Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward for information leading to the arrest of whoever is responsible for several arsons, including one that resulted in the death of a firefighter. State police are investigating arsons in Jordan, Chest, Beccaria and Gulrich townships as well as the boroughs of Ramey, Irvona and Westover in Clearfield County. The fires were started between April 13 and October 25 between the hours of 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. All the fires were in abandoned or unoccupied buildings, mostly located in isolated areas. Between 10:30 p.m. October 23 and 12:12 a.m. October 24, a fire destroyed a two-story abandoned wood-framed structure off Route 36 in Westover. 41-year-old Roy Westover Jr. died after suffering a heart attack while responding to the fire. Anyone with information on these incidents is asked to call Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers at 1-800-4PA-TIPS. All callers remain anonymous. (Case #1464) fax from PA Crime Stoppers

Two University of Pittsburgh at Bradford professors have successfully defended their dissertations and earned their doctoral degrees. John Levey, assistant professor of music and director of the music program, earned his degree in composition and music theory from the University of Michigan. Soo-Rhee Ryu, visiting professor of political science, earned her degree in political science from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Levey’s composition dissertation, “Concertino,” is an extended work for flute soloist, harp and string quartet. He wrote the piece for Sarah Tiedemann, a flutist he met while earning his bachelor of music in composition at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. The two will collaborate in premiering the work this spring. In his theory dissertation, Levey examined the vocal music of Peter Lieberson, a contemporary American composer. His research centers on some of the technical changes that have occurred in Lieberson’s music d...

Anyone visiting the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s Hanley Library got quite a surprise today if they visited the facility’s second floor. The usually-quiet study area resembled an elementary classroom, complete with teachers, students and several colorful lessons and activities. The annual event, organized by Pitt-Bradford education instructor Julie Kleinberger, gives Pitt-Bradford education students the opportunity to work with second-graders from George G. Blaisdell Elementary School in a small, supervised environment. “It’s really a great opportunity for the Pitt-Bradford students to try out some of the lessons they’ve been writing,” Kleinberger said. “They observe and work in the schools throughout the year, but this gives me an opportunity to see them in action as well.” This year, Mary Gracy-Dalton brought her class of 14 students to learn language arts and math from students in Kleinberger’s educational methods classes. “My students absolutely love this,” Dalton said. “T...

An 18-year-old is facing charges for allegedly starting a fire then misleading investigators to conceal the cause. State police fire marshal Greg Agosti says Kyle Clark recklessly discarded a cigarette in a linen closet in a building owned by Mike Simanowski at 117 Williams Street on September 6. Jacqueline Laird and a 17-year-old boy were living in the apartment. No one was hurt, but the fire caused $12,300 worth of damage to the building. Clark is charged with criminal mischief and false reports to law enforcement. PSP Kane

Minard Run Oil is a spotlight business in the Fall 2009 Energy Today magazine. The article shares the Fesenmyer family legacy. You can find the article here . Thanks to the Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce for passing this along. You never know what you'll find in the chamber newsletter!

OLEAN, NY— Olean General Hospital and Bradford Regional Medical Center have taken a significant step aimed at providing greater health care opportunities in the region by integrating under a new parent company, the Upper Allegheny Health System. Approved and effective as of November 5, 2009, the integration will enable both hospitals to better respond to health care needs of the region and financial challenges that are the result of reductions in reimbursements from health insurers and payers. "The integration of our two hospitals will position us to provide even greater care and service to the 150,000 area residents who depend upon our two hospitals for health care services,” said Timothy J. Finan, President and CEO of Upper Allegheny Health System. Prior to the hospitals’ integration and formation of the parent company, Mr. Finan was President and CEO of Olean General Hospital. According to Finan, the hospitals’ integration will enhance the hospitals’ ability to introduce new an...

HARRISBURG - Attorney General Tom Corbett announced that agents from the Attorney General's Child Predator Unit have arrested a high school chemistry teacher from Ohio accused of using the Internet to sexually proposition what he believed was a 13-year old girl, along with sending sexually explicit webcam videos to the girl. Corbett identified the defendant as Robert Mark Fickenscher, 57, 105 Bryn Mawr Drive, Painesville, Ohio. Corbett said that Fickenscher allegedly used Internet chat rooms and instant message programs to approach and sexually proposition an undercover agent from the Child Predator Unit who was using the online profile of a 13-year old child. Fickenscher is also accused of sending numerous sexually explicit webcam videos to the girl. According to the criminal complaint, Fickenscher initially identified himself as a 35-year Erie man who enjoyed racing cars. He allegedly attempted to entice the girl into meeting him at a motel near her home with the promise of provi...

At least eight people have been shot in an Orlando, Florida, high-rise office building, CNN affiliates report. Watch live coverage now on http://CNN.com/Live

Listen to The Morning Buzz Monday for your chance to win tickets! Buy tickets here .

