Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Earlier this week we told you about the return of the giant hogweed plant. This morning on "Around the Home," Master Gardner Bob Harris talked more about the plant and also wanted to make sure people know that it can live for quite a long time before growing the large umbrella-sized leaves it's known for. Listen to Around the Home by clicking here , then clicking on the "Giant Hogweed" show. Photos provided by the New York Invasive Species Clearinghouse .

Two teenagers escaped injury in separate accidents in Potter County Thursday, but they’re both facing charges. Police say at 3:15 Thursday afternoon a 16-year-old girl from Genesee was driving a pickup truck on Ridge Road, about half a mile south of Route 449, when a deer walked onto the road. She swerved to avoid the deer, but then left the road and hit an embankment, where the car was hit by a fallen tree. At 9:15 Thursday night a 17-year-old boy from Port Allegany was driving on Route 6 about a mile west of Coudersport when his car went out of control, traveled through a yard, hit some blueberry bushes and came to rest straddling a culvert and a small stream. Neither teen was hurt, but they will both be charged with driving at an unsafe speed.

A hit-and-run driver caused a power outage in Cross Fork early Friday morning, and as of this morning the village is still without power. State police say at 3 a.m. Friday a red passenger car or minivan was attempting to turn onto Main Street from Stewart Hill, but was going too fast to make the curve, slid through the intersection and hit a utility pole, causing it to break halfway up. The top portion of the pole fell to the ground, pulling the attached wires with it. The car backed away from the pole and fled the scene. Crews with Tri-County Electric are on the scene repairing the pole. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call Coudersport-based state police at 274-8690

Bradford City Police are investigating an assault on West Washington Street, a theft on Congress Street and a motor vehicle accident at Davis and Boylston streets, according to the complaint report and request sheet. Also late Thursday and Friday officers were called about a disturbance at East Main and Mill streets, harassment on Jackson Avenue and Interstate Parkway and a suspicious person on Congress Street. They were called about a parking problem on Belleview Avenue and an erratic driver on Interstate Parkway. They also did a traffic stop on Main Street and assisted a motorist at Davis and Elm streets. Police were called about juveniles on West Washington Street, an animal on Rochester Street and noise on East Avenue. And, people with leftover fireworks prompted calls to police from Pearl and Pike streets.

Washington, D.C. – Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy & Forestry Chairman Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson on Friday held a Joint Oversight Hearing, “Challenges facing Domestic Oil and Gas Development: Review of Bureau of Land Management/U.S. Forest Service Ban on Horizontal Drilling on Federal Lands.” The hearing was held in conjunction with the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources. The panel received testimony from a number of experts regarding the U.S. Forest Service’s proposed ban on horizontal drilling in the George Washington National Forest, as well as the Interior Department’s possible regulation of hydraulic fracturing on federal lands. Horizontal drilling provides significant benefits by reducing the footprint of oil and gas production and allowing for directional drilling in order to leave areas of environmental concern undisturbed. “Through effective management practices, these resources have been successfully produced for decades and these te...

A veteran from Gowanda who lost both of his legs in the Iraq War three years ago died Friday evening when he fell off a roller coaster at Darien Lake. Sgt. James Hackemer came out of the Ride of Steel roller coaster and died at around 5:30 p.m. on Friday, according to a statement from Darien Lake. The theme park is investigating, but believes all safety precautions were taken. The Ride of Steel will be closed until the investigation is complete, according to Darien Lake’s website.

(CNN) --Betty Ford, the widow of President Gerald Ford and a co-founder of an eponymous addiction center in California, has died at the age of 93. Elaine Didier, the director of the Grand Rapids, Michigan, museum, confirmed Ford's death to CNN. Ford died Friday evening with family at her bedside, according to a family member. The family is expected to release a statement later, Didier said. For more on this story go to CNN.com

The University of Pittsburgh's Board of Trustees this morning approved an 8.5 percent tuition increase for in-state students. The increase is 4.0 percent for both in-state and out-of-state students enrolled in the programs of the Bradford, Greensburg, Johnstown and Titusville campuses. Chancellor Mark Nordenberg blamed a 19 percent reduction in state funding that took $40 million from the university's $1.94 billion operating budget. Pitt cost-cutting would cover about 60 percent of the state reduction with the tuition increase picking up the rest. The tuition increase will take effect in the fall. http://pitt.edu/

State Sen. John P. Blake (D-Lackawanna/Luzerne/Monroe) on Thursday joined the Northeast Regional Cancer Institute at Lackawanna College to announce a $75,000 state grant to conduct a health survey in the areas of Northeastern Pennsylvania affected by Marcellus shale drilling operations. The study, which will be conducted by Cancer Institute researchers, will determine the current health status of the population in Bradford, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, Pike Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne and Wyoming counties and establish an important baseline of data for future comparisons and research regarding public health in the areas impacted by Marcellus operations. “Research is one of the most important tools in the fight against all cancers and this grant shows the state’s faith in the quality of research being conducted here in Scranton,” Blake said. “It is imperative that the health and well-being of Pennsylvania residents be the number one priority as the Marcellus industry expands i...

