Hey, Just got this schedule of events for this week at Sizerville State Park. I thought I would pass it along.

Friday, June 3
7:00 pm WILDFLOWER WALK- Join us for a forest wildflower walk and see some of Sizerville’s hidden treasures. We will learn which of the common wildflowers are native Pennsylvania species and which were introduced, either accidentally or deliberately. Some information on ancient peoples’ uses for these plants will be included. Meet at the Environmental Learning Building.

Saturday, June 4
3:30 pm SIZERVILLE NATURE TRAIL HIKE- Celebrate Hiking Week! Join our park naturalist for a hike on Sizerville Nature Trail. This three mile loop with educational stops winds through Elk State Forest, Potter County. Difficulty is easy to moderate. Meet at the trailhead on Route 120, across from the campground. Please bring drinking water and proper footwear.

7:00 pm NATURE CRAFT & STORY- Stop by the campground amphitheater for a nature craft and story. Did you ever wonder where bats go in the winter? Can a baby rattlesnake rattle? These are just a few of the types of questions we will answer. We will read a story about a different natural subject each week and do a short craft. Everyone is welcome (all ages).

9:00 pm TRAVELING MINSTRELS: PENNSYLVANIA SONGBIRDS- Each spring, millions of migratory songbirds make an amazing journey northward. Many travel from the far reaches of South America to the woodlands of Pennsylvania. This program and video explores the life of migratory birds and shows some simple ways to help conserve these avian treasures.

All right guys, I don't want to use this site as a classified site just yet, but I called a guy who had pop-up camper on sale for $250 dollars. The camper just needed some work, which I promptly found out how to do... I called him to set up a time for us to pay for it, and he sold it.


I don't have a lot of money, but my family and I really would love to have an old pop up that doesn't take a tone of work to fix up. Mainly we want something towable, and dry to get us up off the ground when we camp.

We plan to camp on Assateague Island when we go down to visit her family in August, and we'd love to be able to camp.

We also promise that EVERYTIME we camp this summer, we'll be photo-blogging it RIGHT HERE so you can read all about it.

(y'know, if you have a business, and want to give us a camper, or sell us one at a discount, that could lead to some GREAT publicity, because we'd mention your name EVERY time too!)


If you, or anyone you know is selling or would consider selling a camper for cheap, please email me or call me.

Josh
hatcher@localnet.com
814-362-2813

If we're not home, please leave a message.

Shawn Crowner is in the news, this time as a victim. Crowner called state police to report someone smashed out a window in his Chevy, and two windows out of a camper parked in his yard in Bingham Tounship sometime Wednesday Night.

Crowner has been investigated in the past year for retail theft, and for telling police he had a sawed off shot gun.


He was also a victim of harrassment earlier this year.

Editor's Note:
I guess the Police are gettign to know him well.

Auditor General Jack Wagner sent a letter Thursday to Estelle Richman, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, recommending that she immediately discontinue providing Viagra or other sexual-enhancement drugs to the state’s 7,100 registered sex offenders through the commonwealth’s Medicaid assistance program.

Wagner says the potential for abuse is clearly evident.

Editor's Note:
Once again, not to brag, but I was the one that tipped him off, within minuted of New York State releasing the news. Any thoughts on the fact that your tax dollars have encouraged the erections of convicted sex offenders?

State Police were called to Harrison Township to investigate an incident Wednesday morning. 19-year-old Dusty Wheeler called police to say someone scratched his car with a key, and poured sugar into his gas tank. Police ask anyone with information to give them a call.

With the exception of Fraley Street, parking meters in Kane are now online. The Borough was able to see the meters calibrated thanks to a three person team from the State Bureau of Weights and Measures. 49 of Kane’s meters were rejected, because they did not give enough time. 10 more were bumped, because they gave too much time.
Bradford’s meters will go back into effect May 31.

McKean County’s withdrawal from the Cameron Elk McKean mental health joinder has been held up, and County Commissioners are pushing the state to speed things up a bit. County Commissioner John Egbert sent out an email to leaders in various functions across the county to ask the State Welfare department to dissolve the consortium..

The original date was set for July 1, with the hopeful forming of a county human services department.

Cameron and Elk Counties have fought the withdrawal tooth and nail, stressing their dependence on McKean County funding.

Meanwhile tough, Cameron and Elk Counties have already unveiled their mental health plan. The biggest hurdle for the two counties is in the financial department.

Job interviewing continues at Microtech as production has started up. The high end knife maker has 12 employees at the Chestnut Street Multi Tenant Center so far, and equipment is still being set up. The company hopes to hire 250 people in the next three years.

