Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

HARRISBURG – For those spring gobbler hunters who may feel the hunt is already over because of the early spring, Pennsylvania Game Commission officials report that there is still plenty of time to harvest a gobbler. “Our three years of radio-telemetry data show that hen turkeys did not begin incubating nests any earlier this year than the previous two years, even though we experienced a warm, dry early spring” said Mary Jo Casalena, Game Commission wild turkey biologist. “That’s because nesting is triggered more by photoperiod (amount of daylight) than weather. So, that warm spell we experienced in March was just a bit too early for most hens to begin laying eggs.” Hen turkeys wait until they lay a complete clutch before they begin the 28 days of incubation. This ensures the entire clutch hatches within a 24-hour period. Also, hens readily abandon nests during egg-laying if they are disturbed, so it makes sense not to incubate until she’s sure of her nest location. “We’ve been monitor...

Pauline Hoffmann, Ph.D., has been named dean of the Russsell J. Jandoli School of Journalism and Mass Communication at St. Bonaventure University, said Michael Fischer, Ph.D., provost and vice president for academic affairs. The appointment is effective immediately. Hoffmann, an associate professor of journalism and mass communication, had been interim dean of the Jandoli School this academic year. She succeeds Lee Coppola, who retired at the end of the 2010-11 academic year after 15 years as dean. “It is an exciting time to lead the School of Journalism and Mass Communication,” said Hoffmann. “As an SBU alumna, I understand our unique challenges and our enormous strengths. I will continue to lead in the tradition of Dr. Jandoli with an emphasis on strong writing, reporting and communicating.” Prior to her faculty career at St. Bonaventure, she was the corporate communications manager for The CRS Companies in Williamsville, N.Y., creative services specialist for the Catholic Health Sys...

UPDATE: A power surge at a transformer caused the second outage, which has forced part of Bradford Regional Medical Center to close. This includes the Foothills Medical Group doctor’s offices, Upbeat and Smart. Hospital pPatient care is not affected. Patients of the Foothills Medical Group are encouraged to contact 814-368-7777 to reschedule appointments. About 69 Penelec customers in Bradford are still without power this morning, following an outage that started at around 4:17. Penelec’s Manager for External Affairs Linda Routzhan says power was restored to 57 customers at 5:30 by “switching circuits around.” She says they hope to have power restored to the remaining customers this morning. The outage affected customers in the city's Fourth and Fifth Wards. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Harrisburg - The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) today announced the appointment of Jeffrey Bliemeister as site administrator at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Galeton, Potter County. “We are very fortunate to have recruited an individual with Jeff’s skills and experience to take charge at the Lumber Museum, especially at the onset of the major capital renovations to the visitor center,” said James M. Vaughan, PHMC executive director. Bliemeister joins a staff of two and a committed board of directors of the Lumber Museum Associates to lead the institution forward at the 160-acre containing 17 buildings and structures. Bliemeister has more than 25 years of professional museum experience. He has directed the Holland Land Office Museum, Batavia, NY; Hyde Hall, New York State Historic Site, Springfield, NY; and Renfrew Museum and Park in Waynesboro, PA. He spent the last nine years as curator of the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum in Hershey, PA., an inst...

By Megan E. Sorokes Director of Communications ALBANY – Imagine you’ve been beaten or sexually assaulted by an abuser. It may have been a spouse, significant other, or another relative that harmed you, maybe even repeatedly. Now, imagine how you would feel facing your abuser in court. Currently, New York State’s Criminal Procedure Law only permits children deemed “vulnerable” by a judge to testify by closed-circuit television. Now, thanks to a bill sponsored by Senator Catharine Young (R,C,I – Olean), which has been passed in the state Senate, the law also would include “domestic violence victims” as “vulnerable” witnesses in criminal proceedings. “Courts have considered children to be vulnerable witnesses who are allowed to testify using closed-circuit television because they could be afraid to talk in front of someone who harmed them. Similarly, victims of domestic violence who otherwise may be hesitant to testify about crimes committed against them would be able to come...

