Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Three people escaped injury in a three-vehicle crash on the Route 219 Bradford Bypass Wednesday afternoon. Police say a car driven by 22-year-old Tyler Mix of Smethport hit the median in the northbound lanes just off the North Kendall Bridge and ended up facing the wrong way on the expressway. A Jeep driven by 27-year-old Staci McCord of Bradford then stopped on the expressway and was hit by a pickup truck driven by 43-year-old Paul Kelly of Lewis Run, pushing it into the Mix car. All three vehicles had disabling damage. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

HARRISBURG – The state House on Monday unanimously passed legislation authored by state Rep. Matt Gabler (R-Clearfield/Elk) that would recognize the contributions of Clearfield and Elk County veterans to our communities and our country. House Bill 1135 now moves to Gov. Tom Corbett’s desk for his signature into law. “Officials from Huston Township and Johnsonburg Borough approached me about designating roadways in honor of our veterans, and it was a pleasure working with all of them to get this accomplished,” Gabler said. “Both communities are very proud of their veterans, and this is just another way to show that pride. It has been a pleasure working with the Huston Township supervisors, Johnsonburg Borough Council and Johnsonburg Mayor Theresa Cherry to enact this fitting tribute to our local veterans.” House Bill 1135 would designate the Route 153 bridge over the Bennett Branch in Penfield as the Huston Township Veterans Memorial Bridge. Additionally, it would re-name the ...

No one was hurt in an accident late Saturday afternoon on Route 219 in Lafayette Township. Police say a car driven by 54-year-old Cynthia Abrams of Manassas, Virginia, was traveling south when it went into the heightened west berm and hit a metal PennDOT sign. Police say Abrams was fatigued at the time of the crash. She was cited for not staying in her lane. She was able to drive the car away from the accident. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The state game commission had planned to buy a nearly 13,000 acre tract of land in Elk County and add it to State Game Lands 25, but that won’t be happening after all. The purchase was approved in January, but The Conservation Fund and the current landowner couldn’t come to terms on the final deal. The game commission wants hunters to realize that the tract remains privately owned, so they can't hunt there. The property is in Jones Township and is bisected by Route 219. The game commission had planned on generating the $12.2 million for the purchase through timber harvest revenue. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A man speeding through a work zone without a valid driver’s license is in Cattaraugus County Jail for those and other offenses. 34-year-old Christian Bennett of Fayetteville, NC, was stopped on Route 219 in the Town of Ashford at 1 a.m. on Wednesday, and admitted that his license was revoked in North Carolina and suspended in New York. Deputies say when they took him into custody he became belligerent and uncooperative, and refused to give them any basic information about his identity. In addition to the traffic violations, Bennett is charged with obstruction of governmental administration. 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...

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) will host a public information meeting on Tuesday, September 30, 2014, to discuss the proposed replacement of the former Route 219 (South Cascade Drive-Miller Road) Bridge over Cattaraugus Creek in the town of Concord, Erie County, and the town of Ashford, Cattaraugus County. The meeting will be held between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the Concord Town Hall, located at 86 Franklin Street in the village of Springville. The meeting will include informational displays for the proposed project, and Department representatives will be present to receive comments and answer individual questions. The existing South Cascade-Miller Road Bridge over Cattaraugus Creek was built in 1956, and currently is posted for a maximum weight of 15 tons. The project proposes to remove the existing bridge structure and construct a new bridge on the same vertical and horizontal alignments. The proposed bridge replacement would provide a non-posted struct...

Harrisburg – PennDOT announced today that streaming video from its more than 700 traffic cameras is now available on 511PA. PennDOT recently upgraded its 511PA website and mobile application to allow for the continuously streaming footage. Previously, the site and mobile application were limited to providing real-time conditions using still images that were refreshed every five seconds. “Our 511 system puts travel information at drivers’ fingertips and helps them make travel decisions before and during their trip,” PennDOT Secretary Barry J. Schoch said. “The new streaming video shows real-time traffic flow to help give motorists an even better idea of what to expect on our roadways.” The streaming video is the latest improvement to the 511PA service. In May, PennDOT announced a 511PA smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices that provides hands-free and eyes-free travel alerts for the nearly 40,000 miles of road that PennDOT maintains as well as the Pennsylvan...

Work to repair a bridge on Route 219 about a mile north of Wilcox will get under way Tuesday. The bridge spans Rocky Run in Jones Township. In the work area, lanes will be shifted, making use of the northbound lane and northbound shoulder in order to allow sufficient room for the repair crew. A concrete barrier will be in place and two 12-foot lanes will keep two-way traffic moving through the work zone. The speed limit in the area will be temporarily reduced from 55 miles per hour to 45 miles per hour. The repairs to the bridge are necessary due to damage caused by a truck crash in December of 2013. The hauler is responsible for the cost of repairs. The work should be finished by early September. A detour will start July 7 as crews work to replace the Johnsonburg Water Dam Bridge. While the bridge is closed the detour will use Silver Creek Road, Route 219 and Montmorenci Road. Work is expected to be finished July 12. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

