Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

To hear a recording of the meeting, go to WESB.com/listen , click on the "local programs tab, and scroll to "Bradford City Council 4-14-15. A group of rude and unruly people – some from the townships – disrupted Tuesday’s Bradford City Council meeting to the point where Mayor Tom Riel threatened to adjourn the meeting early. While the eight or so were loud enough that council and the media had to ask them to quiet down, the rest of the standing-room-only crowd was polite and respectful. The antics came about when council was asked about several issues including business privilege tax, a proposed storm water fee and the crime rate. Mayoral candidate Paul Berg, who seemed to be making statement rather than asking a question, wanted to know why General Electric (parent company of Dresser’s) does not pay a business privilege tax. Riel and City Solicitor Mark Hollenbeck tried to explain that the Interstate Commerce Clause precludes them from paying it. Riel also added that t

An Olean man who was charged with forcible rape after an investigation pleaded guilty to lesser charges Monday in Cattaraugus County Court. 38-year-old Timothy Faircloth pleaded guilty attempted rape and attempted criminal sex act. Faircloth lured women into his car by offering rides and attempted to rape them. Faircloth is scheduled for sentencing on June 15. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

By State Rep. Marty Causer We call Potter County “God’s Country,” but in some ways, it may also be appropriate to call it “Government Country.” Of the county’s nearly 692,000 acres, 291,128 – a whopping 42 percent – are owned by the state government and are therefore exempt from real estate taxes. That leaves other landowners in Potter County with larger and increasingly burdensome tax bills. Potter County and its taxpayers aren’t alone in this challenge. In Cameron County, well over half – an estimated 60 percent – of the county’s total acreage is owned by the state. In Centre County, 35 percent of its land is owned by the state (and that doesn’t include Penn State University property, which is also tax exempt). In Elk County, 30 percent of land is owned by the state, and in Tioga County, it’s nearly 25 percent. In McKean County, just 6 percent of the acreage is owned by the Commonwealth, though the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy has been working to acquire more than 1

Three people were hurt in a two-vehicle crash Saturday afternoon on Route 219 in Ashford. In a report released to WESB today, sheriff’s deputies say a pickup truck driven by 20-year-old Thomas Patterson of Cattaraugus was traveling south when he didn’t see that a car in front of him had slowed to make a left turn and he hit it. Both vehicles then crashed into a culvert. The driver of the car, 59-year-old David Abbott and his wife, 55-year-old Lisa Abbott, of Victor, New York, were both taken to Bertrand-Chaffee Hospital in Springville for evaluation of neck and other injuries. Patterson, whose head hit the windshield of his pickup, was also taken by ambulance to Bertrand-Chaffee. He was cited for following too closely. Route 219 in that area was closed for about an hour while the scene was cleaned up. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Duke Center man who failed to register as a sex offender in Cattaraugus County will spend the next 1 to 3 years in state prison. On December 12 38-year-old Walter Randall changed his address and did not notify the state sex offender registry within 10 days. Back in 1995, in Olean, he sexually abused a 12-year-old girl. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Everyone is invited to join Ca$h Mob Bradford as it makes its next “hit” this Saturday, April 18th at 1pm. Those interested in participating should bring at least $20 cash to spend and meet at the Fretz Middle School parking lot on St. Francis Drive, where the target business will be announced. The Ca$h Mob Bradford program is organized by the Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce as a way to stimulate the economy and support locally owned businesses. Ca$h Mob Bradford will target a different BACC member business each month, with mobsters each spending $20 or more in cash at the target--which is not announced until the day of the event. If the cash mob has at least 25 participants, then a $25 Bradford Gift Certificate will be awarded to one of the participants. Bring your friends and family – and your cash – and join the mob! The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The American Association of University Women-Bradford branch will host an evening that will help voters decide who to choose in the May Primary Election. A Meet the Candidates Night and Candidate Forum has been set for Wednesday, May 6, at the Bradford Area Public Library. "We are planning an informal event where the candidates distribute information and speak to the voters on a one-on-one basis," said Sharie Radzavich, co-vice president of programs. Two forums - featuring the McKean County Sheriff and Bradford City Mayor races - will also be held that evening in the Community Room. The candidates that are included in the Meet the Candidates Night portion include McKean County Commissioner, McKean County District Attorney and McKean County Register of Wills & Clerk of Orphans' Courts. The event is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. The two candidates for sheriff are Hiel "Butch" Bartlett and Dan Woods. Both are seeking the Republican nod. Republican Paul

The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Tickets are now available for “Illuminations – A Celebration of Families and the Arts” planned for May 16 at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. The free day of arts activities and performances for families will focus on children age 6 months through 10 years of age. Tickets may be obtained on a first-come, first-served basis through the Bromeley Family Theater Box Office. The box office may be reached by calling 814-362-5113 or emailing Courtney Mealy at cmealy@pitt.edu. The event will fill Blaisdell Hall with artists performing and conducting workshops. In addition to a young children’s performance of “Hatched” by the Treehouse Shakers and a concert by the Grammy Award-winning family musicians The Okee Dokee Brothers, Illuminations will feature local groups and hands-on activities. The event is made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts Challenge America Grant. You can learn more about the festival by listening to WESB's Liv

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — Poet Willie Perdomo will read from his work at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 17, at St. Bonaventure University’s Café La Verna. The reading is free and open to the public. Perdomo is the author of “The Essential Hits of Shorty Bon Bon,” finalist for the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award in poetry; “Smoking Lovely,” winner of the PEN Beyond Margins Award; and “Where a Nickel Costs a Dime,” finalist for the Poetry Society of America Norma Farber First Book Award. He has been a recipient of a Woolrich Fellowship in Creative Writing at Columbia University and a two-time New York Foundation for the Arts Poetry Fellow. His work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, BOMB, Mandorla, and African Voices. He has written children’s books about Roberto Clemente and Langston Hughes. Perdomo is a member of the VONA/Voices faculty and is an instructor in English at Phillips Exeter Academy. The reading is made possible through funding from the Visiting Scholars Co

The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

PORTVILLE, N.Y. - A program sponsored by the Pfeiffer Nature Center will bring everything into focus - camera wise that is. Professional photographer Tom Martin will facilitate "Picture This" from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 23, at the Portville Free Library. "Picture This" will take participants on a fascinating journey into nature photography. "Tom believes there are two sides to good photography, the technical side and the seeing side, said Chris Walden, executive director of the Nature Center. "Using diagrams and lots of images, Tom will address knowing your camera, exposing properly, finding the right light, composing for impact, using depth of field, equipment and filters." Participants will learn by doing and will leave with tips and suggestions to take home and try on their own to bring their pictures to life. "The Pfeiffer Nature center is truly where science, art and nature come together," Walden said. "And this