Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

WASHINGTON, DC— U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, released the following statement today calling for sanctions to be imposed on Libya: “I strongly condemn the deplorable violence employed by Colonel Qaddafi against peaceful demonstrators in Libya. “Along with the international community, the United States should impose tough sanctions on Libya now and show Qaddafi that his barbaric actions violate the most basic norms of how a government should treat its citizens. “In addition, the United Nations Security Council should examine the entire array of options available to it, potentially including a no-fly zone over Libya. The killing of innocent demonstrators must stop now.”

A 15-year-old Little Valley boy has been arrested for smashing his mother’s computer on the floor. Sheriff’s deputies say the incident happened at 6:30 last night in Little Valley. The boy’s name has not been released. He was issued an appearance ticket for family court.

Bradford City Police on Thursday were called to the scene of a hit and run on South Center Street, a parking problem on South Kendall Avenue, disabled vehicles on Davis and Boylston streets and a roadway obstruction on Route 219. Police also received about a dozen requests to speak with an officer, assisted other agencies with several calls, attempted to serve a warrant and got a call about a lost wallet, according to the complaint report and request sheet.

Police are investigating three more camp burglaries in Elk County. The break-ins happened between November 30 and yesterday at camps along Route 555 in the Village of Grant in Benezette Township. Police say the burglars pried doors open and broke windows to get in. Among the items taken was a Black & Decker cordless drill. The owners of the camps are from Massontown, Rockton and Grindstone.

Bradford Schools are closed today. For the most up-to-date list, go to WESB.com

A Warren man has been sentenced to 60 months in prison for violating federal laws relating to the sexual exploitation of children. 46-year-old Christopher Scott Frederick was sentenced today in federal court in Erie. Frederick received computer images depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

Space shuttle Discovery lifts off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on its final flight today, ending nearly three decades of space travel. Watch live at CNN.com .

Thursday Forecast from Meteorologist Mike Cejka: wivb.com

Senator David Argall (R-29) holds a news conference on efforts to educate the public and local elected officials about the state's new anti-blight law. He is joined by Elizabeth Hersh of the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania, Minersville Borough Infrastructure Manager Joe Bass, Gary Bender of the Schuylkill County Demolition Program and Jeff Feeser of Schuylkill Community Action. Senate Bill 900, known as the Neighborhood Blight Revitalization and Reclamation Act, clarifies the identity of property owners and holds them responsible for the municipal costs to secure, remediate or demolish blighted structures. Municipalities may institute an action to prevent, restrain, correct or abate property code violations. For more information go here: http://1490newsblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/blight-bill-becomes-law.html Photo provided by Senate Republican Communications

Today was final day of workouts at Pirate City. Mike Crotta, who played in Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis last year, is scheduled to pitch tomorrow against State College of Florida-Manatee. Photo of James McDonald during fielding practice by Dave Arrigo, team photographer, and provided by the Pittsburgh Pirates

Bradford City Police on Wednesday were called to a disturbance at an East Main Street business and a motor vehicle accident on West Corydon Street, according to the complaint report and request sheet. They received calls about criminal mischief and criminal mischief to a vehicle, both on Kiwanis Court. They had complaints about parking on Amm and Brennan streets, and parking and traffic on Euclid Avenue. Officers also had several requests to speak with an officer, served three warrants, assisted other agencies on a couple of calls and checked on the welfare of a couple of people.

Someone stole a number of items from Metaldyne Sintered Components in Ridgway during the last week. State police say the theft happened between Friday and Wednesday. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact Ridgway-based state police.

A man arrested during a visit to the Rainbow Gathering in the Allegheny National Forest in June has been sentenced to four months in federal prison for drug possession. 33-year-old Adam Zagger of Lakewood, Ohio, had what the US Attorney’s office calls a “veritable pharmacy of drugs” in a school bus that he converted into a camper. Specifically, he had marijuana, LSD, hashish, and methamphetamine. He pleaded guilty to the charges in September. Zagger must also serve one year of supervised release after being released from prison, and must pay a $10,000 fine.

