Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Check out this video:

02/21/08 - Big Band Leader Bob Lucia Dies in Vegas Big Band leader Bob Lucia died Monday in Las Vegas of an apparent heart attack. He was 71 years old. He was the longtime band director at Franklinville Central School, but was also well known as the king of big band swing music in the Twin Tiers. He and his band were among the most popular performers at Bradford's annual Festa Italiana and had also performed at First Night Bradford. John Kytic of Bradford is a member of Lucia's "7 Swing Street" band. Bob Lucia & 7 Swing Street 02/21/08 - Buchheit Receives Chancellor's Award University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Mark Nordenberg has selected Peter J. Buchheit, Pitt-Bradford’s director of facilities management, as a recipient of the 2008 Chancellor’s Award for Staff Excellence in Service to the Community. Buchheit is one of four staff members university-wide to receive the award, which was created to recognize staff members whose work in the community surpasses the...

I know you've been waiting for it, so here it is:

This is the news conference talking about, and video of, the Navy shooting down the rogue satellite.

02/20/08 - United Way Reaches Campaign Goal The United Way of the Bradford Area has reached its 375 thousand dollar campaign goal. Executive Director Kristen Luther and Assistant Director Mandi Wilton Davis say this is an outstanding compliment for the community, and they are proud to be part of the team that made reaching the goal possible. Luther is quick to point out that anyone who is still wishing to contribute to the 2007-2008 campaign may still do so, as all monies collected prior to March 31 will be included.United Way’s staff and volunteers will now focus their attention on the 2008 campaign, scheduled to start August 15th, as well as upcoming special events and initiatives. 4-year-old Austen Davis, son of Mark and Mandi Davis, helps his mom fill in the thermometer that's being displayed in the window of the United Way Office. ( Photo Courtesy of The United Way ) 02/20/08 - Staff Members Hurt During Abraxas 'Riot' Several staff members were injured during a riot in...

Mike Cejka was right. The sky stayed clear enough last night that we could see the lunar eclipse. Unfortunately, I left my camera at work and was too cold to come back and get it, so I didn't get a picture. But Spider from Bradford Online did get a picture. You can see it HERE . Thanks Spider!

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford is celebrating the two-year anniversary of its successful "Beyond" marketing campaign. During a party Wednesday afternoon, University President Dr. Livingston Alexander recognized Pete Buchheit and the Facilities Management Department for their commitment to the university. The department includes Bob Harris, who is also part of the WESB family with his Around the Home show Saturday mornings during the spring and summer. Alexander also recognized Jeff Guterman and the Broadcast Communications Department for their dedication. The department has brought us interns Jeremy and Jason this year and, last year, intern Rachel, who is one of the students who entered a competition to produce the best commercial for the university. Here are the winning commercials: (This is the one I voted for, by the way.) To see the other entries, go HERE

Treasure Hunter: Gold in Elk County A man says he knows where millions of dollars in gold have been buried in Elk County since the Civil War – but the state won't let him dig for it. Dennis Parada, who runs a treasure hunting business in Clearfield, says the gold is in the Village of Dents Run near the Cameron County border. Parada says the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources told him he'd be arrested if he digs at the site because he isn't following proper procedure. Parada says the state is just stalling so they can dig up the gold and claim it. The legend of the gold says Abraham Lincoln order a shipment to help pay Union soldiers. The gold, and the soldiers transporting it, made it to Ridgway and St. Marys, but the soldiers were never seen again -- until their dead bodies and their wagon showed up near the village of Dents Run. The gold shipment was originally worth around $2 million, but Parada estimates its value at around $30 million today. Pitt-Bradfor...

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of giving Cub Scout Pack 416 a tour of the radio station. This is the newsroom (you can see my hair and shoulder sticking out from behind the computer), which kind of interested them. They were more interested in the fact that, the way our building is set up, you can literally run in circles from one hallway to the other. The were also very interested to see Scott's picture ... and Scott's desk ... and the microphone Scott uses ... and ... Well, you get the idea.

This is the latest Internet sensation. Don't miss it!

As we've been telling you this week, 5-year-old Hunter Winship is battling a rare form of cancer. Because he loves airplanes, his family and friends are trying to lift his spirits by getting him into the Guiness Book of World Records for the most paper airplanes received. WIVB-TV ran a story about Hunter Friday morning. You can see it HERE . Hunter is the cousin of our own Scott Douglas. Scott Douglas took this photo of the Allegany River in Salamanca Wednesday afternoon. A flood warning is now in effect until Friday afternoon for Olean. Minor flooding is already happening and more is forecast. Flood stage of the Allegany River is 10 feet, and the river is expected to crest near 13 feet tomorrow morning. The major impact is expected to be East Riverside Drive. The flood warning in Salamanca is in effect until late Thursday night. Minor flooding is occurring, and more is forecast there as well. Flood stage is 12 feet and the river is expected to crest at 12.7 feet tomorrow. Floodi...

