Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Foster Township Police Chief Jeff Wolbert is hoping to retire next year. Wolbert made the unofficial announcement during Monday’s Foster Township supervisors meeting after a question by Interstate Parkway resident Joe Piganelli. Piganelli said, because they know he attends the township meetings, several people asked if he knew anything about Wolbert retiring. Wolbert said he hopes to retire in January. He’ll be retirement age in November. Piganelli then asked if the supervisors had a plan to name a new police chief. “We’ve had some discussions” supervisor Chris Wolcott said. Piganelli asked if the discussions would be just among the supervisors, or if the public would be involved. “I don’t see that the public needs to be necessarily involved at this stage,” Wolcott said, adding that the supervisors are willing to take comments and suggestions. “We don’t even have a plan right at the moment,” Wolcott said. “We’ve had some discussions but, actuall...

Someone entered a woman’s house early Sunday morning and stole her purse. 23-year-old Jessica Lou Ann Prescott of Eldred tells police the incident happened at about 3:30 a.m. at her Main Street home. The purse contained a Hamlin Bank debit card and checkbook, various prescription medications, an Old Navy credit card, AAA card and a hemp necklace. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact Kane-based state police at 778-5555.

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director A South Kendall Avenue resident says her street looks like Junkyard City, and she doesn’t want Foster Township to have the code enforcement problems the City of Bradford has. Barb Price told Foster Township Supervisors during their meeting Monday night she’s ashamed to live in the township because of the condition of at least 10 properties on South Kendall. She said the city’s code enforcement problems are getting most of the attention lately but “Foster Township sure as hell isn’t much better than the city. So I think we better start working together to get this township the way it should be.” Price said she’s been told that the township’s code enforcement program is complaint driven. “I don’t know how much complaining this one person has to do,” she said. Price said she’s not going up and down the street trying to find houses that are in deplorable condition or junkyards on properties. She’s just complaining about the properties she sees on he...

Bradford City Police on Monday investigated motor vehicle accidents at the intersection of Jackson Avenue and Davis Street, and on Congress Street, and a retail theft at a downtown business, according to the complaint report and request sheet faxed to WESB and The HERO from the police department. Officers also got reports of a power line down on East Main Street, noise on Hill Street and an erratic driver on East Main Street. They also received several requests to speak with an officer.

By Eva B. Potter OLEAN, N.Y. – For an inexpensive getaway weekend with a sophisticated metropolitan feel, visit Olean, N.Y., this summer as the Twin Tiers Theater Festival (TTTF) launches its inaugural season of Broadway summer stock theater. New York City organizers Amy Kyzer, an actress and small theater company owner, and Rohit Kapoor, a professional production and set designer, scoped out the area last year. After conversations with Leslie and Nick Patrone, owners of the Olean Theatre Workshop (Washington Street Theatre), and former Olean Mayor David Carucci, the pair took the concept of a summer stock festival back to New York City. For many of their show business friends, who had spent summers performing in and producing shows at other summer stock festivals like Williamstown and the Berkshires, the idea of escaping to Olean’s welcoming grass- and tree-filled landscape provided instant appeal. All agreed a theater festival in Olean would be a perfect fit. Kyzer, bubbling with...

A pickup truck and a tractor-trailer collided at the intersection of Route 6 and Telescope Road in Ulysses Township at 5:30 this morning. In a fax sent to WESB and The HERO, State police say 34-year-old John Simons of Genesee fell asleep at the wheel of the pickup. 46-year-old Timothy Portzline of Mount Pleasant Mills was just started to go through the intersection when Simons woke up, but his truck hit the rear axle of the trailer. The pickup spun around before coming to rest. Charges of careless driving and not using seatbelt will be filed against Simons. He suffered minor injuries. Portzline wasn’t hurt. The pickup had major damage. The tractor-trailer had disabling damage.