A new study says more than one-and-a-half million US jobs and $62 billion in annual wages are linked directly to the Great Lakes. The study released today says Michigan has nearly 523,000 jobs connected to the Great Lakes, more than any other state. Pennsylvania has more than 25,000 and New York has more than 157,000. Most of the jobs are in manufacturing. Others are in tourism and recreation, shipping, agriculture and other sectors of the economy. http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/downloads/economy/11-708-Great-Lakes-Jobs.pdf

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Brad Lincoln eyes the plate as he gets ready to throw the ball today during spring training. The Pirates open the regular season April 1 at Wrigley Field against the Cubs. Photo by Dave Arrigo, team photographer, and provided by the Pittsburgh Pirates

Harrisburg – State Sen. Mary Jo White (R-21), chairman of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, applauds Governor Corbett for repealing the policy of imposing additional restrictions on oil and gas drilling on state park and forest land as part of the state Department of Environmental Protection's standard well-permitting process. "The Governor took the appropriate action in repealing the policy," said White. "As I outlined in my letter to Governor Rendell last November, the policy was irresponsible, and could potentially cost Pennsylvania taxpayers tens of millions of dollars from the impairment of existing contracts." White added that by repealing the policy, Governor Corbett properly upheld a legal precedent set in the case of Belden & Blake Corporation v. DCNR, where the courts prohibited the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources from imposing surface use agreements and drilling conditions on permit applicants who own...

Police say they had to use a “stun drive” on a man six times after he allegedly brandished a knife and tried to start a fight at the Hotel Holley. According to papers filed in District Judge Dominic Cercone’s office, police were called to the bar at 11:15 p.m. on December 1 for a man dressed in all black, brandishing a knife, harassing patrons and trying to start a fight. They attempted to handcuff 26-year-old Mark Pessia but he became irate and started fighting with officers, so they used a stun drive on him. As they attempted to get him to his feet, he started fighting again. Police had to use the stun drive five more times. Pessia is free on his own recognizance.

Two men accused of stealing a car from Rochester Street earlier this month waived their preliminary hearings today. 19-year-old Ryan Johnston of Johnsonburg and 19-year-old James Hochstine of Bradford are accused of taking the car on the evening of February 3. Police pulled them over a short time later on South Kendall Avenue, where Johnston admitted to driving the car away from Rochester Street, according to papers filed in District Judge Dominic Cercone’s office. Hochstine was his passenger. They’re both free on unsecured bail.

A man accused of kicking another man in the face until he was unconscious is headed to McKean County Court. Assault and other charges against 23-year-old James Bunce were bound to court following a hearing in front of District Judge Dominic Cercone. At 2:13 a.m. on January 8, the day before Bunce’s birthday, police were called to the Hotel Holley for a bar fight. When they arrived they found two men on the floor, semi-conscious and bleeding from their faces and heads. Witnesses said Bunce and his brother assaulted the other men and left just as police got there. Court papers said that Bunce punched one of the men in the face, knocked him to the ground and kicked him repeatedly in the head. The man’s friend tried to intervene but Bunce allegedly punched him in the head, knocked him to the ground and kicked him in the face until he was unconscious. The second man suffered multiple fractures to his jaw, and a separated jaw, and had to be taken to UPMC Hamot for specialized treatment. Bunc...

Charges against a woman accused of throwing a cell phone that hit a 3-year-old boy in the head have been bound to court following a preliminary hearing in front of District Judge Dominic Cercone. 20-year-old Amber Moore got into a fight with another woman at the YWCA domestic violence shelter on the evening of January 8, according to papers filed in Cercone’s office. Police say when they arrived Moore was “screaming and acting highly combative” and would not calm down when they asked. Even after they handcuffed her, Moore allegedly continued to scream obscenities and slurs at police and the other woman in the shelter. The incident started when Moore and another woman were having a verbal fight, but then Moore allegedly hit the woman in the face, causing bruising and swelling. She also allegedly threw a cell phone at the other woman but missed and hit the toddler in the forehead, causing a laceration that needed stitches. Court papers say she threw the phone so hard it snapped in half w...

