Laurels and barbs

Laurel: A state-led commissioning process is progressing as scheduled as part of the regulatory procedure to reopen the Johnstown Inclined Plane, Cambria County Transit Authority officials said. Inspectors’ initial review yielded only a short list of minor items that must be addressed before they return for a follow-up check, according to CamTran Executive Director Rose Lucey-Noll, who said the historic funicular remains on track to reopen by the end of the year.

Barb: Pharmacy benefit management company Express Scripts, which manages drug plans for health insurers UPMC and Highmark, removed Johnstown-based Martella’s Pharmacy from its network last week, ending in-network prescription coverage for many UPMC- and Highmark-insured patients. A class-action lawsuit challenging the move continues. It came amid broader pressure on the pharmacy sector that has resulted in the closure of pharmacies including Westmont Rexall, nine Mainline Pharmacy locations and the large Rite Aid chain.

Laurel: Johnstown Symphony Orchestra Music Director James Blachly has accepted an extension of his contract through 2029, ensuring he will guide the orchestra in its landmark 100th- anniversary season. “We have so much to look forward to,” he said, “and all that we do is built on the love that this community has for our orchestra, from the first notes we played in 1929 to the future that we have to look forward to together.” Blachly has been the orchestra’s music director since 2016.

Barb: Aid offered through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program will be delayed by at least a month due to the federal government shutdown, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services announced last week. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration stated that the opening of the latest LIHEAP season could begin Dec. 3 provided that the government reopens. Until then, the program is on hold as Pennsylvania awaits its approximately $215 million allocation.

Laurel: Chick-fil-A is on schedule to open a restaurant in 2027 at the former 1130 Scalp Ave. location of Wolf Furniture in Richland Township, the fast food chain’s hired civil engineer said last week at a hearing of the township Zoning Hearing Board. The board unanimously granted Chick-fil-A’s requests for setback variances that it had sought as part of its building plan. The restaurant would be managed by a local operator and have 15 to 20 employees.

Barb: An investigation into suspected fraudulent voter registration forms submitted ahead of last year’s presidential election led to criminal charges last Friday against six street canvassers and the man who led their work in Pennsylvania. Officials said the director of a company’s voter registration drives “instituted unlawful financial incentives and pressures in his push to meet company goals to maintain funding.” That allegedly “spurred some canvassers to create and submit fake forms to earn more money.” State Attorney General Dave Sunday said the alleged fraud was apparently motivated by the defendants’ desire to make money and keep their jobs – not an effort to influence election results.

Laurel: A soft opening for Jimmy T’s Firehouse Pub at 526 Main St. in downtown Johnstown is scheduled for Nov. 7, with a full-service launch Nov. 8. Owner Chris Ciulla said the restaurant – which is reviving the former Hey Day Diner location that had been vacant for almost a decade – is inspired by the camaraderie and culinary skill of New York City firefighters, including his father, the namesake “Jimmy T.” And Mark Critz, executive director of the Johnstown Redevelopment Authority, said the addition of the new restaurant would be followed in the spring with the opening of a grocery store at 507 Main St.

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