Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

 I'll be asking CJ Box about this when I interview him next month about the next Joe Pickett novel, Dark Sky. (Big Sky was included in the suggested questions from the publisher. Some day I'll post about "suggested questions from the publisher," which directly affects how a gal from a small radio station in rural PA can get interviews with CJ Box and other best sellers. And probably not in the way you think.)

The butter sculpture for the 2015 Pennsylvania has been unveiled. The sculpture, called “Fill a Glass with Hope,” shows a food bank worker pouring milk into a glass held by a little boy next to his mother. A dairy farmer and cow stand close by, next to a case filled with gallons of milk. This year, the Farm Show will be collecting milk – and money – to provide milk to food banks. Milk is the most needed, but least donated item at food banks. This year's sculpture took sculptors Jim Victor and Marie Pelton of Conshohocken 10 days to complete. After the farm show, the 1,000 pounds of butter will be taken to a local farm, where it will be converted into energy. The Farm Show starts Saturday in Harrisburg, and runs through January 17. Photos via Twitter The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Mo’Ne Davis needed only 70 pitches to shut out Tennessee in the opening round of the Little League World Series – and get herself into the record books in the process. The 13-year-old became the first girl to pitch a winning game in series. She allowed two hits, struck out eight and didn’t walk anyone in the six-inning complete game victory. Her phenomenal play is getting some attention from big leaguers – including the Pirates’ Andrew McCutcheon who tweeted to her that he was pulling for her and her teammates on the Taney Dragons from the Philadelphia area. The Dragons play again Sunday evening. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Starting tomorrow, drivers on Route 219 (Center Street) in Johnsonburg will be reminded to slow down and watch for pedestrians. PennDOT will place variable message signs along Route 219 urging motorists to adhere to the posted 35 mph speed limit and watch for people crossing the road in the area of Route 4007 (Main Street). Southbound and northbound traffic on Route 219 will see the lit boards for the next several weeks. The signs will alternate messages including “Pedestrian Crossing Ahead” and “Reduce Speed.” The signs will remain in place until warmer weather allows Ridgway Township to install signs and a painted crosswalk at the intersection. A Pedestrian Channelizing Device will also be placed at the intersection as a visual reminder of the state’s pedestrian crossing law. Pennsylvania’s law requires that drivers yield the right of way to a pedestrian crossing a roadway within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection where there are no traffic...

The more than 1.3 billion Chinese living in China, where social networks such as Twitter and Facebook are blocked, still have access to a social network that can quickly and easily answer their questions about the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. Pitt-Bradford has launched its own page on Weibo, a Chinese language microblogging site that is allowed in China. The page is administered by Dr. Y. Ken Wang, assistant professor of computer information systems and technology and a Chinese native. Wang translates information from the Pitt-Bradford website to post on the page, which currently has 80 followers, and answers questions from prospective students. Wang began the page late in 2011 and said that it has steadily added followers without promotion. Most, he said, have questions about the university. Many are students who have been admitted through the University of Pittsburgh’s Options program, which gives students the optio...

Where will Santa be headed when he leaves WESB Friday after doing his Santa's Mailbag show? NORAD is once again tracking him for us. http://www.noradsanta.org/en/ You can also track Santa on Facebook, Twitter and on your cell phone by going to that website. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is giving people a new way to access its opinions and rulings online – Twitter. The state's highest court will issue "tweets" to people who sign up to follow the court's activities, and they will alert followers to any orders, new rules and opinions posted by the court and its justices. Supreme Court Justice J. Michael Eakin says the court's use of Twitter "is a logical extension of an ongoing commitment to enhance the delivery of court information and services in an efficient and cost-effective manner." The Court’s Twitter page can be accessed at http://twitter.com/SupremeCtofPA . “Follow Us On Twitter” links also will appear on the state court system’s Web site to take interested parties directly to the page.

Starting Monday, Aug. 8, Potter County drivers will encounter work zones on various routes, as bridge repair work takes place. Locations include: · Route 144 (Bridge Street) over Pine Creek in Galeton. Road will be closed to replace bridge deck. A detour using Route 1020 (Germania Street/ Union Street), Route 2002 (West Street) and Route 6 will be in place. This closure is expected to last about three weeks. · Route 6 over Trout Brook in the village of Knowlton, Roulette Township. Temporary signals will enforce an alternating traffic pattern for about six weeks. · Route 1003 over Cushing Run in the village of Loucks Mills, Pike Township. Temporary signals will enforce an alternating traffic pattern for about six weeks. · Route 1005 over Phoenix Run in the village of Sunderlinville, Hector Township. Temporary signals will enforce an alternating traffic pattern for about six weeks. · Route 44 over Kettle Creek in the village of Carter Camp; Abbott Township. Drivers should be alert for an...

