PATTON — The body of a Chest Township man was found in the rubble of his one-story home that was destroyed by fire Tuesday afternoon.
He was James Paul Tirpak, 55, who lived near the village of St. Lawrence, north of Patton, said Cambria County Coroner Dennis Kwiatkowski.
Tirpak was pronounced dead at the scene at 5:20 p.m., he said. An autopsy is scheduled for today at Memorial Medical Center.
Tirpak was alone in the house. His wife had left home and was on her way to work, Kwiatkowski said.
The investigation into the fire is continuing, he said.
Altoona woman denies kidnapping
HOLLIDAYSBURG – An Altoona woman is fighting extradition to Massachusetts, where police have charged her with abducting her 13-month-old niece last month.
An attorney for 38-year-old Alyssa Dawn Johnson filed a petition Monday denying she’s the person wanted by police in Swansea, Mass.
A Blair County judge must now schedule an extradition hearing for Johnson, who also uses the first name Kimberly.
She remains jailed on $1 million bond.
Massachusetts police began seeking Johnson after she allegedly drove away with her half sister’s daughter in the car while the baby’s mother went into a gas station Feb. 18. The baby was found hours later, unharmed and abandoned outside a business in Middletown, Conn.
Johnson claims she wasn’t in Massachusetts that day.
Pa. receives $630G for school meals
Sen. Bob Casey said Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded a $630,132 grant to Pennsylvania to increase enrollment in school-meal programs.
“Hunger exacts serious tolls on the health and development of children and can lead to poor health as well as behavioral and developmental issues,” Casey said.
“By ensuring that every eligible child is enrolled in a school-meal program, we can not only reduce hunger and provide proper nutrition, but also prevent obesity, strengthen schools, and boost children’s health, development and school achievement.”
Pennsylvania will use the funds to identify children who are enrolled in Medicaid and eligible to receive school meals but are not signed up for a school-meal program, he said.
The grant is intended to improve access, increase accuracy and reduce paperwork by simplifying the certification and verification process.
Colorectal cancer presentation planned
LORETTO – St. Francis University’s DiSepio Institute for Rural Health and Wellness will host an informational presentation on colorectal cancer at 12:15 p.m. Tuesday.
The presentation will be made at the DiSepio Institute in the Ernest J. Scharpf Family Conference Center, Room 213.
Jennifer Saylor, a member of the Pennsylvania Cancer Education Network, will describe colorectal cancer risks, symptoms and screening procedures.
The presentation is open to the public with no admission fee. Preregistration is required.
To register, contact mkrimmel@francis.edu or 472-2783.
