Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Check out the new WESB.com

Two men have been sentenced in Cattaraugus County Court on burglary charges. Todd Borden of Olean has been sentenced to a year in jail for breaking into an Olean building last December and intimidating a witness in January. He was also sentenced on a theft charged from November of last year. Jeremy Foster of Salamanca will spend 5 years on probation for breaking into a Town of Portville building in December of 2013. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The City of Bradford’s Office of Economic and Community Development (OECD) is pleased to announce the hiring of Chelsea Kahle as the Main Street Manager. Ms. Kahle is Bradford native and a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Community and Economic Development with a specialization in Historic Architecture Preservation and Restoration. Sara Andrews, OECD Executive Director, commented “The OECD is pleased to have Chelsea come on board as the new Main Street Manager. Chelsea’s education and enthusiasm for historic preservation and community development will be an asset as we continue to focus on the growth and revitalization of our historic downtown core." Chelsea will be starting in her new position on June 1, 2015 and will be working closely with the former Main Street Manager, Anita Dolan, the staff of the OECD and other partner organizations such as the Downtown Bradford Revitalization Corporation, the Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce and the Do...

Leandra’s Law charges have been filed against a Portville man accused of driving under the influence with his 1-year-old and 5-year-old children in the vehicle when he crashed the vehicle. Police say 25-year-old Shane Rice crashed the vehicle early Tuesday morning in Seneca Avenue in Olean. Rice and the children were taken to Olean General Hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries. Besides aggravated DWI, Rice was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and driving without a license. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Texas man convicted of conspiring with several other people to sell drugs in Cattaraugus County has been sentenced to 12 1/5 years in federal prison. Starting in January of 2010 52-year-old Richard Garza of Houston conspired with James Leon, Richard Himbury, Daniel Garza and others. On November 15, 2011, Special Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration and members of the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at James Leon's home the Town of Coldspring, where they found a grocery bag full of marijuana in the living room and a canister containing about four ounces of cocaine in the bathroom. James Leon, Himbury, and Daniel Garza have been convicted and are awaiting sentencing. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Four new houses will be built in Bradford’s Second Ward Neighborhood Revitalization Project area that could raise the tax base significantly. City council on Tuesday approved on first reading a $250,000 general obligation bond that will go toward building the homes on Elm and Congress streets. OEDC Executive Director Sara Andrews explained that loan will be repaid from the sale of the homes, the same way it was with the homes on Pearl and School streets. She says construction on the first home should start next month. Two others should start later in the summer. The fourth may not be built until next year. “It’s great to see some new construction going up in the city – that people can come in and buy a new home,” said Councilman Fred Proper. Andrews added that a study done concerning the homes on Pearl and School streets showed that the taxes collected from the new homes is 217 percent higher than the taxes collected from the old homes that were there. She added that the homes al...

Spotted Lanternfly Could Hurt Wine, Logging Industries On Sept. 22, 2014, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Game Commission, confirmed the presence the Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) in Berks County, as part of its responsibility to identify plants/weeds, insects and mites, nematodes, fungi, bacteria and viruses that impact Pennsylvania’s natural resources, flora and economy. On Nov. 1, 2014, the Commonwealth announced a quarantine with the intent to restrict the movement of this pest. This is the first detection of Spotted Lanternfly in the United States. The Spotted Lanternfly is a planthopper from Asia, specifically found in China, Korea, India, Vietnam, and parts of eastern Asia. It is an invasive insect in Korea where it was introduced in 2006 and since has attacked 25 plant species which also grow in Pennsylvania.. In the U.S. it has the potential to greatly impact the grape, fruit tree and logging industries. This pe...

HARRISBURG, PA -- Despite the recent precipitation events, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is maintaining a drought watch for 27 counties across Pennsylvania because parts of the state have below-average groundwater and in some areas surface water levels. “We are still recovering from a very dry fall and below-normal precipitation this winter,” Acting DEP Secretary John Quigley said. “These factors have contributed to low groundwater and surface water levels mostly in the northeast and central portions of the state.” The 27 counties under the drought watch are Berks, Bradford, Cambria, Carbon, Clinton, Columbia, Indiana, Lackawanna, Lawrence, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Pike, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Wayne, Westmoreland, and Wyoming. The lack of groundwater recharge can cause well-fed water supplies, both private and public, to go dry. All Pennsylvanians are advised to heed this drought ...

