Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Police agencies throughout Chautauqua County are piecing together details of a Friday night shooting that left one man dead. Multiple gunshots, fired just before 8 p.m., claimed the life of an unidentified man in the parking lot of Fluvanna Fire Hall No. 2. Radio reports indicate that police are looking for 3 Hispanic males with a handgun. Authorities say there is no threat to public safety. The FBI is involved in the investigation.

Buffalo Police say 27-year-old Marcia Mitchell of Batavia is charged with attempted murder for trying to smother her infant daughter at Women & Children's Hospital. Investigators say the woman had brought the child into the hospital earlier this week for treatment and was staying with the infant in a hospital room. Hospital staff say they observed her acting suspiciously and then saw her attempt to suffocate the child with a pillow. Hospital staff intervened and police were called. Investigators say the baby girl, who is less than one year old, is doing well.

The arraignment for a Salamanca woman facing charges in the death of her boyfriend's three-year-old daughter has been postponed until June 9 because she is in the hospital. Stephanie Pierce and Guy Maybee have been indicted on charges of murder, manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in connection with the death of Ianna Maybee in March. Pierce's attorney would not say why his client is in the hospital, but said there are people who intend to harm her. Pierce is free after posting 10 thousand dollars bail. Maybee pleaded not guilty but is still being held in Cattaraugus County Jail in lieu of 300 thousand dollars bail.

05/29/08 - Brennan St. Fire Considered Suspicious A fire that damaged a Bradford house Sunday is being considered suspicious. Bradford City Fire Chief Boo Coder says a state police fire marshal investigated the scene at 35 Brennan Street and took samples to send to the state police lab. The house had not been occupied for about six months. 05/29/08 - Man Loses Toes in Workplace Accident An employee of Dresser-Rand in Olean lost two toes in an accident Wednesday evening. A rail car ran over the man's foot at about 5:30 p.m., causing him to lose the big toe and second toe on his right foot. The man was flown to ECMC. His name has not been released. Dresser-Rand officials say they will release more information pending an investigation.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) will be surveying on the Allegheny National Forest (NF) this summer for emerald ash borer, a wood-boring beetle that kills ash trees. The surveys will consist of visual detection (looking for beetles), using sweep nets to pick up beetles, and using purple panel traps to lure the adult beetles that fly. In the counties to be surveyed, the purple panel traps will be placed in ash trees on 1.5 mile grids, approximately 8 feet off the ground. The traps are already in place on the Allegheny NF. Please leave the trap in place if you should happen to find one. The surveys taking place this summer on the Allegheny NF will be duplicated across 35 counties in Pennsylvania as part of a cooperative effort with the following agencies: · Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, · Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), · U.S. Forest Service, State and Private Forestry; and the · Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resourc...

Officials at Bradford Regional Medical Center are announcing the immediate appointment of Kenneth B. Goodrich, M.D., a board-certified specialist in women's health services, to provide care at the former practice of Peter Delneky, M.D., F.A.C.O.G. "We're certainly sorry to see someone of Dr. Delneky's caliber leave the area but feel certain that the obstetrical patients and gynecology services will be maintained at the highest levels for patients in our coverage area," said Rhonda Chilson, Director of Practice Management at Bradford Regional Medical Center. Dr. Goodrich provides services at BRMS OB/Gyn in the Suzzalo Medical Arts Building at 159 Interstate Parkway, located across the street from the Medical Center. Dr. Delneky, who recently announced his relocation plans, assumed the practice in December 2005 following the unexpected death of gynecologist and obstetrician Manhot Lau, M.D. In addition to general obstetrics and gynecology services, Dr. Goodr...

Fretz Middle School teachers Robin Hardy and Sue McMurtrie stopped by the station today to check on Kaitlyn Hallock, who job shadowed me. But Katie did more than follow me around, she did a news story and she'll be interviewing me on The Weekend Wrap -- 9:15 a.m. Saturday on 1490 WESB and 6 a.m. Saturday on 100.1 The HERO. (She'll be singing, too.) The second half of The Weekend Wrap is Mike DeGeorge of the National Association of Variable Annuities, who will be explaining variable annuities.

