Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Mike Matz, director of the Pew Environment Group's wilderness campaign, issued the following statement on President Obama's proclamation of September as National Wilderness Month. "By proclaiming September as National Wilderness Month, President Obama is recognizing the important role our country's most cherished wild spaces play in our lives. Wilderness areas are the places we hike, hunt, fish, and find unmatched solitude. They remind us of our natural heritage and enhance the American spirit. "September marks the anniversary of the 1964 Wilderness Act, the law that has helped Americans safeguard their most beloved wild public lands. All but one Congress since then has built upon that legacy for future generations to use and enjoy and experience as we do today. "It is vital that we carry on our country's wilderness tradition. Right now, Congress has a chance to forever protect over 2.3 million acres of public land in bipartisan bills that are pending in ...

Tina Elder, KCH Controller, and coordinator of the Third Annual Ladies Night Out (LNO) at KCH suggests, "Ladies of the area, please mark the date of Wednesday, September 12 from 5-8 p.m. on your calendars to attend KCH Ladies Night -- 2012 at Kane Community Hospital, an affiliate of UPMC Hamot. There is no cost to participate. And bring your girl friends, grandmothers, aunts, mothers, daughters and sisters! Join us on the Ground and Second Floors of Kane Community Hospital for an evening of fun and learning about women's health issues. Please enter the hospital through the Main Lobby Entrance around back," Elder noted. "October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and we hope you'll schedule your October mammogram at the event. Free Incentive tickets are provided participants throughout the event for healthy choices to be used in our Chinese Auction (last year the Chinese Auction included more than 50 baskets/prizes donated by hospital departments and local busin...

UPDATE: The man has been identified as Howard Miller. A Gowanda man is dead following a one-vehicle crash Friday night on North Otto Road. Sheriff’s deputies say the 64-year-old man, who they did not name, was operating a Jeep Wrangler when it went out of control on a curve and he was thrown from the vehicle. He was taken to Bertand-Chaffee Hospital in Springville, where he died of his injuries. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

New York State Police have released more information about the helicopter crash that injured a state trooper near Bath, New York. At around 10:30 Thursday morning 41-year-old Trooper Thomas Shultz had to make a “controlled, powerless descent” after the helicopter experienced mechanical problems, and that resulted in what they are calling a “hard landing.” Shultz, who is a highly trained and experienced US Army combat pilot, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester for treatment. Shultz is assigned to the State Police Aviation Unit in Batavia. He was part of the team looking for 28-year-old Melissa Sherry of Hammondsport, who had been missing since Saturday. She was found dead in the Town of Campbell. NY State Police photo The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A winning Cash 5 lottery ticket was sold at the Emporium Pharmacy in Cameron County. Three other winning tickets worth $275,000 were also sold for Tuesday’s drawing. They were sold in Allegheny, Lehigh and Northampton counties. Each ticket correctly matched all five balls, 11-14-19-37-41, to split a jackpot of $1.1 million and win individual prizes of $275,000, less 25 percent federal withholding. Each retailer will receive a $500 bonus for selling a winning ticket. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

If you’re headed to Tioga County you should know a fiery tractor trailer crash has closed Route 15 between Sebring and Blossburg in both directions. Route 15 northbound traffic is being detoured at the Sebring Exit onto Old Route 15 and back on at the Blossburg Interchange. Route 15 southbound is being detoured at Blossburg onto Old Route 15 and returned to the southbound lanes at the Sebring Interchange. Photo by Tim Kreger

