Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

A Smethport woman swerved to miss a deer early this morning on Route 646 and her car ended up in a row of trees. State police say 46-year-old Alisa Bennett was in Keating Township when the deer entered the road. Bennett suffered minor injuries but refused treatment. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A house fire left two Emporium residents homeless Thursday night. The fire on East 3rd Street started at just before 9:30 p.m. and was brought under control at 10:40 p.m. Emporium and St. Marys firefighters battled the blaze. The Red Cross is assisting the residents of the house. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

An autopsy is scheduled for today on a Jamestown woman whose death is considered suspicious. Police say the woman, who was in her 50s, was found dead inside a Bush Street home Thursday afternoon. The Chautauqua County Forensic Investigation Team and District Attorney David Foley were called to the scene. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Two people are charged with identity theft for allegedly using another person’s ATM card. State police say Ronald Jason and Shartisha Wagner took out money at the Allegany Wal-Mart and from a bank in Bolivar. Police used surveillance video from Wal-Mart to identify the suspects. Jason and Wagner are scheduled to appear in Town of Allegany Court on Monday. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A man who moved in a vacant apartment without the owner’s permission is facing charges. Olean-based state police say Curtis Ford was helping previous tenants move their belongings out of the apartment in the Town of Portville and, after they were out, he moved his belongings in. He is charged with criminal trespass. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A large number of marijuana plants, other drugs and cash were seized from a Little Valley man’s home on Thursday. The Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at the home of 39-year-old Frank Nuttall on Mill Street, and also found processed and packaged marijuana. Nuttall is charged with unlawful growing of marijuana. Additional charges are pending. He is scheduled to appear in Village of Little Valley Court. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A St. Marys woman will be sentenced today on charges she embezzled nearly a million dollars from a furnace company where she worked as a payroll clerk. 51-year-old Sandra Prechtel pleaded guilty in October to mail fraud and tax evasion. Federal prosecutors say while Prechtel worked for Abbott Furnace Company from 2002 to 2006 she stole the money by issuing herself extra pay checks or by inflating the amount of direct deposits into her personal bank account. She spent the money on herself and on credit card accounts she held jointly with a love interest. The maximum sentence for the crimes is 135 years in prison, a fine of more than $2 million, or both. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Two people were hurt when a car hit a tanker truck on Waterboro Hill Road in Ellington, New York, this afternoon. Sheriff’s deputies say 28-year-old Robert Behnke Jr. of Cattaraugus was backing the tanker truck into a farm, when a car driven by 62-year-old Donna Burdic of Kennedy crested the hill and hit the front of the truck. They issued Burdic a traffic ticket for not reducing her speed at a hillcrest. She and her passenger, NoraJo Rogers of Kennedy, were taken by ambulance to WCA Hospital for treatment of their injuries The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Police are looking for the vehicle that hit the stone retaining wall in the traffic way of the Barrel House Restaurant on Route 6. At just after midnight today, the vehicle hit the wall then drove away. The driver did not provide any contact information. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact Kane-based state police. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Charges against a Duke Center man accused of critically injuring an 11-year-old girl have been bound to court following a preliminary hearing in front of District Judge Rich Luther. 28-year-old Kevin Collins got angry with the girl and then slapped and choked her, and slammed her to the floor, knocking her unconscious, according to court papers. The girl was first taken to Bradford Regional Medical Center, but later transferred to Children’s Hospital in Buffalo. Collins is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and harassment and is jailed on $50,000 bail. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A truck hit a tank truck and a car at the intersection of routes 6 and 46 in Keating Township at just after 11 o’clock this morning, but no one was hurt. Police say the truck driven by 25-year-old Brinton Mingle of Tyrone was attempting to enter Route 6 from 46 and hit the tank truck being driven by 52-year-old Richard Crowe of Eldred. Mingle’s truck spun around and then hit a car driven by 48-year-old Rose Taylor of Lewis Run. Mingle’s truck was disabled and had to be towed from the scene. He was given a citation for a stop sign violation. The other vehicles were driven from the scene. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

City of Bradford Police investigated reports of criminal mischief to vehicles on Jackson Avenue and at a Davis Street business, as well as a retail theft on Boylston Street. They got complaints about harassment on Bushnell, South Center and West Washington streets, as well as Interstate Parkway, and disturbances on Campus Drive and Lincoln Avenue. Officers also got reports about a public drunk on Boylston Street and suspicious activity on School Street and at Pine and Boylston streets.

