Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

A Youngsville woman will spend up to 40 months in prison for having sex with an underage boy. 23-year-old Sable Kolstee was sentenced to two terms of 10 to 20 months in prison on statutory sexual assault charges. Her relationship with the boy went from January to March of this year in the area of the Pleasant Valley Trailer Park. The pair also communicated through text message several times during the relationship, which was revealed through forensic analysis of the boy’s cell phone. http://1490newsblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/woman-facing-two-dozen-sex-charges.html

A Shinglehouse man is facing charges following an incident Thursday afternoon at the Sheetz store in Port Allegany. Police say they got a report of a man passed out in front of the store and when they got there found 34-year-old David Slater. When they woke him up, Slater said he had fallen asleep while waiting for a friend to pick him up. Police say Slater became aggressive and went into the store after being told he should leave. Slater allegedly yelled and screamed and struggled with police when he was told he was under arrest. Police later found that Slater had suspected marijuana and a pipe. He was charged with disorderly conduct, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, and sent to McKean County Jail on $2,500 bail.

A Mayville man is facing charges for stealing cases of beer from the walk-in cooler at Piper’s Alley Bar early this morning. Sheriff’s deputies say 23-year-old Andrew Mayer took two cases of beer out a side door of the building. He was seen in the parking lot of a neighboring business. The bar owner confronted him and, after a brief conversation, Mayer fled the scene. Deputies caught up with him and charged him with petit larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. He will appear in Chautauqua Town Court at a later date.

Four juveniles are facing arson charges following investigations into fires in Little Valley and Olean. The Cattaraugus County Fire Investigation Team says that on May 15 three juveniles started afire at Salamanca Area Beverage Company in Little Valley using cardboard, spray paint, gasoline and a sweatshirt. Two structures behind Salamanca Beverage were destroyed. A 16-year-old was arrested on Thursday., and will appear in Town of Little Valley Court at a later date. The other two juveniles will appear in Family Court. On July 27, a juvenile started a couch on fire that was leaning on a shed at 1700 Olean Portville Road. The shed was heavily damaged by fire. The juvenile was arrested on Friday and will appear in Family Court at a later date. All four are charged with arson and criminal mischief.

The Seneca Nation of Indians is asking for federal court protection from New York State’s plans to start taxing sales of tobacco on their land. In papers filed this afternoon, the Nation is asking the Court to issue an order restraining the State's tax plan which is scheduled to go into effect on September 1. Earlier this week the Nation filed a lawsuit challenging the amendments to the state’s tax law, saying they violate federal law. You can read more here .

An Olean man has been indicted for raping a child younger than 11. 53-year-old Scott Harris is charged with rape and endangering the welfare of a child. The alleged incidents happened on June 13 and June 15 in Olean.

A Westfield, New York, man is in jail after a break-in at Hogan’s Hut in North Harmony. Sheriff’s deputies say 21-year-old Justin Ressler got into the business by breaking a window. He was charged with burglary and jailed on $5,000 bail.

Three Dunkirk residents are facing charges after a drug bust in the village. 32-year-old Kristina Harvey, 19-year-old Luis Cardona and 20-year-old Luis Hyatt are all charged with criminal possession and criminal sale of a controlled substance. They are also charged with criminal possession of a weapon. Police say more arrests are coming.

A Frewsburg man accused of having sexual contact with a young girl now faces another charge. 43-year-old James Cole has been arrested for violating an order of protection by using “electronic communications.” He’s now facing an additional charge of criminal contempt. This arrest came a week after Cole was accused of having sexual contact with the girl between March of 2008 and last December in his home. He’s free on $7,500 bond.

One million dollars worth of marijuana was seized, and a South Dayton man is in jail after a state police helicopter found hundreds of marijuana plants growing on his property. Police found 439 plants with an average height of 7 feet. The plants were protected by electrified fences and had irrigation systems nearby. Inside the house, police found 67 more plants, and garbage bags full of dried pot, plus hydrocodone and methadone pills, hashish, loaded guns, drug paraphernalia and $10,000 in cash. 54-year-old Ronald Jolls is in the Erie County Holding Center awaiting arraignment on charges of conspiracy to manufacture marijuana.

