COSBY FREE

Hours after Bill Cosby was released from prison and a court overturned his sexual assault conviction, his spokesperson Andrew Wyatt spoke to the press from Cosby’s Pennsylvania home. Wyatt said Cosby was upstairs relaxing in bed and was happy to be amongst the comforts of home… http://blogaudio.virtualnewscenter.com/WRTA-070121-WYATT-COSBY.mp3

Gov. Wolf Signs the Budget

Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday signed a roughly $40 billion budget package that passed last week, as he touted the importance of new funding for public schools. The hundreds of pages of budget legislation emerged publicly from closed-door negotiations on Friday and won approval within hours in the Republican-controlled Legislature. The package holds the line … Read more

AIRPORT IMPROVEMENTS THANKS TO FEDERAL GRANT

The Altoona-Blair County Airport is getting a federal grant of just over $423,000 to cover the remaining cost of finishing a runway improvement project. U.S. Rep. John Joyce said Tuesday, the project should now be able to be wrapped up by the end of the summer. The airport started the crosswinds runway improvement project last … Read more

BROADBAND STUDY UNDERWAY

Alleghenies Broadband Inc is a 501(c) nonprofit organization organized under the Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission. The group is now seeking to upgrade broadband in the region, and this week they asked Altoona City Council to set aside about $5.8 million from its American Rescue Plan allocation to help get the job done. The … Read more

PA Mask Mandate Lifted

Pennsylvania lifted its mask mandate earlier today, more than 14 months after Gov. Tom Wolf began requiring people to wear face coverings whenever they left home to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Department of Health will no longer require unvaccinated people to wear masks in public, though it said businesses, health care facilities, prisons … Read more

MAN DIES IN WEEKEND MISHAP AT CANOE CREEK STATE PARK

A tragic end over the weekend to a search for a missing man at Canoe Creek State Park. Search and rescue crews discovered the body of 23 year old Chad Skinner of Williamsburg around 6PM Sunday in the waters of Canoe Creek Lake. The searchers were called in just after 3 yesterday afternoon on a … Read more

NO MORE MASKS!

Pennsylvania’s universal mask mandate was officially finally lifted this morning at one minute past midnight. It’s been more than one year since Pennsylvanians started wearing face coverings and now, they are getting a breath of fresh air. Effective today, all Pennsylvanians, vaccinated or not, are no longer required to wear a mask, and many say … Read more

VOTING PROTECTION ACT APPROVED

The Pennsylvania Senate on Friday, approved comprehensive measures to improve the Commonwealth’s elections when it sent to the governor the Voting Rights Protection Act. According to a recent poll by Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, 74% of those polled support requirements that voters show an identification card when voting in person and 81% are … Read more

Police Chase Ends in Fatality

Authorities say one person died in a Centre County crash following a police chase that started in Clinton County Wednesday night. State police say they tried to pull over a driver around 8 p.m. on I-80 westbound near mile marker 178 in Lamar Township, but the driver refused to stop. Troopers say the driver sped … Read more

WARD CO-SPONSORS BILL TO BLOCK VACCINATION PROOF

The State Senate sent Governor Tom Wolf a proposal that would block the state, as well as any county, municipality, school district, college, or university, from requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination. The bill was sponsored by Senators Kristin Phillips-Hill and Judy Ward, who explained what it is all about… http://blogaudio.virtualnewscenter.com/WRTA-062521-WARD-BLOCKSTATE.mp3 Senator Hill added… http://blogaudio.virtualnewscenter.com/WRTA-062521-HILL-BLOCKSTATE.mp3