Bradford’s road resurfacing project will begin at 7 o’clock Tuesday morning and will continue throughout the month. The roads being resurfaced are Congress, Bushnell, Barbour, Orchard Place, Burnside, Cornen, High and Rochester. Residents in the affected areas are asked to comply with the reminders that will be placed on their doors the day before the paving begins, and to not park in these areas until resurfacing is finished. Flaggers will be directing traffic in the affected areas. The project dates are weather dependent. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A man has been arrested in connection to a drive-by shooting in Jamestown Tuesday. 21-year-old Jean Carlos Jiminez-Camacho has been charged with reckless endangerment and is currently in the city jail awaiting arraignment. Police say he fired a .22 caliber pistol out the window of an SUV on Chandler Street at around 10:30 a.m.. The vehicle has been impounded and the gun has been recovered and secured as well. Surveillance video captured the image of the SUV, which helped police in their investigation. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Four men and a teenage boy are facing drug charges following search warrants executed at two Salamanca houses. 37-year-old Matthew Maybee, 31-year-old Vernon G. Isaac Jr. and 35-year-old Eric Lindgren were arrested following the search at Maybee’s Jimerson Road home. 31-year-old Donald Watson Jr. and the 17-year-old boy were arrested following the search at a Carlton Avenue house. All four men are charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance. Maybee and Isaac are also charged with endangering the welfare of a child and criminally using drug paraphernalia. The boy is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. The teenager was issued an appearance ticket for City of Salamanca Court. The men are in jail in lieu of $5,000 cash bail each. Isaac and Watson have outstanding bench warrants as well. The Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force says additional arrests and charges are pending. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

An Eldred woman is dead after a one-vehicle crash on Route 6 in Wetmore Township Wednesday afternoon. Police say an SUV driven by 57-year-old Bernice Pierson went off the road on a curve and hit a tree. Pierson was pronounced dead at the scene. Her daughter, 24-year-old Meghan Pierson, was flown to UPMC Hamot for treatment of moderate injuries. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Police are investigating a break-in at the Cameron County home of fugitive Thomas Smith. They say significant damage was done to the inside of Smith’s home on Clear Creek Road. They don’t know if anything was taken because of the extent of the damage. Smith is wanted into connection to the kidnapping of a bank employee about a month ago. A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to Smith’s arrest and conviction. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Apparently Bradford is not the only place in the region having trouble with bicycles. A Salamanca man is charged with disorderly conduct following an incident Friday evening. Sheriff’s deputies say 20-year-old Ian Hepner impeded the flow of traffic while on his bike. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A North Tonawanda man is accused of damaging a vehicle owned by St. Bonaventure University. Sheriff’s deputies say 19-year-old Nicholas DePietro broke the tail lamp out of the vehicle on Saturday night. He is charged with criminal mischief and is scheduled to appear in Allegany Town Court on September 10. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The Cattaraugus County Sheriff's Office is investigating a possible animal cruelty case. On Sunday, Sheriff’s deputies got a report of a dog found hanging from a bridge on Underwood Road in Hinsdale. The dog is male and either a terrier or terrier mix with a brown face, black back and brown legs and weighs 20 to 25 pounds. The dog was wearing a camouflage collar when it was found. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the sheriff’s office. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Salamanca woman is facing charges for letting two 13-year-olds drive her car. Sheriff’s deputies say 20-year-old Sydney Doxtator let the teenagers drive the car to run errands in Salamanca. During a traffic stop on Wildwood Avenue police discovered they were driving with no adult in the car. Doxtator is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Douglas C. Rockwell, 56, Salvation Army Corps Commanding Officer/Pastor, of 7 Woodland Lane Bradford, was Promoted to Glory on Wednesday, August 29, 2012, while in the company of family members, at The Bradford Regional Medical Center. Born January 1, 1956, in Kingston, NY he was a son of the late James E. Rockwell and Marion (Pratt) Rockwell of Arlington, Va. On February 11,2012 in the Salvation Army he married Paulette A. (Crank) Rockwell who survives him. He graduated Kingston High School in 1974 and was currently in the training program at The Salvation Army as an Auxiliary Captain. He was a Bradford Rotarian, and very active in Knothole Little League Baseball as a coach and umpire. He formerly worked in his families business Abigail Press and later as a cook at a Greek Restaurant in New York. Surviving in addition to his wife, he is survived by eight children, Maria (Ramiro) Cruz-Milan, of Kingston, NY, Princess (Kevin) Rockwell-Weinberger, of Kingston, NY, Deborah "DeeJay...

Fairway Ford and Franklin had a beautiful late afternoon/early evening to play some midget league football at the Fretz Middle School field.