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford has appointed Dr. Ronald Binder, who has a national reputation as a leader in Greek affairs and risk management, as its new associate dean of student affairs and director of judicial affairs. Binder joins Pitt-Bradford from the University of South Carolina, where he was the director of Greek life and special projects. Binder speaks nationally on risk management and alcohol and substance abuse and has been cited in Newsweek, NBC Nightly News, National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation and Court TV. Binder has extensive experience in Greek affairs, speaking around the country at Sigma Phi Epsilon leadership programs and traveling to Greece last year with 17 students from the national fraternity to study Greek philosophy. He is involved with the National Collaborative for Hazing Research and Prevention and founded the Hazing Hotline at USC. Before going to USC, Binder was associate director of residence life at B...

Fifteen airports across Pennsylvania, including Bradford Regional, are sharing in $1.9 million in mostly state money to upgrade equipment and facilities. The Bradford airport is getting $131,250 to buy an airport security vehicle and airfield maintenance equipment. The money comes from the state’s jet fuel tax and takes advantage of more than $700,000 in matching funds. An additional $270,000 is coming from the Federal Aviation Administration.

By Kimberly Marcott Weinberg Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing It’s not surprising that a former schoolteacher should have a scholarship at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. Thanks to her family, now Dorothea Fesenmyer will have two. Fesenmyer’s husband, Howard, and children have established the Basil and Harriett Gildersleeve Memorial Scholarship in memory of Dorothea Fesenmyer’s parents. The scholarship is a gift to Dorothea Fesenmyer in honor of the Fesenmyers 60th wedding anniversary. An earlier scholarship, given by the Fesenmyer children, honors Howard and Dorothea Fesenmyer. In addition to Howard Fesenmyer, donors for the $5,000 scholarship gift are the couple’s children and their spouses, R. Michael and Susan Carlson of Georgetown, Texas, David and Cindy Fesenmyer of Imperial and Judy and Jon Kirk of Olean, N.Y. The Gildersleeves were lifelong Bradford residents and attended school in the building on campus that would later become the Roman Villa resta...

The Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force made a "substantial seizure of marijuana" in the Town of Dayton Thursday. The task force will be holding a news conference later this morning at the State Police Station in Olean.

At least one person is dead after a tractor-trailer and a car collided on Route 16 in Southern Erie County this afternoon. Sheriff’s deputies say the accident happened at around 2 p.m. between South Protection and Dutchtown roads. A HAZMAT crew was on the scene trying to contain a diesel fuel leak, and the road was closed. No further information has been released yet.

Gary Hoy President of Street Dreams Car Club meets with Jennifer Taylor of Brad Penn Lubricants to discuss plans for the upcoming Autumn Daze Car Show to be held in downtown Bradford, PA on September 12th. The Autumn Daze Car Show has become the premier car show in the area. The car show will feature historic and classic vehicles, as well as muscle cars from the past, along with live entertainment featuring local talent. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Taylor

Harrisburg – Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced a plan to put $212 million into budgetary reserve because Pennsylvania did not receive as much federal funding as it had anticipated when the state budget was finalized in July. The Governor also wrote to legislative leaders, the chief justice of the state Supreme Court and the heads of independent state agencies and row offices, asking them to follow his lead by putting 1.9 percent of their funding into reserve. Governor Rendell said that in spite of the budget cuts, the state’s basic education subsidy to school districts will still increase by $200 million -- $50 million less than originally planned when the budget was enacted. With these cuts –$50 million in education and 1.9 percent across the board– state expenditures will be reduced by $212 million, the Governor added. The Governor said his budget-balancing effort assumes that legislators will live up to their commitment to enact a severance tax on natural gas extraction no ...

