Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

An 89-year-old Ridgway woman died in a fire in her home early this morning. Elizabeth Verbeck was trapped in the fire that was reported at about 2:15 a.m. The blaze did $150,000 to the two-story house. A cause for the fire has not been determined yet but State Police Fire Marshal Greg Agosti stressed that it is not believed to be arson. The investigation is continuing. Two fires earlier within the last month are believed to be arson. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The 2012 McKean County Relay for Life not only met its goal -- it went over it by $6,250. At the end of today's relay co-chair Brian Abers told the teams they raised $91,000. The goal set by the regional office was $84,750. "We blew that total away," Abers said. Oh, and by the way, they did it with eight fewer active teams than they had last year when they raised $75,000. “You guys did it because your hearts are in the right places,” Abers said. “We are here to find a cure for cancer. You guys keep working hard like that, keep raising money like that – that cure’s coming. We’re just a few steps away.” The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Bemus Point man is accused of intentionally spitting blood at EMS personnel who were trying to help him after an accident this morning and, later, spitting blood on a deputy sheriff. Deputies say they got a call about a crash at just before 3 a.m. and found 22-year-old Scott Oram and his vehicle in the woods off Hannum Road in the Town of Chautauqua. Oram sustained facial injuries in the crash and while being treated by EMS personnel started swinging in an attempt to punch them. While being transported to the hospital he allegedly spit blood on the EMS providers, and also tried to hit one of them and a sheriff’s deputy. He also allegedly spit blood on the deputy. At the hospital he had to be restrained so he could be treated. When he was discharged from the hospital he was sent to jail on $10,000 cash bail. Oram is charged with obstruction of EMS and obstruction of governmental administration as well as driving while intoxicated and a number of traffic violations. The news leader ...

BOLIVAR, NY – Specialist 5 Thomas Jordan had no idea he deserved medals for his service in the Army until he spoke with long-time friend and recent medal recipient Boatswain’s Mate (BM), Third Class Daniel Little. “Dan Little, who already received medals from Senator Young, was in the Navy and said something about the Korean Defense Medal. He thought I might be eligible to receive it, told me to send my DD-214 to the Senator’s office and they would research it. That’s how it all began,” Spec. 5 Jordan said. “I would have never pursued the medal if it hadn’t been for Dan. He started it, and that’s how this all took place,” he added. During a ceremony at the Kenyon Andrus American Legion Post on Friday, Senator Catharine Young (R,C,I – Olean) presented Spec. 5 Jordan with the Korean Defense Service Medal and a Cold War Recognition Certificate. “Spec. 5 Jordan committed a total of three years, eight months, and 21 days of active service in the United States Army, and it is a incredible pr...

Relay for Life co-chair Brian Abers and his wife Val walk the Survivors Lap hand-in-hand Friday during the annual American Cancer Society event. Later today Abers, a cancer survivor, will announce the grand total raised for this year's relay. (We have it on good authority that they will surpass their goal. We'll let you know.) "Michelle" Walter, a Miss Relay contestant, checks out the motorcycle being raffled off by Kids and Cancer. The bike winner will be announced after the annual Kids and Cancer Motorcyle Run next month. A couple more Miss Relay contestants, along with Scooby Doo, walk the loop at Pitt-Bradford.

A large crowd enjoys Allegany Old Home Week activities on the penultimate day of the event. 100.1 The Hero's Scott Douglas was there for a live broadcast from 6 to 8 p.m. The festivities continue today with the kids carnival from noon to midnight and the Firemen's Annual Grand Parade at 6:30 p.m. starting at the intersection of Seventh and Main streets and ending at the intersection of First and Main. Prizes will be awarded at Pavilion area at Firemen's Park. Scott Douglas photo The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Harrisburg – Governor Tom Corbett today released the following statement on the conviction of Jerry Sandusky in Centre County Court: “First, I want to thank the jury for their willingness to serve on such a difficult case,’’ Corbett said. “I also want to commend the multiple victims in this case who had the courage to come forward and testify in court, confronting Sandusky, and proving beyond a reasonable doubt that he is guilty of these reprehensible crimes,’’ Corbett said. “The agents and prosecutors of the Attorney General’s Office, as well as the Pennsylvania State Police, also deserve a great deal of credit for today’s verdict. They pursued every lead, gathering evidence from multiple victims, in order to bring this man to justice,’’ Corbett said. Sandusky was convited on 45 of 48 counts of sexually abuse 10 boys over a 15-year period while he was an assistant football coach at Penn State. The scandal led to the firing of university president Graham Spanier and legendary football ...