Bradford City Firefighter Greg Lewis tends to people injured when their car hit a school bus in the Fretz Middle School parking lot Monday afternoon. The crash jammed the front door of the bus. Also pictured, in the third photo, is Bradford Area School District director of transportation Barry Bryan. While emergency crews were still on the scene of this "accident," at about 5:45 p.m., they got a report of another accident at the intersection of Jackson and Davis streets. P.S. The crash at Fretz was only a drill. I would love it if, during real accidents, Boo Coder told me to get closer to get a better picture ~~ A

Following a blowout at a Pennsylvania natural gas well, Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Congressman Joe Sestak called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today to increase its oversight of Marcellus Shale development. The blowout at the natural gas well in Clearfield County last week, apparently caused by a failed blowout preventer, spewed polluted drilling water and natural gas 75 feet in the air and on the ground before being capped 16 hours later. The drilling liquid from the well’s hydraulic fracturing activities, whereby the liquids are shot underground at high pressure to break up shale and release its natural gas, flowed off the site and toward tributaries to Little Laurel Run. While the situation was eventually contained, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger said the accident could have resulted in a “catastrophic incident that endangered life and property.” The circumstances of the accident are similar to those that led to the BP oil...

HARRISBURG -- The Department of Environmental Protection today ordered EOG Resources Inc. to suspend its natural gas well drilling activities in Pennsylvania after a June 3 blowout at one of the company’s Clearfield County wells sent natural gas and at least 35,000 gallons of drilling wastewater into the sky and over the ground for 16 hours. DEP Secretary John Hanger said that while the order bans all drilling and hydrofracturing, or fracking, operations for specified periods of time, the suspension will remain in effect until DEP has completed a comprehensive investigation into the leak and the company has implemented any needed changes. “DEP staff, along with an independent expert, will conduct a detailed investigation of not just the incident that occurred last week in Clearfield County, but of EOG Resources’ drilling operations, as a whole, here in Pennsylvania,” said Hanger. “The Clearfield County incident presented a serious threat to life and property. We are working with the co...

From CNN: Veteran White House correspondent Helen Thomas retires after controversial remarks about Jews, her agency says. Earlier from CNN.com : Washington (CNN) – Lanny Davis joined Ari Fleischer Sunday in calling for Hearst Corporation to take quick action against legendary White House correspondent Helen Thomas for recently saying that Israel should “get the hell out of Palestine,” and that the Jewish people should go home to “Poland, Germany … and America and everywhere else.”

MEADVILLE -- The Department of Environmental Protection cited 29 trash truck operators for operational and safety violations during inspections last week at four landfills in northwestern Pennsylvania. DEP inspected trucks at Seneca Landfill, Butler County; Rustick/McKean Landfill, McKean County; Greentree Landfill, Elk County; and Lake View Landfill, Erie County. The inspections were conducted June 2-3. The violations are against the haulers, not the landfills. “These inspections are aimed at improving the safety of Pennsylvania highways,” said DEP Northwest Regional Director Kelly Burch. “Our objective is to increase that safety by keeping trash haulers in compliance with environmental regulations.” DEP staff inspected 382 trucks and found 37 violations. Fifteen trucks had leaking loads; one truck had a load that was not enclosed; nine trucks lacked signage to identify owner information and type of waste; three failed to have any signs; five failed to have spill response plans; one ...

The investigation into the deaths of a Jefferson County couple has taken police to Emporium. Late last week, police executed a search warrant in the 400 block of Broad Street in Emporium. State police in DuBois didn’t release any further information about the search or the warrant. On April 12, the bodies of Wayne and Vicky Shugar were found in their home in Snyder Township off Route 28, just south of Brockway. Wayne Shugar died of gunshot wounds to the neck and torso. Vicky Shugar died of a gunshot wound to the torso. Wayne Shugar was a retired foreman at Owens-Brockway Glass. Vicky Shugar owned the Flowers & More shop on Main Street in Brockway.

State Rep. Camille "Bud" George of Clearfield County, chair of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, said the incident at a Marcellus Shale gas-drilling site in Clearfield County underscores the need for Pennsylvania to update its environmental safeguards. "Local and state officials did a wonderful job responding to a very dangerous situation that fortunately did not cause any injuries or deaths," said Rep. George, D-74 of Clearfield County. "I have said for many months that extraction of any natural resource comes with risks and costs and I only wish I had not been proved correct so quickly and so close to home." Rep George said that he was informed that workers lost control of the new well at about 8 p.m. Thursday after encountering gas under very high pressure. Gas and a reported 1 million gallons or more of brine, including fracking fluid, escaped from the EOG Resources well drilled off McGeorge Road in Lawrence Township. Emergency ma...