A school bus carrying members of the Dunkirk High School track team collided with an SUV this afternoon on Route 60 in the Town of Gerry. State police say about 20 people were taken to area hospitals, mainly as a precaution, but they believe the driver of the SUV may have suffered more serious injuries. A Starflight helicopter was called in. The bus carrying the girls track team was headed to a meet at Southwestern. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A broken water pipe over the weekend caused extensive damage to the Cattaraugus County Courthouse, and all court proceedings scheduled to be held there today had to be postponed. The courthouse handles surrogate, supreme and county court matters. The courthouse should be reopened Wednesday. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

An Eldred man is in jail for allegedly hitting a woman Sunday afternoon. Police say 22-year-old Brian Allen Joe Henderson hit a 25-year-old woman causing injuries to her left eye and face. Henderson was arraigned by District Judge Rich Luther, who sent him to jail in lieu of $10,000 bail. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

An Eldred man wasn’t seriously hurt when his tractor trailer went out of control on a curve on Route 6 in Hamlin Township early this morning. The truck driven by 59-year-old Howard Griffith tipped over onto its driver’s side when plastic pipes inside the trailer shifted. He was taken to BRMC for treatment of minor injuries, and was cited for driving at an unsafe speed. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Larry A. Richmond, 72, of 5 Amm Street, Bradford, passed away Sunday, May 6th, at The Pavilion at BRMC. Larry was born in Bradford, on April 18, 1940, he was a son of the late Robert and Jean (Kellgren) Richmond. On July 9, 1966, in Bradford he married Geneva L. "Jean" (Button) Richmond who died February 2, 2004. Mr. Richmond was a 1958 graduate of Bradford High School. He attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania majoring in business. In his lifetime he worked many different places in Bradford including Zippo, Case and most recently the Bradford Landmark Society. He was an avid historian and was an expert in all things "Bradford". He was genealogist and a historian. He was an expert on the Civil War Veterans of Bradford, the history behind Zippo Mfg., W.R. Case & Sons and also an expert on the architecture of the buildings in Bradford. Mr. Richmond was past member of the Bradford Landmark Society, past President of the McKean County Historical Society, Pre...

Fred A. Marconi, 92, of 2904 N.W. 61st. Ave., Margate City, FL formerly of Kane and Buffalo NY, passed away Monday, May 7th, 2012 at the Ceder Sini Hospital, in Los Angeles. Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by the Hollenbeck-Cahill Funeral Homes Inc. Online condolences may be made at www.hollenbeckcahill.com The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Two Cattaraugus County residents are facing drug charges after being stopped on Route 16 in Sardinia. Sheriff’s deputies say they found various pills, including oxycodone, Endocet and hydrocodone in a car driver by 24-year-old Katherine Loomis of Machias. Neither she nor her passenger, 19-year-old Matthew Bellaus of Franklinville, had a prescription for the drugs. They are both charged with five counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A 30-year-old South Dayton man is dead following an accident Saturday afternoon in Chautauqua County. Police say Allen Jones was riding his motorcycle on Route 62 in the Town of Poland when he lost control on a curve, crossed the road and hit a tree. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Troopers said it's likely Jones missed the curve because he was traveling at an unsafe speed. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Barbara Abbey was one of the many lovely ladies who got into the Derby spirit by donning a hat during Saturday's Derby Gala at the Pennhills Club. Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ron Orris took bids by phone on a Zippo lighter package made especially for the Derby Gala. Ron's phone friend, from Pueblo, Colorado, won the set for $3,500. Ryan Race deals cards to Fran Runyon (green hat) and Emily Zinsner during the Casino Night part of the Derby Gala as Bill Runyon looks over his wife's shoulder. Kristin Asinger and Candy Graham take part in the annual hat parade. Asinger won a prize for most creative hat. Hat parade judge Zach Ruth calls one of the finalists over so people can get another look at her hat. 160 people attended the event, which raises money for the Bradford Area Public Library's Endowment Fund. This is the biggest crowd that's ever attended. The event also included an auction of a variety of items including a package from Janet's...