If you've been wondering what day the price of a gallon of regular unleaded would hit 4 dollars in Bradford, you can stop wondering. It's today. The average price is $4.03.

A 25-year-old motorcycle driver is dead after a crash Thursday night in Tioga County. Police say Stephen Aguiar of Beaver Dams was driving on Route 15 when a driven by 78-year-old Ruth Stone of Lawrenceville pulled into his path. Aguiar hit the back of Stone's car with his motorcycle, and catapulted over its roof. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Stone is stable condition at an Elmira hospital. Police haven't said if any charges will be filed.

Pennsylvania environmental officials have ordered a partial shutdown of natural gas drilling operations by two companies in the state's north central region. Robert Yowell of the Department of Environmental Protection says the two companies haven't taken the necessary precautions to protect nearby streams from pollution as they drill for gas in Lycoming County. The streams are located near impoundment areas operated by Range Resources-Appalachia and Chief Oil and Gas. Officials say the impoundments draw tens of thousands of gallons of water per day from the waterways. The companies are conducting exploratory drilling in the Marcellus Shale gas reservoir.

Former Foster Township Police Officer Todd McClain has been found not guilty of taking money from the Foster Township Police Station. He had been accused of taking the money in 2006 from Chief Jeff Wolbert's office and a file drawer used for the McKean County Drug Task Force. The not guilty verdict came after a four-day trial in McKean County Court.

Michelle Fuhrman has been named valedictorian of the Bradford Area High School Class of 2008, and will give the class address. Amanda Morrison is the salutatorian and will give the welcome address. Graduation is set for 7 p.m. Thursday at the high school.

State College-based Uni-Marts has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and says it intends to seek a buyer. Officials with the convenience store and gas station chain say cash reserves have been depleted by rising fuel prices and other costs. The bankruptcy filings say the company owes more than $28.5 million to its top 30 creditors. Attorney Tyler Brown says the company will identify and close 45 underperforming stores and continue to operate the rest while it reorganizes under bankruptcy protection. There's no word yet on whether any stores in this area will be closing.

A reward of up to 7 thousand dollars is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for setting fire to a seasonal home near the Village of Mills nearly two years ago. Brian Farleigh, who owned the home, is offering a reward of 5 thousand dollars. Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers is also offering a reward of up to 2 thousand dollars. The fire on June 20, 2006, burned the cabin to the ground. Police say an ATV was used to break into the cabin and garage. Several items were stolen and an accelerant was use. Police believe this fire is related to two others, one in June of 2006 on Dodge Hollow Road and another in November of 2006 at the Holbert Farm in Bingham Township. Anyone with information on the incidents is asked to call state police in Coudersport or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-4-PA-TIPS.

About 150 Fretz Middle School 6th graders are job-shadowing today. Among the businesses and organizations who have students with them today are Zippo, Case, Futures, Topline, Country Fair, the US Army and WESB, where Kaitlyn Hallock is shadowing News Director Anne Holliday.

State Police have arrested 5 people in connection with a fire at a natural gas compressor station in Warren County. Back in February, a fire was started near methanol containers close to a large compressor station but employees discovered the fire and put it out before it spread to nearby combustible materials. The police investigation determined that the people who started the fire were having a party, and it was not any type of "terroristic activity." A female juvenile from Erie, along with 19-year-old Dustin Force of Union City, 18-year-old Douglas Moore of Wattsburg, 19-year-old Samantha Cassady of Eire and 21-year-old Nicole Rogala of Erie were all charged with several counts including arson.

