Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

A Ridgway man is facing charges for burning down an unoccupied house. State police say 43-year-old Robert Lilley was burning brush on property near the house in Daguscahonda at around 9 o’clock last night when the fire got out of control and caught the house on fire. Four fire departments battled the blaze. The building was a total loss. There was no insurance on it, and it was scheduled for demolition in a few weeks. No one was hurt. Lilley is charged with Dangerous Burning. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The mayor of St. Marys was cited for disorderly conduct after an incident last week in Ridgway. Police say Bob Howard went into the Hello Beautiful salon on November 24 and yelled obscenities at the owner, Michelle Howard in the presence of customers. Bob Howard was issued a summary citation in district court and released. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

There’s been another incident of a person trying to lure a child into a vehicle near Kersey. At around 7 o’clock this morning a man in a purple/pink four door sedan with tinted windows stopped an 11-year-old girl on Fairview Road and asked if she wanted a ride to school. Police say a school bus then came along and the man drove the car on Route 948 toward St. Marys. The first incident happened on the morning of October 31 on Chicken Hill Road when a man in a Chevy Silverado approached two 13-year-old girls and asked if they needed a ride. Anyone with information on either incident is asked to contact Ridgway-based state police. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

An overheated electrical unit is believed to be the cause of a fire that damaged a Ridgway apartment Thursday afternoon. State police say the fire started in the ceiling of an upstairs apartment on Walnut Street occupied by 31-year-old Marjorie Moore. The building is owned by Steven Lenze of St. Marys. 65-year-old John Stumpf is listed as the other occupant of the building. Damage is estimated at $50,000. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The US Marine Corps believes a Ridgway native is dead. 26-year-old Cpl. Donovan Clancy went missing in the North Pacific late last month. The search for him was called off on Friday, and the Marines announced on Monday that he is presumed dead. Clancy’s squadron was based in Okinawa, Japan. Authorities believe he may have been cooling off in ocean water following a workout, and got caught up in heavy surf conditions. Marine Corps photo The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Ridgway marine has been declared missing near an island in the Pacific Ocean. Authorities say 26-year-old Donovan Clancy was wading in heavy current off one of the islands in the Northern Marianas, between Japan and the Philippines. Clancy is assigned to the Marine Wing Communication Squadron based at Camp Foster in Okinawa, Japan. Coast Guard and Marine units near Guam were not able to find Clancy over the weekend, but are still searching. He is a graduated of Elk County Catholic High School. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Ridgway – Work on some sections of Route 219 in Ridgway will affect area drivers Thursday, Sept. 25 and Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 29 and 30. On Thursday, crews will mill Route 219 from the bottom of Boot Jack Hill to Baker Alley and from the Central Fire Hall to Erie Avenue. On Monday and Tuesday, those same sections will be paved. Motorists using Route 219 in the Ridgway area will encounter travel delays and will need to be alert for flaggers in the roadway. All work is weather dependent. Should weather forecasts impact plans for Monday and/or Tuesday, work could be performed on Saturday, Sept. 27. Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc. of State College is the contractor for this work which will take place during daylight hours only. Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 700 traffic cameras. 511PA is also a...

State police are investigating a burglary in Brynedale. They say sometime between 2 o’clock Friday afternoon and 8:30 Friday night someone went into the home of George and Lori Chittle through a window and then stole numerous items. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact Ridgway-based state police. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

An arrest has been made in the stabbing of a Ridgway man late last month, and the suspect is also charged with running from police who wanted to question him on Tuesday. St. Marys police say they were looking for 22-year-old David Charles II of Benezette so they could question him about the stabbing and, when he noticed that an officer spotted him near Ash Street at around 2 p.m., he ran. Police found him about an hour later in the Rock Street area and took him into custody. For that incident he’s charged with resisting arrest and fleeing from police. He is accused of stabbing or cutting 33-year-old Gary Jones with a knife in the early morning hours of June. For that incident he’s charged with assault and recklessly endangering another person. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Ridgway man had to be treated at a hospital following an assault early Sunday morning in the area of Market and Depot streets in St. Marys. Police say 33-year-old Gary Jones was attacked by another man who had an unspecified cutting instrument. Jones sustained several wounds and was taken to Penn Highlands-Elk. The attack happened at about 3:15 a.m. and the attacker has not been identified yet. Anyone who may have witnessed the attack is asked to contact St. Marys City Police. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

After a 2-year-old girl was found wandering around outside a Wilcox house A Ridgway man is facing child endangerment charges. Police say a Wilcox woman noticed the toddler at about 5:15 Tuesday afternoon and attempted to find the little girl’s parents. She was later told where the child belonged and tried to call her father, 31-year-old Christopher Cenni, but didn’t get a response. The girl was eventually turned over to her grandmother. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Police say a Ridgway man was drunk Sunday morning when his Jeep Wrangler hit a tow truck, and then hit the vehicle on the side of the road that the tow truck was attempting to take away. Troopers didn’t identify the 23-year-old man, but say DUI charges are pending the results of lab tests. The incident happened at just before 6 a.m. on Montmorenci Road in Ridgway. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