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director About 1,000 Kane residents spent about half their day in an emergency shelter at the high school today after a tanker truck carrying butane turned over at Greeves and Fraley streets early this morning. At around 4:30 a.m. the tanker holding 8,000 gallons of the highly flammable and volatile liquid flipped onto its side while making a turn off of Route 6. No one was hurt and no butane spilled from the tanker. Anti-freeze and diesel fuel did leak from the truck, but DEP says that was cleaned up quickly. Mike Gilbert, a local truck driver, was on the scene shortly after the accident and spoke with the driver. Gilbert told The Morning Buzz that the driver told him another vehicle was stopped too far into the intersection so he had to make a wider turn than normal. His load shifted and the tanker ended up on its side on the sidewalk. The tanker is owned by Elkhorn Corporation. Crossett Inc. sent another tanker to the scene so the butane could be tran...

A Kill Buck man, who is a registered out-of-state sex offender, is facing charges for giving sheriff's deputies several false names while they were investigating him for animal cruelty. 28-year-old Thomas Bower Jr. was fingerprinted, and that's when deputies learned he was wanted by the Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, sheriff's department for failing to give communitiy notification and failure to appear in person for periodic registration as a felony sex offender. Bower is being held in Cattaraugus County Jail awaiting extradition to Louisiana.

An inmate who damage smoke detectors in the Chautauqua County Jail a week ago is now accused of defacing a wall in the jail. Nathaniel Hollins Jr. allegedly used his handcuffs to scratch a 24-inch by 8-inch piece of profanity on a wall at around 10:30 this morning. Last Wednesday, he allegedly sprayed cleaning solution into two smoke detector heads. Hollins was originally sent to jail for criminal possession of a weapon.

The City of Bradford has announced that no parking will be permitted on McClellan Street and North Bennett Street from Tuesday through Friday of next week. The restriction will be in effect from 7 a.m.. to 7 p.m. while sidewalk reconstruction continues in the area. Violators' vehicles will be towed at the owner's expense.

An Olean man who led police on a chase from Olean to Turtlepoint back in March has pleaded guilty in Cattaraugus County Court. 25-year-old Paul Tyler Jr. also pleaded guilty to attempted burglary for breaking into houses between June 3 and 11, 2011, in Olean. Then on March 29 of this year police attempted to pull him over in Olean when he took them on a high-speed chase that ended in Turtlepoint, where he crashed his car. He ran away from police, but they were able to catch him near Turtlepoint. Police say Tyler was driving at speeds of 75 miles an hour on Olean city streets during the chase. He is scheduled for sentencing on November 13.

5 PM UPDATE: Route 6 has re-opened The evacuation order in Kane has been lift and residents are allowed to return to their homes. About 1,000 people had to be evacuated from a half-mile radius around Greeves and Fraley streets after a tanker truck carrying 8,000 gallons of butane turned over at around 4:30 this morning. Utilities had to be turned off while butane was being transferred to another tanker. The McKean County Emergency Management Agency says the utilties should be restored soon. Roads will be closed until the scene is cleared, which is expected shortly, according to the EMA.

A Clarendon man has been arrested for allegedly stealing a car in Warren Tuesday. Police caught up with 26-year-old Jeremiah Kay at around 12:30 this morning after a foot chase in the area of Water Street and Fifth Avenue. Kay is charged with theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property, both felonies, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. He’s being held in Warren County Jail. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