The state Senate’s complete Legislative Journals from 1993 to 2004 are now available online at the senate's web site . Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati says this is another step in the ongoing effort to make the senate's activity more transparent to the public. "This is another step in our ongoing effort to make the Senate's activity more transparent to the public," said Scarnati. "It is a natural outgrowth of our new rules and our new attitude." The Senate’s Legislative Journals from 2005 to the present have been available online since January 2007, when the Senate adopted a series of new rules designed to make the legislative process easier to follow.

Cattaraugus County's Amish Country will be getting more attention. The Randolph Area Community Development Corporation will be putting up signs for the Amish Trail between Randolph and Gowanda, where Amish goods are offered at more than 100 shops and roadside stands. The new marketing campaign was started with a 35 thousand dollar state grant after a consultant compared the Randolph area to Lancaster County, P-A, which is famous for its Amish communities. The campaign also includes distribution of maps and brochures.

Auditor General Jack Wagner said today that audits of five McKean County Volunteer Firefighter Relief Associations determined that they were in compliance with tested laws and regulations. Reports covering the audit peroid January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2006 were Eldred Township VFRA; Hilltop VFRA; Lewis Run VFRA; Norwich Township VFRA; and Otto Township VFRA. "The proper managment of funds in these McKean County VFRAs ensures that they will continue to support local volunteer firefighters who bravely put themselves at risk to help protect their neighbors' health and property," Wagner said. VFRAs are non-profit organizations established to afford financial protection to volunteer firefighters who suffer misfortune as a result of their participation in the fire service. VFRAs receive state aid from a 2 percent state tax on fire insurance purchased by Pennsylvania residents from insurance companies incorporated outside of the commonwealth. These funds are used to pay for ...

The convicted killer who got out of the state prison at Albion in Nov. 25 by hiding in a garbage can has waived his preliminary hearing on a charge of escape. 53-year-old Malcolm Kysor is headed to Erie County Court. He is being housed at the State Regional Correctional Facility at Mercer, serving a life sentence for murder. Kysor was found April 5 in Bakersfield, Calif., at a park popular among transients. The Corry native is serving the life sentence for his conviction for the 1981 beating death of Barney Fenton, a 40-year-old resident of Conneaut, Ohio, whose remains were found in a stand of woods south of the Millcreek Mall.

Showing off the “Annie Award” in front of Blaisdell Hall on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford are, from left, Greg Booth, president and chief executive officer of Zippo Manufacturing Co.; Mary Kay Modaffari, executive vice president, managing director of Blattner Brunner Inc.; and Dr. K. James Evans, Pitt-Bradford vice president and dean of student affairs. Blattner Brunner presented Pitt-Bradford with a $1,000 scholarship in honor of its client Zippo. ( Photo Courtesy of Pitt-Bradford ) Advertising agency Blattner Brunner Inc. presented a $1,000 scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford on Thursday, May 29, during a ceremony to honor its client Zippo Manufacturing Co. Presenting the Annie Award Scholarship were Blattner Brunner representatives Mary Kay Modaffari, executive vice president, managing director; Frank Compton, chief creative ambassador; and Ann McFadden, creative director, emeritus. Accepting on Pitt-Bradford’s behalf was Dr. Jim Evans, v...

Megan Woods has been named valedictorian of the Smethport Area Junior-Senior High School Class of 2008. Megan plans to attend the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford and major in nursing. She also plans to play for the Lady Panthers volleyball team. She is the daughter of Daniel and Kimberly Woods. Diana Phalon has been named salutatorian. She plans to attend St. Bonaventure University and major in history. She also plans to play softball for the Lady Bonnies. She is the daughter of Ted and Sue Phalon. Dr. Justin Puller, Smethport's 1996 valedictorian, will be this year's speaker for commencement ceremonies on June 6.

