I grew up on property that buttd against the Allegheny. The best swimming hole in town was my backyard.

People from all over town, and of all ages would come down to swim and fish. Summer time was busy in the backyard.

The hole has been called "Dates' Hole" or "Dateses Hole" in the colloquial speech. Kids used to cut down from River street along property belonging to the Dates family, through the woods and to the river. Techinically, the hole was bordered by property belonging to my dad, Yogi Hatcher and first the Weaks family and now Jim Geneaux.

I have no idea how many people used to visit the hole, but I know even today, on a hot sumemr day, it's full of kids and adults.
These are some pictures taken this week.


"River Birch" or "Muscle Wood" also known as "Ironwood" trees grow along the path leading to the swimming hole.

Isaiah Hatcher wades in the shallows.

A Family fishes from the bank.


Many remember the old River Birch that hung out over the water. Last year the big tree did not survive the flood, and fell in. This year, that tree has helped to reshape the old swimming hole, changing the direction of the current, and building a gravel bar back along the bank.



All that remains of the old rope swing that used to hang in the big old tree. Many a kid scared their mother with tales of swinging out of the tree.


A view into the top branches of the old tree.

Cameron County's own Little Museum is now open for the season. It offically opened last Saturday with a nice crowd of people. Normal operating hours run from Wednesdays and Sundays, 1-4 p.m. For more information, log on to their website at www.thelittlemuseum.org.

Radiation treatment will soon be available at Charles Cole Memorial Hospital in Coudersport. The Patterson Cancer Care Center is adding a new 2 million dollar radiation oncology unit. An open house for the center is scheduled for June 9 from 4:30-6:30. Treatments will begin later this month.

The unit has been designed with comfort in mind. The cancer care center and the radiation unit have been designed with large windows to make the environment bright and cheerful, to help patients undergoing cancer treatment.

Living History day at the Allegany Arms and Armory Museum is in the works. The ninth annual event will be held at the museum grounds on June 11. Various war re-enactments will go on throughout the day, as well as weapons demonstrations, and World War II era music from the Twin Tier Community Band.

For pictures of past re-enactments, check out http://www.operationbarbedwire.com/docs/links.html

The Ulysses baseball field was the scene of a burglary sometime between this weekend and Wednesday. Baseball officials report 200 dollars worth of missing candy, and a calculator stolen from the concession stand. Police say there is 7 dollars in damage.

For those who didn’t get enough garage sale action this weekend with Bradford and Lewis Run’s city-wide sales, Otto Township has announced its annual Otto Township Garage Sale Day will be Saturday, June 11th. The event, sponsored by the Otto Township Chamber of Commerce, will feature numerous sales at households in the Duke Center and Rixford areas, all beginning at 9 a.m. and the chamber will sponsor a chicken barbeque at Quinn Aubrey’s Creams and Dreams from 11 a.m. Cost will be $6.50 for a meal. Proceeds from the barbecue benefit the spectacular fireworks show offered each year during Otto Township's Old Home Days, set this year for July 23.

hit and run in Wetmore township is under investigation. Kane-based State police report that sometime on Tuesday between 4 and 5:15 p.m., an unknown person struck the driver’s door of a 2004 Honda Accord owned by David and Linda Gigliotti of Johnsonburg as it was parked in the Live Line Parking Area on North Fraley Street. Anyone with information should contact State Police in Kane.

An Otto-Eldred history teacher is retiring following a 33-year career. Bob Longnecker began working at Otto-Eldred in 1972. However, his passion for history began much earlier, as his father imparted history to him young, noting his great-grandfather was at the two-day battle of Shiloh. Longnecker will attend Otto-Eldred’s graduation this evening and then retirement will begin.

Olean City Police received a report of a disturbing incident earlier this week. A North 14th street resident in Olean reported shortly before 9 p.m. Thursday a man in a light tan-colored mini van stopped to talk to her five year old daughter. When the resident called the girl, the van sped away. The driver was described as a white male in his 40s with dark brown hair worn slicked back. According to Police, a neighbor reported that a man matching that description had been walking in the area the week before.

After the apparent suicide of Bradford Fugitive Michael Hancock, his passenger, and father have been released from Police custody in Maine. 28 year old Kim Vinelli was take into custody immediately after fleeing the vehicle along the busy turnpike in Maine on Thursday. She told Police that Hancock had shot himself. She had been living with Hancock in Maine for several months.

John Hancock was taken into custody Friday morning for questioning. He drove non stop from Bradford to Maine after receiving an answering machine message from his son, that he would commit suicide.

