Nurses from UPMC Altoona held a vigil in front of the hospital Wednesday evening to commemorate the lives of the 43 Blair County people who have died from COVID-19 and to encourage everyone to wear masks. Gathering along Howard Avenue, the nurses set out small battery-operated candles on the ...
The intensity of the state’s COVID-19 outbreak has forced the Department of Health to prioritize contact tracing to protect the most vulnerable and to help control the virus in areas where the eruption is most severe, the department’s director of testing and contact tracing said on a conference call Wednesday. “We have an incredible spike in cases,” Michael Huff said on the day when new COVID-19 positives first broke 6,000 cases. “It’s a very dangerous time.” It’s most dangerous for older people, those with underlying health problems and those in congregate settings ...
Area colleges and universities have extended their winter breaks to mitigate student travel during the holidays. Penn State Altoona, Saint Francis University, Mount Aloysius College and Juniata College adjusted their fall schedules earlier this year in preparation for an expected surge in cases now. Each will be closing dorms earlier than in previous years and using virtual learning. “We did this purposefully because we didn’t want students going home for Thanksgiving and returning to campus,” said Erin McCloskey, Saint Francis assistant vice president for communications and ...
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is encouraging Pennsylvanians to prepare for the upcoming winter heating season. The PUC recently launched its annual “Prepare Now” winter heating campaign, underscoring the importance of consumers, businesses and utilities working together ...
The Wolf administration on Tuesday tightened its guidance in response to the state’s swelling coronavirus numbers — fortifying an order on masking, adding an order on traveling, setting “expectations” for hospitals and making recommendations for colleges. The changes came as Pennsylvania set its 12th daily record for new cases since Oct. 23, with 5,900 positives — almost three times the high in April, when the pandemic began. The weather has turned colder, driving people indoors, facilitating spread of the virus here, as it has fueled spread in the Mountain West and Upper ...
HOLLIDAYSBURG — If Blair County commissioners want to adopt a no-tax-hike budget for 2021, they may have to rely on reserve funds to cover a projected $2.52 million deficit. Commissioners, who are slated to convene Friday to introduce a 2021 budget, met Tuesday afternoon to review the latest draft. It shows expenses at $57.38 million, outpacing revenue projected at $54.86 million. The $2.52 million difference is down from the $4.29 million deficit reported in October when commissioners reviewed the first draft of the 2021 budget. Without additional budget cuts, commissioners will ...
