Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Beacon Light has announced a reorganizational plan that includes laying off 25 employees. About 50 positions are being cut, but some of them have been removed by not filling vacancies. CEO Rick Seager says the downturn in the stock market has affected the endowment fund, while rates from payers have not gone up and health insurance costs have. Seager says Beacon Light is developing more community-based services to supplement the decrease in residential care.

QUESTION: How would a person go virtually unnoticed while attempting to rob a bank? ANSWER: Wear a Steelers' jacket during the Pittsburgh Steelers' Super Bowl victory parade. Police say a man wearing a Steelers jacket, and claiming to have a gun, walked into a Huntingdon Bank branch during the parade and demanded money. A teller gave him a bag of cash containing a red dye pack, which exploded after he left the bank. Police say he tossed the stained money aside and it was all recovered. Police say they've got a good image of the man from surveillance video and his black and gold jacket is now stained red.

Washington, D.C. – Today U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), along with Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), introduced an amendment to the stimulus package to increase funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by $6.5 billion. The Specter-Durbin Amendment provides an additional $6.5 billion for the NIH - bringing the total to $10 billion over two years - and is completely offset by funds from the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund. The additional dollars would be distributed to each of the Institutes and Centers in amounts proportional to their funding level in Fiscal Year 2008. Economists estimate that the $10 billion provided to NIH could result in the creation of over 70,000 jobs in the health industry over the next two years. “Including funding for the NIH in the bill will provide needed economic stimulus, enable long-term economic growth and save lives,” Specter said. “The National Institutes of Health have been starved recently. This increase in funding will enable the Nation...

New York State lawmakers have reached an agreement to close a $1.6 billion budget deficit for the 2008-2009 fiscal year, according to the governor's web site. Neither Governor David Paterson nor legislative leaders would give specifics of the deal, but it's believed to include not spending any more money on earmarks during this fiscal year, and cutting money for some agencies and authorities. Paterson says although this deal is a start, they still have a long way to go before closing the projected $13 billion deficit for next year. Photo courtesy of Paterson's office

Governor Ed Rendell is proposing legalizing video poker machines. Under the proposal, any establishment with a liquor license would be permitted as many as five video poker machines. Rendell wants to use the revenue to help offset tuition costs for thousands of Pennsylvania college students whose family income is less than $100,000. The money would go toward tuition, books, fees and room and board at any of the state's 14 universities and 14 community colleges this fall.

An Elrama P-A man is accused of setting his home on fire with his daughter inside. Police say 36-year-old Matthew John Swiantek confessed to starting the fire last month because he had financial problems. Police say he told them he hoped public sympathy would lead to donations of cash and housing. His 10-year-old daughter has a disability requiring round-the-clock care, but she was not hurt in the fire that destroyed the trailer. Police say this is the third fire to occur at a home where Swiantek was living.

Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R-9) and Senate Democratic Leader Robert Mellow (D-22) today applauded the Senate's unanimous adoption of a rule to prohibit Senate funds from being used for robo-calls. "Our constituents expect us to use taxpayer money wisely, and there is no reason for those funds to be spent on robo-calls," said Sen. Pileggi. "This is a common-sense change to the Senate Rules." "Robocalls are bothersome, irritating, ineffective and replace real talk on real issues between real people," Sen. Mellow said. "I am pleased to support this resolution that blocks the use of public dollars to fund these automated phone calls." Senate Resolution 6, adopted unanimously, goes into effect immediately. Senator Pileggi and Senator Mellow introduced a similar resolution last session. SR 153 was adopted on July 9, 2007.

WASHINGTON, DC- To increase oversight and accountability in the economic recovery package, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) introduced two amendments to augment the oversight provisions proposed by the Obama Administration. The amendments would allow for a comprehensive assessment of the enacted package by creating a joint oversight committee and would also direct the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review implementation and report to Congress. “Families have been hit with a kind of economic trauma we have not seen in more than a generation; the same is true of businesses,” said Senator Casey. “We also know that just as that has been happening, there has also been a real crisis of confidence, some of this emanating from the way the Troubled Asset Relief Program, the so-called TARP, was implemented by the Treasury Department in the prior administration. This effort with the two amendments is a way to very specifically begin to rebuild the confidence the American people must ha...

