Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Mike Crossey, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, issued the following statement after Tom Wolf was declared the winner in the election for governor of Pennsylvania. “Pennsylvania’s public school students, their parents, and the educators who serve them every day need a fresh start now more than ever. Today, Pennsylvanians issued a mandate and voted overwhelmingly for that fresh start, electing Tom Wolf as our next governor and giving him a strong mandate to make the investments that our public schools need and that our students deserve. “On behalf of the 180,000 educators I represent as PSEA’s president, I want to congratulate Tom Wolf and pledge to work with him to act on the mandate the voters have given him and do what is right for Pennsylvania’s students. “After four years of cuts, chaos, and crisis, Pennsylvanians voted to turn the page on the destructive policies that created a school funding crisis in our state. They voted for Tom Wolf becau...

Washington, DC – Following the announcement that Democratic candidate Tom Wolf won the race for Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial seat, DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement: “Tom Wolf’s resounding victory tonight makes him the first challenger to defeat an incumbent Pennsylvania governor since the state’s one-term limit was eliminated in the 1970s. Tom has the experience and leadership to bring manufacturing jobs back to the state and create good paying jobs for middle class families. “The result speaks to how deeply unpopular Tom Corbett’s Republican policies on economics and women’s health have been with Pennsylvania voters and the urgency with which voters sought to return the state to Democratic leadership. Congratulations to Governor-elect Wolf, his campaign team, and the people of Pennsylvania.” The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Democratic businessman Tom Wolf has won the Pennsylvania governor's race, defeating incumbent Republican Gov. Tom Corbett, according to a CNN projection. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

2015 calendars are now available at all CNB Bank branch offices and the public is invited to stop in to pick up their free copy. On Wednesday, August 6, 2014, twelve winners, including a Best of Show, and twenty-four honorable mentions were selected to be featured in the 2015 CNB Bank wall calendars. Local residents, whether beginner, amateur or professional photographers, were encouraged to submit one or two of their photos via the Bank’s web site at www.BankCNB.com June 16 through August 1, 2014. The 2015 calendar features local photos with a railroad theme. Nearly two hundred entries were received, but one stood out as Judge’s Best of Show, which was submitted by Elizabeth Behan of Bradford. Her photo, entitled “Railroad Crossing”, will be featured on the cover of the 2015 wall calendars, as well as inside the calendar for the month of April. The other eleven months of the year will feature photographs submitted by James Olmstead of New Florence, Renee Shimel Hall of Morrisdal...

Police say they found a laptop computer and two storage drives in the abandoned airplane hangar where accused cop killer Eric Frein was captured last week. Court documents released today say Frein told police he used a wireless connection to get onto the Internet while hiding from them. Frein surrendered to U.S. marshals on Thursday following a 48-day manhunt. He is facing charges for killing State Police Cpl. Bryon Dickson and wounding Trooper Alex Douglass outside their Blooming Grove barracks on September 12. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A controlled burn that got out of control yesterday has led to charges against a Kane man. Police say Theodore Alabaugh started the fire on land south of the Intersection of Route 6 and Olson Road, and owned by Thomas Olson of Kane. A passing motorist called 911 at around 3 p.m. The Kane Fire Department put out the fire. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

We’ve been watching the de-struction and con-struction of Edmond Chevrolet buildings on East Main Street for months and months, and tomorrow we get to see the fruits of all that labor when the Grand Reopening celebration for Edmond Chevrolet Buick GMC starts. “This project has been years in the making,” says Tim Shults, president of the Shults Auto Group. “It’s exciting to see it all come together for our customers, employees and the entire Bradford community.” And to get everyone in and around Bradford involved, they dealership is offering free boxed lunches and a chance to win a flat screen TV. All you have to do is stop in between Wednesday and Saturday. Some of the new things you’ll see while you’re there are a new showroom with a drive-in service reception, indoor delivery area and an upgraded customer lounge. And if you’re there from 11 to 2 on Friday, you’ll see our own Frank Williams. “I know our customers will enjoy the new enhancements we have made to make their buying...