The WESB News Room is now on Twitter. www.twitter.com/wesbnews or text: FOLLOW WESBNEWS to 40404 to receive breaking news and weather right on your mobile phone. Standard text message rates apply.

Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-Jefferson) announced today that his Twitter and Facebook accounts are up and running. This is another medium of communication Scarnati felt would better inform not only the citizens of the 25th District, but the rest of the Commonwealth as well. “Clearly it is important for voters to have information readily available to them and gain a better understanding of what is taking place in Harrisburg, as well as around the district,” Scarnati stated. “This is just another means to better notify the public of current actions.” According to Scarnati, his Twitter account will allow him to better communicate with voters in real time, while his Facebook page gives constituents the ability to view current photos, videos and audio files. Scarnati mentioned that to contact him via the aforementioned means, please visit him at www.twitter.com/senatorscarnati and www.facebook.com/senatorscarnati .

Washington, D.C.—U.S. Representative Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson, R-Howard, today announced his official website has been revamped and improved for better access and readability. “It is my hope that the new site will be easier to navigate and more user friendly, as well as being more attractive than the old site,” said Thompson. Please go to www.thompson.house.gov to explore the site. The address for the site is the same as the old address, only the content and layout have changed. “We have listened to comments on the old website and hope that the new one corrects problems and oversights,” said Thompson. “In this age of instant information, it is crucial to bring you the most up-to-date site that we can. This new site contains an issues page and real-time multi-media access to things like Facebook and Twitter.” The previous site was a standard house–issued website. Many Members pay outside organizations for redesign. But the Thompson office took advantage of the design team working in House A...

Harrisburg – Pennsylvanians now have increased access to transportation news, tips and highlights through PennDOT’s new online Twitter feed — PennDOTNews. “The way that people look for their news and communicate with each other is always evolving, and we want to make sure that our customers have many ways to access important transportation information,” said PennDOT Secretary Allen D. Biehler, P.E. “Using Twitter allows us to quickly and easily share information with a large audience.” Visit www.twitter.com/PennDOTNews to see PennDOT’s “tweets.” People with Twitter accounts can also opt to automatically follow the updates.

Terrell Owens won't be a Buffalo Bill in 2010. The Bills announced today that Owens, Ryan Denney and Josh Reed will not be offered new contracts. They'll be unrestricted free agents effective Friday. On his Twitter account, Owens thanked the Bills organization, owner Ralph Wilson and the Bills fans for their support last season. The Bills are the only NFL organization Denney and Reed have played for. Both were second-round draft choices of the club in 2002. For more on this story, go to Buffalo Bills.com .

HARRISBURG -- Although the Peregrine falcons that have nested atop Harrisburg’s Rachel Carson State Office Building for most of the past decade aren’t known for “tweeting,” fans of the pair will be able to follow their story this year on Twitter. Use of the popular social networking site is in addition to the annual online video stream that went live today on the Department of Environmental Protection’s Web site. Many fans questioned whether the pair would mate this year after the male was tardy in his return, but the allure of being with his partner this Valentine’s Day proved too great, according to DEP’s environmental education director Jack Farster. “We were concerned that this year’s nesting season might be in jeopardy when we had not seen the male Peregrine falcon at the nest in several weeks,” said Farster. “Just in time for Valentine’s Day, though, he returned to the nest on Feb. 4, so we’re optimistic the pair will soon produce yet another round of offspring.” Fans can follow ...

Former state Senator Vincent Fumo is appealing his federal conviction on 137 corruption counts. The 65-year-old Philadelphia Democrat cites insufficient evidence and a juror's online posts on Twitter and Facebook, among other issues. Prosecutors plan to seek more than 10 years in prison for Fumo at his scheduled July 13 sentencing. A jury convicted Fumo of defrauding the state Senate, a charity and a museum of more than $3.5 million. He's free on bail.

DETROIT, Michigan (CNN) -- It's 7 a.m. at Henry Ford Hospital, and surgeons are preparing to remove a cancerous tumor from a man's kidney. It's potentially a risky surgery, but everything's ready: The doctors and nurses are in the operating room, the surgical instruments are sterilized and ready to go, and the chief resident is furiously Twittering on his laptop. That's right -- last week, for the second known time, surgeons Twittered a surgery by using social-networking site Twitter to give short real-time updates about the procedure. For the full story, go to CNN.com . Man, I can barely find time for Twitter. How do they do it?