Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

A University of Pittsburgh at Bradford theater professor is the associate editor of a new book on modern Shakespearean actors. Dr. Kevin Ewert, associate professor of theater, edited the “The Routledge Companion to Actors’ Shakespeare” with John Russell Brown, former associate director of the Royal National Theatre in London and the editor of the “Oxford Illustrated History of Theater.” “Brown is one of the most important and influential scholars in the field of Shakespeare performance,” Ewert said. Initially, Brown asked Ewert to write a chapter about Colm Feore, a Canadian actor who made his name at the Stratford Festival of Canada, near Ewert’s boyhood home. Later, Brown asked Ewert to join him as associate editor for the volume. Ewert said the volume focuses on living actors from England, Europe and North America “at the top of their games.” Each chapter gives insight into the actors’ approach to the material and characters they perform. In most cases, the contributi...

Troy R. Martin of Houghton has been named director of financial aid at St. Bonaventure University, announced University President Sr. Margaret Carney, O.S.F. For the past 18 years, Martin had served as director of student financial services at Houghton College, where he managed the financial aid and student account functions. He previously served as director of financial aid at Asbury College from 1991 to 1993; assistant director of financial aid at Houghton College from 1984 to 1991; and a branch representative at Household Finance Corporation in Jamestown from 1983 to 1984. “The St. Bonaventure University community is extremely fortunate to have Troy join us in this critical role,” said Kate Dillon Hogan, associate vice president for enrollment at St. Bonaventure. “Beyond the significant knowledge of financial aid regulations and complexities, Troy has the leadership skills for the strategic administration of the University programs and the sensitivity and personal qualities t...

An Orchard Park man accused of trying to ram a sheriff’s marine patrol unit in the bays of Dewittville Thursday night is facing a number of charges. 27-year-old Thomas Bakowski was allegedly doing circles around other boats in the bays and speeding. After trying to ram the sheriff’s boat, Bakowski turned the lights off on his boat and sped off. A Starflight helicopter was called in to help with the search. After finding Bakowski deputies learned he was "extremely intoxicated" and was using night vision gear to help him elude them. Bakowski was sent to Chautauqua County Jail.

Bradford City Firefighters have been on St. Francis Drive this afternoon testing hoses. They say they chose this location because the testing has to be done on a flat road without a lot of traffic.

McKean County is now under a drought watch instead of a drought warning. On August 5, the DEP issued watches for 40 counties. Those were lifted today. McKean, Elk and Potter counties have been under a drought warning, but are now under a drought watch. DEP Secretary Mike Krancer says conditions have started to improve in this area, but rainfall deficits still exist.

Jennifer Middaugh, Charles Cole’s first nurse midwife, has joined the practice of Dr. Celso Backes and Dr. Max Laurore. Jennifer will focus on prenatal care, birth, postpartum care, and gynecologic and reproductive health. Before coming to Charles Cole, she worked as a registered nurse, certified childbirth educator and maternity staff nurse preceptor at Jones Memorial Hospital. She holds an associate’s degree in nursing from Jamestown Community College, a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Jacksonville University, and a master’s degree in midwifery from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Appointments can be scheduled by calling 274-7101.

WESTFIELD, NY – Westfield’s Helen Baran, co-owner of Baran Vineyards, President of the Concord Grape Belt Heritage Association, and successful area realtor, was named a 2011 Woman of Distinction Thursday, an honor bestowed by the New York State Senate. Helen was nominated for the honor by Senator Catharine Young (R,C,I – Olean) who hosted a special ceremony attended by family and friends on Thursday at Noble Winery in Westfield. “People like Helen Baran make our communities a better place and help others become successful in their lives. She enthusiastically supports her community, and is an effective ambassador for many worthy causes. Her hard work and determination has earned her this recognition and I can’t think of anyone more deserving,” said Senator Young. “I am honored and humbled to be nominated as a Woman of Distinction and thank Senator Young for everything that she does for our region. We live in such a wonderful region of the state and I am thankful and blessed to ...

Mechanicsburg - Governor Tom Corbett today joined State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan and retired U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Oliver North at a ceremony recognizing the military service of state police personnel. The ceremony, the first of its kind in Pennsylvania, honored more than 300 members of the State Police who have also served in the U.S. Armed Forces since the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Pictured, (top) Governor Tom Corbett, Police Commissioner Frank Noonan and Captain James Smart lay a wreath at the Naval Center's Memorial to honor those killed on Sept. 11, 2001 and (at right) Corbett with State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan and retired U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Oliver North. Courtesy of Commonwealth Media Services

Mark Kelley, instructor of sports medicine at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, has earned his Doctor of Philosophy in education, specializing in leadership in higher education, from Capella University. For his thesis, “Differences in Job Satisfaction Between Exercise Science and Non-exercise Science Faculty,” he surveyed 28 faculty members at public and private colleges and universities in Pennsylvania. Kelley said that such a survey of job satisfaction for exercise science faculty had not been done before. The survey asked 33 questions regarding salary, working conditions, an instructor’s ability to advance, etc. Kelley said that he found both groups were overall satisfied with their jobs, but that there was not a statistically significant difference between the two groups. Kelley did find two trends. He found that men had a positive correlation between job salary and job satisfaction, but that for women, that link w...

