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A fallen tree outside a First Energy substation caused a brief power outage in Bradford and Lewis Run this afternoon. Penelec’s Linda Routzhan says the switching process to get the power back on caused some of the flickering lights. The outage started at about 1:45 and most people had their power restored by 2:30. She said about 600 customers had to wait a little longer, but all power has been restored. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Several hundred Penelec customers are still without power after an outage that affected much of the Bradford area at just before 2 o’clock this afternoon. Penelec expects to have all power restored by 4 o’clock, but hasn’t determined yet what caused the outage. We’ll have more information as soon as possible. Image from Google Earth © The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Power outages in Foster Brook and Eldred. Penelec expects power to be restored in Eldred at around 10:30 this morning. Crews have just been dispatched to Foster Brook, so there's no estimate on restoration yet. Kane is also experiencing a power outage. It should be restored by 10:30 a.m. All the outages are believed to be weather-related. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

City police are continuing to investigate the pickup truck crash Sunday morning on East Main Street near Fisher Avenue. They say the truck went off the road at around 7 a.m., hit two utility poles and flipped over in a yard. 33 year-old Curt Dietz of Bradford was thrown from the pickup and was flown to UPMC Hamot in Erie where he is in critical condition. Two other men were in the pickup, 19-year-old Damien Stover and 30-year-old Pat Carpenter. Police are still trying to determine who was driving the pickup. That section of East Main was closed for eight hours Sunday so Penelec crews could put-up two new poles and lines. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Message from Foster Township Supervisors: Anyone in the Looker Mountain Trail/South Kendall Avenue area whose power is not back on yet can go to the Foster Township Municipal Building to keep warm. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

(News Release) Akron, Ohio – The holiday season is the most popular time for home decoration. FirstEnergy’s (NYSE: FE) utilities hope you will enjoy this festive season with family and friends while also remembering a few tips to ensure your holiday lighting displays remain safe throughout the season. Outdoor Lighting Safety  Check all lights for frayed wires or areas where insulation has pulled away from plugs or sockets. Discard and replace any damaged light strings.  Take extra care using a ladder to install lights – avoid contact with overhead wires and make sure the ladder is placed on solid, level ground that isn’t slippery.  Ensure that tacks or nails used to hold light strings do not pierce any insulation on wires or light sockets.  Use only extension cords that are approved for outdoor use. These cords must meet rigorous safety standards that indoor cords may not meet.  Outdoor lights, inflatables and other decorations should be plugged into outlets protected by gr...

Nearly 2,200 Penelec customers were without power for more than an hour this morning because of an equipment issue on a utility pole. Penelec External Affairs Manager Linda Routzhan tells WESB that the outage started at about 10:30 a.m. after a problem with equipment on a pole in the Chestnut Street area. She said most of the 2,180 customers had power restored by early afternoon, and the rest should have their power back by early evening. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

In case you are not Facebook fans of ours (and why aren't you???), here's the scoop on these stories: About 2,800 Penelec customers experienced a power outage that lasted about 3 minutes last night. Penelec Communications Manager Linda Routzahn says the outage started at about 11:15 p.m., but they don’t know exactly what caused it. She says high voltage circuits locked out, and some of the causes could be a fallen tree limb or animal contact. She says it affected mostly the downtown Bradford area, but surrounding areas may have seen their lights flicker, or may have had other brief interruptions in power. ~~~ If you’re wondering why you woke up to the smell of smoke this morning, we have the answer. Bradford City Fire Department Captain Matt Rettger tells us, "They are doing a land clearing at Glendorn, and the smoke is lingering in the valley." Rettger says it is a controlled burn. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

About 2,800 Penelec customers – including WESB and The Hero's studios on St. Francis Drive – lost power for a short time this morning. Penelec tells us that there was an equipment malfunction between two substations at 8:31 a.m., which caused the outage. Power was restored at about 8:40 a.m.

The power outage that affected about 400 customers in Foster Township today was caused by a wire that broke because of wind and other weather conditions at about 9:30 this morning. Before 1 o’clock almost all customers had their power restored. Penelec’s Linda Routzhan tells us that as crews work to get the circuits back to where they are supposed to be, there may be some interruptions in service this afternoon, but everything should be back to normal by late afternoon. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Nearly three dozen Penelec customers were without power for almost four hours last night after a tree fell on Delaware Avenue, damaging a house and a car. Penelec area manager John Shimko tells us the tree fell at just before 9:30 Monday night and broke a pole, damaging a cross arm, insulators and a primary line. City employees were among those removing the tree. Power was restored to 32 customers on Delaware and Jackson avenues at 1:15 a.m. There’s no word on what caused the tree to fall. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