3 PM UPDATE: PennDOT now expects these closures to last until at least 5 p.m. today. Route 6 in Kane is now expected to be closed until at least 3 o’clock this afternoon. PennDOT reminds drivers that Routes 6, 66, and 321 in the Kane area are closed to commercial truck traffic. Passenger vehicles may use Routes 66 and 321 but Route 6 remains closed to all traffic. The tanker carrying 8,000 gallons of butane that turned over this morning has been hooked up to tow trucks, and a second tanker is in place waiting to transfer the butane, according to Michelle Palmer of the Kane Community Center, which is near the accident scene and is being used as a command post. She says the transfer of the butane and moving of the tanker is moving slowly because of the volatile nature of butane. A DEP spokesman says some antifreeze and diesel leaked onto the road, but that has been cleaned up. He says no butane leaked from the tanker. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The American Red Cross is assisting in an evacuation center for 150 evacuees from the Borough of Kane, and he evacuation area has been expanded to two miles due to a new leak on truck, according to the Red Cross. It had been half a mile around the area of the intersection of Greeves and Fraley streets (US Route 6) after a tanker carrying 8,000 gallons of butane rolled over at 4:30 this morning. EMS is still saying the area is half a mile, however. There were two evacuation sites open that have been consolidated to the Kane High School. The evacuation is now expected to be in effect until this afternoon. Lunch will be served for the evacuees. At this time, 10 Red Cross workers are assisting with the effort. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

PennDOT advises drivers that three State Routes in and around the town of Kane, McKean County, are closed to truck traffic at this time due to an overturned tanker hauling butane. Routes 6, 66, and 321 in the Kane area are closed to commercial truck traffic. Passenger vehicles may use Routes 66 and 321 but Route 6 remains closed to all traffic. Area evacuations are taking place as a precaution and emergency personnel are on-site to assist drivers through local detours. PennDOT now expects these closures to last until at least 1 p.m. today. Drivers should proceed with caution and be prepared for stopped or slow-moving traffic and emergency personnel in the roadway. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Michelle Palmer of Kane took these pictures of the tanker truck that crashed at about 4:30 this morning at the intersection of Greeves and Fraley streets. Unofficials reports indicate the driver was not hurt. The area has been evacuated. PennDOT says Route 6 will be closed at least until 11 a.m. Thank for posting and sharing the pictures, Michelle! ( used with permission from Michelle Palmer )

PennDOT advises drivers that a section of Route 6 in and around the town of Kane, McKean County, is closed due to an overturned tanker hauling butane. The area is being evacuated as a precaution and emergency personnel are on-site to assist drivers through local detours. PennDOT expects Route 6 to be closed in the Kane area until at least 11 a.m. today. Drivers should proceed with caution and be prepared for stopped or slow-moving traffic and emergency personnel in the roadway. Follow PennDOT on Twitter at www.twitter.com/511PAStateCOLL . Kane residents: If you'd like to keep us, and others updated, call 368-9372 and talk to Scott. Listen to scanner here . All traffic being diverted away from Kane Update: School is closed today in Kane. People being evacuated from their homes are being sent to Kane Area High School, and are being taken/directed there via Poplar Street. There is a state of emergency this morning in Kane. A tanker truck carrying butane overturned this morning at the...

Music, marriage and magic will be the themes for Bradford Little Theatre’s 16th season which opens in October with “The Marvelous Wonderettes,” follows with “The Marriage Counselor” in January and closes with “East of the Sun, West of the Moon” in April. “”We are offering light fare this year, with a girl quartet singing hits from the 50s and 60s aimed at music lovers; a script-in-hand comedy designed for people who wish to perform but have just a week to commit to the project; and a fairy tale offering for families,” said Nanci K. Garris, BLT president. Created and written by Roger Bean, “The Marvelous Wonderettes” will be offered Oct. 25 through 28 at First United Presbyterian Church social hall on East Corydon Street in Bradford. The first three shows will be at 7:30 p.m.; the final show will be a 2 p.m. matinee. BLT veteran Cindy Graham will direct the lively four-woman musical with Andy Dutka as music director and Ardyth Van Scoy as choreographer. Graham, who is directing for the ...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Three more dilapidated buildings in Bradford are coming down. City Council on Tuesday accepted quotes to demolish 317 East Main Street, 418 Congress Street and 30 South Kendall Avenue. 6-V Excavation will demolish the last building, clear the property and take the debris to the McKean County Landfill for $8,750. Tom Vickery will handle the other properties for $4,455 and $1,955, respectively. “It’s a good price, too,” said Mayor Tom Riel after council approved the second Vickery resolution. “You couldn’t get them all that cheap.” He explained that the cost of all the demolition will be paid from the city’s Community Development Block Grant Program. Also Tuesday, council heard from Jefferson Street residents concerned about people speeding on their street, and the danger it poses to the children who live there, some of whom have disabilities. Police Chief Chris Lucco said that, because of state law, the speed limit on the street cannot be any low...

