Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Low-flying helicopters will be hovering over three spots in Pennsylvania to find long-abandoned oil and gas wells, and one of those spots is in Potter County. The National Energy Technology Laboratory will be doing the survey between Friday and August 29 in Susquehannock State Forest in Potter County, Oil Creek State Park in Venango County and Hillman State Park in Washington County. The helicopters are equipped with technology that detects changes in the earth’s magnetic field caused by steel well casing. The survey will also determine whether the wells are emitting methane gas. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary E. Christopher Abruzzo announced today that John Guth, Environmental Program Manager for Air Quality, has been named regional director of the agency’s Northwest office effective today. “John’s strong background working with the regulated community, coordinating with local governments, directing and managing staff and serving with the region’s emergency response team has more than prepared him for his new role as regional director,” Abruzzo said. “His vast experience and dedication to the department’s important mission has earned him respect both inside and outside DEP. I am confident that he will continue to serve with diligence.” Guth began his career at DEP conducting field investigations for the Waste Management Program in 1985, and was promoted to Solid Waste Supervisor in 1993 to supervise employees conducting municipal, residual and hazardous waste inspections, compliance assistance and enforcement. Guth was again promoted ...

15 Fatalities in McKean County Last Year Harrisburg – The number of highway deaths on Pennsylvania roads tumbled to a record low last year when 1,208 were recorded, the lowest number since recordkeeping began in 1928, PennDOT Secretary Barry J. Schoch announced today. “Though Pennsylvania has made significant progress in reducing highway crashes and deaths, our efforts to ensure that all travelers reach their destinations safely will remain paramount,” Schoch said. “However, our efforts cannot reach their potential if drivers refuse to do their part by observing traffic laws and always using common sense on our roads.” While the number of highway deaths dropped in many types of crashes, there were significant decreases noted in unbuckled, speeding and single vehicle run-off-the-road related deaths. Unbuckled fatalities dropped from 503 in 2012 to 425. Speeding-related fatalities also decreased from 262 in 2012 to 193 last year. Deaths attributed to single-vehicle, run-off-the-roa...

A Pleasantville man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for making false statement about plugging oil wells. 44-year-old Ronald Wright is accused of falsely claiming he had properly plugged abandoned oil wells, when he hadn’t. EPA relied on the forms Wright filed to issue permits for injection wells, which can’t be issued until abandoned wells within a quarter mile have been plugged. The alleged incidents happened between September of 2009 and April of 2011 in James City, according to the US Attorney’s office. The wells were supposed to be plugged before ARG Resources could put in an injection well. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Venango County probation officer is accused of raping and sexually assaulting two women he was supervising. 39-year-old Marc Taylor of Knox in Clarion County allegedly raped the women while they were on house arrest in 2009 and 2010, according to papers filed in District Judge Douglas Dinberg’s office. Charges were filed Tuesday by Oil City Police following an eight-month investigation. Taylor is charged with felony counts of rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, institutional sexual assault and bribery, along with misdemeanor counts of obstruction of administration of law and official oppression. Taylor is free on $40,000 bail and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Wednesday. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Venango County Pennsylvania Game Commission officials on Aug. 2 released two rehabilitated bald eagles in conjunction with individuals from Skye’s Spirit Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Harrisville, Pa. On Jan. 9, a downed, mature bald eagle was reported by John Struthers off Turner Station Road in Coolspring Township, Mercer County. Deputy Wildlife Conservation Officers Terry McClelland and Tom Jones, along with Mr. Struthers, captured the bird and transported it to Skye’s Spirit Rehabilitation Center in Harrisville. The second bird, located on Airport Road, Venango County, was a 4-year-old bald eagle. Carol Wilson noticed the bird as she was driving on March 28. The impaired bird took flight, but ended up suspended upside down in a tree. Wildlife Conservation Officers Ronda Bimber and Steve Ace, along with Maryjane Angelo from Skye’s Spirit Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, retrieved the bird and transported it to Skye’s Spirit for evaluation and subsequent rehabilitation. Rehabil...

