News Staff More representatives this week, voted in favor of legislation that would amend the Constitution to change the state’s emergency declaration provision to ensure emergency declarations only last 21 days and need legislative approval to continue thereafter. House Bill 55 would mean that a declaration could be extended beyond 21 days only with approval of the … Read more
State Senator Vincent Hughes issued a following statement in response to Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to get Pennsylvania back on track after the COVID-19 pandemic… saying he is grateful to Gov. Tom Wolf for this concerted push to address our school infrastructure needs through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program. Broken and toxic schools must be … Read more
Altoona firefighters answered a call about a fire in a parking lot next to the 29th Street bridge Thursday. The call came in yesterday afternoon around 1:30, and when crews arrived, the discovered that a fire had been built by some workers in the parking lot next to a warehouse earlier in the day… in … Read more
Pennsylvania’s state Senate on Wednesday unanimously approved legislation to distribute just over $900 million to aid schools and hospitality-related businesses hit hard by the coronavirus, as well as people struggling to pay rent or utility bills.The bill still requires approval from the state House of Representatives and Gov. Tom Wolf. Most of the $912 million … Read more
Coronavirus cases and deaths are once again trending in the wrong direction. The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported an increase of 6,036 new coronavirus cases in the state Thursday, bringing the statewide total to 824,405. There were also 198 additional deaths statewide. Blair County reporting 32 new cases and one additional death.
The prison sentence of an Altoona man who has been behind bars since 2018 after his arrest in 2015 on 39 charges including weapons charges, following a high speed chase, has been re-affirmed. Now 41 year old Troy Stehley appealed his 8 years and 6 months to 17 year prison sentence as too harsh. The … Read more
A post-conviction petition filed by an Altoona man who claimed he was unaware that he would be handed a 12-year minimum prison sentence for drug offenses when he pleaded guilty more than two years ago has been rejected. Blair County Judge Jackie A. Bernard rejected the argument by 40 year old Alexsi Lopez, who was … Read more
A bill authored by Rep. Jim Gregory of Blair County to provide a two-year window for childhood sexual abuse victims to submit claims in civil court has passed the House of Representatives. House Bill 14 contains the same language as a bill from the 2019-20 Legislative Session, which was a necessary component to develop a … Read more
To afford police officers the same protection from assault as prison guards, the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, approved Rep. Lou Schmitt’s House Bill 103, which would make it a criminal offense for an officer to be assaulted with bodily fluids, such as spit. It would also provide a stricter penalty for people who have … Read more
An Altoona man is facing child pornography charges. 20 year old Jeffrey Snaman is not charged with 17 felonies and 14 misdemeanors that date back to an incident that happened in December, when police were called to a report of an attempted suicide at a home where Snaman was staying. When investigating that, police found … Read more