A Clymer, New York, woman was taken to the hospital after she fell asleep at the wheel of her car and hit a utility pole. Sheriff’s deputies say the accident happened Wednesday night on Main Street in Findley Lake. 53-year-old Leslie Oster was not wearing a seatbelt and was taken to a hospital in Corry as a precaution.

The Casey Anthony trial is sparking a legislative effort in Pennsylvania. State Senator Larry Farnese (D-Philadelphia) plans to introduce “Caylee’s Law”, named after the Florida girl who was missing a month before her disappearance was reported. The 2-year-old was later found dead. Read more at PAMatters.com .

United Way of the Bradford Area, Inc. and partnering community organizations are gearing up for a busy day Sept 17th! The “Day of Action” is a day where volunteers from all walks of the community will join together to advance the common good on issues of education, income, and health. The “Day of Action” can help people make the connection on how their efforts will lead to a stronger community, whether it is reading to children, improving financial literacy, or cleaning the streets. “This is a great day for community members to give back through volunteerism to the non-profits the Bradford Area,” state Megan Minich, Executive Director. The United Way of the Bradford Area, Inc. has partnered with the following community organizations and agencies to make this a joint effort: YWCA of Bradford, Olean-Bradford YMCA, CARE for Children, the Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce, University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, RSVP, Alcohol & Drug Abuse Services, the Bradford Ecumenical Home/Chapel Rid...

A Fredonia man is dead after his car crashed into a building early this morning. Police say 48-year-old Robert Swank was apparently speeding at just after midnight when his car hit the One Park Place building at Center and Church streets. Police are still investigating.

A fire damaged a Coudersport apartment building on Tuesday. A state police fire marshal says the fire started on an outside porch leading into an apartment, then spread to an exterior wall. The fire put itself out, but was discovered by the renters. No one was home at the time of the fire and no one was hurt. The building is owned by Branch Property. Damage is estimated at $500.

An Olean woman who stabbed a Smethport man in the neck during a disagreement over a parked vehicle has pleaded guilty in Cattaraugus County Court. 25-year-old Niki Stovall stabbed the 22-year-old on May 4, and he had to get 27 stitches. Stovall will be sentenced September 12.

A Roulette woman was hurt in a one-car accident Tuesday morning on Reed Run Road about a mile south of Railroad Avenue. State police say 79-year-old Ruth Robski was parked in a pull-off area and was trying to get out of the car when it starting rolling forward, ran over her foot and knocked her to the ground. Roboski was taken by ambulance to Charles Cole Memorial Hospital. Her car traveled down a small embankment and hit a tree, and was towed from the scene.

Dina DeSantis has been selected as the Community Relations Specialist for the United Way of the Bradford area, according to John Peterson, president of the United Way’s board of directors. “The Board of Directors is excited to welcome Dina to the United Way organization,” says John Peterson, Board President. “Her qualifications, education and commitment to the area will be an asset to the organization as we move into the 2011 LIVE UNITED campaign.” The United Way of the Bradford Area is a non-profit organization with the mission of raising and distributing funds for the purpose of community building and enhancing the quality of life in the greater Bradford area. “I am honored to have been selected to serve the United Way and the Bradford community in this capacity,” says DeSantis. “The United Way is vital to enhancing the well-being of the Bradford community.” DeSantis will manage external communications, fundraising, community involvement as well as volunteer management for the United...

Thousands of people from throughout the world descended on the Allegheny National Forest Region for GeoWoodstock IX at the Warren County Fairgrounds on Saturday, July 5. The Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau, the tourist promotion agency for McKean County, was on hand to distribute local tourism information, to share information and listen to stories of the geocachers adventures as they searched for caches hidden here. Geocaching, a relatively new phenomenon that has been around for about 10 years, involves people using GPS units (Global Positioning System) to find caches – or treasures. In many of the caches, a stamp or passport system leads to participants acquiring a uniquely numbered, traceable geocoin. It is the perfect sport, balancing technology and the outdoors, and has grown to be an international phenomenon. Participants in Saturday’s event found treasure just be visiting the region, and enjoying the natural beauty of northwestern Pennsylvania. Visitors came from as ...

In an effort to improve highway safety, PennDOT today placed a radar-controlled speed display sign along Route 770 (Minard Run Road) in Bradford Township, McKean County. The sign faces eastbound traffic on Route 770, near the intersection with Foster Hollow Road. This area is posted with a speed limit of 55 miles per hour. The speed display signs will remain on location for up to three weeks and will register the speeds of vehicles traveling along that section of roadway. The speed display sign uses radar to determine the speeds of oncoming traffic. Those vehicle speeds are then posted on the lighted section of the sign. Above the speed display is a speed limit sign showing the posted speed limit for that section of Route 770. PennDOT reminds motorists they can log on to 511pa.com or call 511 from any phone to check traffic conditions before heading out. Follow PennDOT on Twitter at www.twitter.com/511PAStateCOLL .

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation is warning people about a monster plant with flowers the size of umbrellas and sap that causes blisters, and could cause blindness. The giant hogweed is spreading across the area and the agency is asking people to report any sightings of the invasive plants. Call 845-256-3111. They are also warning people to not touch it. Photo provided by NYSDOT.gov . In McKean County, PA, call 887-5613.