Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

After making an appearance in the Cruisin' into Christmas Parade, Santa made an appearance at the Main Street Mercantile to listen to some Christmas wishes. Kids who didn't get a chance to talk with Santa tonight can write him a letter and drop off in the special mail box at the Mercantile -- and then Santa will read it on 1490 WESB! See parade pictures at http://facebook.com/1490wesb The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

In case you missed yesterday's LiveLine on 1490, Anne Holliday spoke with author Max Allan Collins about his newest book, "Ask Not," which focuses on an investigation into the assassination of President Kennedy. To hear the show go to WESB.com , click on the "listen" link and then on "Local Programs." (The first question, which got cut off is: Why do you think people -- 50 years later -- are still so interested in this story?) The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

HARRISBURG (News Release) — After casting her fourth "no" vote in less than a week, Rep. Kathy Rapp (R-Warren/Forest/McKean) issued the following statement regarding Thursday evening’s final passage of a transportation funding plan that contains a $2.3 billion increase in gas taxes and fees on Pennsylvania drivers: “There is no excuse to impose an additional $2.3 billion gas tax and fee increase on Pennsylvania motorists when we already spend close to $7 billion annually on transportation. My constituents view this transportation plan which is now awaiting the governor’s signature as more money they are going to have pay to fuel and maintain their vehicles to subsidize mass transit for Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. “Any additional revenue that comes out of this transportation funding plan comes at the full expense and burden of Pennsylvania motorists. While I agree with the governor that funding and maintaining our infrastructure is a core function of governm...

HARRISBURG (News Release) – The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) today announced an invitation for project applications to the Sinnemahoning Creek Watershed Restoration Grant Program. Project applicants must meet the eligibility criteria and must use the application form specified in the grant application package. Project applications must be postmarked no later than Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014. The PFBC anticipates final selection and public announcement of grant awards by mid-May 2014. This funding is available through a 2007 settlement agreement with Norfolk Southern as restitution for environmental damages from a June 30, 2006, train derailment in rural Norwich Township, McKean County. The accident spilled sodium hydroxide into Big Fill Run, Sinnemahoning-Portage Creek and the Driftwood Branch of the Sinnemahoning Creek. Under the settlement, Norfolk Southern agreed to pay the Commonwealth $7.35 million as restitution for environmental damages. The PFBC received $3.675...

(News Release) McKean County Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) & Hospice a department of Bradford Regional Medical Center has been named a Top Agency of the 2013 HomeCare Elite™, a recognition of the top-performing home health agencies in the United States. A total of 77 agencies, only 16% of Pennsylvania's 479 home health agencies, were named to the 2013 HomeCare Elite, a compilation of the top-performing home health agencies in the United States developed by OCS HomeCare by National Research Corporation. Winners are ranked by an analysis of publicly available performance measures in quality outcomes, best practice implementation, patient experience, quality improvement and consistency, and financial performance. “This is a significant recognition of the hard work and dedication offered by the McKean County Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) & Hospice, said Timothy J. Finan, president and CEO of Upper Allegheny Health System and Bradford Regional Medical Center. “Improvi...

ITHACA, N.Y. (News Release) — Get your game on for Thanksgiving – and we aren’t talking about football. For many families, fresh venison and wild trout are culinary traditions intertwined with the fall season, Thanksgiving and winter’s first bite of frosty air. Wild Harvest Table, a Cornell Cooperative Extension website, offers hints, tips and recipes for preparing wild-harvest foods while helping researchers study how local game is an important part of the locavore movement. The site started as a celebration of the culinary bounty represented by wild game and fish in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. Cornell Cooperative Extension nutrition educator Moira Tidball, from Seneca County, started the website in January 2009 as a resource for game and fish recipes, nutrition information, and preparation techniques. Keith G. Tidball, Senior Extension Associate in Cornell’s Department of Natural Resources, helped with the inception of the website and recognized its potential to aid...

