Year’s top news stories

BY BERNIE HORNICK

Two thousand and eight, the news year, held a little something for everyone.

Religion. Politics. Crime. The economy. Construction flubs.

When the news staff at The Tribune-Democrat had the chance to vote for the top stories of the year, there were plenty to pick from.

This is what editors and news reporters view as 2008’s most compelling local stories:

1) Cambria City church merger.

Few stories captured the range of emotions as did the announcement of church closures in Cambria City and the 10-month wait for the Catholic diocese’s decision.

Beset by shrinking congregations as the overall population base dwindled, the diocese said it could no longer support five churches in one neighborhood.

Out in the community, the stages of grief were palpable: Denial, anger, acceptance.

These churches were touchstones for generations of Johnstowners, holding family memories of baptisms, first communions, weddings and funerals.

Even among non-Catholics, the churches practically defined the Cambria City neighborhood through their cultural and architectural significance, and spoke to the American melting pot. St. Columba drew the Irish; St. Rochus, Croatians; Immaculate Conception, Germans; St. Stephen’s, Slovaks; and SS. Casimir and Emerich, Poles and Hungarians.

In the end, the diocese kept St. Stephen’s and St. Rochus open, which needed the fewest repairs. The other churches will close in the spring.

Two points of view remain, encapsulated in these quotes:

• Michelle Beblar, who worships at St. Stephen’s said, “We have room to grow, and hopefully we can embrace all ethnic backgrounds and make a vibrant, viable parish in the future for Cambria City.”

• St. Columba parishioner Gary Woodruff said, “It’s not going to be the close-knit group of people. It’s just not going to be the same.’’

2) Presidential politics in the region.

Who knew? Pennsylvania’s late primary mattered for the Democratic nomination for president in 2008.

And Johnstown got its full share of attention.

The heated Democratic race was in full swing when Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton all came to town and largely played to packed houses. Bill Clinton swung by Somerset.

“We’ve got to send a message to Washington that says, ‘Enough is enough,’ ’’ Obama said. “I also want to make sure that we use our military wisely, and the war in Iraq was unwise.”

Amid calls for her to withdraw, Obama said Hillary Clinton should stay in the race as long as she wants.

On the Republican side, John McCain already had his nod wrapped up by the spring primary. But before the November general election, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin stumped in Cambria, Somerset and Bedford counties.

3). Washington Street garage cave-in.

Perhaps this was the most predictable of all the top stories. It was just a question of what year it would make the list.

Structural issues forced the city to close the garage’s top floors in 2003. In 2004, an engineering report warned the city that its Washington Street garage was in very poor condition.

And a headline in the Jan. 14, 2006, Tribune-Democrat drummed the point home, “Crumbling garage not a priority – City.”

In the end, luckily, the V-shaped collapse proved to be an embarrassment for the city, when it could have proven to be a disaster.

Somehow, no lives were lost but 19 vehicles worth more than $100,000 were wrecked.

4). John Murtha’s re-election bid.

Johnstown’s longtime congressman managed to add drama to a re-election he should by rights have coasted to: A Democrat running in a Democratic district in a Democratic year.

But U.S. Rep. John Murtha managed to be his own worst enemy. He called his constituents racist, then dug the hole deeper by saying he simply meant to call them redneck.

His gaffes earned him a parody on “Saturday Night Live.”

Murtha himself apparently began to doubt the surety of his campaign, enlisting former President Clinton to stump for him.

An analysis by The Tribune-Democrat showed that Murtha beats his Republican opponents by an average of 32.8 points.

Only in this respect was 2008 a “close’’ election. Murtha trumped challenger Bill Russell by 16 points, 58 percent to 42 percent.

5). 219 back on track.

The Route 219 widening project in Somerset County – a longtime goal for county officials and residents – came close to extinction in 2008 before a public campaign achieved a reversal.

In February, county officials disclosed that the state removed $9 million that had been earmarked for completing the highway between Somerset and Meyersdale. That money would have leveraged $45.8 million in federal funds.

But county commissioners were determined not to let the road go without a fight. They bought software to send thousands of boilerplate and personalized e-mails to state and federal officials. They held a rally.

Pressure from local leaders in Harrisburg persuaded the Legislature to put the money in the budget. The support of Gov. Ed Rendell was considered key.

And with President-elect Obama stressing road and bridge work, the highway could be moved even closer.

6). Defense industry advances.

