Published: April 14, 2009 11:37 pm      

IN BRIEF | May 15 hearing set in homicide case

SOMERSET – A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for a Jerome man charged with criminal homicide in the shooting death earlier this month of his wife.

William A. McTonic is to appear before before District Judge Art Cook at 9:30 a.m. May 15.

The body of Ruth Anne Henderson-McTonic, 73, was found on the back porch of her residence on School Street in Jerome by relatives around 9:30 a.m. April 3.

She had been shot twice in the upper chest with a .22-caliber firearm, said police in Conemaugh Township (Somerset County).

Neighbors told police they heard what they believed to have been three gunshots the evening of April 2, but disregarded the sounds, believing they came from a nearby target shooting club.

William McTonic, also 73, who resides in the 100 block of Railroad Avenue, was apprehended shortly after noon April 3 in Somerset and was charged later that day with criminal homicide.

He remained in Somerset County Jail on Tuesday without bond.



3 area operations receive state funds

HARRISBURG – Operations in Somerset and Bedford counties are among those sharing in $12.2 million in new state investments designed to help Pennsylvania’s agriculture and tourism industries, Gov. Ed Rendell announced this week.

The funds will help farmers buy new land, livestock and equipment, and complete construction and renovation work on projects that are designed to attract tourists.

The Commonwealth Financing Authority approved loans and guarantees for 35 projects in 19 counties.

Among them were:

Somerset County

• $50,000 tourism loan to B.P. and M.R. Smith, doing business as Confluence Cyclery, toward the $244,665 construction costs to renovate the second floor of a newly acquired building in Confluence and finance working capital costs.

• $75,000 tourism loan to Judith Pletcher toward the $150,343 construction costs of renovating a hostel in Rockwood to accommodate travelers.

Bedford County

• $70,500 agriculture loan to Melinda and Steven Smith toward the $141,000 construction costs in Woodbury and purchase of manure handling equipment in Woodbury.



Thief grabs $1,500 from Stoystown home

STOYSTOWN – State police are looking for the person who stole $1,500 from a Stoystown man’s home.

Troopers said the thief entered a home on Black Hills Road between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning.

The thief went throughout the house before taking the cash and leaving.



Allegany college plans open house

The Somerset County Campus of Allegany College of Maryland will kick off its 20th anniversary celebration with an open house from 10 a.m. to noon Monday.

The 70-acre campus is located at 6022 Glades Pike, east of Somerset.

A program featuring special announcements by government, community and college officials will be held at 11 a.m.

Students will lead tours of the campus, where the college has been located since 1994.

A special exhibit will be on display showing images of the college’s development and a timeline of highlights during the past 20 years.

Refreshments will be served by students from the adjacent Somerset County Technology Center. Allegany’s Somerset County campus partners with the vo-tech on several programs to strengthen adult and continuing education, including its Institute for Workforce Development and Training,

The event is free and open to the public.