By KIMBERLY MARCOTT WEINBERG Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing Three St. Marys students may have learned as much about life in one week helping rebuild storm-ravaged New Orleans than they had in the last semester. Earlier this month, Pitt-Bradford students Noel Bartlett, a senior biology major; her sister, Brandi Bartlett, a sophomore engineering major; and Kristin Braun, a sophomore radiological science major, traveled with two other students to Louisiana, where they helped residents repair damage caused by Hurricane Katrina nearly three years ago. It was an eye-opening experience for all of them. For the full story, go HERE .

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) was not detected in samples taken from hunter-killed deer during the state's 2007 hunting season, according to Dr. Walt Cottrell, Pennsylvania Game Commission wildlife veterinarian. In 2007, 3,800 samples from hunter-killed deer were tested, and CWD was not detected. This marked the fifth year for testing hunter-killed deer. In total, nearly 18,100 deer have been tested. CWD was not detected in any samples from previous years. Results showing that the CWD tests of hunter-killed elk from 2007 were all negative were announced on Feb. 13. "We are pleased to report that Pennsylvania continues to have no confirmed or suspected cases of CWD in wild deer or elk," Cottrell said. "By conducting these tests from a random sample of hunter-killed deer and on all hunter-killed elk, we help to assure ourselves and the general public that it is unlikely that CWD is present in wild deer and elk in the state." The CWD tests on deer and elk samp...

The Department of Environmental Protection has approved the environmental assessment portion of an application to expand the Greentree Landfill in Elk County. DEP says the benefits of the project outweigh the known and potential harms. The decision allows the landfill expansion permit application to proceed to the technical review phase, which will examine the design details of the project. Plans call for the disposal area to expand by 104 acres, making the total area 1,148 acres. The landfill would continue to use the current permit average volume of 5,500 tons/day and maximum volume of 6,000 tons/day. Based on the permit average, the proposed expansion would provide about 10 years of additional disposal capacity.

05/28/08 - Man Sentenced on Sexual Assualt A Bradford man was sentenced Tuesday in McKean County Court on indecent assault charges involving a minor. 32 year-old Daniel Benner was sentenced to up to two years in jail after being found guilty of sexual contact with a nine year-old female. Benner had been found guilty during a jury trial last November. 05/28/08 - Former Asst. Warden Sentenced A former assistant warden at the McKean County jail has been placed two years probation by McKean County Court. 45 year-old Robert Windsor Jr. of Eldred had entered a no contest plea to charges that he took money from inmates accounts while he worked at the jail. Windsor was also ordered to repay the county restitution of $10,000 dollars. 05/28/08 - Men Hurt in Motorcycle Crashes Two people are being treated for serious injuries after separate motorcycle accidents in Warren County. Police say 58-year-old Leland Riggs of Allegany, New york, was on Cobham Park Road when the bike left the road, hit a g...

The state senate will not convene this year after the November general election. Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati says he made the announcement today so the Legislature and the governor can make plans to complete this year's work before the election. The 26 days between November 4 and November 30 are known as a "lame duck" session because some members of the General Assembly can vote on legislation despite the fact that their successors have already been elected. At least six new members will be elected to the Senate this year, replacing retiring members. Lame duck sessions have been criticized because legislators and the governor are less accountable to voters during this period of time. Scarnati says although the senate will not convene after the election, they will be ready to act if an extraordinary event necessitates legislative action.

The oil price boom is turning chicken manure into a form of liquid gold for a Reading-area farmer. Pat Shea still makes the bulk of his money selling eggs. But surging petroleum prices are indirectly boosting demand for the 4,200 tons of manure his 367,000 hens produce each year. With the rise in fossil fuel prices, chemical nitrogen made from natural gas has reached $675 a ton, a jump of almost 50 percent from last year. Shea sells manure for about $10 a ton. Demand has grown enough that Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers has set up a manure trader Web site to link farmers with extra manure to people who want to buy it. You can read more on this story at The Reading Eagle .

