Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

HARRISBURG – Today, Pennsylvania House Appropriations Chairman Bill Adolph (R-Delaware County) introduced House Bill 1437, the House Republican budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2013-14. The proposal spends $28.3 billion, which is a $578 million or 2.1 percent increase over the current fiscal year. “The House budget proposal outlines priorities related to education, health and human services, environmental protection, public safety, job creation and government transparency,” Adolph said. “We are recommending a $100 million increase for basic education; supporting the governor’s priority to put 300 new state troopers on the streets; restoring funding for programs that deal with diseases like diabetes, ALS and epilepsy; providing funding for county conservation districts; and increasing funding for the Office of Open Records.” According to Adolph, the most recent preliminary revenue estimate prepared by the Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) on May 1 was used as the starting point to...

We had them last night (and into the morning) on our Facebook page: http://facebook.com/1490wesb It's quicker that way, and gives our awesome fans/friends a chance to help with the updates. Here's a recap: The severe thunderstorms that pounded the Twin Tiers last night knocked down some trees and caused some flooding that left debris on many area roads. A tornado warning was issued for the Bradford area, and was in effect until 10:30 p.m. Although no funnels clouds touched down in the immediate area, a funnel cloud was spotted near Youngsville, where trees were knocked down for a quarter of a mile. One, possibly two, funnel clouds did touch down in Erie County. The heavy rain here caused a large sinkhole near the intersection of Interstate Parkway and Parkway Lane, as well as flooding throughout the city and in Foster, Bradford and Otto townships. A tree fell into a house on Dennis Lane off West Washington Street, and other trees were reported near Marilla Reservoir and...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Smile, you’re on “Candid Camera.” Well, you will be after the much-talked-about security cameras are installed in downtown Bradford. City Council on Tuesday opened three bids for the cameras. Police Chief Chris Lucco will review the bids and council is expected to award the contract during its June 11 meeting. The cameras are being paid for with private donations, not tax dollars. An East Washington Street business owner asked if businesses not on Main Street and its side streets will be able to hook into the city’s system once it’s installed. Mayor Tom Riel said other business owners and church leaders have asked the same question and the answer is, yes, they will be able to connect to the system. On the other end of the spectrum, city resident Ben Palagonia asked if there has been an increase in crime in the city to make the cameras necessary. “I haven’t felt unsafe,” he said of walking in Bradford at night. “I feel more unsafe walki...

MEADVILLE -- The Department of Environmental Protection is considering an expansion of the current Lake Erie coastal zone to a larger, watershed-based area to encompass all Pennsylvania watersheds that flow into Lake Erie. This June, DEP will seek public input on the proposed expansion during several public listening sessions in the Lake Erie watershed. There are three listening sessions scheduled: June 18 at 9 a.m. in the Springboro Community Center, June 18 at 6:30 p.m. in the Girard Township Building, and June 19 at 3:00 p.m. in the Blasco Library in Erie. “Expanding Lake Erie’s coastal zone would create new opportunities for grant-funded improvements in the Lake Erie watershed,” DEP Northwest Regional Director Kelly Burch said. “We are pleased to offer an opportunity for residents to comment on this important proposal.” In 2011, the local Lake Erie Advisory Committee asked DEP’s Coastal Resources Management Program (CRMP) to study and consider an expanded watershed boundary. Si...

HARRISBURG — The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has adopted new rules that will, for the first time, require uniform policies, procedures and standards of conduct for constables across the state when they are assigned court business. “There was a need for these rules, policies and procedures, and the Supreme Court has taken a critical step in establishing uniformity for constables who provide services to the judiciary,” Chief Justice Castille said. “Constables who want to work for the courts will need to adhere to the rules with regard to qualifications, education, standards of conduct, and security and vehicle requirements as well as any local policies and procedures enacted by president judges.” The new rules of Judicial Administration and the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System Constable Policies, Procedures and Standards of Conduct were based on the recommendations of a workgroup established by the Supreme Court to improve the constable system in Pennsylvania. The recomm...