Harrisburg – Improvements to Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law website will make it easier for the public to find information about registered sexual offenders in the state, acting State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan announced today. The website is www.pameganslaw.state.pa.us . “The site’s new features enhance the user’s ability to determine whether someone in their neighborhood is a registered sex offender,” Noonan said. “Parents and others can use this information to help protect themselves and their families.” Noonan said the site includes a radius-search function that allows the user to enter an address; establish a search radius of a half-mile, one mile, three miles or five miles; and query the system for offenders who live or attend school within the designated radius. In response, the site returns a listing and map of offenders. Users also can search for sexual offenders using drop-down lists of municipalities and counties. The site has a Soundex feature that takes a name entered b...

WARREN -- Warren-based Friends of Allegheny Wilderness (FAW) executive director Kirk Johnson has been invited to attend the second annual wilderness stewardship conference facilitated by the fledgling National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance (NWSA). This year's conference will take place from March 10th through March 13th in Las Vegas, Nevada. The mission of the recently-established NWSA is to "develop a growing network of volunteer-based organizations to provide stewardship for America's enduring resource of wilderness." The NWSA vision is to see each wilderness area in the National Wilderness Preservation System adopted by a wilderness organization dedicated to protecting the area through partnerships with government agencies charged with their management. In addition to FAW's ongoing primary mission of seeking to protect substantial additional portions of the Allegheny National Forest (ANF) under the Wilderness Act of 1964, the non-profit organization has over ...

The North American Numbering Plan Administration has pushed back the expected exhaust date for the 814 area code by two years, which may mean a delay in plans to change the number in the region. The area code is now projected to run out of numbers in early 2015. The earlier forecast said available numbers would be gone by early 2013. The administration says one reason for the change is that telephone-service providers in the 814 area-code region needed fewer new numbers in 2010 than they thought they would. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission postponed a pre-hearing conference scheduled for Tuesday in Harrisburg to discuss when and where to hold public hearings and technical conferences about the 814 area code. Now, commissioners say they will take the new projection into consideration before deciding how to proceed. The PUC had decided to split the region in two and assign the 582 area code to most of the western half of the region.

One of Bradford's biggest and most visible eyesores is getting new life as a sports bar. The Bradford Hotel is being renovated and will soon be Rookies Sports Bar. On Tuesday, Bradford City Council approved a $25,000 loan to the owners from the city's Economic Development Loan Program, and also approved the transfer of a liquor license from Bradford Township to Rookies. Listen to last night's council meeting here .

Bollywood will be coming to Bradford at the ‘One World’ Cultural Festival Saturday night (Feb. 26) at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. The Naach Sensation Dance Company will be the featured entertainer at the popular festival, which also features an international sampling buffet, parade of nations and activity booths. Festivities begin at 6:30 p.m. in Frame-Westerberg Commons with the opening of the buffet line and the booth display area. Those dining are asked to bring a dish to pass or make a $5 donation. The event lasts until 9:30 p.m. The Naach Sensation Dance Company was started by Sonalee Vyas, who specializes in traditional and contemporary East Indian “Bollywood” dance styles. “Bollywood” is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai, India. Vyas has more than 15 years’ experience as a professional dancer, instructor and choreographer and tours extensively performing for campus audiences, corporate clients, and community and c...

Andrew McCutchen rounds the bases during the Pittsburgh Pirates spring training in Florida. Below, Pirates general manager Neal Huntington talks with Bradford native Kyle Stark, the Pirates' director of player development. Photos by Dave Arrigo, team photographer, and provided by the Pittsburgh Pirates

CARE for Children, along with instructors from The Lounsbury Adaptive Ski Program, offered an adaptive ski clinic at Holiday Valley Ski Resort in Ellicottville, NY on Monday. Through the Lounsbury program, a chapter of Disabled Sports/USA, certified ski instructors provide expert coaching and instruction to children of varying abilities. The program also provides a wide-range of adaptive equipment to meet the needs of each individual participant. The Lounsbury Program received a grant from the Enterprise Foundation, which funded the ski passes, lessons and lunch for the ten children taking part. Transportation and snacks were provided by the Port Allegany Rotary Club. The adaptive ski clinic is just one of many therapeutic recreation programs that CARE for Children offers kids of all abilities. For more information on this or any other service offered by CARE, visit the website at www.careforchildren.info. Photo courtesy of CARE for Children

