Shaade Twp Police Dept. 10:59 pm
An update to the story we brought to you Yesterday when the Shade Township supervisors voted to defund its police department due to a lack of tax revenue to pay for the officers.
Shade Township like many other communities are now relying on state police for coverage.
Nearby Windber Borough Police Chief Andrew Frear says his department will only assist the state police as back-up when troopers are responding to calls in surrounding communities.
Frear says Windber remains their priority.
“It’s not fair to the residents instead of state police.”
Frear said Windber Borough has a minimum of 2 officers on duty at all times.
Shade Twp Police Department 10:27 pm
Shade Township Supervisors voted 2-0 Thursday afternoon to officially disband the Shade Township Police Department, with one of the supervisors choosing not to vote.
Last September, officials voted to defund the department, which is made up of three part-time officers.
The Fraternal Order of Police for Bedford and Somerset counties attended Thursday’s meeting to protest the decision.
Shade Township officials said a declining tax base and the economic downturn have made it difficult for the township to provide additional services to residents.
“Our township, and more important, our residents, have experienced economic hardship over the past year,” Shade Township officials wrote in a press release. “Shade believes it is in the best interests of the community to make ends meet through reducing expenses rather than raising municipal taxes.”
The Associated Press
CAIRNBROOK A fire that destroyed a western Pennsylvania home over the weekend claimed the life of one person, authorities said.
Emergency officials in Somerset County said the blaze in Shade Township was reported at 10:30 p.m. Saturday.
Chief Dave Johnson of the Stoystown fire department told The (Somerset) Daily American that crews arrived to find the home engulfed in flames.
He said single-digit temperatures that froze nozzles and also froze up two tankers hampered the battle against the flames. Firefighters from a number of departments in the area rotated shifts and used emergency vehicles to keep warm.
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CAIRNBROOK A fire that destroyed a western Pennsylvania home over the weekend claimed the life of one person, authorities said.
Emergency officials in Somerset County said the blaze in Shade Township was reported at 10:30 p.m. Saturday.
Chief Dave Johnson of the Stoystown fire department told The (Somerset) Daily American that crews arrived to find the home engulfed in flames.
He said single-digit temperatures that froze nozzles and also froze up two tankers hampered the battle against the flames. Firefighters from a number of departments in the area rotated shifts and used emergency vehicles to keep warm.
Fire in Pennsylvania home claims life of 1; cause sought
January 25, 2021 GMT
CAIRNBROOK, Pa. (AP) A fire that destroyed a western Pennsylvania home over the weekend claimed the life of one person, authorities said.
Emergency officials in Somerset County said the blaze in Shade Township was reported at 10:30 p.m. Saturday.
Chief Dave Johnson of the Stoystown fire department told The (Somerset) Daily American that crews arrived to find the home engulfed in flames.
He said single-digit temperatures that froze nozzles and also froze up two tankers hampered the battle against the flames. Firefighters from a number of departments in the area rotated shifts and used emergency vehicles to keep warm.