A Dunkirk man browsing at a yard sale is hospitalized after being hit by a car Saturday afternoon in the Town of Pomfret. In an e-mail sent to WESB and The HERO, Chautauqua County Sheriff’s deputies say 52-year-old Eugene Sysol was at a yard sale and walking toward a vehicle when another car driven by 52-year-old Susan McNamara of Fredonia crossed the shoulder road, hit Sysol, then hit a tree. McNamara told deputies she thought a car driven by 56-year-old Jonelle Ohrn of Portland was pulling into the road and she swerved to avoid it when she hit Sysol. Deputies say Ohrn’s vehicle was parked and she was waiting for Sysol. Sysol was flown to ECMC for treatment of his injuries. Ohrn is being treated at Brooks Memorial Hospital. McNamara and her passenger were treated at the scene.

Bradford City Police investigated a possible burglary on Charlotte Avenue, a theft on Jefferson Street and a retail theft, according to the complaint report and request sheet faxed to WESB and The HERO by the police department. Officers also received reports of noise on Lincoln Avenue, Bank Street and Mechanic Street, a suspicious vehicle in Hanley Park and a suspicious person at a Main Street restaurant. They also looked into a report of trespassing on Orchard Place, responded to alarms at a couple of business, as well as a couple of domestic disputes. They also received several requests to speak with an officer.

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director First in a series Water that can be set on fire when it comes out of a faucet. People too sick to function. Birds and animals that literally drop dead. Those are just a few of the after-effects of hydrofracking as documented in the award-winning film “Gasland” by Josh Fox. Fox was in Bradford Sunday night for a showing of the film, which will debut nationally on HBO June 21. Hydro-fracking is the process used in Marcellus Shale drilling in which water laced with nearly 600 chemicals is pumped into the ground to break up the shale and release natural gas. The drilling companies currently don’t have to disclose the chemicals they’re using because of the so-called “Halliburton Loophole” – pushed by former Vice President Dick Cheney – to the federal Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water acts. “Wherever this process goes,” Fox said during a panel discussion following the film, “there are significant problems with water.” “It does seem as if you’re trad...

Jennifer Egan’s spellbinding interlocking narratives circle the lives of Bennie Salazar, an aging former punk rocker and record executive, and Sasha, the passionate, troubled young woman he employs. Although Bennie and Sasha never discover each other’s pasts, the reader does, in intimate detail, along with the secret lives of a host of other characters whose paths intersect with theirs, over many years, in locales as varied as New York, San Francisco, Naples, and Africa. Listen to my interview with Jennifer Egan here . For more information, go to JenniferEgan.com .

Nine years later, Pat Vigliotta still chokes back tears when talking about his son Zach, who died on February 27, 2002, in a motor vehicle accident at the age of 16. On Tuesday, Vigliotta presented scholarships bearing his son’s name to members of the Bradford Area High School Class of 2010. “It’s pleasure to be up here and an honor to be able to remember Zach nine years later,” an emotional Vigliotta said. He said the scholarship is named after Zach “to honor his characteristics and to recognize the lives he touched.” “It’s really an honor and pleasure to be here nine years later and to know that he’s touching that many people, still,” Vigliotta said. Money for the scholarships is raised through the annual “Vig” Memorial 5K Run/Walk. Vigliotta said because of the wonderful turnout for last summer’s event, he was able to award nine scholarships this year. This first eight scholarships went to Brett Murphey, Richard Obermyer, Brittni Wiseman, Mary Bean, Tate Slaven, Evan Frisina, Angela...

Two 2010 graduates of Bradford Area High School took a tragedy and turned it into something that will benefit a fellow student. As their senior project, Megan Race and Angela Yohe decided to raise money for the Evan M. Yehl Memorial Scholarship. Evan, along with his classmate Britt Bookhamer, died in a motor vehicle accident on May 2, 2008. They were 18 years old. The young women decided to award the scholarship to a student enrolled in the machine shop, auto shop or carpentry programs “because Evan was involved in these programs,” Race said. They held many fundraisers to raise the money. Before awarding the scholarship during the Senior Recognition Night at the high school, Race and Yohe thanked all the people who contributed and made the scholarship possible. Race and Yohe awarded the scholarship to Joshua Wilson. Pictured, Yohe and Wilson after the scholarship presentation Tuesday night.