Both John Hancock and Kim Vinelli were apparently released from police custody after questioning.


More details in the Michael Hancock case. US Marshall’s say Hancock had been living with Kim Vinelli of Bradford in a rented home in Windham Maine, and using a couplke aliases. Hancock went by the names “Jason Tessena”, and “Michael Demming” in addition to his own name.

Officials say he’d been in Maine since February with Vinelli.

Hancock Killed himself along a Turnpike in Maine after leading Police on a 35 mile high speed chase.

More information can be found at http://www.mainetoday.com


Editor's Note:
This whole deal makes me mad. I have spoken with Michael's father and mother throughout the course of this case. I have my own opinions on Hancock's guilt, but from the begining, his parents have warned the authorities that he was suicidal.

There is absolutely no reason this man had to die. The authorities that be rushed in as soon as they ad a good idea of his whereabouts. A couple of good stakeouts and roadblocks, along with more careful planning could have saved the life of this desperate man.

The Rev. Rock Pifer recently became an ordained elder for the North American Free Methodist Church. Pifer, who has been a minister for ten years, is currently the leader of two churches in Cameron County. They are the Cameron County Christian Center (Free Methodist) and the Gardeau Church (non-denominational). The preacher is known for the many programs he started throughout the community.

The administration at Cameron County High School is cracking down on inappropriate use of the internet, installing new technology to limit what students can do when they're online.

Access to email, chat rooms and other non-educational activities are being curtailed. Some web content is also being blocked.

Technology Coordinator Sandy Shields said the new security measures are designed to place reasonable limits on student web use.

New "Websense" software screens websites that may contain inappropriate material and prevents users from accessing those sites.

Cameron County High School has opted for a filtering capability that blocks content falling into six categories: adult, race/hate, violence, tasteless material, gambling and inappropriate content.

The programming is not perfect -- it's likely to occasionally block sites that have a legitimate educational purpose. To address this dilemma, students can seek "quota time" for access to certain websites for a limited amount of time.

Shields reports that the newer version of Websense has been installed in all of the school's computers. She said several other Pennsylvania school districts use the same filtering software, which also provides the district's computers with better networking capabilities.

The school initially began using an older version of Websense two years ago, in response to abuse of internet access privileges.

High school students completed internet access forms at the beginning of the school year as a condition for using the internet for research. These forms stated that using school computers to access certain content could be a breach of school policy, and possibly a criminal offense.

Alex Davis is now the News Director and Assistant Editor for Cameron County on Roulette News.

"I am excited to be filtering the news that takes place here," Davis said. "I will do my best."

Davis, who is a junior at Cameron County High School, has written for a dozen publications. Newspapers he currently is writing for are the Tri-County Sunday and the Cameron County Endeavor. He is also the editor of two newspapers.


Editor's Note: Alex Davis is already posting, You can tell who submitted the story by the name at the bottom. He's a talented young man, and we're glad to have his help on board. Maybe someday we can pay him!

...and no, he wasn't fishing. Just helping his granddaughter.



Harold and "JR" Page help Adrienne bait her hook to fish in the Allegheny in Roulette.

12 year old Missouri Boy Steve Hatcher pulled this carp out of the Allegany last night.

Carp may not be as significant or exciting as catching, Walleye, Trout or Bass, but they put up a fight.

Some local residents say they like to eat the bottom feeders. Apparently, the "mud vein" must be removed.

Tasha Butler of Port Allegany was accepted into ARD for Endangering Welfare of Children when she let her 2 year old son partially hang out of a second story window

30 year old Christa Stone was charged with harassment on Wednesday after verbally assaulting 37 year old Michael Ainsworth in an attempt to provoke him. The incident occurred at the State Line One Shop, Genesee Township.

State Police in Coudersport are looking for a suspect that furnished alcohol to minors. They say they know the identity of the person who reportedly furnished juveniles with alcohol and a place to drink as part of a prom party. The accused then took the keys to the juvenile’s vehicles in an attempt to be responsible. If anyone has information they are encouraged to contact Pennsylvania State Police in Coudersport.

Billy Jack Vansickles

His face can be seen on the Megan’s Law website, and now he wants off. 23-year-old Billy Jack Vansickles has filed a post verdict motion asking for an acquittal or a new trial.

Vansickles was convicted after Police searched a home belonging to Richard Andreano in Port Allegany. Police, while searching for another person discovered drug paraphernalia in a room that Vansickles stayed in. They then obtained a warrant to search that room, and discovered photos of Vansickles and a 14-year-old girl involved in sex acts.