Firefighters are battling blaze on Kane Street in the city. Congress Street and South Avenue in that area are closed to traffic. The fire was called in at about 2:50 p.m. We'll have more information as it becomes available. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

PITTSBURGH — As part of the University of Pittsburgh’s ongoing efforts to reduce costs in the face of sharply declining state support, a significant administrative realignment is taking place at the University’s Titusville and Bradford regional campuses, Pitt Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Patricia E. Beeson announced today. Effective immediately, both campuses will report to Livingston Alexander, who, as president of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford since 2003, has been credited with strengthening that campus’ position as an institution that provides access to students and fosters success among first-generation college students. Alexander will remain at the helm of Pitt-Bradford and also will become president of the University of Pittsburgh at Titusville. In addition, other major administrative functions for the two campuses will be centralized at the Bradford campus. David Fitz, currently the vice president for academic affairs at Pitt-Titusville, has been named int...

Now that everyone has had a chance to finish "Clara and Mr. Tiffany" before author Susan Vreeland's visit to Bradford, I am resuming Book Talk to give you more ideas on what you may want to add to your reading list. Jessica Maria Tuccelli's debut novel "Glow" is about six generations of one family in teh Appalachian South steeped in issues of race, mysticism and history. Listen to my chat with Jessica here . For more information: http://jessicamariatuccelli.com/ In the next few weeks we'll hear from Tilly Bagshawe, author of "Sidney's Sheldon's Angel of the Dark," Susan Mallery, Jack Sussek, Alexandra Hamlet and more. Remember to check out the Bradford Area Public Library ! The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

CARE for Children’s Building Campaign for the Future of Children of all Abilities kicked off with a bang with a lead gift from Zippo Manufacturing of $1,000,000 with naming rights for the building. Deborah Price and Karen Gelston will serve as co-chairs for the campaign, to support the construction and operation of the Ashley Booth Griffin CARE for Children Center, to be located at 723 East Main Street in Bradford. The fundraising campaign is the largest in CARE’s history and has so far been in a quiet phase, bringing in more than $1,225,000 since December 2011. The agency is kicking of the public phase Monday, May 7th which includes an estimated goal of $1,500,000 for construction and related costs which CARE is optimistic of raising over the next year. After the construction phase is completed, the organization will work to raise an additional $500,000 over the next five years to pay back the $175,000 expended for the property purchase and $250,000 for additional parking, and playgro...

The National Weather Service in State College has confirmed that a small tornado touched down near Ayers Hill in Potter County on Wednesday. A team from the National Weather Service and Potter County Emergency Management Agency surveyed the wind damage in the Ayers Hill area on Friday. The tornado, an EF0, began near the intersection of Cherry Tree Lane and First Fork Road just west of Ayers Hill. The tornado then moved east northeast intermittently touching down for about a half mile before lifting near Gates Hill Road. A large trailer was turned over by the wind, damaging two vehicles. Four homes had minor roof damage, with two of those roofs partially torn off. About 30 trees were downed or damaged. Several witnesses saw a funnel cloud prior to the tornado and there was report of a vehicle blown off the road. http://www.erh.noaa.gov/ctp/oldnews_frame.php The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Lewis Run Borough Council President Frank Langianese has passed away. He was 90 years old. Langianese and Lewis Run Mayor Albert “Abbie” Montecalvo made news last year as the longest serving political team in the country, having held their positions for more than 50 years. Langianese was in his 56th year as council president. Langianese died Friday, May 4, 2012, in The Pavilion at BRMC. He was born on December 10, 1921, in Lewis Run, a son of Michael and Josephine Benedict Langianese. On June 1, 1946 in Lewis Run he married Esther M. Doriguzzi who preceded him in death on March 12, 2003. He was a 1940 graduate of St. Bernard School where he played for the school football team. He was a United States Army Air Corps. Veteran of World War II; having served in the European Theater. Langianese was a member of Our Mother of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, Lewis Run where he was on the financial board. He had also worked on the books for the former Italian Mutual Aid Society. He was a Grand...