A brand new scholarship was awarded for the first time during Tuesday’s Senior Recognition Night at Bradford Area High School – the Miriam Barcroft Blaisdell Scholarship. During the April 12 Bradford Area School Board meeting, district superintendent Sandra Romanowski announced that Sarah Dorn and Harriet Wick established the Miriam Barcroft Blaisdell/Bradford Area School District Fund in honor of their mother. Dorn and Wick each donated $25,000 to start the fund, which established $2,500 scholarships for students who eared an advanced or proficient score on their PSSA tests, and have been accepted to a post secondary school. Romanowski said the board and administration are “humbled and grateful for (Dorn’s and Wick’s) most generous contribution to serve or children.” Members of the BAHS Class of 2010 who received the scholarships are Cheyene Werts-Nolan, Dean Bazzani, Trevor Burgoon, Kyle Yurkewicz, Kenneth Arble, and Aidan Frombach. Pictured, Sandra Romanowski congratulates Cheyene W...

Bradford City Police on Friday investigated a crash on East Main Street and a burglary on Charlotte Avenue, according to the complaint report and request sheet faxed to WESB and The HERO by the police department. Officers were also called to disturbances on Mechanic Street and Orchard Place, and a dispute on Amm Street. They received reports of suspicious people on Boylston Street and in Callahan Park, loud music on Colegrove Avenue and criminal mischief on Congress Street. Police were called to parking complaints on Barbour Street and Lawrence Avenue, looked into curfew violations on West Washington Street and Euclid Avenue, responded to several domestic situations and got several requests to speak with an officer.

Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden died Friday at age 99. Wooden's 10 NCAA national championships in a 12-year period while at UCLA are unmatched by any other college basketball coach.[He was the first person to be inducted to the Basketball Hall of fame as both a player and a coach. For more on the life and career of John Wooden go to UCLA's website .

Penn State University has signed President Graham Spanier to a three-year extension that will keep him at the school through 2015. Spanier is one of the longest-tenured university presidents in the country. He’s been at Penn State since 1995. Spanier's new deal takes effect July 1, giving him a $700,000 annual salary. "Graham Spanier has done a tremendous job leading Penn State and exceeding the very high expectations we have set for the president of this great student-centered University," said Steve Garban, chairman of the Board of Trustees, in a news release. "It takes a talented individual to balance the many complexities of this enterprise, and Graham has moved Penn State forward in every area. He has the full support of our board." "This is a wonderful vote of confidence and support from the board," Spanier said. "I have always said that this is the greatest job in American higher education and I plan to continue to give my absolute best to ...

The westbound lanes of Bolivar Drive under the Route 219 overpass won’t be closed next week after all. PennDOT says work will continue on the road with flaggers present, but there will be an alternating traffic pattern. Also next week, work on the Elm Street on-ramp will continue as crews place concrete for a new barrier wall. Motorists at both locations should expect delays. ~~~~ Clearfield – PennDOT issues the following change to the travel update for the Route 219/Bradford Bypass project in McKean County. This change is for the week of June 7. All work is weather and schedule dependent. Glenn O. Hawbaker, Inc. of State College is the contractor on this $28 million job. · Work on the Route 219 southbound ON-ramp at Elm Street continues. Traffic is using the existing shoulder. Contractor crew will be working close to the roadway, placing concrete for a new barrier wall. Expect delays during work hours. · Northbound traffic is sharing a lane with southbound traffic, separated by tem...

Governor Ed Rendell has signed Senator Elder Vogel's legislation barring the state from citing community groups for selling home-made baked goods. Senate Bill 828, also known as the "Pie Bill", eliminates the ability of the Department of Agriculture to cite non-profit community groups such as volunteer fire companies, churches, and school booster clubs for selling non-hazardous home-baked food at fundraisers. It is Senator Vogel's first bill to be signed into law. "This is a good day for community organizations and groups all across Pennsylvania that rely on selling donated baked goods for fundraising," Vogel said. Senator Vogel introduced the bill after a local church in his district came under state scrutiny for selling homemade pies prepared by ladies of the church at a Lenten fish fry. "I am pleased that we have completed this process, and appreciate the support that I received from my colleagues and the Governor," Vogel said. "The grounds...

