Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

A Byrnedale man accidentally shot himself while clearning his gun Monday afternoon. Police say 27-year-old Travis Moorehead was cleaning his .22 caliber pistol at 2:50 p.m. and failed to realize there was a round in the chamber, which discharged and hit his right thigh. Moorehead was treated at Elk Regional Health Center.

A Salamanca man already serving 75 years in federal prison on child pornography charges has been sentenced to 25 years in state prison for having sex with a child younger than 11. 39-year-old Shawn Snyder will serve the state sentence concurrently with the federal sentence, but federal sentences do not allow for time to be taken off for good behavior. Snyder had sex with the child on April 3, 2009, in Salamanca. The federal charges stem from incidents that date back to 2004 when Snyder enticed 5 children ranging in age from 6 to 8 to engage in sexually explicit conduct so he could take pictures of it. Some of the children were friends of Snyder’s own children.

Two more people have admitted to hiring illegal aliens to work for Mexican residents in the area. 42-year-old Sergio Resendiz, who currently lives in Henderson, North Carolina, and 32 year-old Jesus Escalante of Dunkirk have pleaded guilty in federal court to employing illegal aliens, and face a maximum of six months in prison, a fine of $100,000 or both. The restaurants were actually owned by Simon Banda-Mireles, the former owner of La Herradura in Bradford, who has already pleaded guilty to harboring aliens and is awaiting sentencing. Resendiz pleaded guilty in connection to the Don Lorenzo restaurant in Allegany. Escalante pleaded guilty in connection to restaurants Banda-Mireles ran in Lakewood and Dunkirk.

One of the men inovled the the October fire-bombing of an apartment in Allegany has been sentenced to 5 years’ probation. 22-year-old Steven Sprague of Olean was also sentenced today to do 200 hours of community service. Sprague and five other men are accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail into the apartment where several St. Bonaventure students lived. One of the others is scheduled for sentencing later this month.

This year's One Book Bradford season will culminate with its last event on Tuesday night - a visit from Canadian author Louise Penny. Penny, the author who penned the "Three Pines" series, including "Still Life," will give a talk at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Mukaiyama Room in the Frame-Westerberg Commons Building at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. The event is free and open to the public. Penny, a New York Times bestselling author, will be available for books signings after her talk. Refreshments will also be provided. Books are available at Tina's Hallmark and the Panther Shop at Pitt-Bradford. Earlier on Tuesday, Penny will also speak to students at Bradford Area High School. In its fourth year, One Book Bradford is a community-wide reading initiative in which a book is picked and the community is encouraged to read it. Several activities are held throughout the season, one of which always includes a visit from the author. This year, the One Book ...

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s entrepreneurship program is presenting a day-long seminar on “Economic Gardening,” a method of growing new and existing businesses, May 13. The seminar will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Room 162 Swarts Hall. The $30 cost includes lunch. There is no cost for elected officials to attend. The speaker will be Chris Gibbons, who has been in charge of business development for the city of Littleton, Colo., for more than 20 years. In that time, the number of jobs in Littleton doubled, and sales tax revenue tripled without recruiting new industries or offering incentives or tax rebates. Gibbons holds a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Oklahoma. He worked for the City of Oklahoma City and San Bernadino County, Calif., before establishing his own consulting firm in 1977. For the next 10 years, he consulted on a variety of community and economic development projects in Colorado, Wyoming and California. “Ec...

By SANDRA RHODES It's a true case of win, place or show. The winners are the ticket holders, the place is Pennhills Club and the show is the Derby Gala. This year's Derby Gala, an annual event that benefits the Bradford Area Public Library Endowment Fund, will run from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday at the Pennhills Club. The event centers around the running of the Kentucky Derby, but this year has many new facets, including a casino night. "We wanted to add more fun to the event," said Kristin Asinger, co-chairwoman of the event. "After the race is over people would leave. We hope this will entice more people to come and stay." The price of the ticket will include $850 of "funny money" that can be used in the casino that will include slot machines, roulette, black jack and Texas Hold 'em. More money can be obtained through a donation. The funny money can in turn be used to win funny money raffle items at the end of the evening. The fun will start ...

By SANDRA RHODES A new business is about to spring up in Foster Township just in time for Mother's Day. Jim and Carolyn Newhouse are set to bring "fruit, flowers and flavors" with the Foster Brook Market, located on East Main Street where Firestone Tire & Service Center used to be. Carolyn Newhouse explained the market will include produce, a garden center and an old-fashioned ice cream parlor. "We are pushing really hard to be open by Mother's Day," she said, adding that for Mother's Day that plan is if shoppers bring in their mother to buy flowers, mom will be treated to a free ice cream cone, choosing from the more than 30 flavors of Hershey's ice cream offered. The market will also have home-grown produce, an organic food section, high quality flowers and "everything you need to meet your gardening needs." For the industrious Bradford couple, the idea of opening a market in this location seemed like a no-brainer. The couple already ...

By Kimberly Marcott Weinberg Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing For a moment Sunday afternoon, opera legend Marilyn Horne presented an alternate scenario for not only the city of Bradford, but also for herself. Speaking to the media before addressing the largest graduating class in University of Pittsburgh at Bradford history, she wondered if perhaps her family might have stayed in Bradford had Pitt-Bradford existed in 1945. She later touched on the same idea during her speech to the graduates. “Who would have thought when I left in 1945, that I’d be back speaking to the graduating class at Pitt-Bradford, which didn’t even exist at the time,” she said, explaining that her family left Bradford when she was 11 in part to seek an affordable higher education for her and her sister, Gloria. She also spoke about her personal history with her hometown. Although she has graced the world’s most important stages, her first performan...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Marilyn Horne has won Grammy Awards, has been honored by The Kennedy Center and has sung at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration. But one of the greatest thrills of her life came about a month ago. During a visit to her daughter’s home her 8-year-old grandson Henry was playing the piano so she sat down next to him and he played while she sang. “That’s really good for the grandmother’s heart, I can tell you that.,” she said prior to Sunday’s commencement exercises at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. Horne was the keynote speaker, addressing Pitt-Bradford’s largest graduating class ever. She said Henry, along with his 7-year-old brother Alex and 12-year-old sister Daisy are musically inclined, and she is excited about that. Horne also talked about her own grandmother, when discussing the state of personal communication. That part of the conversation started when she was discussing keeping in touch with her daughter Angela while she trave...

