. “It is an unfortunate, but true fact, that there are too many i...
Over the past few weeks, my Senate colleagues have had to continually correct false and misleading statements regarding the recently passed Senate Bill 106. Sadly, the misrepresentations have continued, and it has become increasingly necessary for me as a sponsor of one of the bill’s amendments to join them in their efforts. Senate Bill 106 consists of five different amendments to the Pennsylvania constitution with the subjects being the election of the Lieutenant Governor, legislative disapproval of regulations, voter ID, auditing of e...
The whistle blew and Rose Graham entered the changing room. She was working in the Chilwell munition factory in London. It was 1918 and the war was taking most of the young men for the war effort. The women had learned to work in the factories to help the “Tommies.” The jobs required the women to work with harsh chemicals. Often their skin and hair would turn yellow from exposure to the chemicals. These women were called “Canary Girls.” She was greeted by one of those girls, Tilly Lockhar...
As we take my memory tour through the village of Curryville, we come to the first residence after Burget’s Garage, the Gartland house. Eva and Harold Gartland had a son, Gary. They had a ping pong table on their second floor. I liked Gary but wasn’t sure about being alone with a boy I liked, so didn’t go there too often even though I loved to play ping pong. A road went back beside the Gartlands to the Hinish home and orchard. They had four boys, Dean, Bernard, Joe and Wayne. I liked Bernard. He...
After two years living in Morrisons Cove, I’ve decided August is my favorite month. There is so much to like about August. I find the weather to be pleasant with less rain than in May through July, on average. Warm temperatures at the start of the month give way to somewhat cooler temperatures near the end. The latter part of August also points us to the unofficial end of summer as Labor Day approaches. The “dog days” of summer are generally thought to occur in August. These hot and often humid days suggest to us to slow down and kick back....
Rick Vuyst is a Professor Emeritus of Horticulture at the University of Georgia. He also hosts a radio talk show, Flowerland Show. He also does gardening segments for television. Vuyst knows his stuff. You would expect him to give his words of horticultural instructions on every page of his book. That is not what you would find. Vuyst uses his life experiences and colors them with gardening thoughts, not techniques. Vuyst is a baby boomer so I could relate to the book. I remember, as he does,...
Growing up, my family attended a Fourth of July parade in Osceola Mills, where my dad grew up. When I described preparation for this year’s Ag Parade to my mom, she said it sounded like the Osceola Mills parade: people look forward to it all year, they lay their seats out in advance, and it’s the highlight of their summer. I have many fond memories of this Osceola Mills parade (upon looking it up, the parade is actually part of the yearly Fireman’s Fair, put on by Columbia Volunteer Fire Company. This year’s celebration was the 100th anniver...
When I think of Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, I think of more than one or two people, so I’m writing a tribute to five people for Parents’ Day, July 24. I’m one of four children born to Harry and Laura Snyder 80-plus years ago in Loysburg. The home I and my siblings were born into was, at first, a two-story log house, built about 200 years ago. It received several additions, weather-boarding to cover the logs, a dug-out basement (which flooded now and then), porches and many interior improvements over the four generations of Snyders who lived...
Victoria Bergstrom is the sole heir to Bergstrom Hospitality, a worldwide five-star chain of hotel resorts. She had not been to the hotel on Jekyll Island for 18 years. Her mother had fallen from the balcony of their suite and died. Victoria couldn’t bear to go there until now. Her best friend Lisbeth was working on finding out about Victoria’s mother’s death when her body was found in the ocean. Lisbeth must have learned something to endanger her life. Victoria decided to return to Jekyl...
When the undefeated Central High School baseball team won the Pennsylvania 3-A state title last month at State College, part of the Altoona Mirror’s photo coverage showed Shane Metzler celebrating in the team’s dugout. And when the Herald published its fall schedule of local high school sports I closely scanned the list for Central football, looking for a particular name. And there it was: Shane Metzler was listed as the equipment manager for the team. I have followed Shane, 47, through the year...
“Milk. It does a body good” That is just one Milk ad I remember. There were many over the years that touted the benefits of drinking milk. I like the 2 percent variety, but whole milk is best for kids. I drink 2 gallons a week, and we did 4+ when our two boys were here. My wife Bonnie doesn’t even drink it! I would pay $10 dollars a gallon for it if I had to (hope I never have to). I’ve never had a broken bone in my life. I’m 62 and believe me, these bones have been hit hard a few times. Milk also gives most drinkers healthy teeth and skin. Bil...