More trees in the Randolph area are now infested with the Emerald Ash Borer beetle. In mid-June of last year the New York Department of Environmental Conservation announced that the destructive beetle had infested about 30 trees just south of Interstate 86. Today, DEC said more trees in the same area are infested. Foresters have detected the insect on private woodlands south of Interstate 86 in an area where trees are already quarantined. The beetle infests and kills North American ash tree species, including green, white, black and blue ash. So far, it’s spread to 13 states and two Canadian provinces and is responsible destroying more than 70 million trees. The invasive beetle was first detected in Pennsylvania in the summer of 2007 in Butler County, and subsequently was found in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Indiana, Juniata, Lawrence, Mercer, Mifflin, Washington and Westmoreland counties. Emerald ash borer traps (those purple boxes hanging from trees) can be seen throughout...

HARRISBURG -- Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger said today that his agency intends to investigate aggressively the circumstances surrounding a blowout at a Marcellus Shale natural gas well in Lawrence Township, Clearfield County, and take the appropriate enforcement action. At approximately 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 3, the operators of the well, which is owned by EOG Resources, Inc., lost control of it while preparing to extract gas after hydrofracturing the shale. As a result, the well released natural gas and flowback frack fluid onto the ground and 75 feet into the air. The well was eventually capped around noon on June 4. “The event at the well site could have been a catastrophic incident that endangered life and property,” said Hanger. “This was not a minor accident, but a serious incident that will be fully investigated by this agency with the appropriate and necessary actions taken quickly. “When we arrived on scene, natural gas and frack fluid was flow...

A gas well leak near Punxsutawney has closed part of Moshannon State Forest in Clearfield County, and campers in a one-mile radius have been evacuated. The leak happened at a Marcellus Shale drilling operation near the Punxsutawney Hunting Club late last night. The well is owned by EOG Resources of Houston, Texas. DEP spokesman Dan Spadoni says the leak started when unexpectedly high gas pressure in the newly drilled well prevented crews from containing it. The Federal Aviation Administration issued a flight restriction in the immediate area this morning. Spadoni says emergency crews have been at the scene all morning and companies that specialize in out-of-control wells are on site.

A Bradford man accused of breaking into a truck loaded with cigarettes has been indicted by a Cattaraugus County Grand Jury. 27-year-old Phillip Haight is accused of using bolt cutters to break into a truck owned by Al Harris Associates in Salamanca. The value of the cigarettes is more than $4,100, according to the District Attorney's office. Haight is charged with third-degree burglary, third-degree grand larceny and possession of burglar’s tools.

A Brockport man has been sentenced in federal court for illegally distributing steroids, and illegally possessing guns. 51-year-old James Volpe will spend a year on home confinement with electronic monitoring and an additional four years on probation. On May 17, 2007, Volpe distributed anabolic steroids, and mailed anabolic steroids that were misbranded as drugs that require a prescription from a practitioner to administer. On September 12, 2007, Volpe, who had been convicted in 1981 in Orange County, New York, of possession of stolen property, unlawfully possessed a pistol and two rifles. http://www.justice.gov/usao/paw/pr/2010_june/2010_06_03_02.html

Two teenagers suffered minor injuries when the car they were in hit a utility pole Thursday morning. In a fax sent to WESB and The HERO, State police say a car driven 17-year-old Camryn Gardner of Ridgway was on Spring Creek Road about 2 miles west of Ridgway when it swerved to miss a deer in the road and went out of control. The car spun around, cross the road, hit an embankment, rolled onto its side and hit the utility pole. Gardner and one passenger, 16-year-old Patrick Caggiano of Ridgway, suffered minor injuries. Another passenger, 16-year-old Robert Stowman of Brockport, wasn’t hurt. Gardner was cited for driving at an unsafe speed.

