Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

A federal judge has refused to dismiss charges of conspiracy and tax evasion against Adelphia Founder John Rigas and his son Timothy Rigas. The charges are separate from the fraud charges on which they were prosecuted in New York. "In the New York action, the Rigases were charged with agreeing to conceal from investors, analysts and lenders the failing financial condition of Adelphia," District Judge John E. Jones III wrote. "In this action, the Rigases are charged with agreeing to avoid paying income taxes. These two different objectives mark two different conspiracies." John Rigas is serving 12 years in prison and Timothy Rigas, once Adelphia's chief financial officer, is serving 17 years following their 2004 New York convictions on charges including conspiracy, bank fraud and securities fraud. The Rigases argued that their acquittal on wire fraud and conspiracy charges in New York means they did not scheme to defraud the company by diverting funds for persona...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Our meteorologist and Betty Jane Monjar were right. Saturday was the annual Betty Jane Monjar Garden Walk and, according to tour committee member Becky Ryan, Monjar said the second weekend July is the least likely to rain and gardens are at their most beautiful. Ryan said Monjar kept track of the Bradford weather for many years, so when she, Janet Detweiler and Debbie Lowrey decided to start the garden tour, they picked the second weekend in July. "We've never been rained out," Ryan said. "Ever." Even the koi in Dan and Sandy O'Brien's garden pond seemed to enjoy the weather. The O'Brien's backyard "sanctuary" was one of three stops on the annual garden walk. Before the walk, people enjoyed lunch and a mini-symposium at the First Presbyterian Church. The speaker was Tom Parsons of Pittsburgh. As for the scientific forecast, News 4 Meteorologist Mike Cejka said Saturday would be mostly sunny with ...

Three men face charges in relation to an illegal gambling ring in Jefferson and Cambria counties. Police say thousands of dollars were involved, with bets on the lottery and various sporting events. Jefferson County officials received permission in March to wiretap the phone lines of Robert Juliette, of Punxsutawney. Over the next few weeks, they said Juliette worked on the operation with two other men, Robert Boast of Johnstown and Jeff Papalia of North Carolina. Police raided Juliette's home in April and took several notebooks, including a list of his alleged clients. Police say more arrests are possible.

Former White House press secretary Tony Snow has died at the age of 53 after a second battle with cancer. Snow, who had been undergoing chemotherapy treatments for a recurrence of the disease, left his White House job September. 14, 2007, and joined CNN as a conservative commentator. More from CNN

A dog died, but no people were hurt, in a fire Friday afternoon on Parkside Drive in Limestone. Two rooms in the home of Don and Grace Weaver were severely damaged by fire. The rest of the house had smoke and water damage. Twenty-five firefighters were on the scene for about an hour and a half. The fire has been ruled accidental.

Governor Ed Rendell has named a 30-year Pennsylvania State Police veteran to serve as the acting state police commissioner. Rendell said Friday that Lt. Col. Frank Pawlowski would temporarily assume the post being vacated by Col. Jeffrey Miller. The appointment takes effect August 9. Palowski enlisted in the state police in 1978 and has served as the agency's deputy commissioner of operations since March 2007. Miller is leaving his post next month to become the NFL's director of strategic security. The job is a new position that will cover all aspects of stadium security from fan behavior to signal stealing.

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director If you were wondering who stopped the rain Friday, the answer is CCR. Creedence Clearwater Revisited lead singer John Tristao made a reference to the classic Creedence Clearwater Revival song "Who'll Stop the Rain" during the band's performance Friday night as part of the Seneca Allegany Casino free outdoor concert series. That wasn't the only classic the band played during the hour and a half long show. They rocked the crowd with "Suzie Q," and "Midnight Special," and also played "Lodi," "Down on the Corner" and "There's a Bathroom on the Right." What? You say it's "Bad Moon Rising?" Yeah. Right. Anyway, name a favorite CCR song and they probably played it. From people in their 80s to babies in strollers, everyone seemed to enjoy the show on a night that turned out to be perfect – complete with a spectacular sunset -- for an outdoor concert. Toddlers dan...