One Book Bradford and the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford Spectrum Series will present David Laskin, author of “The Children’s Blizzard,” at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 9, in the Bromeley Family Theater in Blaisdell Hall. One Book Bradford, the community-wide reading initiative that debuted last year, chose as its second selection Laskin’s “The Children’s Blizzard,” a nonfiction book about the Great Plains Blizzard of 1888, which took the lives of many children because of its suddenness and ferocity. Laskin will give a talk titled “From Weather to Words: Behind the Scenes of ‘The Children’s Blizzard.’” “‘The Children’s Blizzard’ was a great choice for One Book Bradford because winter is such a presence in this part of the country,” said Dr. Nancy McCabe, associate professor of writing at Pitt-Bradford. “While we rarely have to face the same hardships as the pioneers in this book, our long winters give us a window into the struggles of those who came before us. Laskin writes affectingly...

By Joe Kosack Wildlife Conservation Education Specialist Pennsylvania Game Commission HARRISBURG – Several hundred little brown bats are dead from White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) in Lackawanna County, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission is looking to residents for help uncovering other sites where this deadly disorder may have surfaced. Game Commission biologists had been uncovering signs of what appeared to be an impending WNS outbreak in Pennsylvania since last spring. Over the past two years, the disorder has killed more than 90 percent of some wintering bat colonies where it first surfaced in New York and spread through New England. Its confirmation in Pennsylvania and New Jersey came in the past two weeks, but Pennsylvania had a surprisingly unique distinction among the states where WNS has been documented; Pennsylvania bats were not leaving their wintering quarters – caves and mines – and weren’t dying. Unfortunately, that no longer can be said. Last week, bats were found dead outside...

An Australian man was arrested after he was caught trying to bring two pigeons into the country hidden in his trousers. For the full story, including a photo, go to Telegraph.co.uk .

"Groundhog Day is synonymous with Punxsutawney, and having the opportunity to partake in the festivities this morning was an honor and great experience,” said Congressman GT Thompson on Monday. “This ‘hog day, as the locals call it, had somewhat of a special ring to it. Bill Cooper, the long time President of the Punxsutawney Ground Hog Club’s Inner Circle, presided over his final ceremony. Bill has led the Inner Circle with distinction and I wish him well as he becomes the Club’s President Emeritus." ( Photo Courtesy of the Office of Congressman Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson )

Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, the remaining defendant in the bombing death of pizza deliveryman Brian Wells, has been found mentally competent to stand trial by federal prison personnel in Texas, and is expected to return to Erie County soon. Diehl-Armstrong is accused of being part of the plot that ended with Wells' death in August of 2003. He was killed after he robbed a bank in Summit Towne Centre and a homemade bomb locked to his neck exploded. Since her indictment in July of 2007, Diehl-Armstrong has said she was framed. She has also said her one-time co-defendant in the case, Kenneth Barnes, is a liar. Barnes pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison on Dec. 3.

The Salamanca man accused of killing his 3-year-old daughter last March has pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Guy Maybee entered the plea today in Cattaraugus County Court. Ianna Maybee's injuries after her father beat her included a broken clavicle and ribs, a damaged spinal cord, severe bleeding in the right side of her brain, multiple bruises and internal bleeding. Maybee will be sentenced on April 6.

Governor Ed Rendell is congratulating the Steelers on their Super Bowl XLIII victory and reminding residents of the state they can cash in on a bet he won with Arizona Governor Jan Brewer. Rendell and Brewer agreed the losing team would provide a three-day vacation to a resident of the winning team's state. Rendell says an online essay contest will begin Tuesday. Fans are being asked to say why they love the Steelers and the contestant with the winning essay will travel to Phoenix. Under the wager, the winner will get meals and accommodations during the three-day trip. Travel expenses are not included. Official rules and conditions can be found at www.visitpa.com .

