Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

A Bradford man is accused of grabbing the owner of the Hotel Holley by the throat after being told he wasn’t allowed on the property. Court records say 50-year-old Mark Andress was told by owner Joseph Troutman that he wasn’t allowed on the property and, as Andress entered the main lobby he shoved Troutman and grabbed him by the throat. The incident happened last month. Andress was arraigned this morning. Andress is charged with simple assault and harassment, and is free on unsecured bail. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Two members of the Bradford Area School Board on Monday voted against awarding contracts for the proposed fitness center at the high school, but seven voted in favor of it. Board member Joe Troutman said with the economy the way it is, he can’t see voting for the project right now. He added that with state funding in limbo he feels this is a bad time to spend $1 million. Listen to Troutman's comments here . Board member Helen Cummiskey also voted against awarding the contracts. Later in the meeting, School Superintendent Sandra Romanowski explained that according to school code money that is put aside for projects – in this case the fitness center – cannot be taken out for other instructional purposes. “We are all very aware that the (state) budget is going to be very difficult for all of us, and very painful this year,” she said. Governor Tom Corbett’s budget proposal slashes about $1 billion from education spending. The money for the fitn...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director There is something several people in Bradford don’t think is pretty in pink. The Riddell House. Sam Sylvester of the Historical Architectural Review Board said he was asked to attend Tuesday’s council meeting to talk about "the appropriateness of the recent pink job at the Riddell House.” “Joe (Troutman) is a friend of mine and I appreciate (that) he’s doing what he’s doing. But if the HARB is to be effective, we need to see the request first. We have not seen the request," Sylvester said. He said there are several other incidents in town where people have done work without contacting HARB, but he was just at the meeting to talk about the Riddell House. City Clerk John Peterson said the city received several complaints, so he contacted commercial building inspector Mark Grassi. Grassi was told Tuesday morning the building was being repainted the same colors it had previously been painted. “Photographs from Google Earth show that not to...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director The Bradford Area School District is buying the former Crosby's on Interstate Parkway and the house next door for a total of $254,000. The $169,000 to Reid Petroleum for the Crosby's property includes the removal of the gas tanks and the understanding the parcel be "environmentally clean" before the sale is finalized. During Monday's Bradford Area School Board meeting, district business manager Kathy Kelly said Reid wants to get it finished "as quickly as they can." Board member Joe Troutman said he believes the prices are "a little high," but on the other hand the properties are "like gold to us" because they're adjacent to school property. Board member Keith Hatch added that part of the board's long range goal is to pick up properties near the schools for possible future expansion. The money for the purchase of the two properties will come from the general fund budget. Kelly said the ...