Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

The fire that damaged a Congress Street house Monday night has been ruled arson. In a fax sent to WESB and The HERO, State Police Fire Marshal Greg Agosti says damage to the building at 277 Congress Street is estimated at $50,000. Anyone with pertinent information is asked to contact the Bradford City Police Department at 368-6133 or the PA State Police Fire Marshal in Ridgway at 776-6136. http://1490newsblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/two-hurt-battling-suspicious-blaze.html

A man who was acquitted on state charges in a 1994 murder in Cattaraugus County is now facing federal charges in connection with a murder-for- hire plot with his alleged victim’s wife. 56-year-old Randall Knight of Akron, Ohio, faces up to life in prison for the death of 32-year-old Andie Gasper, who was found stabbed in his pickup truck on July 3, 1994, behind Ames Plaza on Route 16 in Yorkshire. Last week Gasper’s wife, Cheryl Jenkins Gasper, was charged in state court with second-degree murder in connection with her husband’s death. The US Attorney’s office says Knight and Cheryl Gasper had a five-year extramarital affair before the murder and had planned to cash a $100,000 life insurance policy to buy a “dream house” and be together. http://www.justice.gov/usao/nyw/press/press_releases/KnightPress.pdf

Westfield, New York, schools were locked down and a helicopter and K-9 Unit were called in to help sheriff’s deputies find a man who ran from them while they were conducting a warrant search. In an e-mail sent to WESB and The HERO, Chautauqua County Sheriff's Deputies say at 9:45 this morning they found 30-year-old Ellis Renfroe of Portland, New York, working at a job site on Grove Street in Westfield. When they approached him, Renfroe ran from them. Deputies and Westfield Police set up a perimeter around the area and began searching the neighborhood. Deputy Bryan Burmaster and his K-9 partner Falo began searching the area as well. Falo tracked Renfroe behind a home off Cottage Street and targeted a canoe behind the house. Renfroe was hiding under the canoe, but took off again. Deputies then called a StarFlight helicopter to help them search. They found Renfroe behind Westfield Memorial Hospital and he was taken into custody without further incident. Renfroe was wanted on felony cr...

UPDATE: The fire that damaged a Congress Street house Monday night has been ruled arson. In a fax sent to WESB and The HERO, State Police Fire Marshal Greg Agosti says damage to the building at 277 Congress Street is estimated at $50,000. Anyone with pertinent information is asked to contact the Bradford City Police Department at 368-6133 or the PA State Police Fire Marshal in Ridgway at 776-6136. ~~~ Two Bradford firefighters were hurt while fighting a fire Monday night that’s being considered suspicious. Lieutenant J.D. Tehle suffered a dislocated thumb and was treated at Bradford Regional Medical Center. Lieutenant Mike Scrivo suffered a cut to his hand and was treated at the scene. Bradford City Fire Department Lieutenant Matt Rettger tells WESB and The HERO that the fire is being considered suspicious because all the utilities had been shut off. A state police fire marshal is investigating. Rettger says that at just before 10:30 p.m. a neighbor called to report a fire in the area ...

BUFFALO, NY — Mikhail Nikiforov, PhD, an Associate Professor in the Department of Cell Stress Biology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI), has been awarded a $750,000 grant from the American Cancer Society to develop new pharmaceutical agents to treat malignant melanoma, one of the most serious and aggressive forms of cancer. Malignant melanoma represents less than 5% of all skin cancers, but accounts for more than 65% of skin cancer deaths. Although surgical intervention in the earliest stages of the disease increases one’s chances of a positive outcome, lifetime risk and mortality rates have been steadily — and significantly — rising for decades. In fact, the average survival rate for malignant melanoma is 8.5 months. “It has become a matter of urgency to develop effective, more targeted treatment regimens for malignant melanoma,” said Dr. Nikiforov, whose research focuses on the expression and inhibition of the cancer gene (oncogene) C-MYC. C-MYC is a member of the MYC family of...