Bradford Regional Airport is getting $225,000 in state grant money to expand its security screening area. In announcing $4 million in aviation grants today Governor Tom Corbett said, “Aviation provides nearly 5 percent of Pennsylvania’s jobs. Investing in these improvements and safety measures helps those thousands of people do their jobs better, and will improve airport operations.” The grants are provided by PennDOT’s aviation development program, which gets money from the state’s jet fuel tax and leverages more than $1.3 million in local matching funds.

A Jamestown man who was a suspect in an attempted kidnapping on August 23 has been indicted on rape charges. In addition to rape, 22-year-old Eric Chant was arraigned today on charges of predatory sexual assault against a child, kidnapping and burglary. Chant allegedly kidnapped a 12-year-old from her Jamestown home then took her to Scott Hill Road in the Town of Portland. Chant is in Chautauqua County Jail on $500,000 cash bail or $1 million property bond.

A storm-related equipment failure left about 2,900 Penelec customers without power for several hours today. The outage happened at about 7:45 this morning. Most of the power was restored before noon, and the rest by about 1:30 p.m. Penelec’s Linda Routzhan says this morning’s thunderstorm caused a lockout at a high voltage circuit, and affected the Bradford West and Bradford North substations. The power outage did affect Pitt-Bradford, but classes were not cancelled.

The Bucktail Council, Boy Scouts of America will honor local Eagle Scouts at its first annual Eagle Scout Recognition Dinner to be held Thursday, September 8 at the DuBois Country Club. Dinner co-chairmen State Rep. Matt Gabler of DuBois and Craig Singer of Kersey invite Eagle Scouts of all ages and their families to attend, regardless of where they initially received their Eagle Award. Special recognition will be given to members of the Eagle Scout class of 2010-11. Eagle Scouts in attendance will have the opportunity to connect with fellow Eagles from around the region. To RSVP, sign up as a sponsor, or for more information, contact the Bucktail Council Service Center, 209 First Street, DuBois, at 814-371-5650. The Bucktail Council is the local council of the Boy Scouts of America, with headquarters in DuBois. The Bucktail Council serves Elk, Jefferson, Clearfield and Northern Centre Counties.

Temple Beth El will hold services for the Jewish New Year Sept. 28 and 29 in the temple at 144-146 Clarence St. in Bradford. Erev Rosh Hashanah services will be held at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 28. Rosh Hashanah morning services will be held at 10 a.m. Sept. 29, followed by Taschlich at noon. Services will be conducted by Rabbi Susan Stone, who most recently served as interim rabbi at Suburban Temple-Kol Ami in Cleveland, Ohio. For more information, contact Kimberly Marcott Weinberg at (814)362-1866 or Larry Lawson at (814)368-7181.

Punxsutawney native Devin Mesoraco has been called up to the major leagues, and will be joining the Cincinnati Reds when they play the Phillies this afternoon. For more on this story check out http://www.wpxz1041fm.com/ or http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110831&content_id=24009888¬ebook_id=24012500&vkey=notebook_cin&c_id=cin

UPDATE: Power has been restored to most customers. 60 are still without power as of 11 a.m. About 2,900 Penelec customers in the north and west ends of Bradford are without power this morning after a lockout at a high voltage circuit, affecting the Bradford West and Bradford North substations. Penelec’s Linda Routzhan says crews have not determined the cause yet. She said it’s possible that this morning’s thunderstorm contributed to the outage, by possibly knocking down a tree. She said there’s no estimate as to when power will be restored because crews are still assessing the situation. The outage started at about 7:45 a.m. Power is out at Pitt-Bradford, but classes are on. Power is out at the library, but the doors will open at 10 a.m.

Senator Pushes Pakistan to Help Protect U.S. Servicemembers on Trip to the Region 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, led a congressional delegation trip to Pakistan and Afghanistan between August 23 and August 30 to press government officials in the region to implement a strategy to restrict the flow of ingredients used to make roadside bombs, the biggest killer of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Senator Casey also met with military leaders and Pennsylvania servicemembers in Afghanistan to thank them for their service and discuss the situation on the ground in the fight to ensure that Afghanistan does not again become a haven for terrorism. “I was deeply impressed by the commitment and sacrifice of our troops in Afghanistan,” said Senator Casey. “Significant challenges remain, particularly in dealing with the corrosive effects of corruption and in fielding a full...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director American Refining Group should not be treated by the Environmental Protection Agency like giant refineries. That’s the opinion of US Senator Pat Toomey who visited the Bradford Refinery Wednesday morning. Toomey said he visited the refinery because it’s “an important employer in McKean County. It’s got a wonderful, long, rich history. It has a very high average wage, certainly for this area and so the workers here are important constituents.” “I’m on a continuous effort all across the Commonwealth to learn about what we could be doing in Washington differently to encourage and to enable a company like this to grow and expand and hire more workers,” Toomey said. He said he often hears about things Washington is doing that’s the exact opposite. For example, he said, big regulators including the EPA treat all refiners as though they are the same, and impose the same regulations on refineries like ARG that they impose on “gigantic r...

