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Tyrone Borough to host chocolate festival

TYRONE — The Nov. 7 Gardners Candies Chocolate Harvest Festival is a new event Tyrone Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rose Black said she’s been wanting to do for nearly 40 years. This year, the Tyrone Events and Promotions committee decided to pursue the chocolate festival idea and partnered with Gardners Candies, which picked the date and is branding the event, according to Black. During the chamber’s regular meeting Wednesday, Black said the event will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on 10th Street in Tyrone Borough. The street will be blocked off and feature ...

Portage Area Elementary School building found safe after mold discovery

PORTAGE — Although mild mold spores were found in the Portage Area Elementary School in early July, the building is safe for occupancy, and teachers are excited to welcome their students back to school in a couple weeks, Acting Superintendent Krystal Smith said. During Wednesday’s school board meeting, Smith said the district hired an outside company, Allegheny Mountain Research, to come in and test the affected areas, which were located in the lower level of the building, with the front of the building having a higher spore concentration than the backside. The district got those ...

Altoona zoning board approves 3 variances

The city zoning hearing board approved three variances Wednesday afternoon for a small landscaping company to use a vacant lot as a storage yard in an area zoned as residential neighborhood. Franklin Reed Jr., owner and operator of Frank’s Down to Earth Landscaping, applied for the variances that would allow him to have a contractor/storage yard in a residential zone, allow a reduced buffer area and provide only landscaped screening, as well as allow less than a 50-foot setback from the street right-of-way, online documents state. Reed purchased the parcels of 1320 and 1322 N. Fourth ...

Logan Township Police Department gets grant for 2 drones

The Logan Township Police Department has received a $14,200 grant from Norfolk Southern that will pay for two drones, along with drone operator training, according to a department Facebook post. In addition to helping the department deal with derailments, right-of-way trespass, rail yard ...

Off the rails: Crews still working to clean up derailment at Horseshoe Curve

An investigation into the derailment of about a dozen train cars traveling westward Tuesday afternoon along Altoona’s Horseshoe Curve remains underway, according to Norfolk Southern officials. Senior communications manager Kasandra Jenkins wrote in an email that no injuries were reported ...

Clearfield men appeal sentences in bombing

Two Clearfield County men sentenced recently to life in prison for the bombing death of 34-year-old Shawna Carlson have filed appeals with the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia. U.S. District Judge Stephanie L. Haines in Johnstown on July 22 sentenced Clint Addleman, 49, ...