Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

An Allegany native and graduate of St. Bonaventure University was one of 16 people injured in a shooting at Fort Hood in Texas on Wednesday that left four people dead, including the gunman. US Army Major Patrick Miller, a two-time combat veteran had surgery Wednesday night. During a news conference late this morning, doctors at the hospital where the injured people are being treated said three are in critical condition; five are in fair condition; the rest are in good condition and some may be released today. They didn't give the names of the people when talking about their conditions. Miller was in the ROTC at St. Bonaventure and graduated in 2003. He graduated from Allegany-Limestone High School in 1999. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A former Clarion County man who was stationed at a US Army base in Missouri is dead following an ATV crash Thursday morning. 25-year-old Timothy Panzar, who was from Leeper, PA, was riding the ATV a few miles north of Fort Leonard Wood when it went airborne, hit a tree, flipped over and landed in the Big Piney River. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Panzar was assigned to the 4th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade. Facebook photo The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

OLEAN – When Sergeant First Class Glenn Treaster stopped by Senator Catharine Young’s office in Olean to inquire about military medals, he had no idea he would be receiving so many awards. “When I learned about the medals, I thought, ‘You’ve got to be kidding.’ To me, this is awesome. I am getting something I didn’t know I had coming. I’m being honored. I’m on top of the world,” Sergeant Treaster said. Senator Young presented Sergeant Treaster with medals during a special ceremony at Central Baptist Church, where he serves as a substitute minister. The awards Sergeant Treaster received for his service, included the United States Army Achievement Medal with Device, New York State Medal for Merit, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, and Cold War Recognition Certificate. He also earned the United States Army Achievement Medal with Device, New York State Medal for Merit, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, United States Army Career Counselor ...

ALBANY – WWII veteran John J. Maroon has one piece of advice for students in Western New York – never give up. In honor of his dedicated service, Senator Catharine Young (R,C,I –Olean) named Private First Class John J. Maroon an inductee to the 2012 New York State Senate Veterans’ Hall of Fame. Private Maroon served in the U.S. Army, participated in combat operations in Italy during 1944 and spent time as a Prisoner of War (POW). He often shares those experiences with school children. “It is a privilege to recognize John for his military service and his unflagging commitment to our country during combat and captivity. His service continues in his dedication to the community. His patriotism and tenacity in the face of hardship serve as a positive example to us all,” said Senator Young. Private Maroon tells his life story to students, many of whom are the same age as he was when he entered military service. “I try to tell these kids about how great our country is. I ask them ...

The Army is investigating the death of a Fort Riley soldier from Cattaraugus County. Officials at the northeastern Kansas post say 21-year-old Pvt. Thomas Lavrey was pronounced dead after being found unresponsive in his living quarters on Sunday. The cause of death remained under investigation today. Lavrey was a native of Machias. He joined the Army in March 2010 and was assigned to Fort Riley in September of that year. He was a utilities equipment repairman assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Special Troops Battalion, 1st Sustainment Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. photo taken from Facebook

In 1965, he became the first of his family to earn a college degree and receive his ROTC commission in the U.S. Army. Nearly 50 years later, former Buffalo resident and staunch Buffalo Bills fan Marvin W. Stocker and his wife, Donna, have surpassed a quarter of a million dollars in lifetime giving to St. Bonaventure University — all to help others experience a St. Bonaventure education. The University today announced the Stockers’ pledge of $50,000 to the School of Business Building Campaign. Mr. Stocker hopes that his family’s gift, which will be paid over the next five years, will inspire the University’s more than 25,000 alumni and will illustrate how donors can give larger donations over time. “My years as an Army officer taught me you lead by example,” he said. “My hope is that others will follow in supporting this campaign.” St. Bonaventure is in the final critical months of raising $15 million to construct a 26,000-square-foot building to house its School of Business. The ne...

OLEAN – A former Green Beret who served for two tours in the U.S. Army was honored on Thursday with long overdue awards he never received. Sgt. Mark Close of Olean was surrounded by friends and family at a special ceremony held at Senator Catharine Young’s office where he received the Korea Defense Service Medal, the New York State Medal For Merit, and the Cold War Recognition Certificate. “It always is a tremendous privilege to present medals to deserving veterans like Sgt. Close. As a Green Beret, Sgt. Close went through intense training in order to better protect our country. Like all veterans, he is deserving of our respect and gratitude and it is my honor to thank him for his outstanding service,” said Senator Young. After enlisting in the U.S. Army in August 1976, Sgt. Close was sent to Fort Jackson in South Carolina for basic training and Advanced Individual Training (AIT) in supply. From 1978 until 1979, he served at Camp Casey in Korea with the Second Infantry Division on the ...

HARRISBURG – Legislation authored by state Rep. Matt Gabler (R-Clearfield/Elk) that would help improve services provided by county veterans’ affairs directors in Pennsylvania is headed to Gov. Tom Corbett’s desk after passage Monday by the state Senate. “I wish to thank my colleagues in the Senate for acting on this legislation, which is well deserved by our servicemen and women,” said Gabler. “They have earned the right to have the highest level of care and services possible, and providing our county veterans’ affairs directors with additional opportunities to meet with their peers and obtain the latest information on state and federal laws allows them to do the best job for those who have given so much to our country.” Under House Bill 755, the County Code is amended to make it easier for county veterans’ affairs directors to attend annual statewide association meetings and stay up to date on the latest veterans programs. Similar legislation was first introduced in 2006 by state Rep....

Brigadier General (Pa.) Michael G. Gould speaks at the Memorial Day ceremony in Eldred on Monday. Gould, a 1977 graduate of Otto-Eldred High School and 1981 graduate of United State Military Academy at West Point, served in the U.S. Army for more than 29 years before retiring last year. He now works in the Pennsylvania State Veterans Affairs Office. Photo courtesy of Sandra Rhodes

A Chautauqua County soldier has been killed in Afghanistan. US Army Sgt. Kevin White was serving in an infantry unit east of Kabul near the Pakistani border when he died on Monday after his unit was attacked by an IED. White was a 2006 graduate of Westfield Academy and Central School. UPDATE: May 5, 2011 -- Cpl. White was posthumously promoted to sergeant. http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=14469

BUFFALO, NY — Saikrishna Yendamuri, MD, FACS, Assistant Professor in the Departments of Surgical Oncology and Thoracic Oncology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI), has been awarded a $555,103 grant from the U.S. Army to develop a way to help predict which lung-cancer patients are more likely to have their cancer recur after surgery. People with early-stage lung cancer typically undergo surgery to remove the tumor, but unfortunately, as many as 35 percent of them see their disease return. Treating these patients with chemotherapy is associated with too many complications to advocate chemotherapy for all lung patents after surgery. Therefore, finding a way to identify those patients whose disease is likely to recur is important in determining who should undergo adjuvant chemotherapy and who may avoid it. Dr. Yendamuri plans to explore the potential of using microRNA profiling as a biomarker for non-small-cell lung cancer. MicroRNAs are small RNAs that regulate protein formation. By ...