A Spring Creek, Pa man was killed in a two-vehicle accident Thursday morning in Warren County. 56-year old Lawrence Duffy was riding a 1999 Honday motorcycle and traveling south on Miller Hill Road in Farmington township when he sideswiped a 1991 Ford truck driven by 37-year old Andrew Anderson of Warren. Duffy was thrown from his motorcycle. He was wearing a helmet. Warren-based State Police are investigating the accident.


Editor's Note: Once again, please remember it's Memorial Day weekend. Be careful, watch out for bikers. I DON'T want to report YOUR name here on Tuesday morning!

A father and son team of bounty hunters from Wellsboro was arrested in New York State Wednesday after allegedly trying to serve a warrant on a woman at gunpoint. New York state troopers charged 26-year old Nathan B. Maldona and 52-year old Anthony J. Maldona with third degree criminal possession of a weapon and Nathan Maldona was also charged with menacing. Hume, NY resident Heather Lundy called troopers and reported the two men had been showing guns and attempting to enforce a warrant they did not possess. The father and son were arrested and taken to Allegany County Jail in lieu of $5,000 bail.


Editor's Note: I wonder if these are the same guys that stopped by my Grandmother's house. She told me about a month ago, a pair of guys showed up, one went to the frotn door, one to the back door, looking for someone else. She promptly told them that they had ther wrong address. She said they had the words "FUGITIVE DETECTION" written on their jackets. Man. Who would have thought living in Roulette and surrounding areas was so exciting.

New York State Police charged four people with illegal entry into the U.S. following an inspection of a tractor-trailer on Interstate 86 in Allegany Wednesday. State troopers charged 21-year old Jesus Guzman-Anastacio, 41-year old Raul Garcia, 28-year old Antonio Flores-Cuero and 42-year old German Retalma-Antolino for illegal entry. The four were found in a rented tractor trailer driven by 45-year old Uen Pang of Clementon, N.J. He was not charged. The four men were turned over to U.S. Border Patrol officials.


Editor's Note:
Wow. Right in our backyard. Allegany, NY. How did they get from Mexico to Allegany without being caught.

An Eldred teen was arrested for disorderly conduct following a dispute Wednesday evening. The male teenager threatened to strike his mother and engaged in tumultuous behavior at a residence on King Street in Eldred.

In a comparison of the 50 states, Pennsylvania is in the bottom half in terms of household internet access and computer ownership. According to statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau, published by the Taxpayers Network, Pennsylvania ranks 32nd in the number of households in the state that own a computer and 27th in the percentage of households with internet access. Utah tops the ranking of households with computers and residents in Alaska have the most internet access.

Editor's Note:
I think most of those internet ready computers are in McKean, Potter, and Cameron Counties.

The statistics are out. I thought them timely as we enter Memorial Day Weekend.

Fatalities due to alcohol, speed and aggressive driving on the highway are up in McKean County. According to PennDOT, alcohol-related fatalities increased from one in 2003 to three in 2004, while two fatalities were caused by speeding, up one from 2003 and aggressive driving was a factor in three fatalities in 2004, an increase of one from 2003.

The radio station has asked me to drive in the Bradford Memorial Day parade.

If you're coming, keep your eye out for the WESB and Cool 100 Action Van!

-Josh-

More results have come in from school districts in the area about act 72. St. Marys and Ridgway have both opted out, and Otto-Eldred has opted in.

Port Allegany opted out earlier this week.

The controversial legislation is meant to provide proerty tax relief for homeowners by padding out the school budgets with gambling revenues.

Bradford Area School District is set to have a special meeting to vote on the matter Friday morning.

Cameron County residents packed the courthouse again, about one year after a similar meeting to protest a second strip mining permit application in Shippen Township.

Allegany Enterprises was granted a strip-mining permit to reclaim abandoned strip mines atop Huston Hill last year. Now he wants to expand operations and pull coal out of a neighboring hill. Cameron county residents are not happy about the environmental impact of strip mining on their “pristine” landscape, nor the increased truck traffic as dump trucks of coal make their way on area roads.

100 people were present at the meeting, including a 6th grade girl, with a petition with 100 signatures of fellow students and teachers, who says the coal mining project would relocate forest animals, and pollute the air and water.

Feds and Lawmakers are rushing in to block sex offenders nationwide froim receiving Viagra paid for by Medicaid.
NY Senators Chuck Shumer and Hillary Clinton, along with PA Senator Rick Santorum say they are in support of the ban.
Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner is heading up research to determine if any of Pennsylvania’s 7 thousand sex offenders have received the erectile dysfunction drug from Medicaid.

