Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

The Allegheny National Forest’s Bradford Ranger District has received a proposal to install, operate and maintain a natural gas pipeline on national forest system land. Minard Run Oil Company has requested a 30-year special use permit for a 19,369-foot pipeline to be buried along Forest Roads 173 and 176 and under a portion of Linn Brook in McKean County. The total size of the project is less than five acres. Additional information about this project can be found at: http://go.usa.gov/6mcA. The Bradford Ranger District is seeking comments about this project. Comments may be submitted in several different ways: Mail: Macario J. Herrera, District Ranger; USDA Forest Service; Bradford Ranger District; 29 Forest Service Drive, Bradford, PA 16701 Fax: 814.362.2761 E-mail: comments-eastern-allegheny-bradford@fs.fed.us. Please reference the Minard Run Oil Co. Special Use Stickney Pipeline on the subject line and include your name and physical mailing address with your correspondence. ...

Minard Run Oil Company now has operations in Oklahoma. Company president and CEO Frederick Fesenmyer says Minard Run Oklahoma LLC was officially formed on Friday. The operations in Osage County include crude oil and natural gas production from six horizontal wells. They also have more than 16,000 acres for further development and exploration. Minard Run Oil Company of Bradford is the world's oldest family owned independent oil company under the continuous management of one family. Fesenmyer is the great-grandson of Senator Lewis Emery Jr., who founded the company in 1875. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Minard Run Oil Co. has made a $25,000 contribution to the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford that will allow more high school students to take advantage of a program that allows them to earn college credit at minimal cost. The contribution is made possible through a tax credit program offered by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. This is the second year Minard Run has taken advantage of the program. “We’re happy to make this investment to allow students to have the opportunity to bridge their education to a potentially greater future,” said Frederick Fesenmyer, owner, president and chief executive officer of Minard Run Oil. Pitt-Bradford has two programs in which students can earn both high school and college credits for the same course, BRIDGES and College in the High School. Both programs will benefit from Minard Run’s contribution. In the BRIDGES program, high school students attend Pitt-Bradford...

Minard Run Oil Co. has made a $25,000 contribution to the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford to benefit high school students in the region who are taking classes through the university. The contribution is made possible through a tax credit program offered by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. Pitt-Bradford has two kinds of programs in which students can earn both high school and college credits for the same course, Bridges and College in the High School. Both programs will benefit from Minard Run’s contribution. In the Bridges program, high school students attend Pitt-Bradford classes with regular college students. In College in the High School, which is offered in 12 school districts throughout the region, qualified teachers teach Pitt-Bradford courses during regular school time, and students are able to earn college credit. The additional funding provided through Minard Run and other local businesses has allowed Pitt-Brad...

David Ray is new BAHS principal; Coffman named Dean of Students By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Current Bradford Area High School assistant principal David Ray will be the school’s new principal and current principal Ken Coffman will hold the newly created position of Dean of Students at the school. The moves were made during Monday’s Bradford Area School Board meeting are effective July 1. Both positions have an annual salary of $85,662. Also during Monday’s meeting the board officially approved the 2012-13 general fund budget. “This is our 11th year without a tax increase,” said business manager Kathy Boyd. “I think that’s pretty nice.” She said putting the budget together did not come without its challenges from the state because the basic instruction subsidy is the equal to the amount the district received in 2008-09; this is the second year there is no reimbursement for charter school students (the district has 51); this is the fifth year special education has been level...

A judge has ruled that a preliminary injunction ordering the US Forest Service to resume processing drilling notice for the Allegheny National Forest did not give drillers the right to use surface or groundwater for fracking. Under Pennsylvania law, the federal government does not have the right to block the mineral owner's access to the minerals, but a 1980 federal court decision and U.S. District Judge Sean McLaughlin's 2009 decision give the agency some limited control on how the gas companies drill inside the forest. The Pennsylvania oil and gas industry had asked McLaughlin to find the agency in contempt because it is banning the use of the water and also taking more than 60 days to process the notices. In denying the motion, McLaughlin said neither the 1980 ruling nor his 2009 decision addressed water rights in the forest. On the second point, McLaughlin said the industry didn`t provide clear and convincing evidence the agency is deliberately dragging its feet. He added t...

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

The Bradford Hospital Auxiliary and The Bradford Hospital Foundation are pleased to announce the second annual “Spring Swing Gala” slated for March 24, 2012 at the Pennhills Club in Bradford, PA. The event is to support the renovation of the Labor and Delivery unit at Bradford Regional Medical Center. Admission is $125 per person and includes hors d'oeuvres, complimentary wine and a cash bar. The event starts at 6 p.m. and dinner will be served at 7 p.m. The Gala is a black tie optional evening. This unique dinner dance will honor community members, M. Javed Akhtar, M.D. and Zenaide S. Still. “Dr. Akhtar and Zenaide have given tirelessly to their chosen vocations. As dedicated and devoted members of the Bradford community, each has truly embraced humanity,” said Francie Ambuske, Bradford Hospital Foundation Director of Development. Sponsors of the 2012 Spring Swing Gala include Halloran Philanthropies/American Refining Group Inc., Minard Run Oil Co., North...

PA Taps into Hydrofracking, While NY Waits http://www.wkbw.com/home/PA-Taps-into-Hydrofracking-While-NY-Waits-139510723.html The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford has named an advisory committee for its developing Energy Institute. The appointments were announced by Dr. Livingston Alexander, president, and Dr. Matt Kropf, director of the Energy Institute. Kropf said the committee will help advise the institute on matters such as strengthening the petroleum technology program, developing a curriculum for a bachelor’s degree program in energy studies and fostering partnerships between the institute and the region’s energy industry. “The Energy Institute’s agenda and vision are very ambitious and complex,” Alexander said. “The individuals electing to serve on the advisory committee are among the most highly respected and well-regarded executives in the oil and gas industry. We’re thrilled they’ve chosen to lend their support and guidance.” Harvey Golubock, former president and chief operating officer of the American Refining Group, will serve as chairman. In ad...

By Sandra Rhodes Calling all oil aficionados. Now is your chance to hold a piece of oil history right in your hands – a book signed by one of the key players that brought this masterpiece to you. Ed Bernik, the award-winning photographer for “Pennsylvania Crude: Boomtowns and Oil Barons,” will be in Bradford for a book signing from 3 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 14, at the Main Street Mercantile. “Pennsylvania Crude: Boomtowns and Oil Barons” is a 116-page coffee table-style book that takes the reader on a pictorial tour of the oil industry in the Pennsylvania Field from discovery and boom eras through the resurgence occurring today. The book is divided into six sections: Seeps and Pits, Discovery, Boomtowns, From Mud to Market, A Second Boom and The Next Well. Several local people, stories and places are featured in this book that includes 201 photos – both current and historical. There stories of how the Tuna Valley, Tarport and Music Mountain came into existence. There are portraits of ...

Washington, D.C.—U.S. Representative Glenn `GT’ Thompson, R-Howard, today issued the following statement after Judge Sean McLaughlin of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania issued an injunction lifting the ban on drilling permits in the Allegheny National Forest: “I’ve had confidence all along in the State’s ability to take care of the environment in the Allegheny National Forest—confidence in the local industry and the citizens of the four-county area, who have been exceptional stewards of the environment for decades. “The local stakeholders have taken care of the Forest for 86 years with the State Department of Environmental Protection providing some of the best enforcement in the Nation. It looks as if the Judge agreed the Commonwealth does not need outside environmental groups to come in and tell them how to do things. “This ruling allows companies to bring their employees back to work and plan for the future. The decision by the U.S. Forest Service t...