The world famous Zippo Car is celebrating its 10th Anniversary on Saturday, July 19 beginning at 3 p.m. at the Zippo/Case Visitors Center. Highlighting the celebration will be the release of the 10th Anniversary Zippo Car Collectible. This limited edition lighter commemorates the 10th Anniversary of the unveiling of the Zippo Car, with a double sided surface imprint of the Zippo Car on a high polish chrome Zippo windproof lighter. Only 1,500 of these consecutively numbered commemorative lighters were produced. Also making its Bradford debut will be the new Zippo Mobile Exhibit. The Mobile Exhibit is equipped with video screens and over 2,000 historical and current lighters. This is definitely something to see! Everyone is invited to come join in the celebration and pick up their piece of history! Pictures of the Zippo Car Collectible

ST. BONAVENTURE, July 11, 2008 - Sr. Margaret Carney, O.S.F., S.T.D., St. Bonaventure University president, and Fr. Michael F. Cusato, O.F.M., director of the Franciscan Institute and dean of the School of Franciscan Studies, invite the public to attend a series of public events highlighting The Feast of St. Bonaventure, commencing on July 13. The dates, times, and events of the celebration are: Sunday, July 13: * 5 p.m. - Evening prayer service, University Chapel, Doyle Hall * 5:30 - 7 p.m. - An Academic Roundtable, Robert R. Jones Board of Trustees Room, Doyle Hall A presentation of former Doino Visiting Professor of Franciscan Studies, Dr. Jacques Dalarun's, latest book, "Towards a Resolution of the Franciscan Question: The Umbrian Legend of Thomas of Celano." Monday, July 14: * 4:30 p.m. - First Walk-Through of the Rare Books Wing of the Friedsam Memorial Library Brief presentations by Sr. Margaret Carney, O.S.F., and Dr. Paul Spaeth, director of Friedsam Memorial L...

A state senator has been acquitted of perjury, reckless endangerment and gun counts. A jury cleared Republican state Sen. Robert Regola of any wrongdoing in the death of a 14-year-old neighbor. The freshman lawmaker is running for re-election. He had been charged with perjury, reckless endangerment and allowing a minor to illegally possess a gun. Prosecutors had said Regola should be held accountable for lies he told during a coroner's inquest. They also claimed the 9 mm handgun essentially belonged to son Bobby Regola. The neighbor used Regola's gun to shoot himself in July 2006. A coroner ruled the death a suicide. Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati released the following statement: “This is welcome news and quite frankly news I fully expected all along,” Scarnati stated. “From the get go, this has been nothing more than a political vendetta against Bob Regola and I am pleased the jury saw it for what it was. Now that the verdict is in, I am hopeful that the Regola famil...

These cancer survivors sit on their float during Kane's Relay for Life parade Thursday. In the following pictures, relay teams and others get ready to march in the parade. Moments before the largest parade to hit Kane in years, teams gathered, survivors mounted a float decorated in the colors of cancer, Miss Relay contestants, Kane's Prince and Princess, and other dignitaries got in their convertibles, fire trucks, motocylists, ice cream and winery trucks fell in line to launch the 8th annual Kane Area Relay. The survivor and luminary ceremonies and kickoff are Friday night at the Kane Area High School Track. 18 teams are participating this year. The 24 hour relay event is a celebration after a year of fundraising which ends Saturday morning. This year's fundraising goal for Kane is $40K. Barry and Shirley Morgan of Kane planned the well received parade. They also championed community wide fundraising efforts raising well over $5K for the overall Kane Area Relay. They...

Work continues Friday afternoon on the Kennedy Street portion of the Bradford Streetscape Project. Although the street is closed, all the buisnesses are still opened.

Navy Seaman Recruit Reno P. Mitchell, a 2006 graduate of Smethport High School, Smethport, Pa., recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. During the eight-week program, Mitchell completed a variety of training which included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and shipboard and aircraft safety. An emphasis was also placed on physical fitness. The capstone event of boot camp is "Battle Stations". This exercise gives recruits the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the fleet. "Battle Stations" is designed to galvanize the basic warrior attributes of sacrifice, dedication, teamwork and endurance in each recruit through the practical application of basic Navy skills and the core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment. Its distinctly ''Navy'' flavor was designed to take into account what it means to be a Sailor.

A Jefferson County woman got a shock last night – literally. Mary Kay Thompson was opening a refrigerator door when a bolt of lightening shattered a tree in her yard, sent a current of electricity through the refrigerator and her. She says she could feel the electricity coming out of her toes, and she was numb for several hours. Thompson suffered only a small burn on her arm.