A Warren County man accused of using bath salts allegedly set items in a house on fire, ran from police and then set a tree stand on fire while he was in it. Police say the incident started on Tuesday evening when 31-year-old Jacob Richards was inside in house on Pineville Road in Southwest Township pounding on the floors, walls and ceiling of his bedroom. After the 51-year-old female victim confronted him about using bath salts, he barricaded himself inside his room and fired a shot from a shotgun. The victim left the house and contacted police. When state police, sheriff’s deputies, and adult probation officers arrived on the scene Richards would not answer the phone or the public address system used to contact him inside the house. He eventually set fire to items inside the house. Smoke started coming from the eaves of the house and he crawled out through a hole he cut in the floor and ran into the woods. Several members of the sheriff’s department tried to apprehend him with no suc...

The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is allowing indicting grand juries to be used statewide in certain cases to enhance safeguards against witness intimidation. Under a new set of Rules of Criminal Procedure, an indicting grand jury would be permitted in lieu of preliminary hearings in cases in which witness intimidation has occurred, is occurring or is likely to occur. Judicial districts abandoned the use of indicting grand juries nearly 20 years ago in favor of other procedural options authorized under an amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution. The new rules permit their resumption. Any of Pennsylvania’s 60 judicial districts could petition the Supreme Court for approval to use the new procedures under the rules that take effect in 180 days. Once Supreme Court approval is given to a district, a prosecutor could seek approval of the president judge on a case-by-case basis to use an indicting grand jury, but only in cases involving witness intimidation. “The intimidation of witness...

UPDATE: She's been found, and is safe. Jamestown police are asking for help in locating a teenager who has been missing for more than a month. 16-year-old Natasha M. Correa left her home on May 11 and has not been seen since. She is described as a Hispanic female, 5-foot-4 and 127 pounds. She has long brown hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing dark jeans, dark shoes with red stripes and a gray T-shirt. Police are asking anyone with information on her whereabouts to call 716-483-8477. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Frank Williams will be talking with Bradford Little League Commissioner Barry Bacha on today's Sports Forum -- the Twin Tiers' longest-running local sports talk show -- at 12:35 p.m. on 1490 WESB and WESB.com. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at St. Bonaventure University has again drawn itself into summer reading programs at public libraries across the Twin Tiers. And taking a cue from this year’s program theme, “Dream Big,” the Quick Center has nearly doubled the number of library stops scheduled by the ArtMobile and its driver/educator Miranda Earley, museum educator at The Quick Center. “We’ll visit 17 libraries this summer, which is up from about 10 or 11 stops last year,” said Earley. “We’re all over the place – five counties in two states, from Jamestown to Alfred to Port Allegany.” This is the fourth year that The Quick Center has been invited by local libraries to inject a dose of art into the unified, themed summer reading program held by public libraries across the country. Earley will load up the ArtMobile with supplies and make two trips to each of the 17 participating libraries. Each hour-long visit will present a lesson and activity aligned with the “Dream Big” theme of...

