Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Mark Zucerberg is expected to be the star witness in the government’s case against Paul Ceglia. The trial against Ceglia, who is from Wellsville, New York, is scheduled for November 17. He is charged with forgery and a number of other offenses, stemming from a 2010 civil lawsuit Ceglia filed against Zuckerberg and Facebook. Ceglia claims he had a contract with the Facebook founder that entitles him to half of the multi-billion dollar social media company. Zuckerberg has said from the beginning that he did have a contract with Ceglia, but it had nothing to do with Facebook. Assistant US Attorney Christopher Frey said in a court hearing that Zuckerberg is, “a witness that the government 100 percent knows it will be calling at trial.” The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Editorial Comment: Less than two weeks ago I got frustrated when, after a crime was committed in Bradford, someone commented on Facebook, "Typical Bradford." According to Merriam‑Webster typical is: normal for a person, thing, or group : average or usual. I don't know about you but, in my circle of friends, stabbings are neither normal, average nor usual. And I have a pretty big group of friends. So, to me and my friends and acquaintances, this was anything but "typical Bradford" and it led to this Facebook rant (and the update I added yesterday): We all know Bradford still has problems, but they are being addressed. Change doesn't happen overnight. If you can't see everything good that's happening in Bradford right now, you need to open your eyes. It's that simple. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A man has pleaded not guilty to having indecent contact with a 5-year-old boy, but admitted that he did not register as a sex offender in connection to an earlier case. 45-year-old Charles Kontz of Port Allegany will spend three to six years in state prison for not reporting a change of address to state police. In 2003 he was determined to be a sexually violent predator after being convicted for indecent assault of a child. In the latest case, he is accused of inappropriately touching the 5-year-old when the child was left in his care for between 10 and 15 minutes. Kontz is scheduled to appear for a pretrial conference on Sept. 25 in McKean County Court. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The man who drove the getaway car after a burglary at TJ’s Corner Store in this spring, and tried to run over a person who was trying to stop his accomplice, will spend the next 18 months to three years in state prison. 49-year-old Jonathon Reck of Rew drove to the store on Route 59 in the early morning hours of April 14, dropped off a passenger – 33-year-old Timothy Bottorf of Braford – and then waiting for Bottof at Tack’s Inn. When Bottorf came out of the store with two cartons of cigarettes and a crow bar he tried to use to break into the cash register, neighbor Dillon Pennel saw him and tried to stop him. Reck then sped across the road toward Pennel and almost hit him. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Limestone man has pleaded guilty to stabbing another man multiple times with a knife back in December. 31-year-old Justin Cramer is charged with attempted murder in connection to the stabbing of Carey Mills Jr. at Mills’ Limestone Run home on December 12. Mills had to be taken to UPMC Hamot after the stabbing. Cramer is scheduled for sentencing on September 29 in Cattaraugus County Court. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Harrisburg – Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Ellen Ferretti today announced that work will begin in August now that contracts have been awarded for the construction of a new park office/visitor center at Kinzua Bridge State Park, McKean County. “After completing the skywalk at Kinzua Bridge State Park in 2011, we are now ready to move forward with the next phase of amenities -- a visitor center to welcome people and provide interpretation of the park’s history, and the recreational opportunities not only onsite, but in the Pennsylvania Wilds region," Ferretti said. This project is part of Enhance Penn’s Woods – a two-year, more than $200 million initiative launched by Governor Tom Corbett to repair and improve Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests. Contracts have been awarded by the Pennsylvania Department of General Services to JC Orr of Altoona, $4.7 million for general contract work; W.C Eshenaur & Son of Harrisburg, $853,000 for HVAC system;...

There is still time to register for the Willow Creek Triathlon. Registrations will be accepted from 2 to 7 p.m. Friday at the Bradford Family YMCA where particpants can also pick up their registration packets. Those interested may also register starting at 7 a.m. Saturday at Quaker Lake in Allegany State Park. A rules meeting will be held at 9 a.m.; the triathlon will start at 9:30 a.m. This year, the committee added a duathlon element to the event. The duathlon features the bicycling and running facets and eliminates the swimming. The cost is $50 for individuals; $90 for teams. All proceeds benefit the Disabled American Veterans of McKean and Warren counties. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Besides investigating the circumstances behind a fire on Congress Street and a trespassing incident on Jackson Avenue, City of Bradford Police looked into a complaint of harassment on East Main Street and disturbances on High and Ascension streets. They were called to domestic incidents on Park Street and Belleview Avenue, and dealt with a drunk driver on East Corydon Street. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

An investigation into sale of drugs in the Town of Friendship has led to the arrest of a Cuba man. Sheriff’s deputies say 26-year-old Albert Rhodes sold morphine to an undercover agent twice. He is charged with criminal sale and possession of a controlled substance, and is jailed without bail while awaiting arraignment. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Titusville Police officer is accused of harassing a store clerk last Thursday, and state police are handing the investigation. Troopers did not identify the officer but say a clerk at Spanky’s Tobacco World claims the officer touched her backside in an "unwelcome way" between noon and 1 p.m. She reported the incident the next day. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