The state Department of Environmental Protection is investigating a fish kill in a stream that supplies drinking water to Homer City and other nearby communities in Indiana County. Officials with the Central Indiana Water Authority say recent water tests from the Big Yellow Creek are normal. That's why officials are mystified by the deaths of 1,000 fish in a four-mile stretch of the creek on Tuesday. A DEP spokeswoman says the agency is conducting more tests, but the results won't be known for at least two weeks. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is also trying to figure out what killed the fish. The dead fish include trout, carp, suckers, minnows and smallmouth bass.

A Jeannette man faces up to three years in prison and could lose his license until the year 2062 after pleading guilty to his sixth and seventh drunk driving charges. Westmoreland County authorities say 43-year-old Mark "Polecat" Harris got his license in February 1989 and was arrested for drunk driving twice that year. His license was first suspended in March 1990. Harris was also convicted of drunken driving in 1990, 2000, and 2002. His license is already suspended until July 2051. He faces up to 11 years in additional suspensions after pleading guilty Wednesday to drunken driving in 2006 and 2007. Assistant District Attorney Al Powanda says Harris has been cited for driving with a suspended license 22 times and "will be dead before he gets his license back."

A former Erie County sheriff’s deputy who attempted to rob a Franklinville bank last year has pleaded guilty in Cattaraugus County Court to stealing the money. 33-year-old Joseph O’Shei, formerly of Farmersville, held up the Cattaraugus County Bank on the afternoon of Dec. 13, but as he attempted to get away with several thousand dollars, he was stopped by two men outside the bank who held him on the ground until Franklinville police arrived. O’Shei told police he was homeless, needed money and decided to rob the bank. Last year O’Shei was sworn in as an Erie County sheriff’s deputy in April and dismissed later in July. Details were not made public. sentencing is set for Sept. 2.

Not me, personally, but other people. You may have heard Scott talking about this on The Morning Buzz : A website that asks how you spent your economic stimulus check . A woman from Oregon writes: "I'm using mine to pay off about half of my veterinary bill. My dog had an expensive winter with recurring medical issues, including back trouble. Luckily, acupuncture has really helped! Thanks Bush, for spending the country's money on my dog!" From Illinois: "With my stimulus package I bought a Star Wars Stormtrooper armor costume kit to wear, to display, and to do charity work with the 501st Legion. Best $600+ dollars I ever spent." From Missouri: "After the economic stimulus package was signed into law, I pledged to spend my stimulus money on one of the few well made American products left - Kentucky whiskey." From Pennsylvania: "I used my $600 to bail myself out of prison, along with $6900 more." From California: "Even though I consider...

The CEO of the Olean-Bradford Area YMCA is moving on after leading the local organization for nine years, and being part of it for more than 30 years. Barb Sweitzer has accepted a position with the YMCA of the USA as a regional resource director. In her new position, she will serve the needs of local YMCAs in Upstate New York. This position allows her to work from her home in Olean and travel throughout the state. Sweitzer says, "The YMCA has always been a part of my life. I lived at the YMCA as a child – the true definition of a YMCA brat. I started to work for the YMCA the day after my 16th birthday, and never looked back." "My burning passion has always been to give back to the YMCA all that it has given me, and most importantly, to touch the lives of kids in a profound way as I truly know what it meant in my life," she says. Through her tenure, Sweitzer was a key player in the success of the Community Corporate Cups in the late '80s and early '90s; instr...

Sarah A. Dwyer (right) of Bradford gets her blood pressure checked by Brittney Mattern, RN, of Bradford Regional Medical Center during Wednesday’s Kidney Early Evaluation Program screening held at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. Sixty people registered for the free screening designed to determine if people could have kidney disease. The KEEP screening was conducted by staff from the National Kidney Foundation, BRMC’s Center for Diabetes and Nutrition Education, BRMC’s Laboratory, DaVita Health Care Center, Community Nurses Inc. and the Pennsylvania Health Department. ( Photo Courtesy of BRMC )