Washington, D.C.—U.S. Representative Glenn `GT’ Thompson, R-Howard today announced October 1, 2010, is the deadline for high school seniors to apply for nomination through the Bellefonte District Office for acceptance into one of the four military academies for the year 2011. “If you are interested, it is time to circle that date on your calendar and start putting together the required materials,” Thompson explained. Thompson’s website: www.thompson.house.gov has all the information on the application process under the title of “services,” including an on-line application. The basic requirements for applying for a nomination are: the candidate must be at least 17 years old but not have passed his or her 23rd birthday; must be a U.S. citizen; must be unmarried, not pregnant, and without legal obligation to support children or other dependents; must reside within the boundaries of the 5th Congressional District of Pennsylvania; and must be able to meet the medical, physical and academic...

Dresser-Rand will invest $9.6 million in its research and development operation in Olean. The investment is expected to retain 787 jobs at the manufacturing plant, and add another 50 jobs by early 2014. Dennis Mullen, chairman and chief executive officer of Empire State Development, says the project is important because commercialization of products often occurs where R&D is located. http://www.empire.state.ny.us/

Accused kidnapper and rapist Mike Beaulieu is scheduled to appear in court in Canada next month. Beaulieu was scheduled for a hearing on Tuesday to answer charges of illegally crossing the border, illegal possession of a firearm, and possession of marijuana. The hearing didn’t take place because he is undergoing physical and mental evaluations. Authorities in the United States are building their case in connection to the August 3 rape and kidnapping in the Allegheny National Forest. They are also trying to determine if Beaulieu can be linked to unsolved crimes between the Kinzua Dam area and Maine, where Beaulieu lives. While Beaulieu remains jailed in Canada, the U.S. Marshals Service is acting as a liaison between Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Pennsylvania State Police and other law enforcement agencies involved in the case.

Seven fire departments responded to a blaze that destroyed a vacant Warren County home early this morning. The one-story house on Chapman Dam Road in Clarendon was fully engulfed in flames when firemen arrived at around 4 a.m. Firefighters had the blaze under control in about an hour. The cause of the fire is under investigation by a state police fire marshal.

A Wilcox man is in jail on attempted homicide charges after being accused of trying to burn down a Ridgway house with six people inside. 22-year-old Philip Bradley Wolfel is accused of setting the Depot Street house on fire early last Thursday morning, a couple of hours after he was charged in connection to a fight he had with one of the residents of the house. All the people in the house escaped, but a 16-year-old boy was treated at Elk Regional Health Center because he was having difficulty breathing several hours after the fire. Wolfel is facing 23 charges including attempted homicide, arson, and causing a catastrophe. He’s jailed on $25,000 bail. http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-59-3-02&docketNumber=MJ-59302-CR-0000135-2010 http://1490newsblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/arson-fire-in-ridgway.html

Kristin Davis, the ex-Madam who supplied call-girls for Eliot Spitzer when he was both Attorney General and Governor filed 22,000 voter signatures to secure a place on the ballot as an independent candidate for Governor with the New York State Board of Elections as the candidate of the Anti-Prohibition Party. "I am running on a platform of personal and economic freedom," said Davis who served four months on Riker's Island for pleading guilty to one count of promoting prostitution." I want to end the prohibition on marijuana, gay marriage and casino gambling to generate new revenues instead of raising taxes on already over-taxed New Yorkers." Davis is an outspoken feminist, libertarian and gay marriage advocate. "The two major parties have driven our state economy into a ditch," said Davis. "I think New Yorkers are ready for new ideas, new faces and new solutions," said Davis, 35, a former Hedge Fund Vice President. "Let the debate begin...