You knew it was coming; you just didn’t know exactly when. The New York Department of Transportation announced today that the closing of Interstate 86 between exits 21 and 23 will start May 12. Both eastbound and westbound traffic will be directed to follow a detour using Route 417. Temporary traffic signals have been installed at the intersection of Route 417 and Business Route 219 at Exit 23, and also at the intersection of Route 417 (Wildwood Avenue) and Route 219 (Central Avenue) in the City of Salamanca. Motorists should expect delays. The $2.1 million projects started in March and includes rehabilitation of the road surface, minor bridge rehabilitation and the rebuilding of the eastbound on and off ramps at Exit 20 near the Seneca Allegany Casino. Construction is expected to be finished in October. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

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

The City of Bradford Police Department will be taking part in the Pennsylvania Aggressive Driving Enforcement and Education Project. The first wave of enforcement began Monday and runs through May 4. City police will target Route 219 and other roads in the city. In last year's campaign municipal police agencies wrote more than 116,000 aggressive-driving citations, including nearly 55,000 for speeding alone. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Three people were hurt in a crash that closed Route 219 between Mountain Laurel and Rocky Top roads south of Ridgway today. Police say at just after 11 a.m. a car driven by 24-year-old Robyn Scharf of Kersey crossed the center line and into the path of a Freightliner that was carrying a load of coal. The truck went out of control, rolled onto its side and spilled the coal. The top portion of the truck’s dump bed hit a car driven by 55-year-old Christine Moore of Ridgway. 62-year-old Richard Bussard of Reynoldsville was driving the truck. He and the women were taken to Elk Regional Health Center for treatment of moderate injuries. The road re-opened at about 1:45 p.m. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

UPDATE: The road re-opened at about 1:45 p.m. Route 219 south of Ridgway had to be closed late this morning because of a crash on Boot Jack Hill that spilled about 20 tons of coal onto the road. Four people were hurt in the crash between a tri-axle and two passenger vehicles that happened at about 11 a.m. The extent of their injuries hasn’t been released yet. We’ll have more information as it becomes available. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Issued By: NYS - DOT Route 219 is closed NB/SB between Snake Run Rd. and East Otto Rd in the Town of Ashford, Cattaraugus County, for up to 4 hours due to an accident at 1:15pm. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

An Ohio man is dead following a crash with a tractor-trailer at 4 o’clock this morning on Route 219 about half a mile from Route 59. Police say 48-year-old David Scott of Jewett, Ohio, was traveling south when his car crossed the center line and hit a tractor-trailer driven by 52-year-old Denver Wellman of New Bremen, Ohio. McKean County Coroner Mike Cahill pronounced Scott dead at the scene. Scott’s passenger, 37-year-old Darnell Coram, also of Jewett, was flown to UPMC Hamot, where he is being treated for moderate injuries. Wellman was not hurt. The road was closed for about 4 ½ hours. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

No one was hurt when a pickup truck and a Peterbilt roll-off truck collided Thursday morning on Route 219 near the Elk/Jefferson County line. Police say the Peterbilt truck driven by 42-year-old Ronald Huey Jr. of Brockway was traveling north at 6:44 a.m. when a pickup truck driven by 35-year-old David Rosensteel of Brockway pulled out from the Brockport Post Office into the path of the other truck. Route 219 from Brockway to Brockport was closed until around 11 a.m. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A crash on Route 219 near the Elk/Jefferson County line downed utility lines and closed the road for several hours this morning. The road was closed in both directions from Brockway to Brockport after the crash that happened at around 6:40 a.m., according to PennDOT. It re-opened at around 11 a.m. Police haven’t released any details on the crash yet. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Five people were seriously hurt in a two-car head-on collision this morning on Route 219 near Browntown Road. Bradford Township Police Chief Rob Shipman says a vehicle driven by Carol Mix of Kane was traveling south when, for unknown reasons, it crossed the center line and hit a northbound vehicle driven by Ralph Tressler of Jefferson, Ohio. Mix was first taken to Kane Community Hospital but will be taken to UPMC Hamot in Erie. Tressler and his passengers, Diane Tressler, Roland Ferguson and Louise Ferguson were first taken to local hospital but the Fergusons and Diane Tressler will be taken to ECMC in Buffalo. The Fergusons are also from Jefferson. Shipman said that although everyone suffered serious injuries none of them appear to be life-threatening. Shipman is still investigating and will release more information later today. The accident happened at just before 11 a.m. Route 219 from Irvine Street in Lewis Run to Route 770 in Custer City was closed until about 1 o'clock th...

1 PM UPDATE: PennDOT says Route 219 has re-opened. PennDOT advises drivers that a section of Route 219 is closed in McKean County this afternoon due to a crash. Route 219 is closed between the intersection with Irvine Street in Lewis Run to the intersection with Route 770 (Warren Road) in Bradford Township. A local detour is in place. PennDOT expects the roadway to open by 4:30 p.m. The two-vehicle head-on crash near Browntown Road happened at around 11 a.m. We'll have more details as they become available. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947