A man who operated a chop shop that sold rebuilt motorcycles using parts from stolen Harley-Davidsons has been sentenced to five years in prison. 61-year-old David Gebert, who ran Dee Gee Motors in Sarver with his wife, has also been ordered to pay $460,090 in restitution. He won't start his sentence until after he completes two 10-year prison terms in South Dakota for a 2004 grand theft conviction when he was caught stealing Harleys at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota's Black Hills. Gebert and his wife, Linda, stole Harleys at rallies in Florida, Georgia and South Dakota and brought them to two salvage shops they owned. Investigators found 81 vehicles at his residence and business that were stolen or included stolen parts. Linda Gebert was sentenced in April to 18 months in prison for her guilty pleas to operating the chop shop and money laundering.

Pittsburgh-area sports radio host Mark Madden has been fired by ESPN. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has quoted Madden as saying he had hoped Sen. Edward Kennedy "would live long enough to be assassinated." The Massachusetts Democrat has a brain tumor. Madden made the remark during his show Wednesday. The show has aired weekdays from 3 to 7 p.m. on 1250 ESPN. Madden was last heard on the air Thursday, the day before his comments appeared in the Post-Gazette. An ESPN spokesman says Madden was taken off the air according to the network's contractual rights.

A New York State trooper killed by friendly fire in a shootout with a fugitive last year has received the top state police award for heroism. Earlier today, David Brinkerhoff's widow Barbara accepted the Brummer Award, which has been given 88 times, 13 times posthumously. A member of the elite mobile response team, Brinkerhoff, died April 25, 2007, in a shootout with 23-year-old Travis Trim in a farmhouse near the Catskills. The 29-year-old Springville native fired one of two bullets that killed Trim. The investigation has also identified which trooper's bullet struck Brinkerhoff, but authorities have declined to disclose that detail or what went wrong.

I received a press release this morning telling me that Redneck and Single.com is under new management. I didn't know about the old managment but, be that as it may, the press release says the site has more than 18,000 members and provides a place for rednecks and those who love them to meet for love and adventure, or just to discuss shared interests like muddin', fishin', campin' and huntin'. Just thought I'd pass that along for y'all.

A 14-year-old Cameron County boy has been arrested for drug possession after his mother called police. Police say the boy's mother found narcotic prescription medication and paraphernalia used to inhale the medication. After she found the items, she contacted state police.

An Ashville, New York, man has been charged with desecrating a cemetery. Chautauqua County Sheriff's Deputies arrested 36-year-old Ronald Blynt II for his conduct at the Holland Cemetery in Clymer. He's scheduled to appear in court at a later date.

Authorities are investigating the death of a 37-year-old Austin man. Police say Kelly Amack of 12 Maple Lane was found at his home. He was pronounced dead by Potter County Coroner Kevin Dusenbury. An autopsy has been scheduled, and police will release more information as it becomes available.

...to Adam J. Moyer, Valedictorian of the Kittanning High School Class of 2008. Why do we care? Because he's my nephew, and I couldn't be more proud of him if he was my own kid!

The I Love New York campaign has honored Pumpkinville as one of the best sites in the state's tourism industry. Pumpkinville earned the 2008 New York State Agri-Tourism Award, which recognizes an organization that has implemented a program or project promoting agricultural destinations to tourists. Pumpkinville's 2008 season kicks off September 20th and will host the third annual Giant Pumpkin Weigh Off on October 5.

Blackstone Group and Apollo Management are holding discussions about acquiring specialty chemicals maker Chemtura Corporation. After the news broke on Wall Street today, shares of Chemtura rose 67 cents to close at $8.47. Chemtura was formed in 2005 with the merger of Crompton Corporation and Great Lakes Chemical Corporation. Crompton was formed in 1999 by the merger of Crompton & Knowles Corporation and Witco Corporation. Chemtura has sales of more than 3 point 5 billion dollars a year and employs about 56 hundred people.

