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Hollidaysburg Borough police have arrested a man suspected of vandalizing the office of State Rep. Jim Gregory, R-Blair.
Gregory said he and his staff experienced a “frightening act of violence” Friday morning after an object was thrown through his window on Allegheny Street.
Hollidaysburg Borough Police Chief Rodney Estep said this morning his officers believe the crime was politically motivated.
The suspect is currently being medically treated, and police intend to serve the arrest warrant once the suspect’s treatment is complete, Estep said.
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Blair County law enforcement agencies reported increased drug activity during the coronavirus pandemic, but in some cases, social distancing restrictions hampered their efforts.
“There were two issues that arose from the pandemic,” said Blair County District Attorney Pete Weeks. “We’ve seen more substance abuse, because of the stay-at-home orders and the circumstances brought on by decisions made during the (COVID-19) pandemic.”
The second issue law enforcement encountered was fewer impediments to drug traffickers moving through the community as lockdowns hindered house-to-house investigations, Weeks said.
Several metrics are used to track drug activity within communities, but for clarity and ease of access, the Altoona Mirror requested data from local law enforcement, measuring the number of possession with intent to deliver charges processed from 2018-20.
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At a City Council meeting Monday, the president of the city firefighters’ union questioned the city’s decision not to apply for Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act money from Blair County given that Logan Township applied for the funding and received $622,000.
The city didn’t apply because it’s getting reimbursed for its direct COVID-19 expenses from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and because it wished to defer to AMED and the Central Blair Recreation and Park Commission, which have been damaged financially more than the city by COVID-19, said City Manager Ken Decker.
Penn Highlands Community College $1,030.
While the designated amounts add up to $2.24 million, exceeding the $2.23 million allocation by $8,402, the difference may be covered with money from other CARES grant categories if it becomes available to transfer, County Administrator Nicole Hemminger said. The county is funding up to the amounts listed on the meeting agenda, she said.
Commissioners also acknowledged that applicants in this category were subject to a cap of $1.5 million toward reimbursement of their COVID-19 planning and response expenses. That cap was applied to AMED, which requested more than $1.5 million for reimbursement of COVID-19 response and planning expenses.
Expenses qualifying for reimbursement include personal protective equipment, technology upgrades and workspace partitions, Hemminger said in naming examples acceptable to the state Department of Community and Economic Development.