Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

By George Nianiatus, senior writer Communications Department With winter’s inevitable return, so comes the concern of people suffering from hypothermia from frequently not being dressed properly for conditions. Contrary to popular belief, hypothermia can strike as high as 55 degrees Fahrenheit when outside and even the low 60s when indoors. Bradford Regional Medical Center’s John Radford, M.D., medical director of the Emergency Department, advises people to be aware of feeling chilled or having prolonged bouts of shivering when they can’t seem to get warm. “Too often, in these cases, people are getting the early signs of hypothermia and they need to take action before it worsens and they require a visit to the Emergency Department,” Dr. Radford says. Dressing in layers, whether outside or indoors, is paramount to keeping an optimum body temperature. Multiple layers trap air between them and help the body stay warm, Dr. Radford explains. So who is at risk for hypothermia? Older adults c...

Lt. Governor Joe Scarnati Listen HERE .

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Teachers in the Bradford Area School District have a new contract. The school board approved the contract during its meeting Monday night. It runs from July 1 through June 30, 2103. Superintendent Sandra Romanowski says no one remembers having an "early bird" contact before. Board president Tim Bean says additional information will be provided at a later date. Bradford High School has a new registration guide for the next school year. It includes two new social studies classes -- pop culture in America and contemporary issues; a sports management class; and an SAT prep course. High School Principal Ken Coffman also said electives have been added in the English Department. He and Superintendent Sandra Romanowski commended lead teacher Dennis Morrisroe for completing this "major undertaking." The high school is also offering advanced placement Environmental Science for the first time and is changing the name of the "groun...

Bradford High head football coach Steve Ackerman has resigned. The Bradford Area School Board accepted Ackerman's resignation during its meeting Monday night. Ackerman didn't attend the meeting and no reason was given for his resignation. This comes on the heels of the administration's decision to not retain assistant football coach Jerry Pattison. Ackerman's resignation was effective December 4.

Normally, the governors of the states represented in the Super Bowl place a friendly wager on the game. But if the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers both make it to the big game, who will Governor Ed Rendell make that wager with? Well, Rendell and Lieutenant Governor Joe Scarnati are from different political parties – and they also have different loyalties when it comes to football. Scarnati tells WESB and The HERO that, because Rendell is a Philadelphia native, if it's a Steelers-Eagles Super Bowl, there's no doubt in his mind the governor will be rooting for the Eagles. "I'll be more than glad to take up the banner for the Pittsburgh Steelers," Scarnati says. "I think we can have some friendly wager," Scarnati says. "I'm not quite sure what that might be yet, but the governor and I will come up with something that I think will be fun for everybody to watch." My suggestion was to have the governor wave a Terrible Towel while eati...

Given the weather forecast for the rest of the week, this crime is somewhat understandable. A Buffalo woman has reported that someone stole 30 pairs of thermal underwear from her home. She says the theft happened sometime during the past week and the underwear was taken from an upstairs bedroom of her house.

A Dunkirk boy is dead after what authorities are calling a tragic accident. The 6-year-old was found Sunday afternoon hanging from a piece of furniture in his living room after he was apparently strangled with some kind of bungee cord. The county coroner says the death is not suspicious, and that preliminary tests suggest the cause of death is asphyxiation. The boy's name has not been released yet.

Bradford District Ranger Anthony Scardina has closed camping at the Willow Bay Recreation Area for a temporary time period. Willow Bay Recreation Area is operated under a special use permit by a concessionaire and this permit expired at the end of 2008. The Forest Service is in the process of selecting concessionaires for a new special use permit and until selections are made, camping will be closed at Willow Bay. The boat launch parking area will remain open for ice fishermen. A tentative timeframe to allow camping again would be early spring. Questions may be addressed to Curt Bowley or Tonika Goins at 814/362-4613.