BRADFORD, Pa. – The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford has been ranked as one of the best regional colleges in the North by U.S.News & World Report. Pitt-Bradford tied for 31st place among the best regional colleges in the north in the 2011 edition of Best Colleges by U.S.News Media Group. A total of 62 schools were included in the category. It is the second time that Pitt-Bradford has broken into the top tier of regional schools in the publication. The first was in 2008. The exclusive rankings, which include more than 1,400 schools nationwide, are available today at www.usnews.com/colleges, and will also be published in the September issue of U.S.News & World Report, on newsstands starting Aug. 31. Pitt- Bradford was one of only 10 Pennsylvania and 11 public colleges to make the list, which includes schools from Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maryland, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Delaware and New Jersey....

The emerald ash borer beetle is already in Randolph, New York, now it’s closing in on the area from the east, too. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation confirmed that an ash borer beetle was found in a purple trap box in Pembroke in Genesee County, New York. The beetle has been confirmed in several counties in New York and Pennsylvania. Last week, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources added 31 counties to the quarantine list. That brings to 43 the number of counties where movement of ash, including firewood, is restricted. http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/fpm_invasives_eab.aspx

A natural gas drilling company has been fined nearly $100,000 for a wastewater spill that contaminated a watershed in Washington County, PA. The DEP today announced the $97,350 fine against Atlas Resources, saying the company allowed hydraulic fracturing fluids used to drill in the Marcellus Shale to overfill a wastewater pit and contaminate a tributary of Dunkle Run. The spill happened in early December 2009. DEP says Atlas corrected the problem but failed to report it to the agency. http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/newsroom/14287?id=13595&typeid=1

Beloit, Wis. – Born when Ross Perot was warning about a giant sucking sound and Bill Clinton was apologizing for pain in his marriage, members of this fall’s entering college class of 2014 have emerged as a post-email generation for whom the digital world is routine and technology is just too slow. Each August since 1998, Beloit College has released the Beloit College Mindset List. It provides a look at the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college this fall. The creation of Beloit’s Keefer Professor of the Humanities Tom McBride and former Public Affairs Director Ron Nief, it was originally created as a reminder to faculty to be aware of dated references, and quickly became a catalog of the rapidly changing worldview of each new generation. You can see this year's list here .

SKF Aeroengine North America will invest $18 million in a new heat treat facility in Falconer, NY. The company will retain all 691 jobs as it installs a new high-tech vacuum furnace. In making the announcement today, Governor David Paterson said, "This is a tremendous investment in New York State's manufacturing base and one that helps solidify SFK's long-term viability in Chatauqua County.” To help offset the the costs of this project, Empire State Development offered SKF $2.75 million, with a $1.375 million grant from the Manufacturing Assistance Program and Upstate Regional Blueprint Fund. Senator Catharine Young said,“SKF’s investment and expansion is a win of enormous proportions for Chautauqua County. We were faced with competition from other states for the heat treat facility, which created a huge challenge that had to be overcome. Everyone involved rolled up their sleeves and went to work, with the best possible results. The NYPA hydropower especially provided a gr...

The Rotary Club of Kane, PA, has redesigned its website and created a Facebook page to attract attention in today’s society. The new website is up to date and provides accurate information about the club, its members, and its activities. The Kane Rotary Club is an organization of business and professional leaders who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. A listing of service projects performed by the Kane Rotary Club can be found on the new website. The club meets every Monday at the Presbyterian Church on the corner of Greeves and Chase Street in Kane, PA, at noon. The website was redesigned by Tyler D. Morris through the “Summer Youth Way to Work Program” funded through the Workforce Investment Act, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and the Department of Public Welfare. The Rotary Club of Kane, PA, website can be found at: http://www.kanerotaryclub.com/ .