A Coudersport man is hospitalized following at accident on Sartwell Creek Road in Roulette Township Thursday morning. In a fax sent to WESB and The HERO, State Police say a vehicle driven by 49-year-old Dennis Pesock went off the road, traveled about 70 feet through some grass along the road and hit a tree. Emergency crews worked to free Pesock from the vehicle through the passenger side window. He was first taken to Charles Cole Memorial Hospital in Coudersport, then flown to Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre.

A tank truck carrying water being used for well site operations crashed at the intersection of Route 49 and Peet Brook Road in Potter County Thursday morning. In a fax sent to WESB and The HERO, State police say Timothy Hewitt was driving a tank truck for East Resources at 11:20 a.m. when it tipped onto its side while turning from Route 49 onto Peet Brook. Police say a combination of the truck’s speed and the load shifting caused it to tip. The Coudersport Volunteer Fire Department and a crew from East Resources cleaned up at the scene. Police are continuing their investigation.

Mary Bean, Chelsey Colosimo and Hilary Diegel sing the National Anthem while Jessie Mascho leads the band. Mary Bean gets a hug from her father, Bradford Area School Board President Tim Bean. Class Salutatorian Evan Feura wanted his classmates, as they move on, to find something that motivates them. "Whether it's a person, a book, a song, a movie or anything else, having something to inspire you will prove an immeasurable help when you face obstacles in the future," he said. "Some of you may have something that motivates you already. Some may still may be looking. And some of our influences may change over time. But I hope you will always have something that inspires you to never give up or never be less than your best," Feura said. "Find passion in your life so that each day will be filled with excitement."

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director If municipalities in the Tuna Valley are going to survive, they’re going to have to consider consolidation of services. Bradford Township Supervisor Gayle Bauer remarked on that issue during the third annual Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce Legislative Luncheon held Thursday at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. “I think it would be very easy for me to stand up here and say everything is fine and dandy and we can keep on doing what we’ve been doing,” Bauer said when asked about consolidation of services. “But I really don’t think that’s the case. I think every municipality in the Tuna Valley and surrounding areas is going to have worse budgetary problems every year we go on.” “We’re going to have to look at the consolidation issue probably staring with something that’s easy and not too controversial. Right now we’re talking about consolidation of sewer services where there’s duplication,” Bauer said. She said she’s not talking about cons...

Bradford Area High School students did some creative recycling and "grew" some flowers outside of the high school.

Fretz Middle School students held their first-ever Mini Relay for Life on the last day of school for the Bradford Area School District. Principal Tina Slaven said it's the best last of school in all her years as principal. The kids raised more than $7,500 -- and they're still counting. Pictured below are scenes from the relay including the tug-of-war battles, dunk tank and the actual relay walk. (Photos by Scott Douglas) (Photo by Anne Holliday)

Merchants within Downtown Bradford’s historic district will begin extending their business hours the first Friday of each month. “First Fridays is already a popular and successful program within several Main Street communities in Pennsylvania,” said Main Street Manager, Anita Dolan, “and the downtown merchants in Bradford wanted to try it here.” Merchants extending their hours to 7 p.m. include Paper to Pages, Grandma’s House Tea & Gifts, Main Street Antiques, Tin Ceiling Gift Shoppe, Bradford Furniture, Orris Jewelers, Roseart Gifts, and the Main Street Mercantile. The Fran Charles Shop is extending its’ hours to 9 p.m. every Friday, and Man’s World is open until 6 p.m. on Fridays. “This is a good time for Bradford to begin First Fridays. We have some wonderful restaurants in our historic district and some new ones will be opening this summer,” added Dolan. “The Bradford Main Street Moviehouse will be installing it’s 3D movie theatre this month, so we are hoping people will suppor...

Scott is cleaning out the concert ticket closet and found lots of tickets he needs to give away soon! Listen to The Morning Buzz on Monday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. for all the details.

A Port Allegany woman is facing charges for telling police a man was stalking her. In a fax sent to WESB and The HERO, state police say19-year-old Catlin Ann Miles told them a man was stalking her, stole her camera and took several pictures of her on it back in March. They say she also claimed he entered her home without her knowledge, took pictures of her there and left the camera on her bed. When the allegations were proven false, charges of making false reports to law enforcement and false alarm to agencies of public safety were filed with District Judge Bill Todd.

