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Altoona man arrested for trying to steal vehicle in store parking lot

A city man is behind bars after allegedly trying to steal a vehicle out of a Dollar General parking lot while intoxicated. Erickson Sheirdan McKinnon, 36, was arraigned Tuesday by Magisterial District Judge Benjamin F. Jones on single felony counts of robbery and theft, as well as a single ...

Portage Summerfest kicks off events Friday

Portage Summerfest will be held today, Friday, Aug. 7, through Sunday, Aug. 9, at Crichton McCormick Park. There is no admission charge and parking is free. The festival grounds open at 4 p.m. today, with Old 97, a Johnny Cash tribute band, slated to take the main stage at 5 p.m. Food and vendor booths will be open throughout the weekend, along with inflatable rides, a dime pitch, kids activities, bingo, and entertainment on both the gazebo and main stages. Saturday features the Mustang Dash 5K at 7:30 a.m. Bingo begins at 1 p.m. in the bingo tent and the Summerfest parade, sponsored ...

Bedford America250 parade set for Sunday

The Bedford County America250 Parade will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9, in downtown Bedford. The parade was postponed from last week. Those taking part in the parade should report to the Bedford County Fairgrounds for staging and line-up starting at 1 p.m. The parade will begin at the fairgrounds, travel east on Pitt Street (Route 30), turn right on Juliana Street and disband at the National Museum of the American Coverlet.

State’s counties facing rising emergency costs

Pennsylvania lawmakers once again declined to increase the state’s 911 surcharge in this year’s budget, leaving counties to cover rising costs for emergency call centers on their own. The surcharge — a monthly, flat-rate phone fee Pennsylvanians pay to support emergency services — helps cover the costs of personnel, technology, and maintenance of 61 call centers operating statewide. But according to 2024 data from the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, counties end up covering almost 20% of those expenses themselves. The association advocated for increasing the ...

Pennsylvania lawmakers still at odds over murder sentences

When one of the men responsible for killing her brother agreed to plead to second-degree murder, the law’s lack of ambiguity made Melody Kocis Bartusek and her parents feel comfortable with the agreement. He would be in prison forever, she said. That same inflexibility moved Nancy Leichter to support the release of the two men who likely gave her father the shock that prompted his fatal heart attack. They didn’t deserve to be in prison forever, she said. In March, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life without parole for second- degree murder, the sentencing ...

Measure would force state into federal school choice tax credit

Gov. Josh Shapiro has not indicated whether Pennsylvania will opt into a new federal tax credit program that supporters say would generate hundreds of millions of dollars in scholarships, mostly for private school tuition. A bipartisan group of Senators said Wednesday they will introduce legislation to make the decision for Shapiro and have the state join the Educational Freedom Tax Credit program. The measure would have to also clear the Democrat-controlled House, and even then, Shapiro could veto the legislation if he decides to do so. Three other states — Kansas, Kentucky and ...