ALBANY – Senator Catharine Young (R,I,C – Olean), was presented with the National FFA Organization’s Honorary American Degree recently by members of FFA’s New York Chapter during a special ceremony held in Albany. The degree is the highest honorary award presented by the FFA in recognition of those who advance agricultural education and the FFA through their outstanding personal commitment. “As the State President of the NYS FFA, it is encouraging that Senator Young is dedicated to farming, and ensuring that our young people have career opportunities. Her background of growing up on a farm gives her insight into the critical issues that are most important to the FFA,” said Mary Foote, NYS FFA President. According to J.W. Allen, NY FFA District 6 President, "Senator Young has received this award which shows our appreciation of her inspiration to young people. It truly is an honor for Senator Young to represent us so well in Albany because young people from rural backgrounds can...

Robert M. Macfarlane Sr., 85, formerly of 40 Main Street, Lewis Run, passed away, Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011 at The Pavilion at BRMC. Born September 3, 1925, in Oil City, he was a son of the late William and Margaret (Carlson) Macfarlane. On June 28, 1947 in Our Mother of Perpetual Help Church in Lewis Run he married Olga M. (Pelino) Macfarlane who died on July 15, 2003. Mr. Macfarlane was a 1951 graduate of St. Bonaventure University with a bachelors degree in chemistry. He attended the Atomic Energy Commission School at Oak Ridge Tennessee in 1957 where he studied nuclear radiation. He joined the United States Navy on March 26,1943, served on the USS Cod during WWII in the submarine service. He and his unit were awarded the Presidential Citation of Honor with three combat stars, and he was honorably discharged on April 6, 1946. In 1950, Mr. Macfarlane accepted a position with the Pennsylvania Grade Crude Oil Association Research Laboratory, located in Bradford, PA. In 1955 he was e...

Harrisburg – The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission will honor the commonwealth’s 330th birthday by displaying the original Penn Charter in an exhibit that will open on Charter Day, Sunday, March 13, at The State Museum in Harrisburg. The Charter, in which Britain’s King Charles II granted the land that is now Pennsylvania to founder William Penn, is sometimes referred to as the state’s “birth certificate.” It was Penn’s personal copy. “A priceless document cared for by the State Archives, the charter possesses so much meaning to the commonwealth and its residents,” said Barbara Franco, PHMC executive director. “The fragile historical parchment is exhibited in a special protective Plexiglas case with low light and temperature levels.” The exhibit will also feature Penn’s Great Law of 1682 and the 1698 William Penn Family Bible, which was used by Gov. Tom Corbett in taking the oath of office. Franco said the Great Law established liberty of conscience, extended manhood suffra...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director The Bradford Area Public Library will have to come up with creative ways to raise money. That’s according to Ed Pecht, treasurer of the library’s board of trustees, which held its annual meeting Monday evening. Pecht explained that 85 percent of the library’s funding comes from government agencies – the state, city, Bradford Area School District, Bradford, Foster and Lafayette townships and Lewis Run Borough. But funding from the state – the biggest supporter – has dropped by 29 percent, which he said is devastating. All together, funding has dropped off by 39 percent. He explained that library got a technology grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, federal grant money for implementation of the One Screen McKean project, which tied all the McKean County libraries together, as well as other restricted-use grants. That money was substantial, he said, explaining that by using that money other money was freed up. But that money is not ava...

Pittsburgh Pirates owner Bob Nutting held a meeting with players today and said things have to change, according to information provided to WESB and The HERO by the Pirates. Later, Nutting told reporters it’s critically important that the players and staff understand that 2011 is not going to be a year where small bits of incremental progress are going to be adequate. The Pirates finished 57-105 last season. This was the franchise's 18th consecutive losing season, a record for major professional sports in North America. The 57 wins were the fewest in Pittsburgh since 1952. Pictured, Nutting talking with Pirates manager Clint Hurdle. Photo provided by the Pirates and taken by David Arrigo, team photographer.