Gov. Tom Corbett has asked the federal government for money to help the state and local governments and nonprofit groups recover from the severe storms that hit several counties – including Clearfield and Jefferson – late last month. Preliminary estimates put the total damage at about $20 million. In a letter to the White House, Corbett says he expects that figure to grow as more claims come in and repair work begins. Corbett, who visited DuBois the day after the flooding, said in his letter that he witnessed the devastation left behind and it’s evident that the communities will need federal assistance to recover. If approved, federal funds could cover 75 percent of the cost of debris removal, emergency services and repairs to public facilities, such as roads, buildings and utilities. Read more here . The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A police officer fatally shot a woman who was wielding a knife last night in Oil City. State police have been called in to investigate the incident that happened at about 9 p.m. Tuesday. They say preliminary indications are that officers were responding to a call of a person with reported mental health issues, when the woman threatened the officer. They have not released the name of the officer or the woman yet. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Clarion University’s equestrian team, located at Venango College in Oil City, had its first western rider win a regional championship on Saturday, March 16, 2013. The equestrian team had six riders that qualified for Zone 6 Region 5 Regionals, including two English and four Western riders. Three members of Clarion University’s Western Equestrian Team placed in the Zone 6 Region 5 Regionals held at West Virginia University on Saturday March 16, 2013. Judy Shupe, a junior from Franklin, placed first in the Beginner Western Horsemanship and is the team’s first Regional Champion. Katelynn Nussbaum, from Kersey, placed fourth in the same class. Kellie Forsman, a junior from Erie, placed third in the Intermediate Western Horsemanship II. Judy Shupe will be traveling to Kentucky on Saturday, March 23, 2013, along with all first and second place riders to compete in the Western Semi-Finals at Morehead State. Melanie Daniel, from Ottsville, and Cody Lauer, from Clarion, competed in...

Pennsylvania is going to do something this spring it has not done since 2009: spray for gypsy moths. The pests have stripped trees in at least 8 counties. Gypsy moth numbers are high enough in parts of Cameron, Clarion, Forest, Jefferson, Lycoming, Potter, Tioga and Venango Counties to warrant the spraying of more than 43 thousand acres of state forest, park and game lands, along with some private property. For more on this story go to PA Matters.com The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

MEADVILLE -- The Department of Environmental Protection announced today that remediation is complete at the former Rouseville Refinery in Rouseville Borough, Venango County. Pennzoil Quaker State Co. and Calumet Lubricants Inc. conducted the cleanup as part of a consent order and agreement with DEP. “The remediation and redevelopment of one of the oldest oil refineries in the world is an exciting opportunity for Rouseville and Venango County,” DEP Northwest Regional Director Kelly Burch said. “Pennsylvania’s Land Recycling program provides an achievable and common-sense framework to encourage companies in the cleanup of our industrial past. “The cooperation and remediation of the Rouseville refinery by Pennzoil Quaker State and Calumet allows a site associated with the birth of the oil industry to re-emerge as a safe and important part of the region’s economic vitality into the future,” Burch said. “All parties involved in the effort to clean up and redevelop the refinery are to be...

Venango College Veterans Club members delivered gifts to 15 veterans residing at the Oil City Presbyterian Home as their final fall semester project before going home for the holiday break last week. The community-focused project started four years ago as the club’s first project. Due to the popularity of this event, the club has now partnered with Venango Allies, Rehabilitative Services, and Criminal Justice Clubs to adopt three more Venango County nursing homes in order to support some 60 veterans receiving holiday visits and gifts from Venango College student-led organizations. Pictured is Venango College Veterans Club member Sheri Symosko greeting Presbyterian Home resident Fay Durham, U.S.M.C. and Vietnam War Veteran. Symosko is a dual major in Criminology and Rehabilitative Sciences who also is an R.O.T.C. cadet at Clarion University. She is very active in the multiple projects that the club supports. In the past, the club has also co-sponsored the campus’ Thanksgivin...

An Oil City man has pleaded guilty in federal court to sexually exploiting children. 53-year-old Joseph Martin Glass had computer images depicting children engaging in sexually explicit conduct. He could face up to 10 years in prison when he’s sentenced on March 25. Judge Sean McLaughlin revoked Glass’s bond. http://www.justice.gov/usao/paw/news/2012/2012_november/2012_11_02_02.html The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

HARRISBURG – Reps. Scott Hutchinson (R-Venango/Butler) and Kathy Rapp (R-Warren/McKean/Forest) today applauded Gov. Tom Corbett, who signed into law a measure renaming a section of U.S. Route 62 that runs through Forest, Venango and Warren counties in honor of military veterans. “This stretch of road will serve as a constant reminder of the men and women in uniform who served to maintain our country’s freedom,” Hutchinson said. “Their sacrifices should never be forgotten.” The law renames the portion of U.S. Route 62 that runs through Venango County as the Venango County Veterans Highway. It similarly renames the road the Forest County Veterans Highway and Warren County Veterans Highway in those two counties. While Rapp and Hutchinson originally introduced stand-alone legislation (House Bill 2243) to rename the three stretches of highway, their proposal was eventually amended into another comprehensive measure, House Bill 2460, which renames roads across the Commonwealth ...