BRIDGEVILLE -- Winners of the “Hunt with the Black and Gold” drawing, sponsored by Northwest Savings Bank, met on Tuesday for an exclusive hunt with members of the Pittsburgh football team. The winners are: Brandon Cellela, Bethel Park Eric Driscoll, Pittsburgh Stan Hasselman, Johnsonburg Randy Holt, Bradford Mary Kennedy, Cochranton Roy Maines, Williamsport Rob Radnich, Meadville Ryan Schwingel, Canonsburg Jacob Smith, Greenville Tom Wakefield, West Aliquippa The winners, their guests and representatives of the bank met the players at the Alpine Club in Bridgeville, south of Pittsburgh, for an afternoon of fun. The winners joined Pittsburgh Steelers Matt Spaeth, Mike Palmer, Will Allen, Kion Wilson, Brett Keisel, Gregg Warren, Cody Wallace, Lawrence Timmons, Bruce Gradkowski and Joe Long in a guided bird hunt, followed by lunch and an autograph and photo session with the players. Northwest Savings Bank offered the opportunity to enter the contest, which ran from ear...

HARRISBURG – Governor Tom Corbett joined PennDOT Secretary Barry J. Schoch, members of the state Senate and House of Representatives and other officials tonight to discuss the final affirmative vote on an historic comprehensive transportation plan -- the most comprehensive piece of state transportation legislation -- in decades. The final House vote sends to the governor’s desk a plan to keep Pennsylvania safe and economically competitive by investing an additional $2.3 - $2.4 billion by the fifth year of the plan. Photo provided by Commonwealth Media Services The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

HARRISBURG (News Release)– Rep. Martin Causer (R-Turtlepoint) today cast a “no” vote on legislation that would increase gas taxes and fees on Pennsylvania drivers. “There is clearly a need to invest in our roads and bridges here and across the Commonwealth, but I could not support this proposal,” Causer said. “I believe it goes far beyond what is truly necessary and far beyond what the people I represent can afford.” Under the bill, the tax on gasoline could increase by as much as 28.5 cents and the tax on diesel fuel by 39.8 cents per gallon by 2017. The tax hikes, along with increases in more than 100 other user fees such as vehicle registrations, licenses and traffic ticket fines, are expected to generate an additional $2.3 billion per year, including $1.65 billion for highways and bridges and nearly $500 million for mass transit. Pennsylvania’s current budget invests $6.8 billion in transportation. Causer said he was prepared to vote for a proposal that would hav...

For continuing coverage on the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy go to: http://www.nbcnews.com/ It includes video from Arlington National Cemetery and Dallas, as well as many stories and interactive features. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Another explosion was reported in the Bradford area this afternoon. At 1:40 p.m. the explosion was heard in the South Avenue, Chestnut Street and High Street areas. Callers told police and the fire department the sound came from the area of the hill above High Street. Unofficial sources tell us it’s someone with Tannerite-like exploding targets. The first "explosion" in the area was reported Saturday. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Funeral arrangements have been set for New York State Trooper Ross Riley, who died Wednesday after falling into a gorge at Letchworth State Park. Calling hours will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday and Monday at the Casey, Halwig & Hartle Funeral Home on Route 417 in Olean. A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday in the Reilly Center at St. Bonaventure University. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

So, did you not do as well as you planned in the Great American Smokeout? Registered Dietician Ashley Koff chats with Anne Holliday about how proper nutrition can help you stop smoking. Listen here . The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

State Rep. Matt Gabler’s bill that gives a tax break to timber harvesters – similar to breaks already given to farmers and others in the agriculture industry – has passed the State House, and now heads to the Senate. Gabler’s bill would amend the Tax Reform Code to exclude the purchase of machinery, equipment and parts used in timbering, just as farmers currently enjoy a sales tax exemption on the purchase of tractors, combines, tools, feed, and fertilizers used in their operations. “Foresters and farmers both manage a crop, but the Department of Revenue does not allow them to both be classified under agriculture,” Gabler said in a news release. “That designation is the catalyst for my legislation, which will also protect local jobs, benefit consumers and help our local economy by allowing local timber producers to remain competitive.” Craig Timm, regional public affairs manager for Domtar, which runs the Johnsonburg paper mill, says the bill will directly support the forest pro...

