Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

We have an update on a story we told you about last month concerning a man who believes there’s lost gold buried in Elk County. Dennis Parada thinks a Union convoy taking it to the mint in Philadelphia during the Civil War lost the gold. Parada needs permission from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, but he says they’re still dragging their feet. He says the DCNR has told him he needs more proof before he can start digging. Parada runs a treasure hunting business in Clearfield and says the gold is in the Village of Dents Run near the Cameron County border. Parada and his partners made some initial digs in 2005, turning up artifacts that included bones, a shattered bottle, a pocketknife, tin cans and two bullets. The state halted that effort.

Do you have any photos you'd like to share with us -- and the world? Maybe you took a picture of a huge pothole, or a cute kid at an Easter Egg Hunt, or a cool play at a sporting event and you want everyone to see it. Well, send it to us at 1490news@gmail.com and we'll post it. It's always good to share :)

Actually, I love my job all the time. But some weeks I love it more than others. I'm not even talking about the actual news that I've covered over the last couple of weeks. It's my talk show, "The LiveLine," that's had me loving my job so much lately. Last week alone I interviewed best-selling author John Grisham (about Hillary Clinton), Command Sergeant Major Jesse Andrews, who is currently deployed with the Third Infantry Division in Iraq (he called from Baghdad) and Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett. Who says a newsperson in little ol' Bradford, Pa., can't get the good "gets?" In the next couple of weeks my guests will be "City of Light" author Lauren Belfer, local author (and a friend of mine) Jim Kinney and Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati. He's my favorite guest. He says I'm his favorite talk show host, too, so we're even. And to think I couldn't stand the guy in 2000. But I digres...

03/20/08 - Police Search for Bradford Man A Bradford man is facing charges after allegedly striking a pedestrian with a vehicle Sunday night in a parking lot at Jose’s bar in Lewis Run. 22 year-old Chad Cobb ran into several vehicles and then a pedestrian in the bar’s parking lot. The pedestrian was treated for minor injuries at BRMC. Cobb is facing charges for leaving the scene of an accident and other violations. Anyone with information on Cobb’s whereabouts is asked to contact State Police in Kane. 03/20/08 - Man Takes Police on High-Speed Chase A Salamanca man faces several charges after taking police on a high-speed chase through the city early Thursday morning. Police started chasing 24-year-old Darryl Shongo on Merden Avenue at around 2:30 a.m. The chase continued over 11 streets and ended in the Masonic Park. Police say Shongo drove in excess of 80 miles per hour and rammed 2 marked police vehicles. Shongo faces more than a dozen charges and 30 traffic citations. He was sent t...

The story of two Peregrine falcons that have nested on the ledge of Harrisburg’s Rachel Carson State Office Building since 2005 continues this year before a worldwide audience now that the cameras that broadcast their experiences are live online. Two cameras will chronicle the falcons round-the-clock while streaming the footage live. D-E-P Secretary Kathleen McGinty says viewers may be able to see the eggs arrive within the week. Based on data recorded at the site from past nesting seasons, the first egg should arrive sometime around March 25. In each of the past two years, the female falcon has laid a “clutch” of five eggs. The eggs should begin to hatch around Mother’s Day and the young falcons” will begin to take their first flights around Father’s Day. DEP's Falcon Pages

03/19/08 - Check-Cashing Scam Targets McDonald's State police are investigating a check cashing scam involving McDonald's restaurants. They say on February 14 a man arrived at the Warren McDonald's in what was described as a "school-styled bus." He went into the store, said he was a basketball coach and wanted to order food for his players. He ordered about 50 dollars worth of food and gave an employee a check for 150 dollars that he said was given to him by the school district. The employee then gave him the food and change. A local bank has discovered that the check was not valid. Police learned that the person committed similar crimes in Titusville and Grove City. They are trying to determine if there are any other similar incidents. 03/20/08 - LaBrozzi Named D9 League MVP Bradford’s Ryan LaBrozzi is the D9 League basketball MVP. Labrozzi led the Owls in scoring averaging 17 points per game. Labrozzi was named to the D9 league Allstar team along with teammates ...

03/18/08 - Area Soldier Critically Injured in Iraq A soldier from Cattaraugus County is in critical condition at a hospital in Germany after being severely injured in an explosion in Iraq. 25-year-old Sergeant James Hackemer graduated from Gowanda High School in 2000. He was injured when a roadside bomb hit his convoy on Friday. Hackemer has both of his legs amputated and is in a drug-induced coma. He is expected to be transported to Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital in Washington later this week. 03/19/08 - Another Drug Bust in Bradford Another drug bust in the City of Bradford. 31-year-old Jason Baney of Summer Street was arrested Monday night after officers with the McKean County Drug Task Force saw a drug transaction taking place in a convenience store parking lot on East Main Street. Once the transaction was complete, task force and Bradford City Police officers arrested Baney. They also seized marijuana, money, drug paraphernalia and Baney's vehicle. 03/19/08 - 'Operation...

Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) released the following statement today ahead of the fifth anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq: “Five years ago this week, President Bush misled our nation and took us into a war with Iraq that was poorly executed and grossly mishandled. Today, we mark the sacrifices of the 183 Pennsylvanian and almost 4,000 American heroes who have given their lives in the ultimate sacrifice and to the more than 29,000 wounded American soldiers, some of them with crippling and lifelong injuries. “I am concerned that the President now seeks to shackle his successor to the same failed policies on Iraq, especially by extending unilateral U.S. security assurances to the Iraqi government. The American people have already sacrificed too much of her blood and treasure in Iraq. In coming months, I will continue to work with other Members of Congress to exercise the strong oversight necessary to ensure that this President does not lock our nation into an ill-advised, open-e...

03/17/08 - Kane Fire Damages Two Trains An arson fire caused one million dollars worth of damage, which includes two trains that were once used for tourist trips at Kinzua Bridge State Park.Investigators say someone broke into a warehouse early Sunday morning and set it on fire. The damaged steam locomotives are owned by B. Sloan Cornell of Marienville. One is a diesel and the other is a luxury dining car built in the 1890s and restored in the 1930s. Kane Borough Police are continuing their investigation. 03/17/08 - Kane's Apollo Hardwoods is Closing Apollo Hardwoods Company announced the closing and liquidation of its assets as of last Friday. This includes the permanent closing of the plant Apollo had started in Kane. They had intended to make plywood and veneer products from local black cherry logs. After more than six years of investment in the startup, they decided to close the plant and the business completely and to sell all of its property and equipment. The company is ...

The St. Bonaventure University Seneca Battalion announced the induction of four new members into its Army ROTC Hall of Fame during a ceremony Saturday, March 15, in the Rigas Family Theater on campus. The Hall of Fame honors distinguished graduates and individuals of the St. Bonaventure community who have served their country with the utmost duty and valor. This year’s distinguished inductees are Lt. Col. James M. DiRisio (Ret.), ’86, Col. David W. Hazen (Ret.), ’63, Col. Thomas G.B. Kane (Ret.), ’80 and Col. Lois (Rappl) Morales (Ret.), ’82 (a friend of mine). Lois M. (Rappl) Morales was born in Rochester, graduating from Bishop Kearney High School before attending Monroe Community College. She transferred to St. Bonaventure as a junior, and like her father, Norbert J. Rappl, ’52, enrolled in Army ROTC. She was graduated from St. Bonaventure with a bachelor’s degree in economics and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Ordnance branch. She completed the Ordnance Officer Basic C...

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford honored four area high school students as “Women of Promise” at a luncheon Tuesday, March 18, for their achievements in athletics, community service, and the creative and performing arts. The award, co-sponsored by Pitt-Bradford’s Staff Association and the Women’s History Celebration Committee, is given to students who demonstrate academic excellence along with exceptional achievement in one of three categories—athletics, community service, and the creative and performing arts. Being honored are Michelle Fuhrman of Bradford for athletics; Macy Rupprecht of St. Marys for community service; and Brianna Bizzaro of Port Allegany and Danielle Campbell of Portville, N.Y., for creative and performing arts. “It was a pleasure to receive and review the nominations of these amazing young women,” said Heidi Anderson, co-chairwoman of the committee that chose the winners. Co-chairwoman Sandy Green echoed Anderson’s praise, saying, “We were extremely pleased...

Five-year-old Hunter Winship's quest to get in the Guiness Book of World Records surpassed everyone's expectations. Family members of the Freedom boy estimate he's received more than a million paper airplanes. The project began in January when Hunter was diagnosed with Burkitt's Lymphoma. His mother thought setting a world record would be a distraction for Hunter, and she was shocked to realize there wasn't one for the most paper airplanes ever received. When the project began, she thought maybe they'd get enough airplanes to fill their 15-passenger van. Monday was the last day they could collect airplanes for the official count. While the Winships must count all the planes before Guiness officials do the official tally, Hunter's Mom believes they have easily surpassed a million planes. She's hoping they will officially make the record books by June--when Hunter will celebrate his sixth birthday.

03/15/08 - Dodsworth Likely Going to FCI McKean The business partner of former Bradford landlord Frank Kartesz is likely to spend his time in prison at F-C-I McKean. Robert Dodsworth was sentenced Friday to six years and four months in federal prison for his part in a mortgage-fraud scheme. He is expected to report to U.S. marshals on June 16, and is free on bond until then. The FBI, Internal Revenue Service and other agencies have been investigating the mortgage-fraud case since 2004. Federal officials said victims lost more than $1 million between 2003 and 2006. As part of his sentence, Dodsworth was also ordered to pay a $50,000 fine and $57,365 in restitution to lending institutions affected by the scam. Dodsworth was not ordered to pay restitution to individual homeowners. The government said restitution for those victims is nearly impossible to award.Kartesz had been expected to plead guilty last month, but that hearing was postponed and has not been rescheduled yet. 03/15/08 - ...