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Glenn 'GT' Thompson today voted to support H.R. 3409, the Coal Miner Employment and Domestic Energy Infrastructure Protection Act, a package bills that protect American jobs and support U.S. energy production. The measure passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 233-175. “This legislation will end overly burdensome regulations that are destroying jobs and business expansion across the commonwealth, guard against higher electricity rates for consumers, and promote states’ rights when it comes to environmental protections,” said Rep. Thompson. Thompson serves on the House Natural Resources Committee, one of three committees with jurisdiction over the legislation, in addition to the House Energy and Commerce and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committees. Joined by coal workers from across the country, members of all three committees, including Thompson, held a press conference before passage of H.R. 3...

FRANKLIN, Venango County – A Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Officer (WCO) is investigating the case of a river otter attacking an angler around 2 p.m. on Sept. 11, at the junction of French Creek and the Allegheny River, just off Ninth Street, adjacent to the Riverfront Park in Franklin, Venango County. Game Commission WCO Ronda Bimber is urging the public to notify her through the agency’s Northwest Region Office with any information about the situation. Calls can be placed to the Northwest Region office at 814-432-3187. “This area is frequently used by the public, so we are encouraging park users to look out for any suspicious activity by river otters,” said WCO Bimber, who will be checking the area today. “At this point, it is not clear what initiated the attack.” According to WCO Bimber, a 27-year-old Franklin man was wet wading and observed a river otter on the bike trail side of the river. “The individual fishes the area often and said he didn’t find the pres...

A man who police believe stabbed a man early Sunday morning in Jamestown was picked up by Pennsylvania State Police on Monday. 20-year-old Alexander Jewell of Jamestown allegedly stabbed a 27-year-old man in the abdomen at 3 a.m. Sunday on North Main Street in Jamestown. The victim is still being treated at UPMC Hamot. Jewell was picked up as a fugitive from justice on an arrest warrant for first-degree felony assault He is being held in the Venango County Jail until his extradition hearing. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Here are more pictures, provided by Commonwealth Media Services, from the first day of Governor Tom Corbett's three-day kayak tour of western Pennsylvania. Pictured, First Lady Susan Corbett makes her way down the Allegheny River near West Hickory, PA; Aboard the Oil Creek and Titusville Railroad, the Governor and First Lady had their State Park Passports officially stamped at the nation's only remaining, operating on-train post office. The Corbetts visited Oil Creek State Park and the Drake Well Museum during their three-day kayak tour. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Tidioute – Governor Tom Corbett today began a three-day kayak tour through Western Pennsylvania to promote Pennsylvania’s vast natural resources and array of recreational opportunities. Gov. Corbett will be joined on the water by First Lady Susan Corbett and representatives of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). “Pennsylvania is a vast state with an abundance of scenic landscapes,” Corbett said. “There are many ways to see Pennsylvania and, for the second year in a row, I will get to experience the beauty of our commonwealth from our rivers.” Setting off this morning from Tidioute, Warren County, Corbett will be kayaking down the Allegheny and Conemaugh rivers; visiting Forest, Venango and Warren counties, Johnstown and Pittsburgh. Throughout the trip, the governor will be spending time on water as well as on land touring several Pennsylvania parks and historic sites. “Preserving our natural resources for gen...

HARRISBURG - Agents from the Attorney General's Bureau of Narcotics Investigation and Pennsylvania State Police have filed criminal charges against nine individuals linked to an organization allegedly responsible for shipping large quantities of marijuana from Texas to northwestern Pennsylvania. Attorney General Linda Kelly said the grand jury investigation, known as "Operation Texas Twins," identified two brothers - Marcelino Rodriguez, of Eddy, Texas and Miguel Rodriguez, of Corpus Christi - accused of coordinating the transportation and distribution of as much as 20 pounds of marijuana per month, over a two year period of time. According to the grand jury, Miguel Rodriguez operated from Texas, communicating with his brother Marcelino and other associates by telephone in order to arrange the shipment of drugs to Pennsylvania and the transfer of money back to Texas. Kelly said the Rodriguez brothers were allegedly assisted by Robert Karl Conaway, who is accused of assist...