Chris Mackowski, associate professor of journalism and mass communication at St. Bonaventure University, has co-authored three new Civil War books published this month. Two of the books, “A Season of Slaughter: The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House” and “The Last Days of Stonewall Jackson,” are part of the Emerging Civil War Series. They follow Mackowski’s first book in the series, “Simply Murder: The Battle of Fredericksburg,” released last December. The third book released in May is a longer hardcover, “Chancellorsville’s Forgotten Front: The Battles of Second Fredericksburg and Salem Church.” All three books, co-authored with Mackowski’s longtime writing partner, Kristopher White, are available from publisher Savas Beatie LLC. The books in the Emerging Civil War Series are designed to be reader-friendly overviews of some of the Civil War’s most important battles and stories, with a focus on storytelling, Mackowski says. “The Civil War is America’s great story,”...

PHILADELPHIA, May 28, 2013 – Give Philadelphia the legal authority to go after property and business owners who fail to pay their taxes so we stop robbing students of a quality education, state Sen. Mike Stack today said. With new tools, the city and other municipalities would be able to increase funding for education and the School District of Philadelphia would not be fighting to find the money to close a blistering $300 million budget hole, he said. Stack (D-Philadelphia) today stood with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers to unveil a five-bill proposal that would give the city the power to collect $380 million in back property and business income and receipts taxes. “It is wrong that delinquent property and business owners are playing a big part in the starvation of Philadelphia school students and teachers,” Stack said during a press conference at the front entrance of Abraham Lincoln High School on Ryan Avenue. “It’s equally wrong that the city lacks the legal mu...

BELLEFONE – U.S. Representative Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson, R-Howard, joined by advocates from the disabilities community, today held a press conference for the unveiling of H.R. 2123, the Special Needs Trust Fairness Act of 2013, legislation to remove current barriers that prevent individuals with disabilities from independently creating a special needs trust. The event took place at the Sight Loss Support Group of Central Pennsylvania in State College, Pa. “The mission of the Sight Loss Support Group is to help people overcome these emotional and physical challenges in order to help them live independently,” stated Rep. Thompson. “And that’s just what we’re here to speak about – individual independence, and making sure that public policy is a tool, not a barrier, in achieving this goal.” Under current law, individuals with disabilities must have a legal guardian or the courts create a special needs trust, even though they may have the mental capacity to do so themselves. As a resul...

A drunken burglar is facing a number of charges after taking police on a high-speed chase that ended when he crashed a stolen vehicle near the Seneca Allegany Casino. Police say they were investigating a burglary when 21-year-old Michael Devine of Hamburg sped by them in a stolen vehicle. They followed Devine a high-speed chase through the city that ended in the crash on Broad Street Extension. Devine is charged with grand larceny, criminal trespass, unlawfully fleeing a police officer and related offenses. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A man who lost consciousness while driving ended up in a Dunkirk Cemetery. Sheriff’s deputies say 70-year-old Larry Wollert was traveling south on Route 60 at just before 10 o’clock this morning when he lost consciousness. His vehicle then went into the northbound lane, where it hit a car driven by 53-year-old Kim Robbins of Fredonia. Wollert’s vehicle then left the road, hit a utility pole and travelled into St. Marys Cemetery, where it hit several headstones. Both drivers were taken to Brooks Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Four men are in jail for stealing a Seneca Nation Marshal’s SUV and then doing about $3,000 worth of damage to it. Sheriff’s deputies say 21-year-old Kevin Beaver of Salamanca and 21-year-old Kevin Stafford stole the Chevy Tahoe while the marshals were responding to a call in Kill Buck. They then took the SUV to Old Route 17, where they met up with two other men. All four then went to the gravel pits in the Town of Red House and did $2,665 worth of damage to the SUV. Stafford and Beaver are charged with grand larceny, criminal mischief and criminal possession of stolen property. 26-year-old Jordan Buffalo and 20-year-old Thomas Williams of Salamanca are charged with criminal mischief and possession of stolen property. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Brigadier General Michael Gould, deputy adjutant general of veteran’s affairs, was the keynote speaker during today’s Memorial Day services in Veterans Square. Gould is a native of Coleville and a 1977 graduate of Otto-Eldred High School. You can listen to his speech, and the rest of the Memorial Day ceremony, here. Photo courtesy of Sandy Rhodes The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Thursday was the Southern Tier Catholic School and Archbishop Walsh Academy Spring Concert, called “Back to the 80s: Livin’ on a Prayer”. All students dressed in 80’s garb, and many parents dressed up as well. The concert included students from Montessori pre-school through 12th grade. Song selections included “Eye of the Tiger” (Survivior) for the Montessori and Kindergarten chorus, “99 Red Balloons” (Neno) for the 1st and 2nd grade chorus,, an “Awesome 80’s Medley for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade chorus, “Take My Breath Away” (Berlin) for the older students, and the grand finale Livin’ On A Prayer (Bon Jovi), performed by the entire school. The grand finale included silly string shooting into the air and covering the music teacher and chorus director, Mr. Chris Dockey. Other features included teachers dressed and dancing in 80’s costumes, and the school boys basketball team dressed in “Thriller” costumes with a star appearance from “Michael Jackson”. A surprise guest perform...