Editor's Note:
Allright, not to brag. but the Pennsylvania Auditor General's involvement? That was me. I called him to ask if Pennsylvania sex offenders had recieved Viagra from Medical Assistance. He had not even heard of the issue, and launched an inquiry. Wow. The power of a phone call....

Back from a pre-scheduled vacation, Bruce Burdick took an oath of office Wednesday as County Commissioner. The former Eastman Kodak executive is excited about the position, and hopes to bring a degree of professionalism to the office.

A Port Allegany man was arraigned in front of District Justice Barbara Boser Tuesday night. 44-year old David L. Kelly was charged with simple assault and disorderly conduct for an incident Tuesday at a Main Street residence in Port Allegany, where he allegedly punched Renee Baker in the nose. Kelly was sent to McKean County jail in lieu of $1,000 bail. A preliminary hearing was set for June 27th in District Justice Miller’s office in Smethport.

Kelly was a headline maker last year, when he was shot in the face by another Port Allegany man after an argument over a bag of marijuana.

A Duke Center man was injured in Iraq when a suicide bomber blew up a car. 35-year old Staff Sergeant Steven Kerr was struck in the back by the engine block of the car, which hit an Iraqi Police station. Kerr suffered back and leg injuries. Kerr and two other soldiers injured in the incident have either returned to duty or will return soon, according to military officials. A Butler man, 40-year old Sergeant Carl Morgan was killed in the explosion.

The American Red Cross in McKean and Potter counties will hold a Life guard training June 4th through the 10th at the Smethport Memorial Recreation Center pool. For more information or to register, contact the Red Cross at 368-6197. Participants are required to pre-register and pay for the course no later than June 3rd.

The Eldred World War II Museum and Learning center will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to observe Memorial Day. Eldred’s parade, which is organized by the Eldred VFW, will begin at 11 a.m. All veterans and those currently serving in the military are invited to participate. At 1 p.m. several guests will speak, including Second Lieutenant John James McGinty III, who served in the Marines during Vietnam, Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Vetter, president of the first marine division who served during the Korean war and Marilyn Paige, the wife of the late Colonel Mitchell Paige, a World War II Medal of Honor recipient.

A Shinglehouse teen was injured Monday in an accident in Potter County. A 17-year old male was traveling west on Eleven Mile Road at 3:30 p.m. when he went off the road and hit a tree. The teen was taken to Charles Cole Memorial Hospital for treatment.

More Bad News for Adelphia. The company announced today its long distance telephone program will be cancelled.
The cable giant ventured into the long distance industry severaly years ago.

The company could not find a buyer for the long distance product.
Customers will have thirty days to find a new provider.


Editor's Note:
Allright, I worked really hard to help make that product a success when I worked for Adelphia. Can't say I'm sad to see it go, though I'm sad to know that even MORE people will lose their jobs at Adelphia.

A Sabinsville man has been arrested for Simple Assault, endangering the welfare of children, and harassment after he attacked his wife and endangered a 2 year old around 1 AM yesterday. Police say 30-year-old Howard Justin Foulkrod arrived home, and dragged his wife out bed, and outside. He then choked and struck her several times in the face as he re-entered the home to retrieve the two year old. He then left on a four-wheeler with the child. Police say he was operating the ATV while intoxicated. He was arraigned in District Court and released on 5 thousand dollars unsecured bail.

State Police were called to Lantz Corners to respond to a school van incident Tuesday. The van driver called the police when a ten year old boy refused to sit down when asked. The driver called police when the boy became combative. State Police removed the boy from the van, and contacted school officials.

Editor's Note: When I went to school, the bus driver would have pulled over and made me walk. Or at least threatened it, and I would have believed it.

A Bradford woman has been charged with DUI after a Sunday morning crash in Hamilton Townshio. Lorinda Leona Szczupak crashed her 2004 Envoy along State Route 321. Szczupak went off the roadway into a ditch, and rolled the SUV. Charges are pending in District court.

Police say a vehicle stolen from a residence along Route 66 in Kane has been recovered. 37-year-old Barbara Chaphe reported the vehicle stolen Saturday. Police say they know who tool the car, but they have not released the theif’s name.

A Kane High school student ended up with a dent in his truck as it was parked in the school parking lot. State Police are investigating who kicked the truck. The incident occurred sometime during school hours Monday.

Police are searching for a suspect that stole 52 dollars Monday from a van parked in Norwich Township. Randy Green of Crosby told Police someone stole the money from his van, and fled on foot. Green chased the thief, but was unable to catch him.

State Police report a Portville woman was injured in an Eldred Township crash Tuesday. 18-year-old Keisha Kamery left the roadway, and as she attempted to bring the car back on the roadway, she lost control and spun into an embankment, and then into a tree. Kamery was taken to Bradford Regional Medical Center for treatment. Her 97 Nissan sustained moderate damage.

