Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

A 28-year-old Ripley, New York, man is accused of having sex with a 14-year-old girl. Mitchell Treacle allegedly had sex with the teen a number of times between December of 2010 and March of this year. He was charged with rape, disseminating indecent material to a minor and endangering the welfare of a child, and was sent to jail on $65,000 bail.

Four people were hurt in a two-vehicle crash Friday morning on Route 353 in Little Valley. Sheriff’s deputies say a vehicle driven by 40-year-old Michael Doan of Lansing, New York, was stopped on 353 and attempting to turn left onto Woodworth Hollow Road when a pickup truck driven by 18-year-old Kenneth Lecrone of Troupsburg, New York, rear-ended Doan’s vehicle. Doan and his four passengers were taken by ambulance to Olean General Hospital for treatment of their injuries. Deputies say none of the injuries appeared to be severe. Lecrone was charged with following too close.

One person was hurt in an accident at about 1:30 Friday afternoon on Minard Run Road. Bradford Township police say a Jeep driven by 79-year-old Thomas Keane and a pickup truck driven by 59-year-old Fred Waldeck were both traveling east when the truck stopped to pick up a passenger, and the Jeep hit the back of the truck. Waldeck was taken to BRMC for treatment of arm and neck pain.

Police in the region have already reported a fatality this holiday weekend. A U-Haul driver from Virginia died Friday when his vehicle crossed the center line of Route 219 in Great Valley and crashed head-on into a tractor-trailer. Police have not released the driver’s name, but did say a dog in the cab of the U-Haul is OK. The other driver suffered only minor injuries. Route 219 in the area of the crash was closed for several hours Friday afternoon.

Working to protect taxpayers and put a stop to fraud in the Department of Public Welfare (DPW), the state House has adopted a series of welfare reform measures as part of the 2011-12 state budget, said Rep. Martin Causer (R-Turtlepoint). “Welfare spending skyrocketed 62 percent during the Rendell administration, due in large part to their unwillingness to take action despite significant evidence of waste, fraud and abuse in the system,” Causer said. “The welfare system must be accountable to the taxpayers who fund it, and these reforms represent an important step toward that goal.” House Bill 960 requires DPW to use an electronic cross-reference system to provide a 19-point check on an applicant’s eligibility and create a standard fraud detection system to stop fraud before it starts. It also requires the department to subject drug felons who are applying for benefits or already receiving benefits to random drug testing. This will ensure welfare benefits are not being used to subsidize...

A Kersey man who pleaded guilty in November to bank fraud has been sentenced to seven months in prison. 55-year-old Richard Raspatello has also been ordered to pay back nearly $90,000. Raspatello started a checking account at National City Bank, then wrote checks to his co-defendant 23-year-old Joshua Atwell of Warren, knowing there were insufficient funds. Atwell would then open an account at another bank and deposit some of the bad checks from Raspatello. Before those checks could be evaluated, Atwell would bring in other bad checks and cash them. Authorities said Atwell would keep a portion of the cash and return the rest to Raspatello. Among the banks they defrauded were Hamlin Bank and Trust Company in Smethport. Atwell pleaded guilty in January, but has not been sentenced yet.

Harrisburg – Gov. Tom Corbett today signed the 2011-12 budget which cuts government spending, does not raise taxes, includes property tax reform, and restores common sense to the state spending process. The $27.15 billion budget cuts overall government spending by more than $1 billion. “This reality-based budget marks a return to the Constitutional principles that must guide Pennsylvania’s fiscal policy,’’ Corbett said. “It spends no more than we have and it doesn’t pretend we have more than what we have budgeted. “I was elected last November to change the culture of state government and that means not only must government be honest, it must be fiscally responsible,’’ Corbett said. “The Senate and House join my administration in making these standards a reality.’’ The legislature also agreed to a key economic proposal for school districts – a referendum on any property tax increase that exceeds the rate of inflation, known as Act 1. Under these changes, any property tax increase above ...

A Bradford man accused of having inappropriate contact with a young girl has waived his preliminary hearing. 69-year-old Ronald Klawuhn is accused of patting the butt of a 12-year-old and asking her how it felt. The girl was job shadowing her mother at the time and they were in a park with the mother’s class of 5-year-olds when the alleged incident happened. The girl pushed Klawuhn’s arm away and told her mother what happened. Klawuhn is in jail in lieu of $20,000 bail.

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Delta Development Group was expected to finish its financial management plan for the City of Bradford by the end of the month, but it seems as if it won’t be done until at least the middle of next month. Main Street resident Dave Newman, upon seeing a resolution on the city council agenda to pay Delta for its services in April, asked about the status of the consultants’ report and if a public meeting will be held on the matter. Deputy Mayor Jim Evans said council had discussed this and agreed that the final report should be given in a public setting. Fire Chief Chris Angell added that the consultant working with the fire department will be meeting with them around July 17. Evans added that it’s his understanding that it’s not unusual for the consultants to take longer than expected. Council did approve the $7,500 payment to Delta. The money comes from a state Department of Community and Economic Development grant and local donations. Delta's...

HARRISBURG - A bill to maximize wellsite safety and improve community protections passed the state Senate today. The changes will reduce the risk for workers, first responders and the community when things go wrong at drilling sites, according to Sen. Lisa Baker (R-20), who sponsored the measure. "At its heart, this bill requires well operators to meet the most basic rules of public safety," Baker said. "Plan ahead. Tell us where your wells are. Give us clear directions to each site. Call at the first sign of trouble." Baker's legislation requires gas well operators to post signs bearing their GPS coordinates and other emergency response information at all wellsites and to share those coordinates with appropriate state, county and local officials. Emergency response plans must also be developed and shared with state, county and local officials. Currently, firefighters, ambulance crews, and haz-mat teams may not be told where wells are being planned, or whe...