The man accused of operating a meth lab in Bradford waived his preliminary hearing today in McKean County Central Court. 39-year-old Jeffrey Cabisca of Smethport was arrested on September 13 after agents with the state attorney general’s office seized items related to the production of methamphetamine at 24 King Street in Bradford. Court records say between October of 2010 and September of this year he conspired with other people to manufacture meth at several locations in McKean County. He and his co-defendants are also charged with running a meth lab in Mount Jewett. The others have not been charged in connection to the Bradford case. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

City of Bradford Police on Wednesday investigated a theft on Davis Street, terroristic threats on Interstate Parkway, criminal mischief on South Avenue and a disturbance on Chautauqua Place. They were called to traffic and parking problems on Brennan Street, as well as Jackson and Burnside avenues. Officers also got reports of harassment on High Street and suspicious activity on Elm and Williams streets. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives passed the Federal Lands and Energy Security Act of 2013 (H.R. 1965), by a vote of 228-192, and the Protecting States’ Rights to Promote American Energy (H.R. 2728), by a vote of 235-187. “The nation must pursue policies that lower energy costs for American families and improve our energy security," stated Thompson. “Today the House acted to put us on this path with the passage of two bills that will remove road blocks to domestic energy development and facilitate expanded energy production, which is so critically important to the long-term strength of our economy.” “We must do more to reduce the regulatory duplication that is hindering expanded energy development on our federal lands,” Thompson said. “H.R. 1965 makes important reforms to the leasing process for onshore oil and natural gas projects, so that we can unlock the full potential of our domestic energy resources on our federal lands.” "States like P...

The 25th Senatorial District will receive about half a billion dollars in additional funding for transportation projects over the next decade, as a result of legislation passed today in the Senate, according to Senator Joe Scarnati (R-25), who said the measure is vital to public safety and economic development. Scarnati supported House Bill 1060, which will invest a total of more than $2.3 billion in the Commonwealth’s highways and bridges, transit agencies, railways, airports and ports. It follows the major recommendations made by the Governor’s Transportation Funding Advisory Commission. House Bill 1060 received strong bipartisan support and passed the Senate by a vote of 43 to 7. The bill, which now goes to the House for final approval, will raise revenue through a number of sources, including adjusting vehicle driver registration fees for inflation, increasing fines, uncapping the Oil Company Franchise Tax over five years and modernizing many PennDOT services for cost savings...

New York State Police Superintendent Joseph A. D’Amico is saddened to announce the death of Trooper Ross M. Riley assigned to Field Command, Emergency Management in Albany. On November 20, 2013, Trooper Riley, a member of the Special Operations Response Team – West, based in Collins Center, New York, succumbed to injuries sustained during a fall while participating in training drills at Letchworth State Park in Wyoming County. During high angle rescue training, Trooper Riley fell from a ledge approximately 30 feet into Wolf Creek. He was transported and died at Wyoming County Community Hospital. Trooper Riley was a 17 year veteran of the New York State Police. Trooper Riley worked in Troops A, E and F and became of a member of SORT, then named the Mobile Response Team, in March of 2000. He received a commendation for his service as a member of the Mobile Response Team at Ground Zero following the September 11, 2001 attacks. Trooper Riley, a veteran of the Persian Gulf Confli...

From the NYSP News Conference: 44-year-old Trooper Ross Riley and two other troopers with the Special Operations Response Team were simulating a rescue on a ledge when Riley fell backward onto a creek bed 30 feet below. He suffered critical head injuries. The plan was to fly him to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester but he died at Wyoming County Community Hospital. Riley received a commendation for his work at the World Trade Center after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He was also a veteran of the Gulf War. Besides his wife Heidi of NYSP-Olean, he leaves behind three daughters ages 10, 8 and 3. ~~~ UPDATE: WIVB-TV is reporting that Trooper Ross Riley has died of his injuries. His wife Heidi is the station commander of the Olean barracks. A New York State Trooper who fell into the gorge at Letchworth State Park this afternoon is being treated at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester. Emergency officials tell www.dansvilleonline.com that the trooper fell duri...