Mondays in July promise to be super exciting at the Roaring Spring Community Library! STEM Studio will be happening Monday, July 18 and 25 from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. STEM Studio will give kids the opportunity to drop in and explore the exciting world of STEM at their own pace. It is designed to be hands-on and encourage exploration. Parents, guardians and other household members are encouraged to join in. Participants will be able to check out some of the newest STEM gadgets. Designing video games, animation, robotics, and coding are just some...
• Little Miss Roaring Spring will be held on Friday, Aug. 5. Girls ages 6-9 with a Roaring Spring address are invited to participate. Send picture, name, age and parent information to [email protected] on or before July 31. • The ox roast sale will be Aug. 3-6 at Roaring Spring True Value • Sunday, Aug. 7 from 6-9 a.m., a free pancake and sausage breakfast will be held prior to community worship at the Spring Dam • The Cove Car Show will take place on Sunday, Sept. 4, at Shawnee Park Watch the Roaring Spring Lion’s Club Facebook page for...
As the candidates for governor and U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania hit the campaign trail this summer, it would be wise for them to pay closer attention to voters 50+. Why? Because all indications point to Pennsylvania voters 50+ being 61 percent of the likely voting electorate, and that means they could be the deciders come Nov. 8. New research by AARP in partnership with pollsters Fabrizio Ward and Impact Research shows that the candidates are neck and neck. State Senator Doug Mastriano (R) and Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D) are essentially...
My tour of Curryville happened many times a day. I walked through Curryville on my way to and from school. I rode my bike the whole length of Curryville to deliver the Altoona Mirror. I checked things out as though it was my job. I noticed what flowers were blooming. If I saw a new car or someone using a power lawn mower, that was something I had to report to anyone interested. The only store was Burget’s Store next to the train track. We called it Snobbies. Mr. Ira Burget would not sell you s...
I often daydream about having a garden. I envision myself strolling through the rows of greenery, carefully tending the plants while the morning sun warms my shoulders. I can almost feel the smooth texture of the tomato, the daydream version of myself tenderly plucked just moments before. Ninety nine percent of the time, I am jolted back to reality by a ringing phone, a shutting door or my neighbor starting his truck for work. It is then I realize that my dream of being the ultimate gardener is just that. A dream. The jolt back to reality...
The summer months bring growth for us all, crops included. School is out and kids are practicing sports, working a new job, or attending camp. Families are spending quality time together, recharging on vacation and outdoors. And our cash grain crops, fruits, and vegetables are all finishing their growing season, gearing up for harvest in the weeks and months to come. Your local Farm Credit associations are also in the midst of a significant growing season, as AgChoice Farm Credit and...
Best Friends Animal Society, a leading animal welfare organization, released its sixth annual pet lifesaving dataset, which gives a national overview of the number of dogs and cats that enter and exit shelters in a given year. Best Friends measures shelter lifesaving with a metric called “save rate.” A 90 percent save rate is the nationally recognized benchmark to be considered “no-kill,” factoring that approximately 10 percent of pets who enter shelters have medical or behavioral circumstances that warrant humane euthanasia rather than ki...
This past weekend I took my 10-year-old daughter swimming at the Hershberger Memorial Pool at Morrisons Cove Memorial Park. I’m not a swimmer but I know how to swim. A close call when I was a child made learning to swim mandatory, but also led me to avoid going in a pool unless necessary. My daughter on the other hand, loves the water, and with the thermometer creeping toward 90 degrees this past Saturday, a day at the pool seemed like the best way to cool down. The place was packed. I won’t try to guess how many people were at the pool, but...
Hollidaysburg is home to an uncommon sycamore tree that has much more history than most trees. On the grounds of Highland Hall is one of Pennsylvania’s few “moon trees” that grew from seeds that orbited the moon. In 1971, NASA astronaut Stuart Roosa piloted the Command Module for the Apollo 14 mission to the Moon. Roosa previously served as a wildland firefighter for the United States Forest Service, and these connections led him to carry hundreds of tree seeds while in space. Upon returning to Earth, the seeds were germinated and seedl...