A Florida man has pleaded guilty in federal court to his role in a large-scale marijuana conspiracy operating in Canada and the U.S. 26-year-old Viet Vuong Le of Orlando was part of a group that started operating in Canada in 2004. They were smuggling 300-pound loads of high-grade, hydroponic marijuana across the border into the United States hidden inside legitimate commercial cargo. Several shipments of drug proceeds were intercepted, including about $226,000 in Pittsburgh in February 2008; $222,000 in Niagara Falls, N.Y., in June 2008; and another $662,000 in Allegheny County in July 2008. Le will be sentenced on October 1. http://www.justice.gov/usao/paw/pr/2010_june/2010_06_01_02.html

Amy Barger is the winner of WESB and The HERO's annual Wedding Belles contest. Second, third and fourth place finishers were Tiffany Bosworth, Brittany Frantz and Angie Comilla. You can see a complete list of the winners and their prizes here . The Wedding Belles contest helped pump nearly $1.3 million into the economy in McKean, Cattaraugus and Elk counties. Thanks to all the Wedding Belles and the people who supported them -- and so many area businesses! Our Create-a-Commercial winner is Chelsea Cummins, who wrote and recorded a commercial for WESB. You can hear it here . Second place went to Amanda Benner for 100.1 The Hero; third place was a tie between Kacy Huston for Save-a-Lot and Keerstyn Stives for CNB Bank. Rachel Dennis received an honorable mention for Tasta Pizza. Create-a-Commercial is done every year in conjunction with area sponsors and the Bradford Area School District.

Criminal homicide charges against the Bradford man accused of drowning a woman and her infant her daughter have been bound to court following a preliminary hearing that lasted a little more than an hour this afternoon. 38-year-old Waide Nolf is accused of killing 24-year-old Tonya Haight and 3 ½-week old Tamara Haight on March 19 in the Pleasant Street house they shared with several other people. District Judge Dom Cercone presided over the hearing that was held at the McKean County Courthouse in Smethport. Bradford City Police Chief Chris Lucco, Cpl. Mark Russo of the Pennsylvania State Police and McKean County Coroner Mike Cahill testified for the Commonwealth. Nolf is being held in McKean County Jail without bail. Thanks to McKean County District Attorney Ray Learn!

Several exhibitors will provide information on programs and services available to Pennsylvania’s older residents at a June 10 Senior Citizen Expo hosted by Senator Joe Scarnati (R-Jefferson). The free informational event will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, June 10 in the gymnasium at Brockway High School, located at 40 North Street in Brockway, PA. Scarnati said the Senior Expo is designed to provide senior citizens with a “one-stop resource” for information on a wide range of services available to them – many of which are free of charge or at a reduced cost. Exhibitors from local, county and state agencies will be on hand to talk about various programs and services. Booths will be set up to provide seniors with information on Social Security, health care, AARP, and a wide variety of other programs and services that are available to them. A free light lunch will be served, and those attending can take part in health screenings at no cost. Door prizes will also be awa...

A Bradford man accused of raping a girl younger than 13 is still in jail following his preliminary hearing in front of District Judge Dom Cercone on Wednesday. 20-year-old William Tompkins Jr. is charged with rape of a child, rape by forcible compulsion, statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, aggravated indecent assault of a child and indecent assault. Papers filed in Cercone’s office say between 12:30 and 2 a.m. on October 17 Tompkins had sex with the girl in her West Washington Street home, left out her second-story bedroom window, went onto the porch roof and climbed down. On March 8, police learned that DNA taken from Tompkins matched DNA taken from the victim at BRMC on the night of the alleged assault. Cercone bound the charges to court. Tompkins’ bail is set at $25,000.

Due to new information, allegations and evidence charges against a Harrison Valley man have been withdrawn and a new set of charges has been filed, according to a fax sent to WESB and The HERO by Coudersport-based state police. 30-year-old Robert Melvin Dick was originally charged with rape of a child. Today, he was arraigned on 8 counts of raping a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child and indecent assault; along with one count each of aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault and endangering the welfare of a child. Dick is accused of having inappropriate contact with a 12-year-old girl. District Judge Dolores Bristol set his bail at $200,000.

