Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Graduation ceremonies for eight students in the School of Radiography at Bradford Regional Medical Center (BRMC) were held Thursday, Aug. 13, in the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s Commons Building. The students received diplomas for successfully completing the 24-month course which prepares graduates to serve as radiologic technologists in various types of medical imaging facilities. This is the 30th graduating class. The graduates are Alixandra Mallery of Kane, Nathan Jones of Horseheads, N.Y., Laura Reed of Wellsville, N.Y., Rabecca Chase of Franklinville, N.Y., Ricky Bee Jr. of Olean, N.Y., Jeremy Zetts of Bradford, and Emily Rieder and Kristin Braun, both of St. Marys. Additionally, all eight graduates have already passed their credentialing exam administered by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists. “As a 1982 graduate of this program, I have had the privilege to work with many classes over the years. The class of 2009 has been exceptional, both clinically and ...

Tuna Crossroads will be open to traffic again starting next week. Also next week in the Route 219 Bradford Bypass project, Holly Avenue access will be restricted to left turns only to South Kendall Avenue. PennDOT doesn't anticipate any other changes to the current traffic pattern. All work is weather dependant. Emailed from Joshua Maines, PennDOT

Valu Home Center in Bradford has raised nearly $4,000 for the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity. For the past couple of months, Valu has been running a promotion – to give away a 2009 Ford Focus – that would benefit the organization. In the past, Bradford's Valu raised about $2,000 that went to other Habitat chapters. This year, they raised $3,736. Habitat's first project will be building a house at 47 Interstate Parkway. They expect to break ground next spring.

Two FCI-McKean inmates are getting more time in jail for trying to escape from the institution. 36-year-old Anthony Howard has been sentenced to additional seven months on the escape charge. Howard left the grounds of the prison camp without permission and was placed back into custody upon his return to the camp. 22-year-old Patrick Akins will spend an additional 10 months in jail. Akins left the grounds of the prison camp without permission and was picked up off the prison grounds by Bradford Township Police. from the office of US Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan

Bradford native Zach Foster is one of three members of the State College Spikes named to represent the National League in the New York-Penn League All-Star Game. Foster, a right-handed pitcher, who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 49th round of the 2008 draft, is currently 2-0 with a 1.10 ERA in 13 relief appearances with the Spikes. The other two players are infielder Brock Holt and right-handed pitcher Phillip Irwin. The game is Tuesday at Medlar Field in State College. emailed from Dan Hart, Pittsburgh Pirates

A new 103-bed residence hall is not the only construction project on the drawing board at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. In addition to the new residence hall and 102 new parking spaces, the university is finishing a $2.5-million electrical upgrade, will begin work this fall on the $2.5-million Harriett B. Wick Chapel and will renovate the science laboratories in Fisher Hall at an estimated cost of at least $4.5 million. “Given the severe downturn in the local economy, these capital projects come at a good time because of the additional jobs they bring to the community,” said Dr. Livingston Alexander, president. None of the building projects, Alexander said, would be possible without the electrical upgrade, begun in early June. “The upgrade of the electrical infrastructure on our campus will add much needed electrical capacity and protect our campus from the power outages that have become commonplace on our campus and througho...

Senator Catharine Young (R,I,C – Olean) today awarded New York State's highest military honor - the Conspicuous Service Cross - to Brandon Rethmel of Olean during a special ceremony at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Rethmel, 22, is a Specialist with U.S. Army’s 4th Infantry Division and was severely wounded only 14 days after being stationed in Afghanistan. “It is my privilege to make this special trip to honor Brandon and to say – on behalf of our state – thank you,” said Sen. Young. “Brandon is a true hero and we must always remember the sacrifices that the men and women of the armed services make on our behalf. This medal is one small way that we as a state can show our appreciation and tell him that his efforts will never be forgotten” Specialist Rethmel was deployed to Afghanistan on June 8th - it was his first deployment overseas. On June 21st, his base was attacked with a barrage of rockets by enemy forces. He was critically injured during the skirmish...

