Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will hold a variety of events during February in recognition of Black History Month, ranging from open mic night to the annual Cultural Festival. The events are sponsored by the Black History Month committee, which wanted to increase its offerings this year and emphasize the education of students, faculty and staff about African-Americans and their accomplishments. The public is invited to the following events. Events kick off with a cultural dinner in the dining hall on Feb. 1 that will feature a soul food menu developed by the African-American Student Union, music by black artists and informational posters about famous and influential black Americans. Dinner is from 5 to 7 p.m. in the KOA Dining Hall and costs $8.60. Dr. Richard G. Frederick, professor of history, will discuss the “International Sweethearts of Rhythm” at 7 p.m. on Monday, February 6, in the Mukaiyama Room of the Frame-Westerberg ...

State prosecutors are asking Judge John Cleland to bring in a jury from another county in the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse case, saying pretrial publicity and the role Penn State plays in the community would affect potential jurors. A motion filed today by the attorney general's office says coverage of the case has been "spectacular in its breadth and intensity." Prosecutors say it wouldn't be fair or practical to ask people in Centre County to insulate themselves from Penn State. Cleland has not said yet when he will hear arguments on the motion. Sandusky denies the allegations he abused 10 boys over 15 years. Read the motion here . PDF The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Tuesday, January 31, 2012 was a step back in time for the students and staff of St. Bernard Elementary/Middle School. The activities for the day centered on the decade of the 1950’s. Students in poodle skirts, leather jackets, pony tails and slicked back hair, danced the afternoon away to Elvis, Fats Domino and many others at a “sock hop” held in the gym. The week which celebrates the impact and importance of Catholic Education is celebrated nationally. The national theme, “Faith. Academics. Service”, is brought to life through activities and special events adopted by schools across the United States. St. Bernard’s Elementary/Middle School has programs for students Preschool through 8th grade. Children of all denominations are welcome. Registration for the 2012-2013 school year runs March 12th through the 16th, 8:30AM – 3:00PM. More information can be found at www.stbernardschool.net .

The Pittsburgh Pirates will open a new open-air bar and lounge in the right field corner of PNC Park this season as part of a multi-year sponsorship deal with Anheuser-Busch. Budweiser Bowtie Bar will be on the main concourse level just left of the right field grandstands, and will be available to all ticket holders. The Pirates say it should ready by opening day on April 5. It will be the first new bar or restaurant at the ballpark since the Hall of Fame Club replaced Outback Steakhouse in 2008. Drawing provided by the Pittsburgh Pirates The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The fourth annual “Beyond Funny” improvisational comedy show by the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s Pitt Improvers will raise money to benefit the Tuna Valley Trail Association and CARE for Children. The family-friendly show will take place at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10 in the Bromeley Family Theater in Blaisdell Hall at Pitt-Bradford. Adult tickets are $5, and students and children are free. Tickets will be available at the door. Performers in the student improv troupe will create scenes on the spot based on suggestions from the audience. Last year’s show raised more than $1,000 for three Bradford-area nonprofit organizations. Kristin Asinger, Improvers advisor and visiting instructor of sports medicine, said that each year, the Improvers choose one to three organizations to be involved in the show. “The Tuna Valley Trail Association has made such an impact on our community for hikers, cross-country skiers and cyclists,” Asinger said of ch...

The athletic department at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford received the Jostens Community Service Overall Winner Award from the National Association of Division III Athletics for its longstanding relationship with the CARE For Children program and other service projects. The award was presented to Lori Mazza, director of athletics, at the NCAA Convention in Indianapolis, Ind. The awards program is co-sponsored by the NADIIIAA and Jostens and is intended to recognize the many contributions Division III student-athletes regularly make to their campuses and local communities. The program awards winners in the following three categories: one-time project, array of projects, and on-going project. Pitt-Bradford was recognized for its relationship with the CARE for Children program and other service projects. In 2001, then-head women’s basketball coach Daly Ann Fuller approached CARE with the idea of collaborating on an adaptive basketball camp to give children with motor and learnin...

Just last month National Fuel announced that it would be increasing its price – but today the company has announced a decrease in pricing. Effective tomorrow the bill of a typical residential customer will go from $85 a month to $77 a month. Nancy Taylor of National Fuel says continued decreases in the market price of natural gas due, in part, to increasing Marcellus Shale gas production, makes this quarterly adjustment possible. In a state-required annual filing, National Fuel forecasted a 10.2 percent increase that would have been effective in August. That forecast was based on information developed in December. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

MATHCOUNTS, a national math contest for sixth-, seventh- and eighth graders, will be hosted by St. Bonaventure University on Feb. 11 in the William F. Walsh Science Center Amphitheater from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. Chairman of the Department of Mathematics, Dr. Doug Cashing, will coordinate this year’s competition. Local middle schools will send four students and one coach to participate in the contest. Last year, Allegany-Limestone Central School, Cheektowaga Central School, and Tapestry Charter School from Buffalo were among the participants. During a series of morning and afternoon rounds, students participate individually and as a team trying to advance their school further in the competition. The three individuals and schools that receive the top scores will win trophies. The three highest scoring schools will advance to the state competition, which will take place in March. Winners of the state competition will advance to nationals, which will be held in Orlando, Fla., on May 11. ...

