St. Francis hosting

reading conference

LORETTO – St. Francis University will present the fourth annual “Heights of Delight” reading conference from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. April 4 on campus.

The keynote speaker is Patricia Harrison Easton, author of books for children and adults. She is the recipient of the 2008 Beverly Cleary Children’s Choice Award.

Sessions include: An address by the keynote speaker, motivation for students, literacy and science, bringing real life into literacy and life lessons using children’s literature. The cost for the conference is $70 for an education professional or friend of reading and $25 for a full-time student. The fee includes meals.

Act 48 hours are available.

Registration is required by Monday.

For more information or to register, please contact the university’s education department at 472-3147.

Man assaulted girls

at Wal-Mart, police say

INDIANA – State police are looking for a man who indecently assaulted two girls Tuesday at the Wal-Mart on Route 286 in White Township.

Police said that, around 5:30 p.m., the two girls were looking at toys when the man approached them and grabbed their buttocks.

The girls screamed, with the suspect fleeing through the front door and entering a white van or possibly a sport utility vehicle.

The man was described as white, in his mid- to late 30s, and 6 feet tall with a medium build. He was balding with a shaved head and had a dark goatee. He was wearing a black jacket and bluejeans.

Drug arrests made

in Blair County

TYRONE – Fourteen Blair County residents, classified as street-level drug dealers, have been charged with dealing a variety of drugs in the Tyrone area.

Five of the accused are thought to be associated with members of the Bloods street gang and were charged earlier this month. They are David Bonsell, 31, Rebecca Bonsell, 29, William Green, 29, Catherine Watson, 30, all with Altoona addresses, and Guy Allen Walter, 24, who is in the Blair County Jail.

The Attorney General’s Office said the majority of the 14 are from the Tyrone area and the others are from the Altoona area.

YWCA lifeguard course begins March 29

A Red Cross lifeguard course will begin at 8:30 a.m. March 29 at the YWCA of Greater Johnstown, 526 Somerset St. in the Kernville section.

Classes will be held on Saturdays only.

For more information or to register, call 536-3519.

State announces

tourism grants

HARRISBURG – The state announced this week a $5 million investment that will help regional tourism marketing groups work together to bring more people to some of the state’s under-visited areas, and strengthen attendance at the state’s most popular attractions.

Among the tourism groups receiving money was the Ligonier-based Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau, which received $150,000.

Pennsylvania welcomes about 138 million visitors annually.

The impact of travelers’ spending on the Keystone State’s economy is about $27 billion a year, and is responsible for more than 600,000 jobs.

Bid accepted for

Seven Springs project

SEVEN SPRINGS – PennDOT announced Wednesday that bids were accepted for an 11-mile resurfacing job near Seven Springs resort.

The project will consist of resurfacing about 11 miles of a combination of

Route 3029, also known as Copper Kettle Highway; Route 281, aka Stoystown Road; and Route 3037, aka Trent Road.

New Enterprise Stone and Lime Co. was the low bidder for the $1.75 million project that will be completely paid for with state money. The project is slated to begin the third week of April and is expected to be completed before September.

Teen hospitalized

after stabbing

BERLIN – A Berlin teenager was taken to the hospital after he was stabbed by another juvenile, authorities said.

The incident happened Monday when a 16-year-old pulled a knife and stabbed a 17-year-old at the intersection of Vine and Fletcher streets, Berlin police said.

The incident began earlier at school, police said. Their names have not been released.

The 17-year old was treated at Somerset Hospital for a stab wound to the right side and released. Charges are pending.

Anyone with information may call Berlin police: 445-1525.

Ebensburg clergy sponsoring Good Friday service

EBENSBURG – The Ebensburg clergy will sponsor the Community Ecumenical Good Friday service from noon to 3 p.m. Friday at First Christian Church, 405 W. High St.

The messages of the seven sayings from the cross will be presented by seven members of the local clergy: The Revs. Bret Metcalfe, William Thwing, Daniel Sinisi, Roger Johnson, Clayton Harriger, Don Rainey and James Farrar.

Lawyer Fremont McKenrick and Betty Swank will lead music and the choirs of various churches will perform. Tom Nagy, Fred Williams and Bob Thokar will present solos.

The community is invited to attend all or part of the service.

Inmates charged

with assault in prison

LORETTO – Two inmates at the Federal Correctional Institution here have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Johnstown on a charge of assaulting another inmate, resulting in serious bodily injury.

The indictment claimed that Terry R. Skinner, 20, and Darrell F. Derby, 21, assaulted a fellow inmate Aug. 14. Additional details were not released.

Another inmate there, James Rodriquez, 32, was indicted on a charge of possessing a contraband weapon – a 61/2-inch-long metal rod – on Nov. 29 at the prison.