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East Broad Top Railroad salutes Big Boy

ROCKHILL FURNACE — The historic East Broad Top Railroad will celebrate Union Pacific’s famed Big Boy No. 4014 as the world’s largest operating steam locomotive passes through Huntingdon County on July 8 as part of its America250 tour. As Big Boy travels across Pennsylvania, thousands of railroad enthusiasts are expected to gather along the Norfolk Southern main line to witness this rare event. East Broad Top staff and volunteers will be near historic Hunt Tower in Huntingdon to welcome visitors, share in the excitement and offer hot dogs, light refreshments and railroad ...

Blair Township hosts block party

To kick off the America250 celebration in Blair Township, supervisors and staff joined together on Flag Day to raise the 13-star “Betsy Ross Flag” over the municipal building. Pictured (from left) are Eric Calhoun, police officer; Kami Bilek, secretary/treasurer; Paul Amigh, supervisor; ...

Clock ticking for skill games rules

The state Supreme Court ruling giving lawmakers four months to decide a course of action on skill games fits with earlier legislative timetables for expanding legalized gambling. The court ruled Monday that the tens of thousands of skill games machines in tavern and convenience stores are illegal gambling devices. The governor and General Assembly can decide whether to legalize, tax and regulate them or do nothing and let prosecutors crack down. And they have until mid-October to reach a decision, according to the court. That leaves decision-making time in the weeks before the general ...

No mail delivery for Juneteenth holiday

The Altoona Mirror will be printing a Friday, June 19, paper. Due to the Juneteenth holiday, however, mail delivery customers will not receive their newspaper until Saturday. The Friday Mirror will be available at altoonamirror.com and on the All Access app. Mirror subscribers who have not yet activated their online or All Access account are urged to do so.

Film office awards give state an economy boost

Pennsylvania Film Commissioner Gino Anthony Pesi announced the Pennsylvania Film Office has awarded $117 million through the Film Production Tax Credit Program to a record 59 projects, estimated to inject a total of $1.1 billion into the economy in 35 counties across the Commonwealth. These investments will also generate $68.7 million in state and local tax revenue and create or support more than 11,700 jobs. The Film Production Tax Credit Program awards for 2025-26 include high-profile economic drivers like Paramount’s “Mayor of Kingstown” (season 5), the Netflix series ...

Artists begin painting murals at Gable’s building in downtown Altoona

Last year on July 4, Elizabeth Garber sat by herself on a blanket in a field near DelGrosso’s Amusement Park to watch the holiday fireworks. The grass around her was high, and the moon and the fireflies were out, and it seemed to be “a little piece of fantasy come to life — a slice ...