Published: November 19, 2009 11:04 pm      

In brief | Ebensburg man killed in tractor accident

EBENSBURG – An Ebensburg area man died Thursday as the tractor he was driving rolled over onto him.

Duane Sherry, 58, was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:52 p.m. said Cambria County Coroner Dennis Kwiatkowski.

An autopsy was scheduled this morning to determine the cause of death.

Sherry was felling a tree at his residence and was using a front-end loader to haul away the wood. It appears that as he was dumping a load over a hillside, the tractor went down the embankment and rolled over onto him, Kwiatkowski said.



EMF fire damages conveyor belt

A fire Wednesday night at EMF Development Corp. on River Avenue in Franklin destroyed a pile of scrap and damaged a conveyor belt, Franklin Volunteer Fire Company Chief Jeff Weir said Thursday.

He estimated damage to the belt at between $3,000 and $5,000.

In addition to the Franklin company, volunteers from Conemaugh, East Taylor, Cover Hill, Richland, Oakland-Lorain and Nanty Glo responded to the alarm, turned in about 8:30 p.m. It took about a half hour for the fire to be brought under control, Weir said.



Burglars grab TV from N. Cambria home

NORTHERN CAMBRIA – A 52-inch Sony plasma television was stolen from a residence in the 100 block of Linden Avenue on Tuesday or Wednesday.

The burglars got in by forcing open a rear door, state police said.



Registrations due for benefit sale, party

A holiday sale and silent auction to benefit the nonprofit organization Dreams Blossom will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Dec. 6 at Holiday Inn Johnstown-Downtown, 250 Market St.

A New Year Recreation Party with live music will be held at 5 p.m. Dec. 6, also at the Holiday Inn.

Today is the deadline to register. The cost is $45 per person.

Proceeds from both events will benefit those with special needs.

Information: 659-7595 or www.dreamsblossom.org.



Holocaust survivor to recount experiences

NEW FLORENCE – Holocaust survivor Robert Mendler of Latrobe will speak at 6 p.m. Monday at Laurel Valley Middle High School.

Mendler will share a film of his liberation from the Auschwitz concentration camp, discuss his experiences and answer questions from the audience.

The event is free and open to the public.



As pounds go down, food banks benefit

A Johnstown group joined the fight against two global epidemics – hunger and obesity – by participating in the Lose For Good campaign.

As local Weight Watchers members lose weight, they have been collecting food to donate to St. Benedict Roman Catholic Church, 2310 Bedford St., to help their neighbors in need.

Within seven weeks, the group lost 1,212 pounds and collected 453 pounds of food.

On a national level, for every million pounds Weight Watchers members lost between Aug. 31 and Oct. 17, the organization pledged to donate up to $1 million to Share Our Strength and Action Against Hunger.

In addition, Weight Watchers staff and members participated in more than 3,300 voluntary food drives in meeting rooms throughout the country where they collected and donated an estimated 2 million pounds of food to local food banks.



Presents will brighten holiday for patients

With help from the community, more than 300 residents in Cambria County nursing homes, assisted living facilities and personal care homes will benefit from Presents For Patients.

The holiday campaign encourages residents to “adopt” patients from participating care facilities and personally deliver a present to their patient.

Cambria County facilities participating in the program are: Harmony House Manor in Johnstown, Rebekah Manor in Portage, Rebekah Wellness Community Manor in Ebensburg, Richland Woods in Johnstown and South Fork Welcome Home.

For additional information or to register, call (866) 500-4737 or go to www.presentsforpatients.com



Child safety seat checkup available

EBENSBURG – State police will conduct a free child safety seat checkup event from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Monday at the Ebensburg station in the Cambria County Industrial Park.

Certified child passenger technicians will offer car seat inspections and assistance with proper installation. An evaluation of each seat for possible recalls will be conducted.