Hi Altoona! We have the latest buzz right here. Let's keep you in the loop and get this morning started right! ☕️️
In today's newsletter:
Today's riddle: What is the difference between a jeweler and a jailer? 🤔 (Answer below!)
1. Altoona City Employee Fired For Racist Comment (lightnercommunications.com) — Altoona city officials have fired code officer Scott Campanaro after he posted a racist Facebook comment suggesting Black people should be barred from Mansion Park. The city says a previously planned City Hall-wide training will now place greater emphasis on addressing racism and appropriate conduct by employees.
2. Logan Valley Mall tenants, officials voice frustration with conditions as owner defends upkeep (wtaj.com) — Logan Valley Mall tenants and Altoona-area officials say worsening maintenance problems, outages, and unpaid service bills are hurting businesses and driving away shoppers, while the out-of-state owner insists the property is being properly maintained. Local leaders are pressing for state intervention and hoping a new developer can eventually revitalize the once-bustling Blair County retail hub.
3. Dolly Parton's Imagination Library carries on legacy in Altoona (wtaj.com) — Families in Altoona can continue enrolling children under five in Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, which the Altoona Area School District launched in 2024 to boost early literacy. Local donations have surged since Parton's passing, helping mail free monthly books to kids in the 16601, 16602 and 16603 ZIP codes and strengthening family connections around reading.
4. Altoona Parking Authority updates lighting, security cameras in SP+ Parking Garage (altoonamirror.com) — Downtown Altoona's SP+ Parking Garage on 11th Avenue now has about 100 new LED light panels and 18 security cameras, aiming to make parking feel safer and more welcoming. Local business owners and commuters say the brighter, constantly lit garage is changing their habits, reassuring early-morning and late-night parkers and even attracting out-of-town visitors to leave cars in Altoona.
5. Altoona VA medical center partners to repair 'The Wall That Heals' (wtaj.com) — A long-standing veterans memorial at Altoona's James E. Van Zandt VA Medical Center is being restored through a new partnership with the Central Pennsylvania Community Foundation. More than $20,000 has been raised toward a $250,000 goal to repair and maintain The Wall That Heals, with officials aiming to finish the work and rename it the Veteran Wall That Heals by year's end.
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Ok Altoona! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: A jeweler sells watches and a jailer watches cells. (Thank you Jean D. for sending it in!)
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