January just flew right by, but I like busy news days, so busy news months are even better. The weather has been big news around here. We've had wind storms, ice storms, flooding and temperatures in the 60s. That's why we're lucky to have Mike Cejka heading up our weather team. The other big news around here was a water main break that left us under a conserve and boil water advisory for a week. It amazes me that, under those conditions, people would be washing their cars. Of course they have a right to do that, but what about being a responsible and caring member of the community? It wasn't all news that kept me busy in January. I also worked on Bradford Little Theatre's production of Disney's High School Musical. We had 40 kids from 9 schools throughout the Twin Tiers in the show -- and they were awesome!

Bradford rang in the new year with fireworks shooting out of an oil derrick in Veterans Square. The fireworks -- and the countdown to 2008 with Scott Douglas -- capped off the 10th First Night Bradford celebration. Spider from Bradford Online put this First Night video together: Jackson Edward Flowers became the New Year’s baby for 2008 at Bradford Regional Medical Center when he was born at 8:22 a.m. Wednesday, weighing 6 pounds, 7 ounces. Jackson is the son of Leslie and Jason Flowers of Bradford. His maternal grandparents are John and Theresa Carson of Bradford. His paternal grandparents are Mike and Marsha Flowers, also of Bradford. Congressman John Peterson has decided not to seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives. Peterson says he made the decision after a great deal of consideration and discussion with his family over the Christmas holiday. He says it was not an easy decision, but there is some comfort in knowing that his work in Washington on such issues as...

Nativity scenes, Pentacles, Mennorahs. They're all fine with me because they are all the "reason for the season," depending on which religion you practice. I have no problem whatsoever with a pentacle being placed next to a Nativity scene on the municipal building lawn in Olean. Further, I have no problem with any religious symbol being placed on government property. People who bring up the Constitution as a reason for not placing religious symbols on government property need to read the First Amendment agan. Here it is: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Actually, since it says Congress shall make no law prohibiting the free exercise of religion, we should be able to put religious symbols anywhere we want -- including on the municipal bu...

Your Elf Name Is... Sassy Fluffernutter What's Your Elf Name?

We live in the Twin Tiers. It snows. We drive in it every year. So why do people forget how to drive when it snows? It's really not that difficult. It just takes common sense. Now that I've gotten that out of my system, I have a few other weather-related issues I'd like to write about. I've always been interested in weather and, if I wasn't math-illiterate, I might have decided to be a "weather girl." Anyway, thanks to Mike Cejka, I'm learning even more about weather. On Tuesday, both Mike and McKean County's Emergency Management Director Steve Nelson told me why it's so hard to predict weather in this area, especially McKean County. We're right on the edge of the Doppler Radar for State College, Buffal and Cleveland. In a nutshell, that means the information for this area isn't as accurate as it is for areas that are closer to the radar centers. Steve Nelson told me that's why we don't get warnings for severe thunderstorms unti...

... and handwarming. Read all about it HERE One Cold Hand

I'm torn on this issue. No, I don't want to pay higher taxes -- even if it's only $2 a month. But I do understand sometimes taxes do have to be raised. In this case, the director of accounts and finances explained that, among other things, higher insurance costs necessitated the minimal increase. As the mayor said, she's putting more than that into her gas tank right now. On the other hand, the mayor-elect says he believes "fat" could have been trimmed from the budget and ordinances could be enforced more fairly to generate more revenue. One example he gave was the refuse ordinance. He says while a homeowner pays $18 a month, an apartment building with about 100 units pays only $60-$70 a month. I must agree, that's hardly fair. What's really disturbing about the entire issue, though, is the number of people who are complaining about the tax increase. Where were they during the public budget hearings? Were they at city hall to offer input? And where wer...

From the state police: An East Smethport teenager walked by the property of 75-year-old Neomi Magee on Route 6 Sunday night and slashed a blow-up Santa air globe with a pocket knife. The air globe is valued at $80. 19-year-old Jeremiah Smith would have been charged with criminal mischief, but Magee declined to press charges.

... having a job I love, working with people who make my job even more fun, and being appreciated at work enough to be Employee of the Month 6 times in 2 years; the Bonnies' winning record, even though it's only been 5 games; Mike Cejka, especially when he calls from home to update me on changing weather conditions; Joe Scarnati, for telling me I'm his favorite reporter, even if it's not true; my friends and family; and Spidey-Turkeys.