Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

For the full stories, go to WESB.com The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Duke Center man was hurt and Route 59 was closed for about 6 hours after a tractor-trailer crashed just east of Kinzua Dam this morning. Police tell WESB 44-year-old Todd Barrett was headed east and going around a curve when the tractor rolled onto its passenger side and hit a guiderail. The impact caused the semi-trailer’s tank to rupture and spill diesel fuel. Barrett was taken to Warren General Hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries. The cause of the accident is still under investigation. Clarendon and Glade volunteer firefighters, Warren County Emergency Management, PennDOT, the US Forest Service, Army Corps of Engineers and Red Cross were among the agencies on the scene. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Duke Center man has pleaded guilty to failing to register as a sex offender. Prosecutors say on December 12 38-year-old Walter Randall changed his address and did not notify the state sex offender registry within 10 days. Back in 1995, in Olean, he sexually abused a 12-year-old girl. He is scheduled for sentencing on April 13. ~~~ A Bradford woman has pleaded guilty to a theft charge. 19-year-old Karlie Ryan stole property in Olean on September 13. She is scheduled for sentencing on May 11. ~~~ A 53-year-old man has pleaded guilty to trying to have sexual contact with a child. Prosecutors say Larry Tadder of Olean tried to have inappropriate contact with a child younger than 11 on November 1 in Olean. He’s scheduled for sentencing on April 13. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Duke Center man is dead after his boat capsized on Chautauqua Lake. State police say 69-year-old Robert Knell Sr. and 65-year-old Roy Barclay of Derrick City were fishing on Friday when their boat flipped over because of high winds and heavy rain. A man and his son, who were also fishing, got Knell and Barclay out of the water and onto a dock. Knell and Barclay, who were both wearing life jackets, were both taken to WCA Hospital in Jamestown for treatment of exposure but Knell later died of oxygen deprivation. Police say severe weather conditions are the cause of the accident. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A jury has convicted a man who forced a child to have sex with him from June of 2008 to June of 2013. 39-year-old David Frederick of Duke Center was found guilty of corruption of minors, sexual in nature, and endangering the welfare of a child. The child was younger the 13. Frederick will be sentenced July 17 in McKean County Court. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Police are looking for the thief who took prescription medication and other items from a Duke Center woman’s car. They say between 3 o’clock Monday afternoon and 8:30 this morning someone took the medication, money and a PA inspection sticker from the car while it was parked on Oil Valley Road. 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 woman accused of stealing a car have been bound to court. Lisa Hitchcock is accused of going into a Main Street house in the borough, talking to the person who lives there about finding another person, and then leaving. But she went back into the house a short time later, got the car keys and drove the car away, according to papers filed in District Judge Rich Luther’s office. About an hour later, the car was found behind another Main Street house. Hitchcock is free on unsecured bail. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Duke Center man is in jail for raping a young girl over a period of several years. 38-year-old David Frederick is accused of forcing the girl to have sex with him between 2008 and July of this year. The girl was younger than 13. He is charged with rape of a child, incest of a minor and endangering the welfare of a child. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Duke Center man is in jail after allegedly assaulting and critically injuring a girl Monday. Police did not say how old the girl is, but say 28-year-old Kevin Collins slapped her, choked her and slammed her body to the floor, knocking her unconscious. The alleged incident happened on Oil Valley Road in Otto Township. The girl was first taken to Bradford Regional Medical Center, but later transferred to Children’s Hospital in Buffalo, where she is in critical condition. Collins is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and harassment. His bail is $50,000. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Duke Center teenager suffered minor injuries when her ATV rolled over Tuesday evening on Upper Grimes Road. Police say 18-year-old Brittany Lushbaugh was traveling at a high rate of speed when the ATV hit a pothole. She applied the brakes and skidded on the gravel. The vehicle rolled over and she was thrown from it. Lushbaugh was taken by Smethport ambulance to Bradford Regional Medical Center for treatment. Police say she was wearing a helmet. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

By Bryan Jackson, ’12 Dr. Mary Hamilton, namesake of the Dr. Mary Hamilton Woman of Promise Award, was recognized at the 2012 ceremony on March 20 for distinguished involvement with the Russell J. Jandoli School of Journalism and Mass Communication at St. Bonaventure University. Hamilton, of Duke Center, Pa., a retired associate professor of journalism and mass communication and 1959 Bona graduate, was honored on the Wall of Distinguished Graduates for her years of service and work within and outside of the St. Bonaventure community. An expert in media law and women’s contributions to the media, Hamilton worked as a reporter and editor in New York City, Washington D.C., and York, Pa., and helped develop a public relations program for the Center for Constitutional Rights prior to joining the St. Bonaventure faculty in 1982. She holds a Ph.D. from Michigan State University. The J/MC Wall of Distinguished Graduates represents journalism and mass communication graduates who have outstandi...