By Tom Missel Director of Media Relations/Marketing The first major exhibition of the work of 20th century art deco muralist and mosaicist, painter and decorative artist Hildreth Meiére will open a 10-month exhibition Sept. 4 at The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at St. Bonaventure University. The exhibition, “Walls Speak: The Narrative Art of Hildreth Meiére,” will, for the first time, bring together in one exhibition the sketches, studies in gouache, full-scale cartoons and models of the work of Meiére, who created pieces for churches, government and commercial buildings, world’s fairs, restaurants and cocktail lounges, and even ocean liners in a career that spanned five decades. The university has published a full-color, 112-page catalog, which is available to the public, to accompany the exhibition. Meiére, who died in 1961, had more than 100 major commissions from leading architects for projects throughout the United States. Her major existing works include the vestibule dome...

By Kimberly Marcott Weinberg Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will build a new residence hall to house more of its burgeoning student population on campus. Pending final approval by the University of Pittsburgh Board of Trustees, the 103-bed hall will be built in the center of campus, across the Campus Drive loop from the Fisher Hall science building, and will be ready for students next fall. “With four consecutive years of record growth in student enrollments, it became inevitable that we’d have to build another residence hall, the third in a five-year period,” said Dr. Livingston Alexander, president. As of last week, the university was expecting another record-breaking year for enrollment with 1,582 full- and part-time students enrolled, which is an increase of 8.6 percent over last year’s numbers at this time. “We exceeded our housing capacity more than two years ago, and all summer we’...

A Sugar Grove woman tells police someone shot and killed her dog sometime between 7 and 10 o'clock on the night of August 3. Courtney Chamberlain's dog was a German shepherd-husky mix. Police don't know what kind of gun was used to kill the dog. Anyone with information is asked to call Warren County Crime Stoppers at (800) 832-7463. fax from Warren County Crime Stoppers

Cable Hollow Road in Warren County will have a lane restriction for another day. The road had been closed in both directions from Akely Road in Pine Grove Township to Scandia Road in Elk Township due to flooding and debris on the road. PennDOT says the road is expected to re-open with two unrestricted lanes by 4 p.m. Thursday. In the interim, a stop sign is located at each end of the washed-out area to allow one car at a time to travel through. PennDOT says the road has major embankment erosion with unstable pavement conditions and some loss of pavement. from PennDOT

Two people escaped injury in a crash Tuesday at the intersection of Pine Street and East Allegany Avenue in Emporium. State police say a car driven by 18-year-old Kevin Eckenroad of Emporium didn't yield for an SUV driven by 84-year-old Mary Rodich of Emporium and the vehicles collided. Rodich's vehicle had to be towed from the scene. Police are continuing their investigation. faxed by Emporium-based state police

Legendary guitarist and innovator Les Paul has died. He was 94. Among Paul's creations are multitrack recording, tape delay and the solid-body guitar that bears his name -- the Gibson Les Paul. For more, go to CNN.com

OLEAN -- The Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting a raffle for their Greater Olean Area Outdoor and Recreation Sports Show. The raffle includes a chance to win a 2009 Suzuki KingQuad 400 4x4 plus these great prizes: CUTCO Ultimate Set, 32 piece cutlery set with oak storage block (Retail Value $1999); KA-BAR Fixed Blade Hunter and KA-BAR Swing Guard Knives (Retail Value $600); KA-BAR Elephant Toe and KA-BAR Pig Sticker Knives (Retail Value $525); KA-BAR Becker Extreme and KA-BAR Becker Necker Carbon Stainless Metal Knives (Retail Value $450). Prizes were supplied by the show’s platinum sponsors: Charlie’s Cycle Center, Limestone, NY; CUTCO Cutlery Corporation, Olean, NY; and Ka-Bar Knives, Olean, NY. Tickets are available for a chance to win the KingQuad and a host of items from KA-BAR and CUTCO Corporation and are $20 with a limit of 1,000 tickets to be sold. The drawing will be announced on Sunday, September 13. Tickets are available to purchase before the event at...