A season after claiming the program’s first postseason victory since 2002, the Bonnies have announced a challenging non-conference men’s basketball schedule for the 2010-11 campaign. All but four of the 12 teams on the non-conference docket ended last season with winning records. In total, the Bonnies’ opponents racked up a 232-163 record in 2009-10 for a .587 win percentage. That number includes 20-game winners Cornell (29-5), Siena (27-7), Virginia Tech. (25-9), Marshall (24-10) and Ohio (22-15). St. Bonaventure hosts NCAA Division II Mansfield in an exhibition Nov. 5 before opening its 90th men’s basketball season on the road at Canisius on Friday, Nov. 12. The Brown and White will play the first of their six non-conference home games against Arkansas-Little Rock on Nov. 14 in the front end of a same-season home-and-home paring with the Trojans. The Bonnies visit Little Rock, Ark., on Jan.5 to close out the pre-conference lineup. After UALR, St. Bonaventure hits the road for i...

An Olean woman is facing charges for stealing a vehicle in February of 2009. Salamanca Police picked up 23-year-old Brandi Bartlow on a warrant and turned her over to sheriff’s deputies. She’s charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.

A Salamanca woman is facing charges for having an open bottle of vodka in her car during a traffic stop shortly before noon on Monday on RC Hoag Drive. Police also charged 36-year-old Tammy Dowdy with endangering the welfare of a child, criminal possession of marijuana and a traffic violation. She’ll appear in city court at a later date to answer the charges.

Parts of McKean, Cattaraugus and other counties affected by last month’s tornadoes have been declared disaster areas by the federal government, which will allow some people to apply for aid. The other counties included in the declaration are Warren, Chautauqua and Allegany. The tornadoes and other violent weather hit on July 24. People affected by the tornadoes can get more information at the Small Business Administration website, SBA.gov .

Mayville, NY -- Chautauqua County Executive Gregory J. Edwards was joined by Chautauqua County Clerk and Government Booth Manager Sandy Sopak to pick the name of this year's winner of a bicycle raffled off at the 2010 Chautauqua County Fair. The Chautauqua County Youth Bureau sponsored the raffle, and Edwards thanked Youth Bureau Program Coordinator Patricia Yokom for organizing the bike raffle this year. "By holding this raffle, it gives a number of kids the opportunity to win a great bike," Edwards said. "Encouraging our children to ride safely for the exercise and life long benefits is something that I am happy to support." From well over 100 entries, Edwards and Sopak selected the winner; Colin. The winner, who will share the bike with his younger brother Camden, has been contacted, and both will be given the bike in the near future. This year's bike was provided by Hollyloft Ski & Bike, located at 600 Fairmount Avenue in Jamestown. Established in 19...

Miss Smethport Kayla Woods was crowned McKean County Fair Queen Monday night at the 105th fair. Kayla is the daughter of Kim and Dan Woods of Smethport. Emily Frederick of Bradford was the first runner-up. Today at the fairgrounds in Smethport: Bates Brothers Amusements open at 5 p.m. Baked foods auction at 6 p.m. Full Pull Productions Tractor Pull 7:30 p.m. Terry Lee Goffee's "Tribute to Johnny Cash" at 8 p.m.

The Olean man who destroyed a statue on the gravesite of a Marine has pleaded guilty in Cattaraugus County Court. On May 23, 23-year-old George Leaf destroyed the St. Michael statue in St. Bonaventure Cemetery that marked the grave of Corporal David Woods. Leaf is charged with desecrating a cemetery. He’ll be sentenced October 12. http://1490newsblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/stolen-st-michael-statue-destroyed.html

A DuBois man has pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing child pornography. In February, 38-year-old Richard Prew knowingly possessed pictures and videos in computer graphic files that depicted minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, according to the Us Attorney's office. The files were transported in interstate or foreign commerce. When he’s sentenced in December, Prew could face 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both. Prew is free on bond. http://www.justice.gov/usao/paw/pr/2010_august/2010_08_12_04.html

LEWISTON, N.Y.– U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Field Operations announced the seizure of over 17 pounds of marijuana and the arrest two Canadian citizens in the smuggling attempt. On August 14, CBP officers encountered Eric Li and Derek Lee, both 32-year-old Canadian Citizens from Markham and Thornhill, Ontario respectively, as they applied for admission into the United States at the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge border crossing in Lewiston, N.Y. The two advised the primary CBP officer that they were en route to Boston, Mass to visit friends and shop. Additional questioning raised the suspicion of the CBP officer and both were referred for a secondary enforcement exam. During the course of the secondary inspection, CBP officers discovered what appeared to be modifications made to the vehicle. A physical inspection yielded 64 vacuum-sealed bags of marijuana secreted in the rear doors, hatch and front fender area. The bags had a total weight of approximately 17.9 pounds of marijua...

