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State lawmakers pushing for free lead testing for children

The Pennsylvania House voted Monday to send the Senate legislation mandating lead testing for all children by age 2 at no cost to their parents. Currently, doctors are instructed to consider whether there are known risks that justify testing a child for lead exposure and consulting with the child’s parents to determine whether they want the test done. The state updated the lead testing law through Act 150 of 2022 but only after watering down language that would have called for the sort of universal testing lawmakers are now seeking in House Bill 916. Federal law already dictates that ...

Huntingdon hosts Juneteenth celebration

The annual Huntingdon County Juneteenth Celebration will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 27, at Portstown Park in Huntingdon. The Huntingdon County Juneteenth Celebration Committee serves as host for this event. Anthony Bullett, committee chair, said the event is later this year so as not to interfere with celebrations in neighboring counties. “Our celebration was among the first in the area and we are heartened by the proliferation of festivals in our vicinity,” he said. “We also want to acknowledge the efforts of Harriet Gaston, academic advisor at Penn State ...

Court rejects convicted drug trafficker’s appeal of lengthy sentence

A former Altoona man who played a major role in a Baltimore-to-Altoona cocaine ring that operated more than a decade ago has lost Superior Court challenges to his sentence and hefty fine imposed by Senior Blair County Judge Daniel J. Milliron. Jermaine Samuel, 46, who presently is ...

Farmers markets open new season

HOLLIDAYSBURG — Local vendors are offering customers a slice of summertime along with a cup of community this season at regional farmers markets. Hollidaysburg, Altoona and Bedford recently opened their farmers markets for the season, each location bringing in local farms, restaurants ...

US begins retaliatory strikes on Iran

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The U.S. military said Tuesday that it carried out strikes on Iran following the crash of an Army helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz that U.S. President Donald Trump blamed on the Islamic Republic. Tehran vowed to respond. The strikes were “a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression,” U.S. Central Command said on social media. Iranian state media reported that explosions were heard on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping lane that Iran has effectively closed during the war, before saying the wave of American ...

Tyrone school board approves final 2026-27 budget

TYRONE — The final 2026-27 general fund budget with a 4.9% increase in millage was approved during the Tyrone Area School Board’s regular session Tuesday, along with the hiring of Derrick Soellner as the district’s new business administrator. The budget’s total revenues are set at $31.1 million, and expenditures total $31.9 million, leaving the district with an overall deficit of about $885,765. Total expenditures were up $18,507 from what was proposed in May. Outgoing business administrator Faith Swanson said the reason is because a collective bargaining agreement the board ...