Charges against a Bradford man who says he assaulted another man because the man kicked his dog have been bound to McKean County Court. Papers filed in District Judge Dominic Cercone's office say 35-year-old Ronald Bliss and his girlfriend were in the parking lot of the Marche Club at about 9 o’clock on the night of August 17 to let his dog out of his car. Bliss told police when he let his dog out it ran toward another dog and its owner, who then kicked the dog. Bliss says he “snapped” and shoved the other man, who “may have” hit his head on a metal pipe. Witnesses say Bliss also punched the man in the face. The victim says he didn’t kick the dog, and a witness agreed. Police say the victim is the ex-boyfriend of Bliss’s girlfriend, and they believe the alleged assault had more to do with that than the dogs. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Three people have waived preliminary hearings on assault charges in two separate cases. 62-year-old Michael Griffin of Custer City and 55-year-old Jill Patton of Bradford are accused of assaulting a man at the Italian Club on July 2. Court papers say they stopped attacking the man only when the bartender called 911. In another case, 32-year-old Charles Johnson of Bradford is accused of knocking a person unconscious while that person was trying to stop him and another person from fighting on September 4 at the VFW Club. All three people are free on unsecured bail. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

City of Bradford Police on Tuesday investigated a burglary on Marion Avenue, thefts on East Main, Boylston and Pike streets and motor vehicle accidents on Interstate Parkway and South Avenue. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Police picked up an illegal alien during a traffic stop early this morning in Kennedy, New York. Troopers say after they pulled the vehicle over on I-86 23-year-old Guillermo Lopez-Rendon of Mexico was unable to provide a passport. They contact US Customs and Border Protection agents who determined that Lopez-Rendon was in the US illegally. He was turned over to Border Protection agents who took him to the Erie County, PA, Jail. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The Interfaith Thanksgiving Service will be held at 7 o'clock tonight in the First Presbyterian Church, 54 East Corydon St., Bradford. This year’s theme is “ Peace,” and will feature speakers representing the Jewish, Hindu, Muslim and Christian faiths. This annual event has become an inspirational service during the approaching Thanksgiving time of year with significant messages being shared. A special choir presentation will be performed by members of area churches and will include St. Bernard Roman Catholic Church, Emanuel Lutheran Church, Church of the Ascension, and First Presbyterian Church. Choir members from St. Francis Catholic Church, Hill Memorial United Methodist Church, First Baptist Church, and First Methodist Church have also been invited to participate. The choir will be directed by Bill Howe. Regina Gabriel, director of music and organist of the First Presbyterian Church, will be the organist. Child care will be available for small children. A reception will...

Handguns, lottery tickets and cigarettes were among the items stolen during a burglary at Perry’s Corner Store in Austin overnight. Police say sometime between 9 o’clock last night and 4 o’clock this morning someone got into the store and took multiple handguns as well as the lottery tickets, cigarettes and food items. Police say at this time they’re not sure of everything that was taken. Anyone with information on the burglary is asked to contact Coudersport-based state police at 814-274-8690. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Bradford man was sent to Cattaraugus County Jail following a domestic incident in a vehicle Saturday night in Salamanca. Sheriff’s deputies say at 10:43 p.m. 24-year-old Dillon Penelle was in an argument with the victim when he jerked the wheel of his vehicle, causing it to crash into a guardrail on Interstate 86. The victim was ejected from the vehicle and did sustain injuries, but deputies did not say how serious they were. Penelle is charged with assault, reckless endangerment and driving without a license. His bail was set at $10,000. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Four horses are dead and an SUV is destroyed after an accident early this morning on Route 353 in Little Valley. Sheriff’s deputies say David Mohr of Cattaraugus was traveling north between Whig Street and Stone Chimney Road at 2:07 a.m. when the horses entered the road. The vehicle caught fire and completely burned. Mohr wasn't hurt. The road was closed for several hours. Deputies are continuing their investigation. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947