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford has announced additional students to its spring dean’s list. The additional students were not on the original list because they will be attending a different University of Pittsburgh campus for the fall semester and their records were moved to their new Pitt campus before information for the dean’s list was collected. Dean’s list status is awarded to full-time students who have earned a 3.5 or higher grade point average during the Spring 2012 semester. Earning a 4.0 was Ryan K. Ferguson, a sophomore civil engineering major from Kirkwood. Other additional students added to the dean’s list were, from Bradford, Shroy S. Mukerjee, a freshman mechanical engineering major; Rachel L. Dennis, a Bridges student; Jing Dong, a sophomore business management major; and Amina Sosic, a Bridges student. Other students named to the dean’s list were Douglas Chaffee, a sophomore business management major ...

LEICESTERSHIRE, ENGLAND – Former St. Bonaventure women's basketball star Stef Collins will participate in the 2012 Olympic Games in London as a member of Great Britain's women's basketball team as announced Friday morning by Tom Maher, GB's senior women's head coach. Collins, a 2006 graduate of St. Bonaventure, scored 1,421 points in her career which now ranks ninth all-time in program history. She also sits third all-time in 3-pointers made with 288, behind only Suzie Dailer (291) and Jessica Jenkins (338). "Stef is certainly a great player, but we're also very proud of the person she is and the way she carries herself," St. Bonaventure head coach Jim Crowley said. "It's going to be a great experience for her and we know she will represent St. Bonaventure well." Collins is tied for third in the women's basketball record book with three, 30-point games. Her 36 points against Stony Brook in 2003 is still tied for third-most in a single...

These kids were among the dozens of youngsters keeping cool Thursday night at Callahan Park's splash pad. The Barcroft Pool was packed, too, with kids of all ages. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

This lovely "lady" is just one of the "gals" that will be competing for the title of Miss Relay tonight during the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. Frank Williams will be broadcasting live from the relay on 100.1 The Hero from 3 to 6 p.m. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Thursday night Stefan Arlington and Anne Holliday brought you the sounds of the American Cancer Society's Fight Back Parade on 1490 WESB. Now here are some sights. The annual Relay for Life starts at noon today at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. Frank Williams will be broadcasting live from the Relay on 100.1 The HERO from 3 to 6 p.m. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson, Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy & Forestry, issued the following statement after the U.S. Senate passed S. 3240, the Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act. “I commend the U.S. Senate and the leadership of Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Stabenow and Ranking Member Roberts on passage of S. 3240, the Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act,” said Rep. Thompson. “Senate passage of the farm bill is a positive step in completing this reauthorization process, before its expiration this fall.” Every five years, Congress passes legislation, commonly known as the "farm bill" that sets national agriculture, nutrition, conservation, and forestry policy. The last farm bill was passed in 2008, and expires in 2012. “The Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy & Forestry has held multiple hearings in anticipation of moving forward with a full reauthorization of the far...

Pennsylvania First Lady Susan Corbett on Wednesday announced her "Opening Doors" dropout prevention initiative, which will focus on reaching at-risk students during their critical middle school years. Mrs. Corbett, a former high school English teacher, brought together state and national leaders in education and dropout prevention for a forum at the Governor's Residence in Harrisburg. The group stressed the importance of identifying at-risk students early and providing the proper interventions to keep them on-track to graduate. Pictured, Corbett talks with Hannah Penn Middle School 7th-grader Elizabeth Ruiz, after Elizabeth told her story during a forum of State and national education leaders, addressing the importance of identifying at-risk students early and providing the proper interventions to help them graduate. Photo provided by Commonwealth Media Services The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The Orak Grotto’s annual Tag Days recently raised $1,300 that supported scholarships for CARE for Children’s day camp (which was held the 12th, 14th, 19th and 21st of this month), as well as scholarships for specialty camps, all for children with developmental and physical disabilities. During the day camp, held at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, CARE kids took part in inclusive activities such as open gym, crafts, adaptive swimming, gross motor sessions and field trips; as well as a day at Pine Acres Country Club for adaptive golf with PGA Pro Kirk Stauffer. The donation will also enable 10 children to attend camps, including Camp JJ and Woodlands Youth and Teen Sports Camp. Pictured in the front row are: Mike Matto, Orak Grotto Treasurer; Gabe McAvoy; and Zethan Brougham. In the back row are: Kim Murphey, CARE for Children community relations specialist; Ron Thomspon, Orak Grotto Monarch; and Kim Miller, OTR/L, CARE for Children occupational therapist. McAvoy, 10, is th...