Northwest Savings Bank has launched a new website for people who need information about oil and gas rights, leasing and other issues related to Marcellus and Utica shale. www.Oilandgashelp.com provides information about lease planning, income and royalty management and tax strategies. It also has a section about what landowners should avoid. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Bradford girl is facing charges for allegedly stealing a woman’s purse at the Paradise Gentleman’s Club in Salamanca. Sheriff’s deputies say 18-year-old Ali Childs took the purse Sunday night. She was arraigned on a grand larceny charge Monday night. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Yorkshire, New York, man has been sentenced to 5 years’ probation on an attempted forgery charge. 25-year-old Justin Ippolito attempted to forge a signature while using another person’s unemployment benefit card. The incident happened on December 8, 2010, in the Town of Yorkshire. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A South Dayton, New York, man has pleaded guilty to attempted burglary. 20-year-old Jordan Fish and another man broke into a building on November 3 with the intent to commit another crime, according to the Cattaraugus County District Attorney’s office. Fish will be sentenced on April 2. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Harrisburg – The Pennsylvania State Police and the Beaver County District Attorney’s Office today announced the arrest of a Bridgewater man who is charged in the 1979 strangling death of Catherine Janet Walsh. Gregory Scott Hopkins, 65, was arrested by state police on Sunday and charged with criminal homicide. He is being held at the Beaver County jail. “I extend my sincere condolences to Catherine’s father, Mr. Caltury, her family and friends during this difficult time,” State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan said. “I’m very hopeful that this arrest will give the family some relief, knowing that a suspect has been charged with this unsolved murder.” Walsh’s father discovered his 23-year-old daughter’s body when he went to her Monaca home on Sept. 1, 1979. State police and the Monaca Borough Police Department began investigating, identifying Hopkins at the time as a possible suspect. Numerous items of evidence were sent to the State Police Crime Laboratory for processing during the ent...

New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is pushing legislation that would increase the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.50 an hour, and would then adjust it for inflation every year. Silver says census numbers show nearly half of the U.S. population has fallen into poverty or joined the ranks of the working poor. A spokesman says Governor Andrew Cuomo has supported previous proposals to raise the minimum wage and will review this one. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Dr. Richard G. Frederick, professor of history at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, will discuss the “International Sweethearts of Rhythm” as part of Black History Month activities. The event, sponsored by the university’s History-Political Science Club, will take place at 7 p.m. on Monday, February 6, in the Mukaiyama Room of the Frame-Westerberg Commons. It is free and open to the public. “The International Sweethearts of Rhythm began as a girls’ amateur swing band that was sent out by a small, African-American school in rural Mississippi to raise money for the school to stay open,” Frederick said. “To the surprise of everyone, they became a nationally-famous, very professional all-girls’ band which played in all the big venues of the early ’40s, entertained the troops during World War II, and travelled overseas at the end of the war.” Frederick explains that the band was originally formed by the founder of the Piney Woods School, Laurence C. Jones, wh...

Four area schools will host a free Financial Aid Night for district high school students and their families, according to Senator Joe Scarnati (R-Jefferson). Scarnati said those attending can find out how to apply for all types of financial aid, including completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is required to qualify for most student aid programs, including the Pennsylvania State Grant, the Federal Pell Grant, institutional awards and low-cost federal student and parent loans. A student aid expert from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) will be available at the Financial Aid Nights to provide information on grants and loans and answer questions. “This is an excellent opportunity for students and their parents to get a better understanding of the student aid process and how to begin planning to fund their higher education,” Scarnati said. “Participants can learn about Pennsylvania-specific aid programs, as well as the importanc...

Despite owning the third-most wins in the nation, the 20-2 St. Bonaventure women's basketball team just missed cracking the top-25 in the Associated Press Poll Monday for the first time in program history, checking in as the No. 26 team with 61 points. The Bonnies – who sit atop the Atlantic 10 standings as the lone unbeaten team at 7-0 – were just nine points shy of No. 25 Texas Tech, which garnered 70. In last week's poll, 61 points would have placed Bona as the No. 23 team in country. Only No. 1 Baylor (21-0) and No. 2 Notre Dame (21-1) have more victories than the Bonnies. St. Bona is 9-2 against top-100 teams in the RPI (Ratings Percentage Index), which is a main ranking utilized by the NCAA Tournament selection committee when choosing its postseason participants. The Bonnies check in at No. 23 in the RPI rankings – the highest-ranked A-10 team. Of the schools ranked No. 13-25 in the AP Poll, none has more RPI top-100 wins than St. Bonaventure. Furthermore, SBU's five ...

Two people were hurt in a crash this morning on Route 394 in North Harmony. Sheriff’s deputies say an SUV driven by 28-year-old Steven Munday of High Acres went out of control and went into a ditch at just after 8 a.m. Munday was taken to WCA Hospital in Jamestown for treatment of his injuries. His passenger, 23-year-old Sean Munday was treated at the scene. No charges have been filed. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

An Otto, New York, woman wanted on a number of charges is now in jail. 22-year-old Kristin Kulczky was picked up on three separate warrants. She was charged with two counts of burglary, along with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. She was also wanted for a Family Court violation. Her bail is set at $11,000 and she will be back in court at a later date. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

"In Darkness" is a fictional look at a boy struggling to survive after in the 2010 earthquake, intertwined with stories of Toussaint l'Ouverture, the Haitian slave turned revolutionary leader. Nick hopes, among other things, the book will put a focus back on Haiti and make people realize Haitians still need help. You can listen to my conversation with Nick Lake here . The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947