22 special athletes from McKean County have been chosen to compete in the Pennsylvania Special Olympics Summer Games at Penn State University. The games, which will take place June 9th through the 11th, will have more than 2,000 special Olympians competing in several events, including track and field, swimming, golf, bowling and softball.

A Coudersport man is facing charges after an incident of aggravated assault in Potter County. 24-year old Kalub Hanchett allegedly stopped his vehicle on Eleven Mile Road in Oswayo township, shifted into reverse and rammed into a vehicle driven by 21-year old Andrew Perkins of Coudersport until the vehicle was driven off the roadway into a field. Hanchett then fled the scene. Perkins’ vehicle sustained over $4,400 in damage.

Hanchett faces several charges, including aggravated assault, terroristic threats, recklessly endangering another person, disorderly conduct, driving under suspension, and fraudulent use or removal of registration plate.

Potter County Court has received a recent upgrade. The court’s documents are now automated by the Common Pleas Case Management System. The computerized system , also in use by McKean County, cost around $43 thousand dollars, paid by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts. All 60-court districts in the state are expected to be connected to the system by 2006.

A Sunday Night Fire in Warren County that claimed the life of two young girls has been ruled as arson, and the girls’ mother has been charged with lighting the fire.


Warren City Police say 2 year old Emma Wightman and 8 year old Hannah Niver died in the blaze.

29-year-old mother Amy Niver has been charged with arson and two counts of criminal homicide. The associated press reports the fire began after the girls’ father attempted to take them.

Niver told police she used gasoline to light the blaze. She told Police she would never let him “take her babies.”

Port Allegany School Board decided last night to OPT OUT of the Act 72 legislation. Board members secured the decision with a 5-2 vote. Former school board member Gary Hardes spoke up before the vote in favor of the tax relief legislation, pointing out that 80 percent of the community does not have kids in school, and tax relief would only be fair.
Those that voted to opt in, and those that voted to opt out agreed that the legislation proposed by Governor Ed Rendell to shore down taxes by pulling in gambling funds was “shoddy”.

A Bradford man was arraigned Friday on charges of burglary and crimes against a juvenile. 21-year old Richard Williams was charged for allegedly entering a home on Seward Avenue without permission and having sexual contact with a juvenile in the residence. Williams was also charged with aggravated indecent assault without consent, indecent assault, indecent exposure, unlawful restraint and corruption of minors. Williams was sent to McKean County Jail in lieu of $5,000, with a preliminary hearing set for June 15th.

A Salamanca man was killed by a train early Sunday morning. Salamanca City Police say 45-year-old James Ball was struck by a Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad Train. The incident is still under investigation.

An act of simple assault and harassment in Roulette at 39 River Street left a 25 year-old man in jail on $3,500 cash bail. State Troopers say Jerry St. Clair struck, shoved, and choked 30 year-old Donna Bloomfield at their Roulette residence sometime around Friday to Sunday of last week.

State Police in Coudersport report finding a ring in Eulalia Township. Officers say the ring can be claimed by calling 274-8690.

State Police in Emporium are investigating an incident of criminal mischeif in the village of Cameron On May 20. 34 year old Zachary Pifer is accused of removing a fence from the property of Cindy Geelen. Both parties reside on CCC Memorial Highway.

A mailbox beloning to Patricia Jones of Climax Hollow Road in Shippen township was knocked from its post last week. State Police are investigating.

Police in Emporium report finding a bicycle along Meadow Road in Shippen Township. The bike can be calimed by contacting the Emporium Barracks.

Kane based State Police have arrested James Gleason, Jr for three hit and run accidents with his pickup truck along Barnum Road and Route 246 Saturday Morning. Police located the 31 year-old man along Barnum Road. Charges, which include driving under the influence, are being filed in District Court.

State Police responded to an ATV collision on Private property in Austin. A 14-year-old juvenile was operating a four wheeler when the vehicle flipped and rolled onto the juvenile and an 11 year old passenger. Both parties received only minor injuries.

Seven juveniles have been cited with disorderly conduct after a May 15 incident in Shippen Township. Cameron County based State Police report that seven young people were busted on property belonging to William Bailey of Emporium.

State Police in Emporium are investigating an incident of Criminal Mischeif in Emporium. Unknown actors entered two school buses owned by Krise Bus service, and fled the scene.

Bradford bargain hunters are sticking back a bit of their paycheck for this weekend. Saturday kicks off Bradford Area Town wide Garage Sale Day. The event is sponsored by the Downtown Bradford Business District.