Dean Bauer, top, and Bill Walb of the Kiwanis Club of Bradford join in on the annual Project Pride Cleanup Saturday by sprucing up around the Bradford Area Public Library.

Go to CNN.com for the latest details.

Did you know there was an entire genre known as "Amish Fiction?" I didn't until I got the opportunity to speak with Wanda Brunstetter, the most popular author of Amish fiction. Her latest book, "The Journey," is the first in a new series. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and am looking forward to reading the others in the series. Listen to my chat with Wanda here . For more information go to WandaBrunstetter.com . And, remember to visit the Bradford Area Public Library , too.

By Kimberly Marcott Weinberg Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing When Lyndon Orinion came to the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, he thought that most other first-generation students would be like himself: children of immigrants. After all, he thought, everyone who’d been in America already had been to college, right? He found out differently when he began meeting his fellow Pitt-Bradford students, many of whom are first-generation college students. In fact, last fall, first-generation students made up 41 percent of the entering freshman class at Pitt-Bradford, which puts it in the top 10 of four-year baccalaureate-granting institutions in Pennsylvania. For those who have earned their degree and are crossing the stage in the KOA Arena Sunday, earning their college degree isn’t just for them, it’s also for their family. Orinion’s parents grew up in the Philippines province of Pangasinan, which Orinion said is a poor region of the country lacki...

A luncheon was held in honor of legendary mezzo-soprano and Bradford native Marilyn Horne today at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. Ms. Horne will be speaking at Pitt-Bradford’s commencement Sunday afternoon. She is shown here gesturing toward Dr. Livingston Alexander, Pitt-Bradford president. Courtesy of Pitt-Bradford

Three men are charged with stealing hundreds of pounds of copper from a lumber yard in Great Valley. Sheriff’s deputies say they saw a vehicle owned by 36-year-old Jason Dille of Great Valley at Donver’s Lumber Yard in the early morning hours of Thursday. Their investigation determined that Dille, along with 31-year-old Richard Farnham Jr. of Kill Buck and 27-year-old Douglas Reed of Great Valley stole several hundred pounds of copper, which was found at the lumber yard and at a home in Great Valley. Dille and Farnham were sent to jail on $1,000 bail each. Reed was jailed on $10,000 bail. Deputies say more arrests are likely.

Emma Riley didn’t take long to make a name for herself after graduating from St. Bonaventure University last May. Riley, a 2010 graduate from Berkeley, Calif., was instrumental in two short films selected for the world’s most prestigious film festival. The 64th annual Cannes Film Festival runs from May 11-22. Riley, who earned her bachelor’s degree in philosophy, was the sole actor in “What Happens,” and served as the film editor on the sequel, “It Happens.” Both six-minute short subjects were among more than 1,700 short films from 86 countries selected for the eighth annual Short Film Corner, a Cannes showcase for short films from around the world. Participation in this Cannes event gives aspiring members of the movie industry invaluable exposure to established players in the field searching for new talent. “We are overwhelmed by the opportunity to meet others working in the industry, specifically others who are actively working in the arts, and who were also accredited by Cannes. It’...

ST. MARYS, Pa. – Ross Porter of Smethport receives one of the Champion of the PA Wilds awards Thursday at the PA Wilds Planning Team’s annual luncheon at the Diamond View Restaurant in Smethport. Ross is flanked by, on the left, Meredith Hill of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and his wife, Jovanna. Porter, mayor of Smethport and owner of the Mansion District Inn, has been instrumental in developing the Smethport Mansion District Walking Tour brochure as well as creating and placing several historical site signs throughout Smethport. Both projects have enhanced heritage tourism in McKean County. Coutese of the Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau

Will Continue to Volunteer for the Organization United Way executive director Kelly Case is resigning effective in June. Case has been associated with the organization since 1991, when she was Ms. United Way. She has also served as campaign chair and vice chair, board member and board president. Case is also a past recipient of the United Way’s Red Feather Award. “Being involved with the United Way, both as a volunteer and as an employee, has been a major factor in my life and has granted me with treasured memories,” Case said in prepared statement. The friendships, experiences and knowledge I have gained will remain with me forever. I have been involved for over 17 years and that will certainly not end with this change.” “I look forward to being a volunteer for many years to come,” Case continued. “My sincere congratulations and thank you goes out to the Bradford area for supporting the United Way for over 85 years. A huge thank you goes to all the people I have worked with, the agenc...

For the second consecutive year, Northwest Savings Bank is ranked highest in customer satisfaction in the Mid-Atlantic Region according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Retail Banking Customer Satisfaction Study. (SM) The study, conducted in January, analyzes overall customer satisfaction with their retail banking experience based on six factors: account activities, account information, facility, fees, problem resolution, and product offering. Northwest received the highest satisfaction score in the Mid-Atlantic Region, which includes Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. “Earning this award from J.D. Power and Associates for being highest ranked in our six-state region was a tremendous honor last year,” said Steven G. Fisher, Executive Vice President, Banking Services of Northwest Savings Bank. “To receive it a second time is both a humbling and exhilarating experience. It demonstrates how dedicated our employees really are to the ...