WARREN – The Allegheny National Forest and the National Wild Turkey Federation are hosting an informational workshop about the emerald ash borer. The workshop will be held on June 18, 2015 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Allegheny National Forest Supervisor's Office, 4 Farm Colony Dr., Warren, Pennsylvania. Emerald ash borer is an exotic, wood boring beetle native to Asia that attacks all species of North American ash trees. It has killed an estimated 50 million ash trees in the United States and Canada since 2002. “This workshop is designed to help area landowners learn about this invasive pest that is devastating all North American ash species, and has established infestations across much of the ANF region,” said Andrea Hille, Forest Silviculturist. Several EAB experts will present information on a broad range of topics regarding EAB, including: • Emerald ash borer biology, history introduction and spread (Dr. Houping Liu, Entomologist, PA DCNR) • Pennsylvania Ash Manageme...

For the second consecutive year, the Zippo/Case Museum has received a TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence award. The award celebrates excellence in hospitality and is given only to establishments that consistently achieve great traveler reviews on TripAdvisor. Certificate of Excellence winners include accommodations, eateries, and attractions located all over the world that have continually delivered a superior customer experience. When selecting Certificate of Excellence winners, TripAdvisor uses a proprietary algorithm to determine the honorees that take into account the quality, quantity and recency of reviews and opinions submitted by travelers on TripAdvisor over a 12-month period as well as business’s tenure and ranking on the Popularity Index on the site. To qualify, a business must maintain an overall TripAdvisor bubble rating of at least four out of five, have a minimum number of reviews and must have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least 12 months. “Winning the Trip...

A friendly gathering turned ugly early Monday morning. State police say 22-year-old Jared Wrazen had been in a physical fight and then, got into his vehicle to leave the gathering when he hit two people, and kept going. Both of them were taken to ECMC in Buffalo. One was admitted. The other was treated and released. When police found Wrazen, they charged him with assault and reckless endangerment. He’s in Cattaraugus County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Bradford Creative & Performing Arts Center (BCPAC) has added two headliners to share the stage in their new Tuesday Tribute Concert Series starting in the summer of 2016. A Tribute to Tom Jones and Neil Diamond will hit the stage on June 14, 2016 @ 7:30pm. The performance will take place at the Bromeley Family Theater located at the University of Pitt/Bradford. From the initial notes of his opening set to the final bow to his adoring audience, Dave LaFame’s Tom Jones tribute show captures perfectly the glamour, excitement and sizzle of one of the entertainment industry’s brightest stars. He has accumulated an impressive list of awards, including the 2012 Las Vegas Celebrity Impersonators Award for top male entertainer. Dave LaFame began his career in entertainment more than three decades ago, playing bass guitar and singing with numerous bands in London, England. From there he surged into a successful career onstage, moved to Canada and eventually built up a successful career as...

Five more area seniors have been named to the Big 30 All-Star team. They are Ben McDonald and Jack Toncich of Ridgway, and Marcus Zaprowski and Andrew Crandall of Salamanca, and Kenny Brant of Gowanda. The Big 30 Game is August 1 at Parkway Field. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A 31-year-old Galeton man is accused of sexually assaulting a pre-teen. Lanz Young was arrested Saturday and charged with aggravated incident assault, endangering the welfare of a child and other offenses related to having sexual contact with a child younger than 13. The alleged crimes happened on New Year’s Day in Coudersport. Young is jailed on $50,000 bail. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Jefferson County man is dead after crashing his motorcycle on Interstate 80 Sunday. State police said 67-year-old Russell Knarr of Punxsutawney swerved on his motorcycle on I-80 in Pine Creek Township. He clipped a guide rail, and was thrown from his bike. Knarr was pronounced dead at the hospital. He was wearing a helmet at the time. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Fire destroyed an Olean home Sunday morning. Firefighters say when they got to 314 Wayne Street at around 5:30 a.m. the house was engulfed by flames. No one was home and no injuries were reported. Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the blaze. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Three employees of the Warren Walmart are facing charges for under ringing a total of more than more than $1,000 worth of deli food. Police say Yvonne Wolfe stole $636 dollars’ worth of deli food; Amy Jenkins, $360; and Alexis Summer, $100. They’re all from Warren. Austin Hanson of Sheffield is accused of stealing $168 worth of deli food. Walmart’s loss prevention personnel conducted an internal investigation over a period of several months. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

One 5-year-old accidentally shot another 5-year-old with a BB gun Friday afternoon in Cameron County. Police say the BB got lodged in the victim’s eyebrow, and caused a minor injury to the eyebrow. Police didn’t say if the children are boys or girls. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947