Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

A man who thought he was having a heart attack took police on a high-speed chase on Route 59 Thursday night. Police say at 817 p.m. a US Forest Service Law Enforcement Officer was checking on a motorist parked along the road near Rimrock and found 30-year-old David Miller of Johnsonburg “in an excited state,” and learned that he thought he was having a heart attack. The officer saw what he believed to be drug paraphernalia in the vehicle and, while he was calling for help, Miller drove away toward Warren, driving at speeds up to 85 mph. State police stopped Miller just east of Route 6. Miller was taken into custody without further incident. He was taken to Warren General Hospital for treatment after complaining of difficulty breathing and chest pains, and police said charges are pending the outcomes of blood tests. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed a new law making it a crime in New York to intentionally access child pornography on the Internet. The New York Supreme Court ruled in May that the state law prohibiting possessing or procuring pornographic images of children applied to downloaded files, but did not apply to temporary files automatically stored from sites that were merely viewed. The law that took effect Friday makes it a felony for anyone who "knowingly accesses, with intent to view" any performance of a sexual act by a child younger than 16. Offenders can face up to four years in prison. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Listen to Voice of the Owls Frank Williams: Owls9712 The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A half-naked man believed to be under the influence bath salts is accused of throwing a cinder block at a state police corporal this morning, and injuring him. Police say they got a report at around 7:45 about a half-naked man walking around Route 6 in Pike Township in Potter County, and found a vehicle belonging to 36-year-old Stephen Berds of Youngstown, New York. The National Crime Information Center listed BERDS as missing and endangered. Police found Berds behind a camp, and that’s when he threw the cinder block at Cpl. Eric McKean and then tried to run away. Police used a Taser on Berds to take him into custody. The cinder block hit and injured McKean’s right forearm, but he refused medical treatment. Berds is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, resisting arrest, open lewdness and summary harassment. The charges were filed with District Judge Delores Weiss. Berds is awaiting arraignment. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The St. Bonaventure University community will hold a prayer service to honor those killed Sept. 11, 2001. The service begins at 12:50 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 11, and will be held at the university’s 9/11 Memorial, which is located adjacent to St. Joseph’s Oratory just south of Café La Verna. The memorial was moved from its original site next to Plassmann Hall due to construction of the university’s new business center. Tuesday’s program is open to the public; visitor parking is available nearby at the Magnano Centre dining complex. The prayer service will be led by Fr. Francis Di Spigno, O.F.M., executive director of University Ministries. Also participating will be the ROTC Color Guard, as well as the men’s rugby team, who will distribute prayer cards. Rob Perazza, who played rugby for St. Bonaventure, was one of three St. Bonaventure alumni killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11. The others are Amy Doherty and Father Mychal Judge, known as "The Saint of 9/11." The news lea...

A man is dead after a pickup truck hauling a load of watermelons crashed into a car this morning in Allegany County. State police say the accident happened at about 6 a.m. on Route 243 in Rushford. They say the truck went out of control and crossed into the path of a car driven by 49-year-old Tommy Coen Jr. of Angelica, who died at the scene. Police have not released the names of the pickup driver or the passenger in the truck, but did say they were treated at Olean General Hospital, then released. Police are continuing their investigation. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The City of Olean is expected to take the next step forward in developing its 500-acre Brownfields Opportunity Area. During its meeting Tuesday common council is expected to approve a resolution that would authorize Mayor Linda Witte to enter into an agreement with Bergman Associates for consulting services to update and expand the pre-nomination study prepared in 2007. Part of the area in North Olean is the 62-acre former Agway-Felmont site, which was once home to the Socony Vacuum Oil Company. In 1930 a fire caused thousands of gallons of oil to spill onto, and seep into, the ground. The state’s Brownfield Opportunity Area Program provides financial and technical assistance to municipalities to revitalize brownfield sites. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A woman is accused of stealing $7,500 from Grove Township in Cameron County. State police did not release the woman’s name, but said she is a “known female” who wrote a check from the township’s account for her own personal use. She was not authorized to write the check. Police are investigating the case as theft by failure to make required disposition of funds. They say they will release more information after they finish their investigation. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Destinations-Bradford is hosting four programs in the month of September that are FREE and open to the public. These are offered along with the general outreach offered through Community Care program. The free shared clothing closet is scheduled on both Saturday, September 8th from 9am to 12 noon and Wednesday, September 26th from 1-3pm. Gently used and new clothing is available for all ages and sexes and genders and is available to individuals and their personal household. Veggie Gardening will be held on Wednesday, September 12th at 1pm at the Destinations-Bradford office and taught by Jim Machuga. No matter what size your farm, from patio to acres, this class helps newcomers to gardening learn the basics of composting, planting, maintenance and harvesting. Gardening can aide with healthy food choices, promote physical and social activity and help persons and families cut food expenses. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People will be held on Wednesday, August 19th at 1pm ...

