Breaking News

COVID-19

Blair allocates CARES funds

HOLLIDAYSBURG — Eight local governments or governmental agencies will collectively receive as much as $2.23 million to offset their COVID-19 related expenses. Blair County commissioners on Wednesday approved a listing of recipients and maximum grants to be afforded with part of the $11 million allocation to Blair County from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. Based on a unanimous vote by commissioners Bruce Erb, Laura Burke and Amy Webster, funds will be distributed as follows, after submission of all required documents: * AMED — $1.5 million. * Logan ...

Bellwood-Antis to stay remote until Jan.11

BELLWOOD — Bellwood-Antis School Board members voted Tuesday to continue all remote learning through Jan. 11. The district began the school year with five days a week face-to-face instruction — one of only a few in the area to do so. But on Nov. 24, after COVID-19 cases started to surface in the district, the board decided to move to full remote learning through Friday. Board members were split on plans to continue with remote learning, but the motion passed by a 5-4 margin. Voting yes were Hope Ray, Bob Fisher, Tim Mallon, Kathy Burch and Chris McCartney while Tom Finn, Kevin ...

UPMC ‘not overwhelmed’ by COVID

UPMC hospitals, including UPMC Altoona, are managing to handle the onslaught of coronavirus cases in the regions it serves, according to Leslie Davis, CEO of the Health Services Division, speaking at a virtual news conference Tuesday. “We’re busy, but we’re not overwhelmed,” Davis said. “There’s no need to feel nervous or anxious.” But that doesn’t mean it hasn’t needed to make moves to keep things under control in the 6,000-bed system, where 20% of inpatients are being treated for COVID-19 and 25% of those are in intensive care. Last Wednesday at Altoona, UPMC ...

Over half of Loretto inmates have virus

An outbreak of COVID-19 has infected more than half the inmates at the Federal Correctional Institution at Loretto, with 445 currently positive — second most among the 122 prisons in the federal prison system, according to the Bureau of Prisons website. There are also 24 staff members currently positive — but there have been no inmate or employee deaths due to COVID-19 at the low-security facility, which houses 811, according to the website. Seventy inmates and 10 staff members have recovered from COVID-19 at the prison, where all visitation has been suspended, according to the ...

Parents should prepare kids for ‘contactless’ visit with Santa

Like everything else in 2020, taking children to visit with Santa Claus has been impacted by COVID-19. This year, children won’t be allowed to sit on Santa’s lap during most in-person visits, so parents should prepare kids in advance, local Santas and experience providers say. Parents ...

County inmates getting food delivered

HOLLIDAYSBURG — Blair County has started depending on the operators of Prime Sirloin restaurant to prepare food for county prison inmates. Commissioners on Tuesday authorized the arrangement that developed last week in response to the increasing amount of inmates testing positive for COVID-19. A week ago, the county said that 43 inmates had tested positive for COVID-19, with additional results pending because Prime Care Medical was in the process of testing all inmates. As of Tuesday, 129 of the prison’s 230 inmates had tested positive, Warden Abbie Tate said. Prime Care ...