A Mercer County woman has been charged with illegally selling feathers from protected birds on an Internet auction site. Candas Lynn Rohrdanz of Sharon,was charged with unlawful selling and possession of wildlife parts of protected birds on April 28. The Pennsylvania Game Commission says it bought feathers from a red-shouldered hawk, crow, blackbird, Canada goose, gull, blue jay, barred owl, turkey vulture, and wild turkey. Penalties for nine charges of illegally selling and possessing wildlife parts range from $75 to $200 each, and penalties for one charge of unlawful selling and possessing of parts a protected bird range from $100 to $300.

A Brookville man has been arrested by the state attorney general's child predator unit. 35-year-old Steve Kempski allegedly asked an investigator posing as a 13-year-old girl online if she would meet him in person to have sex. He is also accused of suggesting that they swim in his pool together without swimsuits, and asking the girl if she would send him a pair of her underwear. Kempski is charged with several felony counts of unlawful contact with a minor and criminal use of a computer. Each charge carries a possible seven-year prison sentence and a $15,000 fine.

Two longtime faculty members left the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford at the end of the spring term: Sharon Woodruff, assistant professor of computer science, who taught for 25 years, and Dr. Joanne C. “Jody” Burgert, assistant professor of teacher education, who worked at the university in various capacities for 24 years. “Sharon has been a pillar in the computer science program,” said Dr. Yong-Zhou Chen, chairman of the division of physical and computational sciences. “She taught classes not only during the daytime, but also at night, often on overload, to meet students’ needs.” Woodruff worked with John Slimick, associate professor of computer science, to develop Pitt-Bradford’s first computer science major and minor in the 1980s. Over the course of her Pitt-Bradford career, she taught at least 17 different courses, including 10 different program languages and eight different database management systems. Woodruff also ran the Seneca Highlands Summer Academy for several years. A...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director When state lawmakers return to Harrisburg next week, one of the issues they'll be tackling is transportation funding. So far, three plans are on the table – Act 44, or tolling Interstate 80; leasing the Pennsylvania Turnpike; and Senator Joe Scarnati's recently announced plan that does not include the tolls or the lease. State Representative Marty Causer says transportation is one of the major issues the Legislature will be dealing with, along with the state budget and energy issues. He says there's "very little support" in the Legislature for the tolling of Interstate 80, which he voted against. As for leasing the turnpike, Causer says there are a lot of unanswered questions and the lease proposal is "something that we have to take a closer look at." Last week, Governor Ed Rendell announced that a consortium led by CitiGroup and Spanish company Abertis Infraestructuras submitted the high bid of $12.8 billion to l...

A Conneautville man is dead after a grinding wheel exploded and the pieces hit him. 35-year-old Michael Robinson was working on the grinding wheel at Erie Tool & Forge when it exploded at about 7:30 this morning. Robinson suffered multiple blunt force trauma to the head and chest in the explosion. OSHA is investigating.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission says a Butler County teenager must pay restitution and court costs of $5,200 for unlawfully shooting an immature bald eagle. The boy, who was 17 years old at the time of the shooting, must also perform 50 hours of community service and had his hunting and trapping privileges revoked for three years. The Game Commission says the boy shot the bird on Nov. 17. The bird was taken to the Tamarack Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center in Crawford County, but it died on Nov. 26.

A Forestville, N.Y., man is dead following an accident early this morning in Sheridan. Chautauqua County Sheriff's Deputies say 26-year-old Wilfredo Montanez Jr. was traveling at a high rate of speed when his vehicle went out of control, veered off the road and hit a utility pole. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The accident is under investigation.

A Celeron, New York, teenager was thrown from the backseat of a car into the windshield during an accident at about 4 o'clock this morning in the Town of Gerry. Chautauqua County Sheriff's Deputies say 18-year-old William Tilyou was a passenger in a car driven by 17-year-old Andrew Ratajczak of Falconer that was going at a high rate of speed when it went airborne while cresting a hill. When the car landed, it gouged the road, skidded and hit a large tree. Tilyou is being treated for severe head trauma. Ratajczak and two other passengers were taken to a hospital for evaluation.