Lisa’s Hairport is planning some special activities to coincide with the Festa Italiana which will be held on Festival Way in Downtown Bradford. On Friday, August 14 at 7 p.m. there will be a performance by the Bradford Flames Gymnastics team. DJ Lenny will be playing music from 5 to 10 p.m. There will also be face painting activities, hair art (which will involve beading and spray paint designs in the hair) and chair massages. All activities will be held in the Lisa’s Hairport parking lot on the corner of Main Street and Festival Way.

WASHINGTON -- Rising gas prices, combined with the economic downturn are making people more vulnerable to changes in oil prices, according to new analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council. The report also shows that many states are taking significant steps to reduce oil dependence through smart clean-transportation policies. "Especially with today's economic challenges, Americans face a growing threat from our nation's dangerous addiction to oil," said Deron Lovaas, NRDC's transportation policy director. "This report shows how important it is for states to promote clean energy policies that will reduce our dependence on oil, while also reducing global warming pollution." The report, "Fighting Oil Addiction: Ranking States' Oil Vulnerability and Solutions for Change," provides a detailed look at how oil prices impact consumers and ways in which smart policies can help break states' addiction to oil. According to the report, the t...

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is studying plans to deal with the state's 814 area code, which is quickly running out of phone numbers. The PUC projects the area code will run out of numbers sometime in 2012. One option the PUC is considering is assigning a new area code to all new phone numbers added in the area after a certain date. Another option is splitting the area that 814 covers and assigning a new area code for part of the region. Anyone interested in commenting on the changes must contact the PUC by September 8. from the PUC

MEADVILLE – The Department of Environmental Protection has executed a consent order and agreement with U.S. Energy Development Inc. of Getzville, NY that allows the company to resume drilling activities in northwestern Pennsylvania while limiting the number of active well sites. U.S. Energy also paid a $200,000 civil penalty to DEP. “The agreement is structured to ensure both immediate and continuing environmental compliance and allows U.S. Energy the opportunity to resume operations under a structured format,” said DEP Regional Director Kelly Burch. “As part of the agreement, U.S. Energy will operate under an environmental management plan that will serve as a blueprint for future compliance and development.” The agreement documents the settlement of the cease-and-desist order that DEP issued against U.S. Energy July 10. The July order cited continued and numerous violations by U.S. Energy of the Oil and Gas Act, the Clean Streams Law, and the Solid Waste Management Act. Some of the ...

ALBANY - Senator Catharine Young (R,I,C – Olean) and representatives from the Brocton American Legion, Post 434 today announced that the “The Moving Wall”, the nation’s official moving Vietnam Veterans Memorial, will be in Brocton from September 10th – 14th. The honored visit, sponsored by the Brocton American Legion, pays tribute to those veterans that returned from Vietnam. “We are honored that The Moving Wall will visit our community and appreciate the efforts of Post 434 in bringing this very special experience to Brocton,” said Senator Young. “The memorial helps to bring healing to veterans, families and friends of those who died or are missing in Vietnam, especially those who may not have the opportunity to see the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC.” “It is a great honor to be chosen to host the Moving Wall,” said David Travis, Chairman of The Moving Wall Committee. “It is our intent to present the Wall in such a way as to preserve the solemn nature of the memorial while...

SWAIN, N.Y. – The operators of Ski Denton in Coudersport, Pa. and owners of Swain Recreation Center, LLC announced today that they have reached an agreement to lease Swain Resort with the intention of completing an acquisition of the resort as soon as feasibly possible. Under terms of the lease agreement, Ski Denton owners Scott and Jodi Carts and Shawn and Celeste Schoonover will continue ski operations at Swain Resort with the intention of completing the purchase of the resort in the near term and transforming it into a four-season family destination. Ski Denton is located 65 miles south of Swain. Swain Resort has been in business for 62 years and is one of the oldest continuously operating ski areas in New York State. In April of this year, Swain Resort operator Ski and Snowboard Area Management, LLC owners Philip Saunders and David Flaum announced that, due to economic concerns, they would close Swain resort if they could not find a buyer or reach a suitable operating agreement ...