25 Years Ago

Herald of July 22, 1999

In response to weeks and months of little or no rainfall in much of the state, Gov. Tom Ridge this week declared a drought emergency across much of the state, including Blair, Bedford and surrounding counties. Ridge characterized the current drought as the worst since 1964, and said it is threatening to deplete the state’s water supplies.

A Martinsburg athlete recently competed as a member of the Team USA bowling squad at the Special Olympics World Games, held June 24 to July 5 at Raleigh, N.C. Shane Metzler, 24, son of Durbin Metzler and Irene Calhoun of Martinsburg and Susan Metzler of Altoona, said the trip was certainly an unforgettable one.

The owner of the Steam Pump Dam near Ore Hill was in Commonwealth Court Monday trying to find a way to save the dam, which the state has insisted for years must be breached.

Martinsburg volunteer firefighters were called to the Fredericksburg area to extinguish a grass fire last week.