The Seneca Nation of Indians is calling on New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to resign, and to apologize for derogatory and racist comments he made about the Senecas. The Senecas passed a Tribal Council Resolution on Saturday condemning Bloomberg for remarks he made calling for Governor David Paterson to get tough on collecting taxes for cigarette sales on Indian territory. Bloomberg told the New York Daily News Paterson could make a great video standing in the middle of the New York State Thruway wearing a cowboy hat and carrying shotgun saying, “This is the law of the land and we’re going to enforce the law.” You can read the resolution here .

A provision of New York’s Leandra’s Law went into effect Sunday, and requires that anyone convicted of drunk driving to install ignition interlock systems in their cars. The devices are connected to ignition systems and measure the alcohol in a driver's breath. If the driver's blood alcohol content measures anything over .03, the ignition is disabled. The interlocks have to be installed for at least six months. They can be left in up to three years for a misdemeanor, five years for a felony. The other part of Leandra’s Law makes drunk driving an automatic felony if a child under 16 is in the car. Paterson signed this law on November 18, 2009, less than six weeks after 11-year old Leandra Rosado died from injuries sustained when the SUV she was riding in – driven by a woman who was allegedly drunk– crashed on the Henry Hudson Parkway in Manhattan. The driver of the SUV recently pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges. The advocacy of Neil and Jennifer Flynn led to passage of legi...

The family of a man who died in the back of a police car last summer is suing the Borough of Punxsutawney. Stephen Obbish died on August 15 of 2009 five hours after being picked up for public drunkenness. He was in the back of a police car the entire time. An autopsy showed that he died from excessive alcohol consumption. His family claims in the lawsuit filed Friday in US District Court that Obbish was nearly unconscious when police officer Brian Andrekovich picked him, and was subjected to cruel and unusual punishment with excessive force. Andrekovich was fired after an internal investigation, but the Punxsutawney Civil Service commission had recently ordered that he be reinstated with full pay. Borough Council has appealed the civil service decision.

Three kayakers were rescued early this morning from the Shore Acres area of Lake Erie in Westfield, New York. Sheriff’s deputies got a call at around 1:10 a.m. say the kayakers were in distress. When the navigation and dive team arrived, they found 21-year-old Daniel Masterson of South Wales, New York, near the shoreline. He said two of his friends were trying to swim to shore but he lost sight of them. Officers gave Masterson a life vest then swam around a steep cliff and found 21-year-old Scott Stiglmeir and 21-year-old Samuel Destefano, both of East Aurora, New York, and were able to bring them to shore. Emergency medical personnel treated all three men at the scene and released them.

Sheriff’s deputies are warning the public about a phone scam targeting customers of Cattaraugus County Bank. The say the automated caller is acting as a representative of the bank and asks for private account information. If the information is given out, there is potential for funds to be taken from the account. People are being advised to not give out any information over the phone. Anyone who has been victimized in this scam is asked to contact the sheriff’s office.

This little guy enjoys some Italian cuisine Saturday afternoon. Strolling mandolin player Edgidio Faiella takes a seat and entertains some of the people enjoying their lunch. Ann and Elmer DeLucia, and Patty Girard, were among the many people who attended the festival ... ...which was capped off with a fireworks show.

State Representative Marty Causer on Saturday introduces Attorney General Tom Corbett, who is the Republican candidate for Pennsylania governor. Smethport was one of Corbett's stops on a bus tour along Route 6. Corbett is running against Democrat Dan Onorato. Photos courtesy of Marty Causer