Three northwestern Pennsylvanians being monitored for Ebola have not shown any symptoms. The state Department of Health says Monday was the last day of their 21-day period of monitoring, and they are still showing no signs or symptoms. The department is not disclosing any personal information about the three, except that they are from the 13-county northwestern region. They were passengers on a flight Oct. 13 from Cleveland to Dallas with a nurse who tested positive for Ebola. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will hold a social sciences symposium to examine “Hunger and Homelessness in America” as part of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. The symposium will take place from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Nov. 11 in the Harriett B. Wick Chapel. It is open to the public, and refreshments will be served. Speakers will be the Rev. W. LeRoy Beckes; Pitt-Bradford student Matthew Bedekovich; Stephanie Eckstrom, coordinator of Pitt-Bradford’s Master of Social Work program: and Dr. Gautam Mukerjee, associate professor of economics at Pitt-Bradford. Beckes, an instructor of religion at Pitt-Bradford who has been active with The Friendship Table in Bradford, will discuss the issues of homelessness and hunger from a Biblical and theological perspective. Bedekovich is a criminal justice student from Monaca. He will address the relationship between homelessness, poverty and crime and how being homeless affects one’s...

Two Medal of Honor recipients – a man whose life was saved by a Zippo lighter, and the man known as the “real” Forrest Gump – will be honored at the Zippo/Case Museum on Veterans Day. The two American heroes will install special Medal of Honor commemorative lighter and knife sets at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at the museum. Harold Fritz was leading a column of heavily armored vehicles through Quan Loi in 1969 when they were ambushed by North Vietnamese fighters. Thrown from his vehicle, Fritz led a point-blank charge on the enemy and was hit several times by shrapnel and small-arm rounds. One particular blow on the left side of his chest knocked him down. He was evacuated by helicopter, but when he returned to the battlefield later that day, he found a Zippo lighter that had been given to him as a going away present by his wife. It had been in his left breast pocket, where it stopped the bullet that would otherwise have killed him. Fritz received his Medal of Honor from President Nixon in ...

Parents of a 16-year-old high school football player who died after being tackled during a game at Portville High School last fall have filed a lawsuit against the school districts, Olean General Hospital, the Westons Mills fire department and others. Damon Janes was playing for Westfield-Brocton when he fell unconscious on September 13, 2013. He died three days later in Women & Children’s Hospital in Buffalo. The lawsuit says Damon suffered one or more concussions in the first half of the game, but was expected to remain on the field. After the hit to his head in the third quarter, he staggered off the field, sat on the bench, said a few words to a teammate, and then collapsed. He never regained consciousness. The lawsuit say the Portville school district did not have medical personnel nearby who were capable of dealing with a seriously injured player, and also blocked the Westons Mills ambulance from driving onto the field because they didn't want to damage it. The suite ...

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford has remade its former sports medicine program into exercise science, a field that will provide students with more options for their undergraduate degrees. The program has removed classes that crossed over with the university’s athletic training program and created new classes to explore health careers, study the human body in motion and assess and prescribe wellness plans. Dr. Mark Kelley, assistant professor and director of the new exercise science program, explained that the program is meant for students who have a variety of goals, from personal training or wellness coaching to going on to graduate programs in occupational therapy, cardiac rehabilitation, chiropractic, medicine, physical therapy and more. Teaching some of the new courses will be a new faculty member for the program. A search is currently under way, and the new faculty member will begin teaching in Fall 2015. The multi-discip...