A Kennedy, New York, man is jailed without bail for stealing a mini excavator that was being used for work on an AT&T cell tower site. Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Randy Boland, in an e-mail to WESB and The HERO, says 34-year-old Anthony Montanye Jr. is charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. Boland says the $25,000 excavator was stolen during the week of April 12. He says after it was reported stolen and the sheriff’s office issued a news release, someone called in with a tip saying the excavator was at Montanye’s home.

Amy Silvis, a cancer survivor and volunteer with the American Cancer Society, tells us Friday is Don't Fry Day. To help reduce rising rates of skin cancer from overexposure to the ultraviolet rays of the sun, the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention has designated the Friday before Memorial Day, May 28, 2010, as “Don’t Fry Day” to encourage sun safety awareness and to remind everyone to protect their skin while enjoying the outdoors. You can find more information by clicking on the following link: http://www.skincancerprevention.org/Events/DontFryDay/tabid/113/Default.aspx

Bradford Area School District officials won’t be tolerating the last day of school shaving cream wars this year at Fretz Middle School this year. Anyone caught participating in a shaving cream war will be suspended at the beginning of the next school year. This includes current 8th graders who will be moving up to Bradford High. Fretz Assistant Principal Dara Signor says if anyone thinks of the shaving cream wars as a harmless rite of passage, they should consider this: "The administration and staff were outside last year and witnessed kids slipping on the shaving cream. The surfaces became so slippery that one child actually slid into the street in front of a passing car," Signor said. City police officers will be on hand for the last day of school -- June 3 -- and are authorized to issue fines and make arrests. Signor made the announcement on today's LiveLine on 1490 WESB.

Sally Kalson writes, "Few cases have the quick resolution of the 1968 heist of priceless works from the home of Tullah and Ed Hanley in Bradford, Pa." To read the column, go here .

"I think that people, whether from Brockway or DuBois or even Bradford, if this was local residents who committed a crime, served their time and came back home, I think the local residents can somewhat accept that. To have a judge, specifically Cambria County, to put in a probation order that he can't return to his home county, I think that starts setting a tone , will every county judge start putting in a probation order that they can't return to their home?" (Senator Joe) Scarnati said. For the full story, go to Philly.com .

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford has inducted 10 students into Pi Gamma Mu, the International Honor Society in Social Studies. In order to be invited to join Pi Gamma Mu, a student must be a junior or senior in the upper 35 percent of his or her class with at least 20 semester hours in social sciences and an average grade of B. Pi Gamma Mu defines social sciences to include the disciplines of history, political science, sociology, anthropology, economics, internal relations, criminal justice, social work, psychology, philosophy, history of education and geography. Those inducted this year include Treena L. Holmes Hulings, a social science major from Warren; Diane M. Marold, a social sciences major from Kane; Kelli Mae Nelson, a criminal justice major from Wilcox; Sarah Beth Rhinehart, a criminal justice major from Olean, N.Y.; Danielle A. Schoonover-Wils, a history/political science major from Bradford; Elizabeth Loraine Tipton, a social stud...

A Delevan man has pleaded guilty to attempted burglary, according to a fax sent to WESB and The HERO by the Cattaraugus County District Attorney's office. 18-year-old Joshua Lamb attempted to break into a building in the Town of Yorkshire on March 8. He’ll be sentenced August 23. A man who tried to sell crack cocaine in Olean has been sentenced to a year in prison. 25-year-old Romaine Harris Jr. was convicted of attempted criminal sale of a controlled substance. The incident happened on May 29, 2008.

A Delevan man accused of punching a state trooper and spitting in his face, and threatening department of transportation workers has pleaded not guilty in Cattaraugus County Court, according to a fax sent to WESB and The HERO by the district attorney's office. 53-year-old Gene Tingue is charged with assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and harassment in connection with incidents in December in the Town of Yorkshire. He is also accused throwing a snowball at a state snowplow, dumping snow on a highway, calling the department and threatening to “blow you away.” The matter has been adjourned for motions.