A fight at a Cattaraugus County campground led to charges against an Amherst woman. State troopers were called to the Arrowhead Campground in the Town of Yorkshire at about 3:15 Sunday morning and, while they were there 22-year-old Nekitra Moore got belligerent and tried to get into a fight with other campers. Moore will answer a charge of disorderly conduct in Town of Yorkshire Court. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A man who police say was driving at nearly 80 miles an hour on Route 219 is facing charges. At about 6:45 Sunday night 33-year-old Jason Stranz of West Seneca was clocked at 78 miles per hour in a 45 mile per hour zone on Route 219 in The Town of Great Valley. Troopers later learned his blood alcohol content was .11 percent. Stranz will face DWI charges in Town of Great Valley Court. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A motorcyclist and his passenger were hurt in a crash Sunday after on Route 49 in Harrison Township, Potter County. Police say 52-year-old Jeffrey Gertzen of Harrison Valley was following another motorcycle when the other bike slowed down to let a vehicle turn left. Gertzen hit the brakes and swerved, causing the bike to lay down on its side. Gertzen and his passenger, 53-year-old Pamela Gertzen, were both flown by helicopter to Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre for treatment of moderate injuries. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

About 550 small pheasants died in a fire late Saturday night in Elk County. State police say the birds were being raised in a shed for a youth hunting program sponsored by the Fox Township Sportsman's Club. The 12-by-8 wood frame shed and a 28-by-30 wood frame garage at 114 Kyler Corners Road in Fox Township were destroyed in the fire.. No people were hurt. The cause of the fire is under investigation but there are no suspicious circumstances Police say damage is estimated at $100,000. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Warren woman is dead after a deer that was hit by another vehicle crashed through the windshield of her car. Police say 33-year-old Vickie Hussey was on Route 62 in Pine Grove Township at just after 2 o’clock Sunday afternoon when the deer was hit by a truck driven by 57-year-old Daryl Buchanan of Russell. The deer flew through the air and hit the driver’s side windshield of Hussey’s car. She was taken to WCA Hospital in Jamestown, where she was pronounced dead. One passenger in Hussey’s car was taken to Warren General Hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries. Another passenger was not hurt. Buchanan was not hurt. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

UPDATE: The victims are 33-year-old Robert Higginbotham, 33-year-old Clyde W. Nelson II and 36-year-old Delores Woodall, all of Kane. Three people are dead following a crash on Route 66 in Elk County Thursday night. The accident happened at about 9:15 p.m. in Highland Township, when a vehicle that was traveling south crossed the centerline and went into the northbound lane, where it collided with another vehicle. Police say the first vehicle rolled, ejected the 33-year-old man who was driving. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Another 33-year-old man, who was a passenger, was also pronounced dead at the scene. A woman in the car died at Kane Community Hospital. Police are withholding the names of the victims until their families are notified. The driver of the second vehicle, Larry Saline Jr. of Johnsonburg, was not hurt. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Clearfield – PennDOT Secretary Barry J. Schoch has recognized 30 PennDOT employees for their outstanding performance with the Star of Excellence Award, PennDOT’s highest recognition. Two employees from PennDOT’s District 2, which represents Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Juniata, McKean, Mifflin and Potter counties were among the honorees. “I am honored to present the Star of Excellence Award to our employees who embody the drive and dedication that are so vital to keeping PennDOT moving,” Schoch said. “While they work in every area of the department, they have the common goal of achieving excellence and are an example for the rest of us.” Local winners Kristen Smeal and Brian Brosius were honored this afternoon at an awards luncheon at the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg. “Kristen and Brian are fine examples of employees who are giving their all in the name of customer service and productivity,” said District 2 Executive Kevin Kline. "They view each day as an...