Attorney General Tom Corbett today announced that Pennsylvania, along with 33 other states, have reached a $3.35 million consumer protection agreement with Texas-based Dell, Inc., ("Dell") and its subsidiary, Dell Financial Services L.L.P. ("DFS"), addressing concerns about promotional financing offers and rebates, along with warranty and repair services. Corbett said the Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection received numerous complaints from consumers who believed they were purchasing Dell products with zero-percent promotional financing, or other low-interest offers, only to discover that they were charged much higher rates because they failed to qualify for the promotional offer. Consumers also complained that they never received their promised rebates and that Dell failed to honor warranties when they had problems with their computers. "Special financing rates and other promotional offers can have a major impact on consumers' decisions a...

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A key government witness in former state Sen. Vincent Fumo's corruption trial has been e-mailing Fumo and blogging under a pseudonym, federal prosecutors announced Monday — a bombshell that could bring the three-month trial to a halt. The development came the very day former Senate computer technician Leonard "Lenny" Luchko was expected on the stand. For more, go to pennlive.com .

For more than two decades, they've been out of public view, feared lost, feared destroyed, feared - at the least - grotesquely faded or damaged. But from a cluster of nondescript plastic tubs stuck in an out-of-the-way storage room in the bowels of a Center City office tower, they were ferreted out at last, still bright and essentially unmarred. And now, for the first time since the mid-1980s, the vanished Alexander Calder banners - part of one of the greatest public art legacies in Philadelphia history - will be on public view until March at the Central Branch of the Free Library on Logan Square. For the full story, go to philly.com .

To the Steelers and the Eagles: THANK YOU! One more game, guys.

John Benson, creator of My Eternal Journal.com .

Thank you Mayor Riel . I'm adding his wife Janel, who along with creating the world's greatest salad, is very nice. I agree with the person who named Mrs. Pionzio, too! If you haven't added a name or names to the list yet, what are you waiting for? Talk About Bradford . (You can add 'em here, too.) Updating to say -- Kim, you and your family are on my list, too -- as are Dennis and Dawn Morrisroe & family, Shane, Barb and Roy Pedersen and Ron Johnson. And I'm adding Nanci Garris, Marty Causer (having an office here counts, doesn't it?) and Bob Onuffer & family.

By SANDRA RHODES Allegheny National Forest Vacation Bureau For a more than 120 years, the Kinzua Viaduct, in one form or another, stood the test of time, spanning across the Kinzua Gorge in McKean County. This engineering marvel, however, came crashing down after it was hit by a F1 tornado in 2003. Now, the Allegheny National Forest Vacation Bureau is calling on you to keep the memory of the Kinzua Viaduct alive. The Vacation Bureau, which promotes tourism to McKean County, is searching for artifacts of either viaduct, the original one constructed in 1882 or the steel replacement erected in 1900. The Vacation Bureau is currently working on an interpretive plan with Imperial Multimedia in Wisconsin and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for exhibits and displays that will be part of the new interpretive/discovery center that will be located at the Kinzua Bridge State Park. “We are very excited that this project is moving forward,” said Linda Devlin, execut...

Photographer Leo J. Szczesny (c)2009 from Coudersport took this picture across from Foster Brook Boulevard over the weekend.

WESB's Week in Review for January 4-10, 2009

TITUSVILLE, Pa. (AP) — If Jerry Schill has his way, 2009 will be the year when everyone knows where the legend of John Heisman got its start. Schill, the executive director of the Titusville Area Chamber of Commerce, has been working to spread the word about the legendary college football coach's connection to the city since Schill assumed his job in July 2007. For the full story, go to pennlive.com .

The mayors of Pittsburgh and San Diego have their own unique wager on the Steelers-Chargers playoff game. If the Chargers lose, Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl will send San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders a Steelers cap, jersey and pair of skis. Sanders must send Ravenstahl a photo of himself in the gear while holding the skis at the Sea World Penguin Encounter. If the Steelers lose, Ravenstahl must wear Chargers swim trunks and a jersey and pose with a surfboard next to one of the city's three rivers.

How cool is THIS ? Well, I think it's cool and I maintain the blog, so there ya go.