The two people accused of taking a baby from a home in Elk County last month have waived their preliminary hearings. 19-year-old Breanna Uhl and 21-year-old Roger Dugan III of Kersey are the infant’s parents, but do not have custody. They are accused of going to the home of Uhl’s grandmother, who is the girl’s legal guardian, pulling the phones out of the wall, and taking the baby to St. Marys. When police caught up with them they allegedly assaulted an officer. They are schedule to appear in Elk County Court on May 31. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The hearing for a man accused of killing two people in Tionesta late last month has been re-scheduled for next week. 38-year-old Scott Black of Butler allegedly stabbed and killed 43-year-old Donald Shay of Leechburg and 42-year-old Marcelle Edwards of Tionesta. Edwards had a past relationship with Black, who is jailed without bail. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Cattaraugus man is accused of assaulting his neighbor’s children while they were in his driveway. 27-year-old Kirk Sterling is charged with assault, endangering the welfare of a child and harassment. Sheriff’s deputies say the incident happened at about 3 o’clock Sunday afternoon, but did not say how old the children are. Sterling was sent to jail on $2,000 cash bail. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A man accused of breaking into the VFW on Barbour Street back in 2009 has waived his preliminary hearing. 30-year-old Scott Canfield allegedly got into the building through a side window on October 25, 2009, and stole a safe that had more than $2,600 in it. Earlier this year, Tim Bottorf told police he Canfield committed the crime, according to papers filed in District Judge Dominic Cercone’s office. Canfield is free on $20,000 bail. The safe was eventually found near the Kinzua Dam. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

More than 200 marijuana plants, along with guns and money were seized at a Chautauqua County house this morning. The Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force and the Sheriff’s Office SWAT team executed a search warrant at the house in the Town of Portland, and found 256 plants, processed marijuana, a number of controlled substances, three long guns and a large quantity of cash. The growing operation was set up with timers for the light and watering systems, as well as pulleys to allow the lights to move over the plants and replicate outdoor growing conditions. The task force says the value of the operation is a quarter of a million dollars. 44-year-old Jerry Erhard and 37-year-old Jenell Long will be charged with criminal possession of and unlawfully growing marijuana, possession of a controlled substance, criminal use of drug paraphernalia and unlawfully dealing with a child. They were both released pending the processing of all the evidence. Police say more charges are forthcoming....

UPDATE: Electrical power has been restored at all of Cole Memorial’s community health centers, wellness centers and the Patterson Cancer Care Center. More than 2,600 customers are still without power as of noon. North central Pennsylvania is currently experiencing a regional electric outage, but Cole Memorial Hospital in Coudersport is on emergency power and remains open. However, patients’ appointments for most of today will be rescheduled at the Patterson Cancer Care Center in Coudersport and the following Cole Memorial Health Centers: Central Potter, Galeton, Shinglehouse, Ulysses and Westfield. In case of a medical emergency, call 9-1-1 or go to the nearest Emergency Room. More than 12,000 Penelec customers in Potter, Tioga and Bradford counties are without power as of 10 a.m.

A nurse who works with pediatric patients at Olean General Hospital is accused of distributing child pornography. 46-year-old Willie Reid of Olean was arrested today for downloading videos and images of child porn using a peer-to-peer file sharing program. Some of the images and videos are of pre-pubescent children, and some depict violence. Hospital spokesman Dennis McCarthy says Reid has worked at the hospital since 2000, but hasn’t been to work since last week and is currently on suspension pending further review. Reed is being held until a detention hearing on Wednesday. He is charged with possession and distribution of child pornography. The arrest was part of a nationwide sting operation. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

City of Bradford Police on Monday looked into a report of criminal mischief on Limestone Street, and reports of harassment on Hill, West Corydon and Amm Street. They got calls about disturbances on Jackson Avenue, as well as Congress and Terrace streets, and a domestic incident on Barbour Street. Officers also investigated a hit and run on West Washington Street. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Hinsdale man is facing charges for stealing stainless steel. 26-year-old Aaron Stearns allegedly stole the items from Gile Hollow Road in the Town of Hinsdale. He is charged with petit larceny and trespass. Stearns is scheduled to appear in Town of Hinsdale Court. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

