Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

The state trooper who stopped the owner of The Corner Bar because he thought she was driving drunk when she wasn’t will be in court today to ask a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit she filed against him. Dianne Thompson’s lawsuit targets State Trooper Matthew Petrof, who she claims lied about whether she appeared to be driving drunk because she has criticized the methods police use to stop driviers. Thompson claims Petrof wrongly stopped her about 1 a.m. Oct. 31, 2009 as she drove home from The Corner Bar. Petrof ticketed her for littering and sitting too long at a flashing yellow light. He claimed she failed sobriety tests, smelled of alcohol and was glassy-eyed, but did not charge her with DUI. A blood test revealed she had no alcohol in her system and District Judge Dominic Cercone dismissed the other tickets. The original news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Some changes are coming to downtown Bradford, as several business owners make improvements to existing buildings. Dianne Thompson, pending owner of the former Nusbaum Grocery building on East Washington Street, will be making a number of changes. Bradford City Council on Tuesday agreed to issue the building inspector permission to issue a building permit to Thompson for installation of new windows, siding and reconstruction of the entryway of the building, making an arched entry. The interior of the building will be totally renovated, adding living space on the first floor, and upgrades to the electrical, pluming and heating systems. The outside of the building will be painted green and cream, the same colors as The Corner Bar next door. “Good luck with that, Dianne,” said Mayor Tom Riel. “I think Al (Nusbaum) would be smiling if he knew you were doing this.” “I do, too,” Thompson said. “Thank you.” Thompson’s downtown neighbor Joe Fromach, owne...

Gerald Paul Cummins, 78, of 8 Chelsea, Lane, Bradford, a prominent local labor leader, died on Christmas Eve (December 24, 2009) at his residence, after a long illness. Born March 7, 1931 in Bradford he was a son of Jerome and Hazel (Holmes) Cummins. Jerry, as everyone knew him, was a 1949 graduate of Bradford High School. He was drafted into the United States Army on July 2, 1952 and was deployed to Trieste as a medic, he was honorably discharged on June 11, 1954. On July 14, 1956 in Knapp Creek he married Billie Jean (Kockler) Cummins who survives. After being discharged from the Army, Jerry returned to work with his brother, Richard, at the Emery Hotel. In 1954, he joined the Laborer’s International Union of North America as an assistant business agent for Local 836. He remained a member of the Laborer’s Union for the remainder of his life. In 1973, Jerry went to work for the Prevailing Wage Division of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a post he held for 10 years. After retiring fr...