UPDATE: A problem with a truck’s electrical system caused it to catch fire on the loading dock of Mersen USA in St. Marys at just after noon on Monday. State police fire marshal Greg Agosti says the tractor-trailer was parked at the loading dock when the fire broke out in the engine compartment of the truck tractor and extended into the trailer. The fire continued through the trailer and caused moderate damage to the outside of the building, and slight damage to the inside. Altogether, damage is estimated at $350,000. No one was hurt. ~~~ A tractor-trailer truck caught fire at just after noon today near a loading dock at Mersen USA in St. Marys, and a state police fire marshal is trying to determine why. The fire destroyed the truck and damaged the loading dock. The truck was carrying artificial graphite. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The vocal jazz group Avante will perform at St. Bonaventure University’s Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov.15. The performance is the third concert of the 2014-15 Friends of Good Music season. Based in Durham, N.C., the eight singers of Avante will perform a unique repertoire, ranging from contemporary choral works to cutting- edge jazz with a modern flair. Routinely praised for its high standard of musicianship and unique arrangements, Avante released its debut CD “Mackie’s Back” in 2014, upon which Singers.com commented: “Avante has a confident, fresh sound, surprising arrangements and a love of creating beautiful harmonies that shows. An impressive debut album from fast-rising Avante.” The CD will be on sale at the concert. Classical Voice of North Carolina, in concert review, stated, “The vocal quality and range of all eight musicians was extraordinary.” One of Avante’s founders, noted singer and chorus director Kevin Badanes, hails from Olean a...

Governor Tom Corbett and his Democratic challenger Tom Wolf are putting in a full day of campaigning the day before tomorrow’s election. Corbett will be attending rallies in every media market in the state today, ending in his hometown of Pittsburgh. Wolf will also be in Pittsburgh, and also Lancaster. He spent the weekend in southeastern Pennsylvania, and was joined by President Barack Obama at a rally at Temple University in Philadelphia. Corbett’s running mate is current lieutenant governor Jim Cawley. Wolf’s running mate is current state Senator Mike Stack of Philadelphia. In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo is being challenged by Rob Astorino. In race for the Twin Tiers’ representatives in Washington – the incumbent Republican men in both Pennsylvania and New York are up against Democratic women. In PA, Kerith Strano Taylor is challenging Glenn Thompson. In New York, Martha Robertson is challenging Tom Reed. In Salamanca, Mayor Carmen Vechhiarella is pitted against Ronald ...

Two of the men involved in a fight near Sheetz in Port Allegany back in September have waived their preliminary hearings. 25-year-old Kyle Bonneau of Roulette, whose stab wounds required surgery, is charged with aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person and related offenses for allegedly punching 36-year-old Antwan Cunningham of Coudersport in the face until he was unconscious. 26-year-old Christopher Taylor of Port Allegany, who was with Bonneau, is charged with aggravated assault as well. Both men are free on unsecured bail. Charges against Cunningham and 18-year-old Triston Duell, also of Coudersport, were bound to McKean County Court following preliminary hearings. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Wine Enthusiast magazine has named New York “Wine Region of the Year.” Citing the quality of New York wines, the tremendous growth of the industry, and improved business climate, the state was selected over Champagne, France; Chianti, Italy; and Sonoma, California. The award will be presented at the Wine Star Awards gala dinner on January 26 at the New York Public Library. Western New York is home to a number of wine trails, including Lake Erie Wine Country – the largest grape growing region east of the Rockies, which also includes five Pennsylvania wineries. Pictured, the Johnson Estate Winery in Westfield, NY. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A man who fired several rounds from a shotgun while yelling threats, was later found to be driving with a blood alcohol content nearly 3 times the legal limit. State police say 50-year-old Michael Czarnecki of Delevan, New York, was trespassing, and the owner told him to leave, which he did. But, he came back later, fired the gun, yelled the threats, and then left again. State police found him with the gun, and soon learned his blood alcohol contest was .23 percent. Czarnecki is charged with reckless endangerment, trespassing and aggravated DWI. He’s scheduled to appear in Town of Yorkshire Court. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

State police are still investigating an incident Friday morning, when a man in a Chevy Silverado approached two 13-year-old Kersey girls and tried to lure them into the truck. The girls say they were approached at a bus top on Chicken Hill Road at around 7 a.m. and asked if they needed a ride. The silver crew cab pickup has tinted windows and a cap. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Ridgway-based state police. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

One set of charges against a man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman in Kane have been withdrawn by the district attorney’s office. 38-year-old William Pearce of Glenn Campbell, PA, had been accused of calling the 43-year-old Brookville woman more than 50 times from the McKean County Jail within a span of a few days back in September. Pearce is still jailed on the original charges of aggravated assault, aggravated indecent assault, kidnapping and terroristic threats, and his next scheduled court appearance is Thursday. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947