It was an unlucky Friday the 13th for a Kersey man. 32-year-old Traves Singer told police 34-year-old Steven Gnan Jr. of Ridgway slashed his tire early that morning doing an estimated $120 worth of damage. State police cited Gnan for criminal mischief. But, a few hours later, Singer was taken into custody as a fugitive from justice after troopers learned there was an active warrant against him from Ohio. In 2011, in Ohio, Singer was charged with petty theft and not paying child support. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Elk County has been approved for a federal Small Business Administration loan to help people rebuild after the May 21 flooding wreaked havoc on the area. State Rep. Matt Gabler says Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson gave him the word about the disaster declaration. County officials are still waiting for word form FEMA about more assistance. Jason Bange of the American Red Cross has been spending time in Ridgway helping people put their lives back together. On today's LiveLine he talked about one business that lent a helping hand – and more – to Ridgway residents. Listen here . (12 seconds) You can listen to the entire show by going to WESB.com/listen and clicking on the Local Programs tab. If you’d like to help the Red Cross – there’s a delicious way you can do it. By Tuesday, contact the chapter house on Congress and order a strawberry shortcake for 5 bucks. All proceeds go to help pay for services the Red Cross provides.

Someone broke into the Ridgway Record newspaper’s building on Laurel Hill Road Thursday and stole some computers. Police say between 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. someone pried a door knob to get into the building, and then took a Mini Mac laptop and two MacPro desktop computers. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact Ridgway-based state police. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

RIDGWAY - Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-Jefferson) joined Lieutenant Governor Jim Cawley in Elk County today to meet with local officials and emergency management personnel to assess local flood damage. During a tour of the region, Senator Scarnati and Lt. Gov. Cawley were also joined by Rep. Matt Gabler, to view and evaluate areas affected by the severe flooding which began impacting the region last Wednesday. “I want to express my gratitude for the quick response and tireless efforts of emergency responders, local police, local firemen, municipal workers, local officials and area volunteers who have been working to help victims recover from this disaster,” Scarnati stated. “Last year communities within our region also experienced terrible flooding. While we cannot stop these occurrences, we will continue to work together to re-build and return our community to normal as quickly as possible.” Scarnati explained that damage assessments by PEMA already began last w...

For updates on the flooding in Ridgway, you can go to our Facebook page, Facebook.com/1490WESB. With schools and roads already closed throughout the region, and more rain on the way, a flash flood warning remains in effect until 1 o’clock for Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties and until 1:30 for McKean, Elk, Warren and Cameron counties. Flash flood watches go until 5 in Pennsylvania and 8 p.m. in New York. In Ridgway, students from St. Leo’s Catholic School were evacuated and taken to the Ridgway Fire Department. Parents are being advised to leave their children there because flooding has made traveling unsafe. The Sheetz parking lot is also under water. Clarion River Bridge in Ridgway is closed because of flooding and the Indian Run Bridge on Bendigo Road is washed out. Route 219 between Ridgway and Johnsonburg is covered with high water and debris, and other main roads in the county are flooded as well. Emergency crews are also doing water rescues in Elk County. In Warren ...

Someone stole at least 40 bronze vases from Parklawn Memorial Gardens Cemetery just outside of Ridgway. The value of the vases is about $9,800. Anyone with information about the theft is asked to contact Ridgway-based state police or Elk County Crime Stoppers. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today announced it will hold a public meeting and formal hearing concerning the Ridgway Borough landfill site in Ridgway Township, Elk County, on April 29 at 6 p.m. at the Ridgway Borough building, 108 Main Street, Ridgway. The landfill site consists of about 15 acres that once operated as a mixed waste landfill between the early 1960s and June of 1975. During a department investigation, lead-containing industrial waste and 55-gallon drums containing trichloroethylene (TCE) were encountered in several trenches throughout the landfill. “This is an opportunity for the department to share important information with the public concerning the hazards at this landfill as well as DEP’s planned response,” Staci Gustafson, Acting Northwest Regional Director for DEP said. “We will be answering questions in addition to a formal hearing.” DEP, under the authority of the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act, 35 (HSCA), has determined that a ...

A Wilcox woman was hurt when her car hit a tree in a crash this morning on Route 219 just north of Ridgway. Police say 77-year-old M.C. Wismar was traveling north and going around a curve when her car hit a guardrail, causing the car to cross the road. It crossed the road again before leaving the road and hitting a tree. Wismar was taken by ambulance to Kane Community Hospital for treatment of moderate injuries. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947