If everything goes as planned, the southbound lanes of Route 219 starting at Hillside Drive in Limestone will be opened before Thanksgiving. PennDOT says the work schedule is currently on track for opening the lanes by November 20. After the southbound lanes are open, any work performed would be done under daylight signing. Also, the anti-icing system on the Route 219/Mill Street Bridge will be activated next week. Testing will be performed on Thursday and workers will be close to the travel lane of traffic. All other restrictions and work schedules remain the same. e-mail and fax from PennDOT

HARRISBURG – Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, and Senate Democratic Leader Robert Mellow announced that they will jointly introduce a set of Rules of Ethical Conduct for the state Senate. "Events over the past several years have shown that we need to formalize a clear set of rules so that everyone understands what is permissible and what is not," Scarnati said. "The Senate Rules of Ethical Conduct are the result of months of work, and I believe they achieve that objective." "Over the past three years, we have made good progress in terms of reforming state government," Pileggi said. "It is important to continue that work to help re-establish public confidence in the Legislature, and these rules are another significant step forward." "Senators and Senate staff will know what conduct is acceptable," Mellow said. "The new rules are clear, easily understood and meaningful. They provide...

New York Governor David Paterson is calling the Legislature back to Albany for a special session to cut the budget and possibly vote on legalizing same-sex marriage. Paterson wants the Senate to give final legislative approval to same-sex marriage. But there's no guarantee there are enough votes to carry the measure, which has already passed in the Assembly. While the Legislature must attend the extraordinary session called by Paterson for Tuesday, lawmakers don't have to act on his agenda. http://www.ny.gov/governor/press/press_1105092.html

Officials at Bradford Regional Medical Center are announcing the addition of a nurse practitioner for local obstetric, gynecologic and women's health consumers. Lucinda Harden, CCRN, WHNP-BC, has joined the practice of BRMS OB/Gyn in the Suzzalo Medical Arts Building, 159 Interstate Parkway in Bradford. Ms. Harden will provide services to patients of Kenneth B. Goodrich, M.D. The medical practice, located across the street from BRMC, can be reached by calling (814) 368-5000. New patients are being accepted. Ms. Harden is a graduate in the master's degree nursing program and Women's Health Nurse Practitioner Program from the State University of New York at Buffalo in Buffalo, NY. She is certified in women's health by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and is certified in critical care nursing by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) Certification Corporation. Most recently, Ms. Harden provided critical care nursing services to patients in St...

The Portville man accused of attacking a woman in September has been indicted by a Cattaraugus County grand jury. 35-year-old William Phillips had been released from jail because his case didn't go the grand jury within 45 days of his arrest. District Attorney Ed Sharkey said he was waiting for paperwork from Georgia, where Phillips had been in jail before returning to Portville. On Thursday, Phillips was indicted on charges of second-degree kidnapping, first-degree unlawful imprisonment, third-degree criminal mischief, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and second-degree menacing. He's accused of attacking a woman after she left the Wilson Farms store on South Main Street in Portville on September 16. Phillips is a registered sex offender in New York and has a history of being a violent sex offender. He's currently not in jail. An arraignment is scheduled for Monday, according to the Cattaraugus County District Attorney's office.

The Foster Township Board of Health will be presenting an H1N1 Flu panel discussion featuring local doctors and public health leaders at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the University Room in Pitt-Bradford's Frame-Westerberg Commons. The event is free and open to the public.

Andrea Wurster and Shane Oschman rehearse a musical number for next weekend's 52nd Annual Kiwanis Kapers -- Legally Kapers. Tickets are available at all Northwest Savings Bank locations in Bradford, Graham Florist and Ott & McHenry Pharmacy. Shane was on Thursday's LiveLine talking about the show, and you can listen to that here .

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford has named five new members to its Advisory Board and reappointed 18 members. Newly elected to the board is John M. Marasco. Sara Andrews, Eric Bridges, Linda Devlin and state Rep. Matt Gabler, R.-DuBois, were named ex officio members. Also, former Congressman John E. Peterson was moved from ex officio to honorary status. All of the appointments were made by University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Mark Nordenberg. Marasco, who lives in Bradford, is senior vice president with Anderson & Kime Employee Benefits Inc. in Ridgway. He has been in the employee benefits profession for the last 17 years, starting with Blue Cross of Western New York, then working with Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Pennsylvania. He joined Anderson & Kime in 1999 and was promoted to senior vice president in 2001. He has been an active fundraising volunteer for the Bradford Family YMCA, the American Cancer Society and the Zachary Vigliotta Scholarship Fund. Andrews is...

Holiday paraphernalia from "The Christmas House" is being moved into place at its new location, Beacon Light on East Main Street.

A Bradford man has waived his preliminary hearing on burglary charges. 44-year-old Ace Ferry is accused of stealing $1,400 worth of jewelry and $1,100 in cash from a Duke Center home, then taking some of the jewelry to a pawn shop in Olean, according to papers filed in District Judge Rich Luther's office. Ferry is free on $50,000 bail.

OK. OK. I'm a Phillies fan, but I'll congratulate the Yankees' fans anyway -- especially if they enter the Tailgate at Home contest. You still have a couple more hours to enter -- and possibly win a $100 gift card from Tops.