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford has selected seven students for Beta Beta Beta, the National Biological Honor Society. To be considered for full membership in Beta Beta Beta, students must be at least a second semester sophomore. Students must also have completed at least three courses in biology, including an upper-level course, with a B average. Full members chosen were Laura J. Lucas, a biology major from Emporium, and Brandon S. Skawienski, a biology major from Varysburg, N.Y. Associate members were Shaquana A. Jefferson, a pre-medicine major from Philadelphia; Michael D. Moniger, a pre-medicine major from Carlisle; Chris Mitchell, a pre-dental major from Montpelier, Ohio; Sharon Carr, a biology major from Beaver; and Immanuel Diamant, a biology and psychology major from New Hope. Adviser for the group is Dr. Mary Mulcahy, associate professor of biology and director of the biology program.

Rick Benton and the Kiwanis Club of Bradford are this year’s recipients of the George G. Blaisdell YMCA Community Service Award. The awards will be presented during the 2010 Bradford Community Awards Breakfast on June 8 at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. Also during the breakfast, five high school students will be presented with the Ray C. Uhler YMCA Outstanding Youth Award. They are Rachel Britton of Bradford Area High School, Russel Marold of Kane Area High School, Cody Baxter of Otto-Eldred High School, Jonathan Binder of Port Allegany High School and Danielle Nielson of Smethport Area Junior-Senior High School. The YMCA Volunteer of the Year Award will be presented to Bill Leven.

OLEAN -- Coed 4 A Cause (C4C) will be hosting several sporting events this year to raise money for Forness field improvements and local charities and causes. C4C is a not for profit organization created to show the local community that through some hard work and fun and local business support that anything can be achieved. C4C hosted the Snow Mushball Tourney in February and now is scheduling the 1st Ever Co-Ed Softball OVERNIGHT Memorial Day Tournament which will run from Friday, May 28 through SAturday May 29 at Forness Fields in Olean. Games will begin at 6 PM on Friday at all Forness Fields, proceeding through midnight and into Saturday with finals planned for 6 PM. Some regulations are teams are 5 men/5 women or 6 men/6 women and must alternate in field and batting order; men must use wooden bats; limit of 16 teams; entry fee of $150.00. Chinese auctions, raffles, tee shirt sales, food vendors, and home run derby are planned. The tournament drawing will be held Thursday, May ...

A Jamestown man has pleaded guilty to failing to pay nearly $430,000 in state sales tax that he collected at three Chautauqua County restaurants. 51-year-old Steven Carlson operated the Village Casino in Bemus Point, the Wing City Grill in Fredonia and an Arby’s Restaurant in Jamestown. Investigators and auditors learned that between March of 2005 and August of 2008 the restaurants collected about $695,000 in sales tax, but turned over only $224,000 to the state. Carlson pleaded guilty to grand larceny and faces up to 15 years in prison when he’s sentenced on September 14. http://www.ag.ny.gov/media_center/2010/may/may24b_10.html

Two South Dayton teenagers are facing charges following an incident last week in the village. Cattaraugus County sheriff’s deputies say 16-year-old Clint Catchot and 17-year-old Andrew Woodarek are each charged with burglary and petit larceny in connection with an incident at 3 p.m. Thursday on Maple Street. Woodarek is also charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance. They’ve both been released on their own recognizance and are scheduled to appear in court at a later date.

A Mount Jewett man has been sentenced to one to three years in state prison for stealing property from a Wendy’s Restaurant that was under construction in Indiana County. 35-year-old Bradley Mix was originally charged with burglary, theft and receiving stolen property, but those charges were withdrawn as part of a plea bargain. He was sentenced on charges of criminal trespass and harassment, and must also pay about $1,300 in restitution. The incident happened on July 16 of last year.

A West Valley New York man was flown to ECMC in Buffalo after an accident Sunday evening on Route 240 in the Town of Ashford. Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s deputies say 49-year-old William Dickinson was traveling at a high rate of speed and failed to negotiate a curve. His vehicle hit a guide rail, then flew over the guide rail and over an embankment, turning over several time. Dickinson was thrown from the vehicle. Deputies are still investigating.