National Fuel is lowering its rate by more than 5 ½ percent starting tomorrow. The typical monthly bill of a residential customer will go from $81 to $77. National Fuel’s director of corporate communications Sandra James says the decrease reflects the company’s ability to buy lower cost gas supplies, the majority of which come from northeast production. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A man accused of breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s house, locking himself inside her bedroom and refusing to leave is in McKean County Jail. 22-year-old Lane Haynes of Bradford allegedly used force to break into the woman’s Jackson Avenue home through a window. When he refused to leave the bedroom, city police had to forcibly open the locked door. When they went in the room, he fought off their attempts to take him into custody, and officers had to use a Taser on him. Haynes is charged with criminal trespassing and resisting arrest. His bail is set at $40,000. He’s scheduled to appear in Central Court next week. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Charges against the Bradford man accused of hitting a woman with his vehicle as she getting into her car on Euclid Avenue have been bound to McKean County Court. 61-year-old Roy Lawrence is charged with one felony count of aggravated assault by motor vehicle while driving under the influence, and related offenses. The injured woman, Megan Panighetti of Bradford, was taken by Mercy Flight to ECMC in Buffalo, but is now home and still recovering from serious injuries He remains in McKean County Jail in lieu of $10,000 cash bail. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A 19-year-old year who allegedly got a girl younger than 16 pregnant during a party has waived his preliminary hearing. Tyler Carlson of Bradford is charged with felony aggravated indecent assault of a person younger than 16, statutory sexual assault and corruption of minors. The victim’s age was not released. Carlson was released from McKean County Jail yesterday after his bail was changed from $50,000 monetary to $50,000 unsecured. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

No one was hurt in a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Route 219 and Clarion Street near Wilcox this afternoon. Police say car driven by 21-year-old Sayeed Abdul Kazemy of Centerville, Virginia, didn’t stop at a flashing red light and traveled into the path of a car driven by 29-year-old Beatrice Rider of Philadelphia. Kazemy was cited for not obeying a flashing traffic signal. Minor injuries were reported after a one-vehicle crash on Keating Summit Road in Potter County on Monday. Police say a pickup truck driven by 49-year-old Scott Mason of Emporium left the road and hit a boulder, then hit an embankment and rolled onto its roof. Mason was treated at the scene by Emporium EMS personnel. The truck had to be towed from the scene. A Genesee man suffered minor injuries after his car caught on fire Sunday night on Route 49 in Potter County. Police 53-year-old Robert Wood was traveling north at 11:10 p.m. when the car caught on fire. Wood was taken by ambulance to Charles Col...

A man is accused of stealing several items from a house and a barn in the Town of Sheridan. State police say their investigation into the thefts started on July first and led to today’s arrest of 23-year-old Glenn Fisher of Dunkirk. Fisher is scheduled to appear in Town of Sheridan Court next week. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Bradford man accused of threatening a neighbor and city police officers waived his preliminary hearing today. Court papers say 35-year-old Jason Dickerson was yelling obscenities and pounding on a neighbor’s door at the High Rise on Bushnell Street. When confronted by police, he threatened them, became defensive, kicked at them, spit at them and had to be carried from the building by Chief Chris Lucco and Officer Steve Caskey. Police eventually had to use Mace on him. Dickerson remains jailed on $100,000 bail. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A shoplifting spree has led to charges against a Fredonia woman. State police say 66-year-old Masoode Majid stole $59 worth of merchandise from the Tops Market in Dunkirk, $257 worth of merchandise from a JC Penney store and $23 worth of merchandise from a Dollar General. She’s charged with theft and criminal possession of stolen property and will appear in Town of Dunkirk Court next month. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A second person has been charged in connection to a stabbing in Bradford on the night of July 20. 41-year-old John Wesley Hitchcock is accused of implicating one person in an effort to protect 35-yeara-old Cristy Duane Curtis, who was charged with the stabbing. Court records say Curtis stabbed a man after two men attacked her and a friend following an argument on Rockland Avenue. She’s in McKean County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail. Hitchcock is jailed on $20,000 bail. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Charges against a Bradford woman accused of endangering her children during a fire in her South Center Street home last fall have been dismissed. 32-year-old Susan Hassek was charged after investigators learned her 4-year-old daughter was asleep on the couch when the fire started, and was rescued by a neighbor. The fire started because an aluminum pan had melted onto a burner of the electric stove. After prosecutors presented their case during a trial in McKean County Court, Hassek’s lawyer asked the judge to acquit her because he believe there wasn’t enough evidence to find her guilty. Senior Judge William Morgan agreed and dismissed the charges. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Bradford man driving a vehicle he didn’t have permission to drive, with a suspended license, and while allegedly in possession of cocaine and other drugs, is in McKean County Jail. 32-year-old Timothy Wright is accused of having cocaine packaged for sale, along with Suboxone and a small amount of marijuana for personal use, according to District Judge Dominic Cercone. Wright also ran from police who attempted to stop him for not stopping at a stop sign, They eventually had to use a Taser on him. His bail is set at $30,000 and he is scheduled to appear in McKean County Central Court next week. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A domestic incident in Limestone has led to charges against a Bradford woman. Sheriff’s deputies say 29-year-ond Brandi Ann Holsinger punched at bit her ex-boyfriend while they were on a logging road off Parkside Drive at 10:45 Monday morning. Holsinger is charged with assault and endangering the welfare of a child. She’s scheduled to appear in Town of Carrollton Court on August 11. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A domestic incident led to a fire that injured two people Tuesday night in Bradford. City firefighters say the fire at 253 Congress Street was contained to the second floor bedroom, where it started when a juvenile set a mattress on fire. The homeowner, James Gould, was taken to BRMC for treatment of smoke inhalation and singed hair. His wife Karen suffered an ankle injury and was also taken to BRMC. The juvenile was taken into custody. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947