A Duke Center man is accused of threatening two people with an AK-47 Sunday evening at his home. Police say Jeremy Prescott was in an argument with a female when he grabbed an AK-47 rifle and threatened to kill the female and another male. Prescott is charged with terroristic threats, simple assault and harassment. After his arraignment he was released on his own recognizance. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Two men were hurt after being thrown from a pickup truck during a rollover crash near Champlin Hill Road in Eldred at just after midnight Sunday. State police say the truck driven by 22-year-old Grant Preston of Duke Center was apparently speeding when it went out of control on a curve, left the road and rolled over twice. Preston suffered a minor injury. His passenger, 26-year-old Phillip Nelson of Canisteo, was taken by ambulance to BRMC for treatment of moderate injuries. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Someone stole six rolls of lottery tickets from the Duke Center Superette between 8:30 and 9:30 this morning. The tickets are valued at $4,200. Anyone with information about the theft is asked to contact Kane-based state police.

Police are investigating a burglary in Duke Center on Friday. Thomas Frederick tells police that someone pried open an outside door to the house that led to his bedroom. Once inside the person stole a jewelry box that contained several gold necklaces, diamond pendants and other charms; several gold and diamond rings; a diamond tennis bracelet; and several sets of gold earrings. The estimated value of the stolen items is $5,100. Anyone with pertinent information is asked to contact Kane-based state police at 778-5555.

A Duke Center teenager escaped injury in a one-car crash at 11 o’clock Friday night on Route 66 in Highland Township, Elk County. State police say a car driven by 18-year-old Jordan Beckwith was at the top of James City Hill when, for an unknown reason, it crossed into the opposite lane of travel, left the road and hit a boulder. The car then spun around before coming to rest. Her passenger, 49-year-old Harold Beckwith Jr., also of Duke Center, was not hurt. Police say Jordan Beckwith will be charged with “driving on roadways laned for traffic.”

Bridge deck replacement work on the Duke Center Bridge will require a five to six week closure of State Route 346 in Otto Township, starting April 19. Next Monday, Route 346 will be closed between the Route 346/Route 546 intersection and the Route 346/Route 646 intersection. A detour will be in place. The detour will direct motorists to use Routes 346 and 646. The bridge deck work will be done by PennDOT McKean County Maintenance forces. All work is weather dependent. The Duke Center Bridge spans Knapp Creek on Route 346, near the village of Duke Center in Otto Township. The Duke Center Bridge was built in 1929 and is 33 feet long. It carries an average of 1,450 vehicles a day.

Discarded cigarette butts caused the fire that destroyed a Duke Center house Tuesday afternoon. State Police Fire Marshal Thomas Josephson says the fire at Jeff and Cindy Gardner's house started on the back porch when cigarette butts ignited the plastic bucket they were discarded in. The fire spread to other items on the porch, then traveled into the house through a rear first floor window and then to the rest of the house. Damage is estimated at $140,000.

A Duke Center native and Iraq war veteran will serve as parade marshal for the Bradford Memorial Day parade on May 25. Sgt. Tim Lawson, a 2003 Otto Eldred graduate, and two-time tour of duty serviceman in Iraq, currently lives in Bradford. Lawson will be honorably discharged in May from the Army. We were at Bradford Regional Airport last summer when Lawson came home on leave. You can check out the pictures HERE .

An area substitute teacher is being accused of providing alcohol and marijuana to teenagers at a birthday party in November. District Judge Rich Luther arraigned 51-year-old Linda Jennings of Duke Center on 14 counts of selling and furnishing alcohol to minors. She was also charged with giving false testimony and intimidating witnesses. Court records indicate that, during the investigation, Jennings asked a person to tell police she wasn't at the party and had been four-wheeling with her nephew. Also arrested in connection to the alleged incident were 20-year-old Tod Chaffee of Olean and 20-year-old Brandon Gustin of Eldred. All three are free after posting bail. Two teenagers, whose names have not been released because of their ages, have also been charged. Jennings worked as a substitute teacher in the Otto-Eldred School District, as well as other area districts, according to Otto-Eldred Regional Police.