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Bridgefield man arrested on child rape charges

A Bridgefield man was taken into custody after allegedly following a 5-year-old family member into a bathroom and touching her inappropriately. James Frederick Waxter, 75, was arraigned Thursday by Magisterial District Judge Kayla Hetzel on 25 felony counts, including rape of a child, ...

Altoona Area Public Library’s Storytellers on Stage series features Civil War novelist

With Civil War stories at the front line of the conversation, novelist Jeffery Shaara is slated to visit the Mishler Theatre at 7 p.m. Oct. 20 for the Altoona Area Public Library’s second Storytellers on Stage event. Son of “Killer Angels” author and Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Shaara, New York Times bestselling author Jeffery Shaara is best known for his books, “Gods and Generals,” the prequel to “Killer Angels,” and “The Last Full Measure,” the sequel to “Killer Angels.” “He does extensive research on moments in American history and tells the story of ...

Superior Court upholds Nanty Glo man’s long prison sentence

The Pennsylvania Superior Court, in an opinion issued Thursday, upheld the conviction and lengthy prison term imposed on a Nanty Glo man for the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl. The incidents charged to James G. Smith Jr., 40, who is presently incarcerated in the State Correctional ...

Bellwood-Antis arson suspect furloughed from prison

The former Bellwood-Antis High School student accused of setting the district’s middle school on fire in December 2024 was furloughed from prison Monday to participate in a community-based intensive treatment program. Elias Izaha Lynn Alley, 21, faces single felony counts of arson, ...

Former Blair DA returns to office

Former Blair County District Attorney David Gorman returned to the DA’s Office Monday as an assistant district attorney following a 20-year career at the Attorney General’s Office. Gorman’s employment was approved Thursday by commissioners Amy Webster and Laura Burke. “I’ve always ...