State police fire marshals are waiting for laboratory results before they can determine the cause of a Jefferson County house fire that killed 10 people. Police spokesman Bruce Morris says they don't know how long it will take for results to be made available to the fire marshals investigating the April 3 blaze in Brockway. Investigators say the fire, which began in the living room, isn't suspicious. Space heaters were being used and gas service had been shut off in 2005.

An environmental group is calling on the Allegheny National Forest to halt logging operations approved since a new forest management plan took effect earlier this year. The Allegheny Defense Project says the U.S. Forest Service is not properly assessing the impact of logging proposals with impacts caused by oil and gas drilling in the state's only national forest. Ryan Talbot of the ADP says until the forest service reconciles how it will regulate oil and gas drilling, logging proposals have to take a back seat. Forest Service spokeswoman Kathy Mohney says all decisions are made in compliance with environmental regulations, policies and laws. The Forest Service owns the surface but not underground mineral rights, more than 90 percent of which are privately held.

A group of Limestone residents are looking to dissolve the village into the town of Carrolton. The residents are circulating a petition asking for a referendum The village of Limestone will hold it’s regularly scheduled town meeting on June 10 and will likely discuss the petition. Carrolton Supervisor Dave Frederick says the town of Carrolton and the village of Limestone have a lot of overlap in their governmental administration.

Ralph "Bucky" Phillips is claiming that he's being mistreated in prison. The convicted cop killer wrote a letter to The Buffalo News says that he is being unfairly held in solitary confinement at the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York, and is deprived of all privileges. Prison officials say they have sanctioned Phillips 9 times for a variety of incidents, including attempting to cause an explosion. Phillips has been at the facility since late 2006, after being sentenced for killing one state trooper and wounding two others following his escape from the Erie County Correctional Facility in April of 2006. He was the subject of the largest manhunt in state history, and was captured in September of 2006 in a Warren County field.

Jeffery Craig of Shinglehouse and Donna Sloan of Eldred look at medals posthumously awarded to their son US Army Staff Sergeant Heathe Craig, who died June 21, 2006, in Afghanistan. The medals were presented during services Monday morning in Veterans Square. By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Bradford's Memorial Day observance was made even more poignant this year as the community honored two servicemen who died recently in Iraq and showed their support for local soldiers who will be going to Iraq later this year. Master Sergeant Thomas Maholic of Bradford and Staff Sergeant Heathe Craig of Knapp Creek, New York, were among the fallen servicemen honored during this morning's Memorial Day services in Veterans Square. Craig died June 21, 2006, in Afghanistan when his UH-60 helicopter hoist malfunctioned while attempting to evacuate a fellow soldier during combat operations. His parents Jeffrey Craig of Shinglehouse and Donna Sloan of Eldred accepted honors on his behalf. Fo...

Solomon's Words has some interesting articles on the many facets of the oil and gas boom in the Twin Tiers. Check them out!

Memorial Day is the time set aside to remember veterans who died in service to their country. That means we honor such people as Master Sergeant Thomas Maholic of Bradford, who died in Afghanistan in June of 2006, when he was fatally struck by enemy small arms fire during a cordon and search mission. We also remember Staff Sergeant Anthony "Bib" DeLucia of Bradford, who died in August of 1944 when his B-24 Liberator crashed into a mountainside in South China. Corporal Jason L. Dunham of Scio, NY, died in Iraq in April of 2004 after throwing himself on a grenade, attempting to use his helmet to shield himself and others from the explosion. PFC Ross McGinnis of Knox died in Iraq in December of 2006. McGinnis was perched in the gunner's hatch of a Humvee on patrol in Baghdad when a grenade flew by him and landed inside where four soldiers were sitting. He called out a warning, then leaped into the vehicle and covered the grenade with his body. The grenade exploded, killing h...