News Staff Altoona recently hired consultants to help improve their current parking situation within the downtown area. The city hired Trans Associate Engineering Consultants out of Pittsburgh to do a $40,000 parking study within the downtown area. City Manager Omar Strohm said that the group would be studying the current and future parking trends within the area … Read more
Pennsylvania’s workforce grew again in May as the state’s unemployment rate sank to another post-pandemic low, according to new state figures released Friday. Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate dropped two-tenths of a percentage point to 4.6% from April’s rate, according to the state Department of Labor and Industry. The national rate was 3.6% in May. In a … Read more
Dr. Mehmet Oz made his first campaign appearance in the area since narrowly winning the Republican U.S. Senate primary. Oz is making the shift toward November after narrowly winning the primary after a recount, as he toured Market Basket and met with the Republican faithful at the Cambria County Republican Headquarters. Oz meeting with voters … Read more
Greater Johnstown School District hosted a town hall Tuesday about a continued spike in violence and misbehavior inside school halls and possible solutions to the problem. About 20 parents, students, and community members came up to speak offering their stories and their ideas. The one thing that seemed to encompass all their responses was the … Read more
There’s a new member of the Altoona Fire Department who is officially ready to serve. The Altoona City Council was introduced to Lucille, an Accelerant Detection K9 whose main goal is to go through a fire scene and detect any kind of accelerants. When she finds something, she alerts her handler, Justin Smithmyer, by lying … Read more
Five people were arrested over the weekend during a Blair County DUI Task Force roving patrol. The task force was out on the roads on Saturday, June 11, and five people were arrested while a total of 85 contacts were made with individuals. Only two were arrested for DUI. One was taken into custody on … Read more
According to the Blair County District Attorney’s office, a Williamsburg teenager who pleaded guilty to stabbing a home healthcare nurse with a sword was sentenced Thursday afternoon. Authorities say Michael Watson, now age 17, was charged as an adult with numerous felonies, including attempted homicide and aggravated assault, in April of 2020 after police say … Read more
Dr. Mehmet Oz, the celebrity heart surgeon endorsed by former President Donald Trump, officially won Pennsylvania’s Republican U.S. Senate primary on Wednesday, narrowly defeating former hedge fund CEO David McCormick after a dayslong statewide recount buffeted by litigation that reached the nation’s highest court. The recount determined that Oz had eked out a victory over … Read more
An Altoona man that was wanted on attempted homicide charges since April has been arrested along with a woman that police say hindered the arrest. Charles Mobley, 33, and Julie McCloskey, 33, of Hollidaysburg, were both placed in Blair County Prison after their respective arraignments. Mobley was wanted for an attempted homicide incident that happened … Read more
The Pennsylvania Senate passed Republican-sponsored legislation Tuesday to prohibit transgender women from participating in women’s sports. The proposal, which passed 30-20, now heads to the House, where an identical bill was previously approved. One Democrat, Sen. Lisa Boscola of Northampton County, crossed party lines to vote in favor of the Senate version. Sponsored by Sen. … Read more