SPE Group of Port Huron, Michigan, still has its command center set up at the Bradford Mall as their crews, along with several other companies, help Penelec/First Engery crews restore power in McKean County following Thursday's storm. As of just before 3 p.m. only a handful of customers -- with the exception of Liberty Township -- are still waiting for their power to be restored. Liberty Township has 211 cusomters without power. Only 12 of those are in Port Allegany. Penelec hopes to have all power restored this evening. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

About 2,400 Penelec customers in McKean County are still without power after Thursday’s storm. 200 of those are in the Lewis Run area ; 800 are in the Smethport and Port Allegany areas. Penelec says most power should be restored between 11 p.m. and midnight Sunday, with the rest restored by Monday morning. In Potter County, 1,500 Penelec customers are still without power; Elk County, 1,400; Cameron County, 300; Jefferson, 1,600; and Forest, 900. Penelec expects most power in those areas to be restored by this evening. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The National Weather Service has confirmed that a tornado touched down in Coudersport Thursday. More than 2100 customers in Potter County are still without power, and Penelec hopes to have it restored Sunday evening. In McKean County, where more than 2,400 customers are still without power, the storm was a microburst, which is characterized by straight line winds. 200 of the customers without power are in the Lewis Run area. Penelec expects to have power restored by late Sunday night. No serious storm-related injuries have been reported in McKean County, but in Potter County 66-year-old Linda Button of Andover, New York, was killed by a falling tree at a campground in Genesee Township. About 3,500 customers in Elk, Cameron and Forest counties are still without power as well. Penelec expects to have most power there restored by this evening. In Chemung and Steuben counties in New York, three tornadoes touched down Thursday. The first hit near Southwest Corning at around 3:30. The second...

More than 10,000 Penelec customers in McKean, Potter and Elk counties alone are without power as of 9:30 a.m. In Cameron, Tioga, Warren, Forest and Jefferson counties more than 7,300 customers are without power. Most of the state -- except the Philadelphia area and a small portion of the east/central portion -- has power outages to some extent. Governor Andrew Cuomo has declared a state of emergency for Chemung County, allowing New York State to better coordinate and respond with local governments to the widespread damage caused by a line of severe thunderstorms that caused possible tornadoes, winds in excess of 60 miles per hours, and hail over one inch in diameter. A tornado was confirmed in Elmira. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

10:45 a.m. UPDATE: All power has been restored 9:45 a.m. UPDATE: Power has been restored to all but a handful of customers About 2,800 Bradford-area Penelec customers are still without power after a tree fell near a substation on Route 770 at about 8 o’clock this morning. Penelec’s Linda Routzhan says the outage affected about 5,000 customers, but crews were able to restore power to some of them. She said crews were able to isolate the area affected by the fallen tree, and are working to fix the lines and restore the rest of the power. She said there’s not estimate on when all power will be restored, but crews will be working until all customers have power. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Power outages have been affecting the Bradford area for most of the day. Penelec’s Linda Routzhan says equipment problems caused outages that affected upwards of 2,000 people a couple of times today. The first was at about 4 a.m. The outages forced W.R. Case to cancel its second shift. The last outage was a “forced outage” crews had to start in order to replace a piece of wire that burned up, Routzhan said. She said crews would continue working until all power is restored, which it was before 6 p.m. according to the company's outage map. A power surge to a transformer at Bradford Regional Medical Center caused the hospital to temporarily close Upbeat, Smart and Foothills Medical Group offices in the Interstate Parkway facility. Patient care was not affected, according to Stephanie Timblin of Upper Allegheny Health System. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

UPDATE: A power surge at a transformer caused the second outage, which has forced part of Bradford Regional Medical Center to close. This includes the Foothills Medical Group doctor’s offices, Upbeat and Smart. Hospital pPatient care is not affected. Patients of the Foothills Medical Group are encouraged to contact 814-368-7777 to reschedule appointments. About 69 Penelec customers in Bradford are still without power this morning, following an outage that started at around 4:17. Penelec’s Manager for External Affairs Linda Routzhan says power was restored to 57 customers at 5:30 by “switching circuits around.” She says they hope to have power restored to the remaining customers this morning. The outage affected customers in the city's Fourth and Fifth Wards. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Someone stole copper wire from a Penelec substation in Ridgway Township sometime within the last month. Police say the person cut a hole in the metal fence of the substation, and then removed 100 feet of copper wire. The total amount of stolen property and damage is about $3,000. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

UPDATE: Power restored to 2,300 customers at 8:52 a.m. Still no word on what caused the problem. A blown circuit breaker at the Mill Street substation has caused a power outage in most of the City of Bradford. Penelec crews are on the scene trying to fix the problem. Schools will be open today. Police and Special Police are directing traffic where traffic lights are out. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947