Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

A Forest County woman is in jail for attempted homicide after a stabbing early Sunday morning. Police say 26-year-old Kayla Butler of Tionesta stabbed 25-year-old Derek Kirkpatrick of Leeper during a domestic dispute at a gas station parking lot in Farmington Township at around 1:30 a.m. Kirkpatrick was taken to UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh. Butler is in Clarion County Jail in lieu of $20,000 bail. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Forest County man was found with a bug zapper in his pants. No, that’s not the beginning of a joke. A 25-year-old Endeavor man, who police did not name, went into Dave’s Dollar Plus in Tionesta on April 16, put the $5 bug zapper in his pants and then left the store. He was caught, and charged with one summary count of retail theft. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Four fatal house fires happened over the weekend. A fire in Allegany on Sunday claimed the life one man. No other details have been released. The Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office is investigating. One man died in an overnight blaze in Warren County. The fire started at just before midnight in Pittsfield. Firefighters were on the scene until 7:15 this morning. Two other people were able to escape the house uninjured. A St. Marys man died and his wife was severely burned in a Saturday morning fire on Brussells Street in St. Marys. 77-year-old James Robbins was not able to get out of the house and died of smoke inhalation. 69-year-old Joan Robbins was flown to UPMC Mercy in Pittsburgh for treatment of severe burns and smoke inhalation. The house was destroyed. The fire remains under investigation. Careless smoking is believed to be the cause of a fire that killed a Tionesta woman on Saturday. 50-year-old Diana Clark was rescued from her burning apartment and resuscitated. She w...

More hemlock woolly adelgid have been found on the Allegheny National Forest. The invasive insect from Asia was found in the West Fork area of the Tionesta Research Natural Area by DCNR personnel on November 20 and confirmed by the state Department of Agriculture on Monday. The hemlock woolly adelgid threatens trees and the biodiversity they support in parks and forests, according to the US Forest Service. An infestation causes environmental changes for some wildlife, fish and plants because of increased light and warmer temperatures when hemlock trees die. The insect was found in Cook Forest and Clear Creek state parks this past spring, and on the forest near the Clarion and Allegheny rivers and Webbs Ferry. The forest service is partnering with The Nature Conservancy, DCNR, game commission, New York Department of Environmental Conservation and New York Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to develop a strategy for the high Allegheny Plateau of Pennsylvania and Ne...

Two people were killed in separate crashes this morning. State police say 56-year-old Brenda Boyer of DuBois died in a head-on crash on Route 36 in Jefferson County at just before 7 a.m. when a car driven by 19-year-old Taylor Cudworth of Sigel crossed the center line. Cudworth was taken to UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh for treatment of major injuries. Two hours later in Forest County, 67-year-old John Zang of Butler was driving on Route 62 in Tionesta Township when his pickup truck went out of control, hit an embankment and rolled over. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The man accused of fatally stabbing his former fiancé and her boyfriend is headed to court. Two counts each of homicide and aggravated assault against 38-year-old Scott Black of Butler were bound to court following a preliminary hearing in front of District Judge George Gregory in Forest County. Police say Black killed 42-year-old Marcelle Edwards of Tionesta and 43-year-old Donald Shay of Leechburg back in April. He was arrested several hours after the bodies were discovered, and he had bloodstains on his clothes and a number of minor injuries. Black remains in the Warren County Jail without bail. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The first-ever PA Firefly Festival will take place June 21-22 on the grounds of the Black Caddis Ranch in Kellettville near Tionesta. This FREE event kicks off Friday, June 21, at 5 p.m., and firefly walks begin at 9 p.m. focusing on the rare and unique Synchronous Firefly. Saturday, June 22, the events begin at noon with family-friendly games, exhibits, arts and crafts, live music and firefly watching. For directions to and more information about the festival and accommodations, visit pafireflyfestival.blogspot.com . The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The hearing for a man accused of killing two people in Tionesta late last month has been re-scheduled for next week. 38-year-old Scott Black of Butler allegedly stabbed and killed 43-year-old Donald Shay of Leechburg and 42-year-old Marcelle Edwards of Tionesta. Edwards had a past relationship with Black, who is jailed without bail. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Butler woman whose husband was shot and killed during a domestic dispute at their camp in Tionesta has pleaded guilty. 58-year-old Ruth Angert pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated assault and involuntary manslaughter for the November 17 death of 68-year-old Larry Angert. She is scheduled for sentencing June 21 in Forest County. Courts records say the Angerts were arguing after arriving at the hunting camp, and he pushed her to the floor and grabbed her neck. She says that’s when she grabbed a gun, and it fired as they were both struggling with it. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Tionesta man was hurt in a one-vehicle crash Friday morning in Elk County. State troopers say 28-year-old Jonathan McGrath was driving his pickup truck on Route 948 just north of the Highland Road intersection when the truck slid on the ice-covered road, crossed the road, went up an embankment and rolled over. McGrath suffered minor injuries. No charges will be filed. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A 24-year-old man is dead after a large piece of pipe crushed him at natural gas well site near Tionesta. Brandon Pennywell of Harrisburg died instantly when the pipe slipped, crushing him between it and a large beam, according to Forest County Coroner Norman Wimer. A team of workers was placing the pipe together with another piece when the accident happened at about 8:20 a.m.. Pennywell was employed by Patterson-UTI drilling, a subcontractor hired by Seneca Resources. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Tionesta woman has been charged in connection to the drug overdose death of a Marienville man. 55-year-old Susie Smith is charged with drug delivery resulting in death for allegedly supplying 52-year-old Richard Riggs Jr. with fentanyl. Riggs was found dead in his home on November 11. Smith is in Warren County Jail on $500,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for January 17. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Two men took tables and chairs from an unoccupied restaurant in Tionesta last week, but the incident wasn’t reported right away because the people who saw it happening didn’t realize it was a burglary. Police say the men forced their way into the back of the building then loaded the furniture into a white van that they parked out front. Police interviewed several people who saw it all happen, but say none of them suspected there was a crime in progress. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Three elderly men, including the inventor of The Club anti-car theft device, are dead after a head-on crash in Clarion County. Investigators say 81-year-old James Winner Jr., of Sharon, Pa., and Hollywood Beach, Fla., crossed into oncoming traffic and hit a car carrying 82-year-old Bobby Jarrett of Tionesta and his passenger, 76-year-old Raymond Fair of Tylersburg, All three men were pronounced dead at the scene. In the 1980s, Winner developed the steering-wheel lock known as The Club after his car was stolen. He sold the first one in western Pennsylvania before creating Winner International and selling about 10 million of the devices.