Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Police are investigating a fraud case involving Kwik Fill and Red Apple stores. They say on June 11 a person went into the stores in Sugar Grove and Pittsfield and paid for nearly $700 worth of gift cards with a Visa Card. United Refining, which owns the stores, has since been notified that the Visa card had been terminated and the company would not be paying United Refining for the purchases. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Route 62 between Warren and Jamestown is still closed after a United Refining tanker truck carrying 7,500 gallons of diesel fuel flipped over at about 6:30 this morning. The driver was taken to WCA Hospital in Jamestown for treatment of minor injuries. The Chautauqua County HAZMAT team was called to the scene but it’s unclear how much, if any, fuel spilled. Crews are working to move the fuel into another truck before the road can be reopened. Route 62 is closed between Route 60 and Kiantone Road. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

United Refining is being accused of not maintaining underground storage tanks at six of its western New York gas stations. EPA is seeking more than $42,000 from the Warren-based company in connection to its Kwik Fill stations in Jamestown, Dunkirk, Westfield, Fredonia and Rochester. The complaint refers to record-keeping as well as maintenance of storage tanks. http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/8b770facf5edf6f185257359003fb69e/17b8deca94fdb08885257aa1005b48a3!OpenDocument The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The owner of United Refining in Warren says he is thinking about bidding on Sunoco's refinery in South Philadelphia. United Refining Energy Corp. chairman and billionaire John Catsimatidis tells The Philadelphia Inquirer his company is deciding this month if it will make an offer for the refinery, which Sunoco plans to shut down on July 1 if they don't find a buyer. He is the first potential buyer to publicly acknowledge an interest in the refinery, which is the largest on the East Coast. It is one of three in the Philadelphia area threatened with permanent closure because their owners say they are unprofitable. In addition to the Philadelphia facility, Sunoco already shut down its Marcus Hook refinery. ConocoPhillips has shut down operations at its refinery in Trainer. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Rew woman accused of using someone else’s gas card while she was an employee at Kwik Fill on East Main Street waived her preliminary hearing today. Sarah Ambuske is charged with identity theft, receiving stolen property and access device fraud. She said she found a gas card outside the store after a customer left, and picked it up. After that, when she got cash from customers or the people who pump gas, she kept the cash and used the card to ring up the purchases, according to papers filed in District Judge Dominic Cercone’s office. Ambuske allegedly racked up more than $400 worth of purchases, which the card-owners noticed when they got their bill. They contacted United Refining, who investigated, then contacted Bradford Police. Ambuske is free on her own recognizance.

An employee of United Refining in Warren suffered minor burns in a small explosion at the refinery Saturday morning. The explosion was caused by a backflash in a heater unit and is not uncommon, according to company officials. The employee was wearing protective gear. He was treated at Warren General Hospital then released. There was minor damage to the heater unit. Company officials say some reports blew the incident out of proportion.