Rep. Martin Causer (R-Turtlepoint) said today legislation reinforcing a person’s right to defend himself or herself in the face of an intruder has been signed into law by Gov. Tom Corbett. “I am pleased Gov. Corbett acted quickly to sign this bill into law,” Causer said. “Law-abiding people under attack should not have to retreat before taking action to protect themselves. This law reaffirms our right to protect ourselves, not only in our homes but in our vehicles or any other place we have a legal right be.” The law, also known as the Castle Doctrine, creates a presumption in law that an attacker or intruder intends to do great bodily harm and therefore force, including deadly force, may be used to protect oneself, one’s family and others in the face of an attack while at home or in an occupied vehicle. The presumption also applies if a person is trying to unlawfully remove an occupant, against the occupant’s will, from a home or vehicle. The presumption would not apply if the perso...

OLEAN -- The City of Olean’s Annual Fourth of July FIREWORKS CELEBRATION is set for Monday, July 4, at Bradner Stadium in Olean. The Olean Professional Firefighters Association, OPFFA, organizes the fireworks. The stadium gates open at 4:00 PM. Coolers and packages carried into the stadium will be checked for security reasons. City of Olean Firefighters took over the local fireworks program in 2001. Prior to that, the Dempsey Club (City of Olean Police Department) ran the fireworks. The fireworks have been held in Bradner Stadium since the early 1960’s. The actual fireworks program, not just the ground displays, was shot inside the stadium. However, due to the rising safety issues, the fireworks are now being shot from Forness Park. The ground displays are still shot inside the stadium, but at a safe distance away from the spectators. Young Fireworks of Rochester, NY, shoot the shows. A wide range of shells is shot in their programs. The shells range from 1” shells all the way up to 10...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a $157,500 civil penalty against a Kansas-based company for alleged illegal discharges of more than 228,000 gallons of oil brine into injection wells in the Allegheny National Forest in McKean County. In its complaint, EPA alleges that Swamp Angel Energy illegally pumped brine generated from its oil production operations into the underground wells. “EPA takes our responsibility to protect public health very seriously,” EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin said in a news release. “When companies break the law and threaten our drinking water supplies, they must be held accountable.” EPA’s action also requires the company to properly plug one of the two wells at issue, known as “Old Glory.” Swamp Angel employees John Morgan of Sheffield and Michael Evans of La Quinta, California, were charged in connection to the illegal brine injection. A year ago, they were sentenced to home detention and probation, and ordered to pay a fine...

Fire heavily damaged a house in Rew early this morning. The fire was reported at the South Kendall Avenue home of Dennis Moore at around 1 a.m. Moore went across the street to a neighbor’s house to call 9-1-1. Firefighters from six departments were on the scene until after 4 a.m. A state police fire marshal is investigating.

A Chautauqua County man already jailed on two separate child luring charges is facing a third charge in Warren County. The latest charge against David Lopus of Ashville, New York, stems from an incident on May 15 when he allegedly started talking with a 10-year-old girl who was walking her dog in Warren. Lopus allegedly tried to get the girl to bring her dog to his vehicle. Lopus is also charged in connection to a May 24 incident when he allegedly made contact with a young girl at the Sunset Trailer Park in North Warren. In June of 2010 he allegedly approached an 11-year-old girl at the Sugar Grove Elementary School and tried to lure her to a nearby portable toilet. Lopus was picked up on June 9 at a homeless shelter in Cleveland, Ohio, and was extradited to Warren County, where he is in jail on $200,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 6.

Shinglehouse Volunteer Fire Department is holding its 4th Annual Summer Fun Fest & Turtle Race on Saturday. Schedule of Events: "Honor Our Troops" Parade 11:00 am Fireman's Chicken BBQ 12:00 pm Car,Truck and Motorcycle Show 12:00 pm Water Fights 1:00 pm Turtle Race 3:00 pm Kids Rides, Vendors and Entertainment All day. Fireworks 10:00 pm

Bradford City Police on Monday investigated a report of a theft on Chamberlain Avenue and a motor vehicle accident on Main Street, according to the complaint report and request sheet. Officers also got reports about harassment on Clarence and Main streets. Officers stopped a motorist who was driving under the influence on Moorehouse Place, assisted a motorist on Davis Street and got complaints about juveniles on Avenue B. Police were called about an animal on East Main Street, disturbances on Chautauqua Place and on Congress and Clarence streets and noise at Kiwanis Court and Rochester Street (twice).

By SANDRA RHODES SHINGLEHOUSE - A group of volunteers in the Oswayo Valley School District are on the right track with their latest fundraising idea. The community group - Together Rebuilding: Alumni, Community and Kids (TRACK) - has tried to raise money for a new track at the high school. They held 250 clubs, 5K races, chicken barbecues, but all those fundraisers did not add up to $300,000 needed to put in a modern track. With state and school finances the way they are, they were told raising taxes was not an option. They knew they would have to come up with something different to get them off and running. That's when Mike Filer stepped in with an idea - build a log cabin and raffle it off. "Mike brought up the idea last February ... he's the driving force behind this," said Bruce Kemp, one of the organizers and a biology teacher at the high school. And while some may have thought that idea was far-fetched in the beginning, soon all of the local community came on boa...

The state doesn’t have a budget yet, but the Bradford Area School District does. The board voted Monday night to approve the $33.9 million spending plan. District Business Manager Kathy Boyd said the school budget may have to be re-open after final passage of the state budget. According to the proposed budget spreadsheet for school districts on the House Republicans’ website, Bradford would see a $1.6 million cut in state funding. Boyd had estimated a $1.9 million decrease.