WBRR 100.1 The Hero’s “Igor” was named an “Outstanding Radio Personality” for 2013 at the annual award ceremony of the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters in Hershey on Monday. The “Nocturnal Transmission” host, who serves as music director and imaging production director for Bradford’s WESB 1490 AM and WBRR 100.1 FM “The Hero”, also received the “Outstanding Radio Promotional Announcement” award for the creation and production of station IDs for “The Rocking Dead Weekend”, a “Walking Dead” parody that the station ran over Halloween weekend, which featured the biggest hits of dead rock stars. Operations manager Frank Williams said: “It’s no surprise that Igor brought home these great awards. His show is edgy, funny, and is, without a doubt, the best rock-focused evening programing in the area. His production has always been top-notch and been winning the station awards for years now.” Igor has been winning awards from the PAB since he arrived in Bradford in 2008. He has rec...

In case you are not Facebook fans of ours (and why aren't you???), here's the scoop on these stories: About 2,800 Penelec customers experienced a power outage that lasted about 3 minutes last night. Penelec Communications Manager Linda Routzahn says the outage started at about 11:15 p.m., but they don’t know exactly what caused it. She says high voltage circuits locked out, and some of the causes could be a fallen tree limb or animal contact. She says it affected mostly the downtown Bradford area, but surrounding areas may have seen their lights flicker, or may have had other brief interruptions in power. ~~~ If you’re wondering why you woke up to the smell of smoke this morning, we have the answer. Bradford City Fire Department Captain Matt Rettger tells us, "They are doing a land clearing at Glendorn, and the smoke is lingering in the valley." Rettger says it is a controlled burn. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The Emporium Borough Police Department reported that Tuesday May 7, 2013, they located Carol L. Dzemyan ,age 60, of Emporium who had been reported missing since Tuesday April, 23, 2013. Police reported that they acted on a tip from WESB radio in Bradford and with the help of Charolette Mecklenburg Police Department, Special Victim's Division, they located Dzemyan residing at a facility in North Carolina. Dzemyan is in good condition. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Anna M. Tingley, 87, of 106 Seaward Ave., passed away, Monday, May 6, 2013 at The Pavilion at BRMC. Born December 12, 1925 in Farmington Twp., Clarion County, she was a daughter of the late Michael J. and Barbara M. (Bauer) Gatesman. She was a 1943 graduate of Farmington High School. On July 31, 1948 in St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Crown she married Merle J. Tingley, who died on December 1, 1972. She along with her husband owned and operated Tingley's service station on Seaward Ave for many years. She was member of St. Francis Church and the 50 Plus Group. Surviving are nine sons: Charles (Nancy) Tingley, of Bradford, John (Cheryl) Tingley, of Bridgewater NJ, Richard Tingley, of Bradford, Gary Tingley, of Rossville, CA, Mark (Bert Williams) Tingley, of Bradford, Kevin (Nancy) Tingley, of Chatham, NJ, Roger (Jennifer Pulver) Tingley, of Bradford, Timothy (Sarah) Tingley, of Bradford, and David (Ronda) Tingley, of Bradford, one sister Marie Aaron of Leeper, four bro...

Three men appeared in Cattaraugus County Court Monday on drug charges. Jesse Bartlett Sr. of Olean was sentenced to four years in prison for selling methadone and oxycodone several times in the City of Olean. Travis Doner of Salamanca has been sentenced to two years in prison for selling morphine in Salamanca on May 9 of last year. Demont Ramseure of Buffalo pleaded not guilty to selling cocaine in Allegany on December 8. His case has been adjourned for motions. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Franklinville man accused of kidnapping and assaulting a woman on Thanksgiving weekend in Olean has pleaded not guilty in Cattaraugus County Court. Seneca Nation Marshals stopped to check on a vehicle parked on the side of Route 219 on November 25 and found that 40-year-old Dean Pepper and a woman had been involved in a domestic incident. They called sheriff’s deputies who say Pepper assaulted, strangled and kidnapped the victim in his vehicle in Olean, then drove to the Town of Carrollton. Pepper is charged with assault, kidnapping, strangulation, and unlawful imprisonment He’s jailed on $25,000 bail. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947