No parking will be permitted on School Street from McClellan to Bennett Street m Monday through Friday (9/10 to 9/14) of next week between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. The order is in effect so sidewalk reconstruction work can be done. Violators’ vehicles will be towed at the vehicle owner’s expense. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A man has pleaded guilty to stealing $210,000 worth of quarters while he worked as a parking meter mechanic for the City of Buffalo. 57-year-old James Bagarozzo of Buffalo started stealing the money back in 2003 and kept taking it until December of last year when surveillance cameras caught him doing it. The US attorney’s office says Bagarozzo intentionally damaged more than 75 parking meters to make it easier to steal the quarters inserted into the meters. He then put the quarters in bags in his car or his pants pockets. Bank employees say he regularly made deposits of $500 worth of quarters. He faces up to 10 years in prison when he’s sentenced on December 17. His co-worker, Lawrence Charles, pleaded guilty earlier this week to stealing at least $15,000 from the meters between 2007 and last year. http://www.justice.gov/usao/nyw/press/press_releases/Bagarozzo.pdf The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Harrisburg – A new state law imposing stiff penalties on motorists who ignore “road closed” or other safety warning signs and devices is now in effect, PennDOT said today. Act 114, signed on July 5 by Governor Tom Corbett, reinforces the critical need for all drivers to obey traffic control signs. The law aims to increase safety for motorists and emergency responders in areas where flooding or other hazardous conditions exist. “Too often, motorists decide their immediate needs outweigh the safety warning signs and they ignore them, which increases hazards for them and emergency responders,” said PennDOT Secretary Barry J. Schoch. “This law underscores that we take safety seriously. When motorists are confronted with emergency road closures, we urge them to use common sense and obey the signs that are placed to keep them safe.” Under the law, motorists who drive around or through signs or traffic control devices closing a road or highway due to hazardous conditions will have two points ...

By Kimberly Marcott Weinberg Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing Alex Nazemetz, director of admissions at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, always knows what time it is in Beijing, just a part of recruiting Pitt-Bradford’s largest group of international students ever. This year Pitt-Bradford is welcoming its largest group of international students ever – three times as many as came to Pitt-Bradford in 2011. As classes got under way last week, they included 32 new international students from Gambia, Germany, South Korea, Uzbekistan and Vietnam, but mostly from China. The new students – nearly 10 percent of the freshman class – bring the total number of international students on campus to 48. The learning curve for Nazemetz, who does most of the international recruitment himself, has been steep. For example, international students are often interested in different things than domestic students, things that Nazemetz has found out ...

State Rep. Matt Gabler (R-Clearfield/Elk) on Wednesday hosted a ceremony honoring the veterans who served our country during the Vietnam War era. Attending the event, which was held at VFW Post 813, 114 Fuller St., DuBois, were 126 veterans and their guests. “It is incredibly important to take time to thank the many veterans who have served our country,” Gabler said. “The sacrifices these brave men and women have made allow us to live the lives we lead and enjoy the freedoms we share as Americans.” Among those in attendance were U.S. Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-5) and state Sen. Bob Robbins (R-50), the program’s guest speaker who completed two tours of duty in Vietnam and received numerous medals for his service. Gabler also announced during the ceremony his sponsorship of legislation to recognize veterans who were exposed to the chemical defoliant known as Agent Orange during their time of service in the Vietnam War Era. “My bill designates October 2012, as ‘Agent Orange Recogn...

A Johnsonburg man is in jail on drug charges after state police executed a search warrant at his home this morning. At 6:10 a.m. police went to the 2nd Avenue home of 54-year-old Edward Joseph Pisani and found a Glock .40 caliber handgun, about 5 pounds of processed marijuana, 32 marijuana plants and drug paraphernalia, including controlled substance manufacturing equipment. District Judge Tony King arraigned Pisani on charges of unlawful manufacturing of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. His bail is set at $25,000 cash. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A convicted killer from Chautauqua County has been sentenced again in a homicide case from 11 years ago. 41-year-old Gregory Pattison has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. He pleaded guilty to reduced charges of manslaughter for the shooting deaths of Richard Alicea and Johnny Houston in the Town of Gerry back in 2001. Pattison's original murder conviction was overturned on a technicality. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A truck driver from Niagara Falls, Canada, is dead after a crash along the New York State Thruway in the Town of Pomfret earlier tonight. State Police say around 7:00 p.m. on the eastbound I-90 63-year-old John Odell drifted from the right lane across the right shoulder and hit a delineator. The truck then traveled through a culvert and came to a rest inside the tree line. Odell was pronounced dead at the scene. Police are continuing their investigation.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania today announced the return of a two-count indictment against Thomas Edward Smith, age 58, of Emporium, Pennsylvania. The indictment charges Smith with taking a motor vehicle by force and violence and using a firearm during a crime of violence. According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, the indictment alleges that on August 8, 2012 Smith pretended to be working on a car parked along a street in Emporium and flagged down an employee of Citizens & Northern Bank. He entered the vehicle and pulled out a handgun. The indictment alleges that Smith then directed the victim to drive to the Citizens & Northern Bank branch in Emporium. Smith allegedly told the victim this would be “the worst day of her life,” that the victim and the bank had taken his house away from him in a bank foreclosure, and that the victim and another bank employee were now “going to pay for it,” or words to that effect....

Three people pleaded guilty in Cattaraugus County Court this week to burglary charges. Brandon LaBorde of Olean broke into on Olean building on March 16, an Ishua building on March 22 and a Coldspring building on April 5. Alexander Carnahan broke into a Randolph building between May 5 and 6, and damaged property. Daryll Bernard of Gowanda broke into buildings in Persia and Perrysburg in September and October of last year and March of this year. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The Fall semester of the Spectrum Series at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford is packed with thought-provoking and fun plays, concerts, art exhibits and more. Spectrum, the longest running arts series at Pitt-Bradford, will open its theater season on Sept. 18 with Thaddeus Phillips’ “17 Border Crossings,” a theatrical trip around the world and through time that examines the arbitrary nature of borders and passports. The show features the real stories of adventurous border crossings and will explore events like the fall of the Berlin Wall as well as the catalyst for the Arab Spring. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. in the Studio Theater located in Blaisdell Hall. Tickets cost $6 for the public and $2 for students. Spectrum’s first featured writer of the season will be biographer and poet Molly Peacock. Peacock’s poems have appeared in The New Yorker, The Nation, The New Republic, The Paris Review and “The Best of the Best American Poetry.” She has ...