At left, Robert Edwards was a piano technician at the Arthur Winter Music Store on 11th Avenue in Altoona from 1925 to 1949 and was the personal tuner for Arthur Winter. The photo was submitted by his son, James Edwards of Duncansville.

Readers are encouraged to send or deliver old local photographs of general interest for use in Yesteryear. Information about people and places should be included. Photos must be 30 years old or older and should be sent to Yesteryear, Altoona Mirror, P.O. Box 2008, Altoona, PA 16603, or emailed to community@altoonamirror.com. For more information, call Brenda Carberry, community news coordinator, at 814-946-7459.

Local news on this date

Dec. 13, 1950

Altoona City Councilman George A. Busch said that the damage to trees from the Nov. 25 ice storm was so extensive that the city parks department had to hire two more tree expert companies to help clear damaged trees from city property alone and that the city could not remove downed trees from private homes and property, that the homeowners had to do their own cleanups.

Dec. 13, 1975

The money for the Mountain Lion statue due to sculptor Heinz Warneke, loaned by Mid-State and Central Counties Banks and guaranteed by 26 local people to be paid back, was paid in full today. John Kazmaier, Howard Lindaman, Samuel Port and Frank March made the last payment, March, in memory of his son John, killed in Thailand in 1969 while serving with the Air Force.

Dec. 13, 2000

Altoona Dog Law Enforcement Officer John Iorio reminded pet owners that there was a $100 fine for the first offense of failing to keep your outdoor pets warm in the winter and $500 for a second offense.

Dec. 13, 2015

The Mountain Lion Backpack Program, Jim and Heather Little founders, was to expand to all Altoona Area elementary schools and weekend meals for about 1,500 children, and was to be run by the Blair County Community Action Agency.

Dec. 14, 1950

Altoona merchants lost almost seven days from the Nov. 25-26 ice storm so downtown stores were going to stay open for Christmas shopping until 8:30 p.m. every night except Saturday at 5 p.m. until Christmas.

The Altoona Park and Recreation Board and local Parent, Teachers Associations announced that hand puppet classes would be held at the Baker, Jefferson and Washington Elementary Schools in the evenings before Christmas vacations, taught by area teachers Vivian McTavish, Stuart Nolan and Ethel Williams. After Christmas, classes would be taught at all city elementary schools.

Dec. 14, 1975

The Altoona Chamber of Commerce and the Blair County Convention and Visitors Bureau honored Duane Bordell for his non-paid executive official duties of the Miss Pennsylvania Pageant, in Altoona for the first time this year at the Jaffa Mosque.

The Blair County Sight Conservation Committee, representing the local Lions Clubs, held a Christmas party in the Logan Room of the Penn Alto Hotel for local children with sight problems. At least 13 children attended.

Dec. 14, 2000

MidPenn Legal Services Inc. of Harrisburg was to open an office in Altoona and replace Southern Allegheny’s Legal Aid Inc., which gave legal aid to the poor in 18 counties and was to close in April.

After five weeks of counts and recounts, George W. Bush was named the 43rd President of the United States on the Republican ticket. Both then called for national unity. Bush won the Blair County vote.

Dec. 14, 2015

Certain residents called it gerrymandering when Hollidaysburg Borough Council proposed redrawing the boundary lines for voting wards in Hollidaysburg and Altoona and Blair and Frankstown Townships. Officials said it would even the number of voters in each ward.

Ebensburg, Dan Penatzer borough manager, was applying to the U.S. Department of the Interior to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. A similar effort was tried about 20 years earlier.

Local news compiled by Tim Doyle. National, world news from The Associated Press