By Kimberly Marcott Weinberg Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing Werewolves and vampires are real – or at least based on real medical phenomenon. Area students learned that and other Medical Mysteries during a high school enrichment course held at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford this week by Dr. Lauren Yaich, associate professor of biology. Yaich’s course, “Medical Mysteries—Solved,” wrapped up Thursday and is the first of three enrichment courses being offered for high school students this summer. Yaich covered six major topics in relation to the biology of the human body and treating diseases: myths such as werewolves and vampires, disorders of bones and muscles, disorders related to aging, cancer, neurological disorders, and careers in the medical field and medical research. “I don’t have to stick to a strict curriculum” Yaich said of the course, which gives her a chance to talk about topics of special interest to her that she doesn’t ...

Peggy Cramer of DaVita Dialysis takes Henry Pruch's blood pressure during the 3rd Annual Health & Wellness Fair at Chapel Ridge today. She explained that high blood pressure can lead to diabetes, which can lead to kidney disease and possibly dialysis. More than 30 health- and wellness-related organizations along with the ATA and Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce were on hand for the event. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

An Ohio man has been charged with making Internet threats against the University of Pittsburgh, but not specifically with the bomb threats that had the campus on edge for months. 24-year-old Alexander Waterland of Loveland, Ohio, is accused of posting a YouTube video on April 26 that claimed the group known as "Anonymous" had hacked into the university’s computer system and stolen records related to students, faculty and alumni. Part of the video contained a demand that University ChancellorMarck Nordenberg issue a public apology for not safeguarding students' welfare or the stolen information would be publicly released. US Attorney David Hickton says the charges pertain to specific cyberthreats in April and May, and were part of the series of threats received since February. Hickton added that the investigation is comprehensive and ongoing. Waterland told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review newspaper today he has "no idea" why the FBI charged him. The charges carry...

John F. "Jack" Schoonover, Jr., 61, of 6260 Limestone Run, Limestone, NY, passed away, Tuesday, June 19, 2012, peacefully at his residence, surrounded by his loving family. Born September 15, 1950, in Cuba NY he was the son of John F. and Dorothy (Clayson) Schoonover, Sr. of Allegany , NY. On October 21, 1971 in Limestone, he married Edwardene J. "Eddie" (Tingley) Schoonover who survives. Mr. Schoonover was a 1968 graduate of Allegany High School. On October 24, 1968 he enlisted in the United States Air Force and served during the Vietnam War. He was honorably discharged as a Sgt. on October 20, 1972. He had worked as a truck driver most of his life and then as a cement truck driver for Bisett Building Center. He had also worked for the Town of Carrollton Police Department for eight years and as a judge for the Village of Limestone for two years. He was a member of and Chief 4 at the Limestone Fire Department as well as a EMT and a member of the Limestone Sportsman ...

PennDOT closed a bridge near Bradford on Wednesday and a short detour is in place. The bridge spans Bennett Brook just northwest Sullivan Road. The detour uses Route Interstate Parkway and is less than a mile long. On Monday, June 25, PennDOT McKean County Maintenance will begin work to repair the steel beams of the bridge. Repairs are expected to be finished July 6, weather permitting. The decision to close the bridge was the result of a recent inspection. The Bennett Brook Bridge was built in 1940, is 31 feet long and carries an average of 420 vehicles per day. PennDOT reminds motorists to follow detour signs, obey speed limits and always buckle up. Follow PennDOT on Twitter at www.twitter.com/511PAStateCOLL . The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The child sex abuse case of Jerry Sandusky is now in the hands of the jury. Jurors began their deliberations this afternoon following closing arguments. The jurors will be sequestered until they reach verdicts on the 48 counts against the former Penn State assistant football coach. If convicted Sandusky could spend the rest of his life in prison. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947