Comcast has apologized to Tucson-area customers because of a 30-second porn interruption during the Super Bowl. The Philadelphia-based cable company issued a brief statement today saying the company is "mortified" by the interruption and is conducting a thorough investigation. Comcast spokeswoman Jennifer Khoury says the initial investigation suggests that the interruption was an "isolated malicious act." The company says only customers in the Tucson area receiving the standard definition feed were affected. Tucson media outlets reported that they received calls from irate viewers about the porn, which aired just after the Arizona Cardinals' Larry Fitzgerald scored on a long touchdown reception during the final minutes of the game.

Harrisburg – Senate Republicans today renewed their call to improve health care access and expand Pennsylvania's health care safety net through the HealthNET PA legislative package. HealthNET PA expands access to health care and medicine to uninsured and low-income working Pennsylvanians more quickly, and at a fraction of the cost of other state and national proposals. "We're in difficult economic times, with predictions that they will get worse. Pennsylvania workers and families need a health care safety net. HealthNET is that safety net," said Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee Chairman Ted Erickson (R-26). "The number of Pennsylvanians who do not have health insurance has increased since 2004. This increases the urgency and places an additional burden to provide for the medical needs of people, especially when they find themselves in a position that they didn't create. Our HealthNET PA plan will provide health care directly to the people who are i...

From the US Forest Service: The Allegheny National Forest has been the site of two fatal snowmobile accidents already this winter season. In an effort to combat this, United States Forest Service Law Enforcement reports conducting a DUI checkpoint for snowmobiles on Saturday evening, January 31st, 2009, at the intersection of Lamonaville Road (Forest Road 130) and Loleta Road (Forest Road 131), Forest County, Jenks Township. The inter-agency checkpoint consisted of officers from the Forest Service as well as the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Forest County Sheriff’s Department. During the four hour evening period, officers report contacting 49 snowmobiles and making 17 secondary stops for suspicion of alcohol use. Five snowmobile operators were charged with operating a snowmobile while under the influence of alcohol, two were charged for not having valid insurance, and two were charged for attempting to elude law enforcement. One individual was also booked into Clarion Coun...

By Tom Missel Director of Media Relations/Marketing You’d never know it from the outside, but the non-descript trailer is a “learning laboratory” on the inside, giving St. Bonaventure University’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication a “magnet” to attract students “that no other school in the country has.” Game Creek Video has given the university a television production trailer, originally valued at $5 million when it was designed by Unitel Video in 1988. Game Creek engineer Tom Kline and Buffalo video engineer Paul Halsey visited campus Friday morning to show faculty and students how to operate the equipment on the 48-foot trailer. Journalism lecturer Paul Wieland invited CBS producer Mark Wolff, father of Alex Wolff, one of Wieland’s students, to serve as a guest speaker in one of his courses. Wieland mentioned that he needed equipment to teach a production course. “Two weeks later, I get a message from Mark that he not only found some equipment for us, he also found a truck....

The City of Olean Firefighters Local 1796 are selling chances to win a four-pack of Buffalo Sabres 200 Club Level Game tickets and an arena parking pass. The tickets are for the Sabres Game on March 12 with the Buffalo Sabres taking on the Florida Panthers at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo at 7 PM Tickets are $10.00 and can be purchased at Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce, the Olean Area Federal Credit Union on Wayne Street or from a City of Olean firefighter. The City Firefighters will also be selling the raffle tickets at the credit union on Thursday, February 19 and Friday, February 27, from 12 - 5 PM. The drawing will be held Friday, February 27. Proceeds from the Sabres raffle will benefit the 2009 Fourth of July Fireworks Program. Tickets and parking pass were generously donated by the Southern Tier Anesthesiologists. For more information on the raffle or the Fourth of July Fireworks, please contact the Olean Fire Department at 376-5687 or by email fireworks@oleanfirework...