Breaking News

COVID-19

State lifts moratorium on utility shutoffs

HARRISBURG (AP) — Penn­­­­sylvania’s Public Utility Commission on Thursday approved the lifting of its year-old moratorium preventing utilities from terminating service to all non-paying customers, adopted as Gov. Tom Wolf began ordering shutdowns to fight the spreading coronavirus. The moratorium will lift April 1 for the state’s lower-income utility customers, but the commission also required all of its regulated utilities — including electric, natural gas, water, sewer and telephone — to give them additional payment plan options. Utilities asked as far back as last ...

Mass vaccine clinic in the works

Planning is starting for a mass COVID-19 vaccination clinic, possibly at the Blair County Convention Center. Agencies in Blair County are meeting today to plan for a mass vaccination clinic, although it’s still uncertain when that clinic would occur, according to Blair County Emergency Management Director Mark Taylor. “I would expect it to be coming soon,” Taylor said. The state will notify the county when it learns from the federal government that there will be enough vaccines coming to sustain such a clinic. That advance notice could be as short as two weeks, he ...

Pandemic: Many still face money woes

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Roughly 4 in 10 Americans say they’re still feeling the financial impact of the loss of a job or income within their household as the economic recovery remains uneven one year into the coronavirus pandemic. A new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public ...

Blair gets aid for rent, utilities

HOLLIDAYSBURG — Blair County has received $8.01 million from the state Department of Human Services to help cover rent and utility bills for county residents affected by COVID-19. Commissioners voted Tuesday in favor of naming Blair County Community Action as the designated agency to take applications from tenants and landlords and to determine if they’re eligible for assistance under the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. The county’s money comes from a federal allocation that state lawmakers, in early February, assigned to the state Department of Human Services to ...

Tyrone principals pleased with return

Building principals gave Tyrone Area School Board members an upbeat report Tuesday on students’ return full time to classes last week. Elementary Principal Kristin Musselman said she and her staff are “pleasantly surprised” with students’ performances on mid-year assessments, saying they did “very well,” given the circumstances of an atypical school year due to COVID-19. She added that parents “were really receptive” to last month’s parent-teacher conferences and noted the “very positive vibes happening throughout the building.” “Right now our building is ...

TSA installs shields at Cambria airport

JOHNSTOWN — The Transportation Security Administration has in­­­stalled new acrylic shields at the security checkpoint at John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport as part of the agency’s continued efforts to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The protective shields are in areas where TSA officers typically interact with passengers. This includes the travel document checking, preparing carry-on property for X-ray screening and the property search areas. Travelers are reminded to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention travel guidance as well as local ...