Suspicious activity continues in Bradford, as city police were alerted to a suspicious vehicle in Oak Hill Cemetery and a suspicious person on Burnside Avenue. Also, according to the complaint report and request sheet faxed to WESB and The HERO by the police department, officers investigated thefts at a Main Street establishment and on West Washington and South Center streets. They also responded to a neighbor dispute on High Street, criminal mischief to a vehicle on Clinton Street and an animal complaint on Chestnut Street. Police were also called to a water leak on Brookline Court and a tree down at Sherman Street and South Avenue.

Dr. George Evans, left, congratulates Rachel Britton, one of the recipients of the Harry Lasky Scholarship, as Bradford Public Schools Foundation President Bill Chapman looks on. Other recipients are Cheyene Werts-Nolan, Marissa McLaughlin, Tyler Winner and Jing Dong. Ann Keane hugs a recipient of one of the Zachary P. Vigliotta Memorial Scholarships, as Pat Vigliotta announces another recipient. Receiving scholarships were Brett Murphey, Richard Obermyer, Brittni Wiseman, Mary Bean, Tate Slaven, Evan Frisina, Angela DiFonzo, Dave "Pug" Fuhrma and Michael Marasco. Hilary Digel and Chelsey Colosimo perform "What is This Feeling?" Dave Fuhrman congratulates Brett Murphey on receiving his accounting certificate. All the students mentioned above, and many others, received multiple awards and/or scholarships.

State Senator Jake Corman says the state budget deficit for this fiscal year continues to grow and is more than $1.2 billion. That’s up by $125 million over numbers at the end of April, because of continuing declines in major state revenues including sales taxes, personal income taxes and corporate taxes. Corman, who is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, noted that the continued weak revenue collections already far exceed Governor Ed Rendell's anticipated year-end shortfall estimate by well over half a billion dollars. House Democrats and Rendell want to enact a severance tax on natural gas extracted from Marcellus shale areas; impose a new tax on smokeless tobacco and raise the cigarette tax by 30 cents a pack. "The well of tax revenues is too dry to fill buckets of new spending," said Corman. "I think state residents recognize those realities and are willing to deal with short-term pain in return for a better economic outlook in the long term." T...

Curt Weinhold has a variety of photography on display at Charles Cole Memorial Hospital’s Irwin Medical Arts Center as part of the hospital’s Community Art Showcase. Weinhold has been a photographer for 35 years and has had his work published in local and national publications. Up until two years ago, photography was a side job. He now shoots full time in his portrait studio in Coudersport as well as on location and nature photography. His photographs can be purchased by calling 274-9858 or e-mailing cwphoto@zitomedia.net . Additional work can be viewed at www.pbase.com/cwphoto . The Community Art Showcase features artists for about six to eight weeks. The project has featured artists Jessie Vaughn of Ulysses, Karen Wolf of Sweden Township, Pat Bosworth of Port Allegany, Alyson Leach, Leslie Kelley, and Suzan Richar of Galeton, Naomi Keller, Heather Chilson, Lindsey Francis, and Maxine Shear of Coudersport, Mercedes Schwartz of Smethport, and Oswayo Valley students Jody Osburn, Elizabe...

A broad coalition of mental health advocates, law enforcement officials and leading lawmakers today called for a permanent reauthorization of Kendra’s Law, according to Senator Catharine Young (R,I,C – Olean). The law was named for Kendra Webdale, a 32-year-old Fredonia native who in 1999 was pushed in front of a subway train by a man with untreated schizophrenia who was roaming New York City streets. Kendra’s Law established “Assisted Outpatient Treatment” (AOT) in New York, allowing courts to order severely mentally ill outpatients to comply with treatment, while ordering counties to provide such treatment and monitor compliance. The law expires this month. Senator Catherine M. Young (R-Olean) said: “Kendra's Law has been a tremendous success. Studies have uniformly found that it leads to dramatically better outcomes for patients, and reduces the need for costly hospitalization, incarceration, and crisis intervention. There is no good reason for failing to make this law permanent...