Most students attending the University of Pittsburgh will pay a little bit more for tuition next year. The university's trustees today approved tuition increases of between 2 and 6 percent as part of the school's $1.7 billion budget for next year. In-state students attending Pitt's main campus will pay 6 percent more, while out-of-state students will see a 4 percent increase. In-state students at the school's four regional campuses will pay 4 percent more, while out-of-state students at those campuses will pay 2 percent more. Besides Bradford, the regional campuses are in Johnstown, Titusville and Greensburg.

Ridgway/Cyclone Pa. (July 11, 2008) PENNDOT ELK / MCKEAN County Has announced work for the week of July 14, 2008 through July 18, 2008. Maintenance work planned by McKean County employees includes: Ø REPAIR DRAINAGE – SR 6, Port Allegany to Smethport, Clermont Ø CRAFCOING – SR 59, Tack Inn to Bingham Road – SR 1006, Bells Run Ø SHOULDER CUTTING – SR 6, Mount Jewett to Smethport Ø BRIDGE REPAIRS – SR 246, Rixford Area Ø CUT BRIDGE – SR 6, Warren County Line to Kane Ø SIGN REPAIRS – Various Routes, County wide Ø INSTALL CROSSPIPES – SR 6, Port Allegany to Smethport Ø REPAIR GUIDE RAILS – Various Routes, County Wide Maintenance work planned by Elk County employees includes: Ø CRACK SEALING – SR 948, Kersey Area – SR 949, Ridgway Area – SR 4002, Evergreen Drive – SR 4001, Grant Road Ø SHOULDER CUTTING – SR 948, Kersey ...

On May 5, 1933, Governor Pinchot signed a law that made Mountain-Laurel the state flower. The mountain-laurel’s stunning, but short, display of beauty is worthy of becoming the Keystone state’s flower. Over the last month, we’ve all admired the beauty of the mountain-laurel, but it has other values within the Allegheny ecosystem that deserve our recognition, too. Animals that associate with mountain-laurel include white-tailed deer, eastern screech owl, black bear, ruffed grouse, turkeys, snowshoe hare, and song birds. Black bears are known to den in "ground nests" in mountain-laurel thickets. Snowshoe hare, ruffed grouse, and warblers hide in the dense thickets. Many a hunter has waited in anticipation just outside a clearing in the laurel for a tom turkey to ‘spit and drum’ close enough for a shot. Mountain-laurel's leaves, buds, flowers, and fruits are poisonous, and may be lethal to livestock and humans. However, white-tailed deer, eastern cottontails, black ...

Washington, DC – U.S. Representatives Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) and John Peterson (R-Pa.), have joined forces to develop and promote a comprehensive energy plan that will fuel the American economy rather than fueling partisan debate. The two representatives will announce a bipartisan working group of House Members on Tuesday, July 15. The working group will include a diverse group of rank-and-file Republican and Democratic Members from across the nation who share one interest: A comprehensive, environmentally responsible energy plan for the American people. Abercrombie and Peterson have worked together for years addressing our energy crisis and have promoted responsible domestic energy production, conservation, and investment in renewable and alternatives energy sources – all components of becoming energy independent. They issued the following statement: “If we remain locked in opposing political positions instead of working together to find real solutions, it will be a death struggl...

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The head of the state Department of Environmental Protection plans to step down next week. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Kathleen McGinty has resigned and will leave office July 18. Gov. Ed Rendell's office won't comment on the report, saying it will have an announcement about McGinty later. Her representatives didn't immediately return a message left by The Associated Press. McGinty has led the department for five years. She has pushed for energy conservation and renewable energy sources, and worked to attract green businesses to the state. McGinty's resignation letter does not indicate her future plans. The environmental group Penn Future praises McGinty for helping the state pass a $625 million bond for environmental cleanup.

Mr. Yuk now has his own biographer. Tim Ziaukas, associate professor of public relations at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, presented a paper titled “Mr. Yuk is Mean … The Biography of an American Icon” at the Visual Communications Conference last month in Lake Tahoe, Nev. In the 1970s, children in Pittsburgh were inadvertently ingesting poison at a rate higher than the national average, Ziaukas explained. Health officials eventually determined that this tragedy was occurring, at least in part, because of confusion caused by the beloved logo of the hometown baseball team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, which used the skull and crossbones – a centuries-old image for danger or poison. The Jolly Roger, as the skull and crossbones is called, progressed from being the calling card of pirates to a symbol meaning “poison.” But to the minds of children in Pittsburgh, the frightening symbol meant one thing – baseball, Ziaukas said. In the early 1970s, medical and communication professionals ...