An Olean man is jailed on charges that he molested two teenage girls in exchange for cigarettes while he worked for Beacon Light Behavioural Health System in Bradford. 38-year-old Steven Mesiarik allegedly fondled the girls, who are 14 and 16, after offering them cigarettes, and encouraged them to kiss each other while he watched them. The alleged incidents happened back in May. Mesiarik was arrested Monday in Olean, and is still in the Cattaraugus County Jail awaiting extradition to McKean County. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

State Police in Emporium are investigating a report of an indecent assault, but have released very little information so far. They say the incident happened at 12:30 a.m. Sunday at a home on Old Portage Road in Cameron County. Police added that they know who the suspect is and are continuing the investigation. They did not release names, genders or ages of the victim or suspect. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

For the latest information on Hurricane Isaac you can visit the National Weather Service's National Hurricane Center . The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Former longtime U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter was battling for his life early Tuesday after he was recently diagnosed with a "serious form of cancer," a source close to his office told CNN. Specter, who has overcome numerous serious illnesses over the past two decades, including a brain tumor and non-Hodgkins lymphoma, was diagnosed six weeks ago with the new form of cancer, the specifics of which are being closely shielded by his family. For more on this story go to CNN.com . The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Someone stole more than $13,000 worth of equipment from a construction site along Route 949 in Spring Creek Township last week. The items taken from the LC Whitford Company site include but are not limited to a Milwaukee mag drill, pneumatic air drill, Stihl chainsaw, two generators, a cutoff saw, three hammer drills and an impact driver. The value of the items is estimated at $13,400. Police say the theft happened sometime between 3:30 Tuesday afternoon and 6:30 Wednesday morning. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Dan Songer, director of campus police and safety, has been chosen by the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford Staff Association for its 2012 Staff Association Award. Tonya Ackley, coordinator of community engagement, and Margot Myers, manager of TRiO Student Support Services, nominated Songer. “Chief Songer goes out of his way to ensure the campus’s safety and well-being,” Myers wrote in her nomination. “He leads, by example, a team that provides protection, safety, and overall well-being to the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford in a respectful, effective and amazing manner.” Ackley, who until recently worked in the university’s residence life office, wrote, “Dan has an open-door policy with all the students and works really well with the resident advisors. He is firm, but fair, with the students and treats them with dignity and respect even in the most trying of situations. Songer has served at Pitt-Bradford for 15 years. During that ...

The parking restrictions on School Street between North Center and McClellan have been extended through Thursday. No parking will be allowed on that section of School Street from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. while sidewalk reconstruction work continues. Violators will be towed at the vehicle owners’ expense. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

HARRISBURG – Rep. Martin Causer (R-Turtlepoint) is encouraging volunteer fire companies and ambulance services throughout Pennsylvania to submit an application for the 2012 Volunteer Fire Company and Volunteer Ambulance Service Grant Program (VFCVASGP). The application period opens Sept. 5 and closes Oct. 20. The General Assembly recently adopted Act 78 of 2012 to reauthorize the grant program for an additional four years and increase the total grant funding available from $25 million to $30 million. The new law also adds approximately 35 career fire departments to the list of organizations eligible for grant funding. The grants may be used for construction or renovation of a unit’s station, the purchase or repair of equipment, training or debt reduction. Grants to eligible fire companies will be contingent on their agreeing to participate in and report information using the Pennsylvania Fire Information Reporting System (PennFIRS). During the last decade, $3.2 million has been awarde...

State police in Corry are investigating a disturbing crime involving a horse. They say sometime between 7 o’clock Saturday night and 6 o’clock Sunday night someone put some kind of fuel on a horse and lit it. The horse suffered burns and singeing on most of its body, but police say the wounds were mostly superficial and the horse survived. The incident happened on Athens Road in Athens Township in eastern Crawford County. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947