The defense industry – considered to be at least partly recession-proof – continues to gain ground in Greater Johnstown:

• In August, Kongsberg Defense opened a cavernous manufacturing plant in Richland Township. Scores of workers are expected to be added to its work force, which already tops 50.

• DRS Laurel Technologies boasted 950 employees in mid-November, 250 more than it had the year before.

The company also completed a $5.2 billion merger agreement with Italian defense contractor Finmeccanica.

• Northrup Grumman moved into the new tech park in the city’s Kernville neighborhood.

• In a reverse brain drain, Lockheed Martin said it would move its Global Supply Chain Services unit to Richland Township from South Carolina.

The company plans to employ 135 people there within three years.

7). Local athletes compete at China Olympics.

Two local men who participated in the Olympics in Beijing might not have won medals, but they struck gold in the hearts of local residents.

Sam Sacksen of Somerset took part in the modern pentathlon. It consists of shooting, fencing, swimming, equestrian and running.

He took 18th place and was first among the Americans.

And Brian Sell, a 30-year-old Northern Bedford County High School graduate, finished the 26.2-mile marathon in 2 hours, 16 minutes, enough for 22nd place.

Readers throughout Greater Johnstown followed Sacksen’s exploits through his regular blog printed in The T-D.

This is his view of leaving the tunnel into a sea of people at the opening ceremonies: “An overwhelming sense of pride for being blessed to be given the opportunity to walk in front of the world wearing the uniform of my country hit me, hard.

“I was unable to do anything except stumble along for a few moments and stare before time sped up again and I started to recognize things again.’’

8). Alcohol-fueled wreck claims four.

Portage residents were stunned in late July when one of the most horrific traffic accidents in memory occurred in their backyard, claiming the lives of four young adult men.

“There are just some things we can’t understand,” said Portage Area High School football coach Gary Gouse, who coached three of them.

The Chevy Cavalier carrying the men had crossed into the oncoming lane of Shady Spring Road about 3:30 a.m. July 13, slamming into an oncoming pickup.

The driver of the pickup was charged with DUI and speeding, though state police said the major fault was with the deceased driver of the Chevy, who also was speeding and driving drunk.

Family and friends held a town-wide healing service in honor of the crash victims in September.

9). FreightCar injunction, benefits decision.

Former employees of FreightCar America Inc. in Johnstown won several key court rulings against a company that pulled out and moved railcar-building work to other factories with lower labor costs.

The United Steelworkers of America and the company have been battling it out for years over wages and benefits.

When, in 2007, the company laid off 180 workers, the union said it was to avoid paying them pensions. In January, U.S. District Judge Kim Gibson agreed and said the workers will be paid their benefits.

Further, Gibson issued a preliminary injunction requiring FreightCar to return the laid-off union employees to their jobs pending the lawsuit’s resolution.

An out-of-court settlement was achieved that ended the appeals process.

10). Troubled man charged with killing mom.

This murder case has a number of intriguing elements, including the dumping of a body on state gamelands, a prime suspect fleeing with $15,000 and a pistol, and compelling oral testimony.

Frederick O. Phillips Jr., 51, of Johnstown, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his mother, Anna Phillips, whose body was found in a wooded area in Westmoreland County.

Mrs. Phillips apparently became angry one October day when her son got drunk.

Police said he then strangled her, saying, “I want you to be with Dad.”

As she was dying, she mouthed these words to her killer: “I love you.”

•••

Well, that was the busy news year of 2008.

As for 2009, look for stories that no one even has considered and for developments in expected news stories that take unexpected twists and turns.



Readers’ Top 10 selections

Readers and Tribune-Democrat journalists agreed on six of the Top 10 stories of 2008.

As in an inkblot test, there are no wrong answers. News judgments are by definition subjective, not like the right-or-wrong answers in professions of, say, accounting or engineering.

The following are what readers chose as the top stories of the year, based on more than 300 responses by mail and to The Tribune-Democrat Web page:

1) Cambria City churches merge.

2) Northern Cambria police Chief Kevin Stanek charged.

3) John Murtha faces re-election challenge.

4) Presidential politics in the Laurel Highlands.

5) Murder trials of Joseph Clark in Bedford County and of comic book guy Michael George, formerly of Windber, in Michigan.

6) Tragic Brockway house fire claims 10 lives.

7) Portage wreck kills four young adults.

8) Tough year for retail with Boscov’s and Circuit City bankruptcies and closing of Value City, Steve and Barry’s and B. Moss.

9) Route 219 widening rises from the ashes.

10) Man charged with strangling his mom, dumping her body in state gamelands.

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