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COVID-19

Pa. sees new virus cases top 1,300

Pennsylvania reported its highest number of confirmed coronavirus infections in more than five months on Thursday, with the governor expressing concern but contending the state is in a much better position now to handle the influx than it was at the beginning of the pandemic. The Department of Health said another 1,376 people tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19, the second consecutive day that new infections rose above 1,300. Thursday’s statewide case count was the highest since April 30, when Pennsylvania recorded 1,397 new infections. The average daily number of ...

Hollidaysburg, Tyrone students test positive for COVID-19

Hollidaysburg Area and Tyrone Area school districts notified parents this week that the districts had confirmed cases of COVID-19. In a letter to parents and guardians dated Thursday, Oct. 8, Hollidaysburg said that an individual at the high school tested positive for COVID-19. “As you are aware, this is the second confirmed COVID case within the past two weeks,” states the letter from Superintendent Robert J. Gildea. “School administration immediately began implementing contact tracing protocol and is currently awaiting additional guidance from the Department of ...

Blair hiring election helpers

HOLLIDAYSBURG — Blair County expects to hire 10 to 20 people, at $10 an hour, to handle the opening and processing of mailed ballots being submitted for the Nov. 3 election. The county salary board voted Thursday to hire temporary staff to help the elections office process thousands of mailed ballots rendered in light of the coronavirus pandemic. So far, the county has responded to 16,000 requests for mailed ballots, with more requests being filed. TChe deadline to apply is Oct. 27. County Administrator/Chief Clerk Nicole Hemminger told the salary board Thursday that the elections ...

Virus response dominates VP debate

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence defended the Trump administration’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 210,000 Americans while his Democratic challenger, Kamala Harris, condemned “the greatest failure of any presidential administration” during a largely civil debate Wednesday night dominated by the coronavirus. With Trump recovering from the virus in Washington, Harris declared she would not take a vaccine if the Republican president endorsed it without the backing of medical professionals. Pence, who leads the president’s ...

Families restructure child care during pandemic

Carey Pierce, a mother of four, is balancing her family’s safety, education and income. Pierce, 43, lives in Altoona with her children and husband. After three years working as a caretaker, she found herself between jobs in May. When a local organization offered her a new position, she ...

Altoona Area School District bucks Wolf on sports attendance

The Altoona Area School Board voted to allow 25% capacity at indoor and outdoor sporting events, going against Gov. Tom Wolf’s reinstated mandate. The decision passed with a 6-3 vote. A federal appeals court last week reinstated the governor’s limitation on sporting events of 250 people at outdoor events and 25 for indoor events. Altoona’s decision will require that attendees wear masks and that the district place signs advising people that they are incurring a risk by attending. District officials said this would translate to an approximate maximum of 600 people allowed ...