St. Bonaventure University Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Michael Fischer Ph.D., announced today the appointment of three academic affairs administrators: Peggy Yehl Burke, Ed.D., as associate provost and dean of the School of Graduate Studies; Joseph E. Zimmer, Ph.D., as interim dean of the School of Education; and Carol M. Fischer, Ph.D., as associate dean of the School of Business. All of these appointments are effective immediately. “We are extremely fortunate to have such talent and expertise within the ranks of our faculty and who are willing to take on new and additional responsibilities,” said Provost Fischer. “With these appointments, we are positioned as never before to assertively pursue the goals outlined in our strategic plan, Becoming Extraordinary 2015.” An associate professor of education, associate provost and dean of Graduate Studies, Burke has served the university’s School of Education in the classroom and administration since 1978. From 2003...

The Boys & Girls Club of Potter County Received a Donation of $200 from First Citizen’s National Bank. Pictured, George Dubots (President), Amy Thompson (Vice-President), Phil Vaughn (First Citizen’s National Bank of Ulysses), Monica Fourness (Executive Director), and Nancy Grupp (Treasurer)

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) has announced that a culvert repair will be conducted on NY Route 280 (Quaker Run Road) in the town of Red House, Cattaraugus County, Allegany Territory of the Seneca Nation of Indians. As a result, NY Route 280 (Quaker Run Road) northbound and southbound will be closed to thru traffic south of Interstate 86, Exit 18, for approximately one mile, beginning on Monday, September 12. The posted detours are as follows: Motorists traveling from Pennsylvania to Interstate 86 A posted detour will direct traffic to proceed northbound on US Route 219, in the city of Bradford, PA, and access Interstate 86 eastbound and westbound at Exit 23 in the town of Carrollton, NY, Allegany Territory of the Seneca Nation of Indians. Motorists traveling from Interstate 86 to PA Route 346 A posted detour will direct traffic on Interstate 86 to proceed to Exit 23 in the town of Carrollton, NY, Allegany Territory of the Seneca Nation of Indians. ...

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is continuing to investigate an oil leak into Willow Creek. The agency was called Tuesday afternoon after someone noticed the oil in the creek in Corydon Township. A DEP respesentative returned to the area today. DEP spokeswoman Freda Tarbell says about 75 gallons of oil leaked into the stream. She says the leak did not reach Willow Bay, and workers took steps to make sure it didn’t get there by placing absorbent material about a half mile from the mouth of the bay. Tarbell said they believe the source of the leak is a sales line owned by EnerVest of Houston, Texas, but they have not confirmed that yet.

Bob Esch, Vice President of External Affairs at American Refining Group and ARG President and CEO Jeannine Schoenecker pose for a picture with Senator Pat Toomey and his daughter Bridget after a tour of the refinery this morning. Toomey and his entourage stopped at The Option House for lunch. Check out the pictures at the Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/1490wesb#!/BradfordPAChamber On Friday, Sept. 2 at 2:30 p.m., Toomey will host a town hall at The Red Fern in Kersey, Pa., focused on the federal debt, the economy and job creation. The town hall is open to the public.

Today marks the 5th anniversary of the day Ralph “Bucky” Phillips shot two New York State troopers who were staking out his girlfriend’s house in Chautauqua County. On the night of August 31, 2006, then-State Police Superintendent Wayne Bennett talked about the injuries Phillips inflicted on troopers Donald Baker Jr. and Joseph Longobardo, and said there was no doubt in his mind they were ambushed. Longobardo died September 3, 2006, at ECMC in Buffalo. He was 32 years old and left behind a wife and 13-month-old son. Phillips surrendered to police in Warren County 5 days later. He is at the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York.

An Allegany man is in jail after allegedly attacking his father. 20-year-old Curtis Ford is accused of getting into a fight with his father, Steve Ford, then knocking him to the ground and punching him in the face. Sheriff’s deputies say Steve Ford suffered serious injuries to his left eye and nose. Curtis Ford’s bail is set at $1,000.

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will host a dinner on stage in the Bromeley Family Theater for its Arts Endowment Gala in September. “An Evening on Stage – and You’re the Star” will take place at 6 p.m. Sept. 17 in Blaisdell Hall and includes cocktails, dinner, a live auction, dessert and live entertainment throughout the evening. Valet parking will be available. Tickets are $80 and can be purchased by Sept. 6 by calling Patty Colosimo, assistant director of arts programming at (814)362-5155. No tickets will be sold at the door. Terri Leven, chairwoman of the gala, said that each year the committee works to create an “inspiring” experience for those attending the event. “This year’s event will spotlight a theatrical evening,” she said. “We’re taking our guests into a deeper part of the theater – on stage and behind the scenes -- than they usually get to experience.” Performers during the evening will be...