Vansickles says the court never showed adequate proof that he and the juvenile were not married, and contests the Police search. He says Andreano’s consent violated his personal privacy.

Judge John Yoder responded to the petion, saying based on the girl's testimony, it is clear that the two were not married, but "dating."

Coudersport State Police released their monthly report yesterday. The department recorded 218 incidents. The incident breaks down as follows:

Criminal Activity
Criminal Offenses Reported = 61
Total Founded Offenses = 59
Criminal Offenses Cleared = 43
Criminal Arrests = 36

Patrol Activity
Total Number of crashes = 12
Hit and Run(s) = 1
Injured = 6
DUI Arrests = 4
Traffic Citations Issued = 278
Warnings = 327

Josh Hatcher Driving and Broadcasting LIVE in the Memorial Day Parade. 

It's another month, and the readers here never cease to amaze me. For the month of May, we had 2971 unique visitors. That's almost three thousand visitors. Not hits, but visitors. THanks fr spreading the word about the Roulette News Blog.


(and if you want to thank me for doing this, you'll keep your eyes open for a cheap camper for me! wink wink....)


Thanks again. Let's shoot for 3500 readers next month!


-Josh-

Cameron County is shrinking, according to a new report highlighted by the Associated Press. The county population dropped by more than 5 thousand people since the year 2000, a total of about 5 percent. In the past hundred years, the population has stayed close to the same. Some have said the decline, which has been a trickle since the population peaked in 1960, is a temporary dip.

That five-cent deposit on bottles in NY State is under the microscope. NY Assemblyman Paul Tokasz has introduced a bill to repeal the bottle deposit law. The deposit would be replaced by a more extensive tax package.
Many small non-profit groups collect cans and bottles to redeem the deposits.

NY State will see a drop in sales tax today. The state Medicaid portion dropped from 4 and a quarter percent to 4 percent at midnight. That means in most of New York, the tax will drop from 8 and a quarter to eight percent Some county lawmakers are proposing a county tax increase to recover that quarter percent tax to generate extra revenue.

Adelphia founder John Rigas won’t be sentenced right away. Sentencing for John Rigas and his son Timothy has been pushed back another two weeks. THe pair will be sentenced for their conviction on 18 felonies for using publicly traded Adelphia funds as a personal piggy bank, and misrepresenting the companies debt.

John Rigas is 80 years old, his sentencing could lead the Coudersport man to spend the rest of his life in prison.

Pennsylvania State Police are issuing a warning to not open any e-mails requesting personal information. Some bogus entities are claiming to be such businesses as PayPal and Ebay among others. The e-mail generally request the recipient to respond and verify personal or account information. The public is reminded to be cautious when making decisions to use unfamiliar businesses. State Police also urge the public to never provide personal or financial information to anyone over the telephone, e-mail, or in person unless they are absolutely certain they are dealing with a reputable business.

Dennis Saunderlin of Wellsboro was pronounced dead at Robert Packer Hospital after being accidentally shot in the back Saturday. State Police say that Saunderlin was target shooting at a residence when a 22 caliber pistol accidentally discharged into his back. Additional Laboratory analysis will be conducted before any final conclusions will be made.

Smethport High is preparing for graduation Friday. The school has named its valedictorian and salutatorian. Kayla Lincoln graduates at the top of the class of 2005. And Smethport High’s Jamie Duff will graduate as the salutatorian.

It’s been 20 years since tornadoes ripped through Kane, killing five people. 39 people were injured in the May 31, 1985 twister, and 100 homes were destroyed or damaged.

Tuesday was also the 116-year anniversary of the Johnstown Flood. The old South Fork Dam broke under heavy rains, wiping out much of the city of Johnstown PA in 1889.



Editor's Note: I'll always remember being a small boy and watching the sky in Roulette Turn green, and hail start falling from the sky, and roofing tin and debris blowing down the street. We were MILES away from Kane, but that storm will always be embedded in my memory.

Pennsylvania State Police arrested Walter Brumbaugh and Matthew Brumbaugh on Monday morning charging them with Public Drunkenness. The brothers were found sleeping on the hood of their car parked on the southbound side of the center lane of State Route 44. The brothers were taken before District Judge Annette Easton for an early morning disposition.

Alvin Willar Spencer of Westfield, PA was involved in an accident on Sunday. Spencer was traveling along Loucks Mills Road when he lost control of his A-T-V. Spencer then left the scene and was later discovered to have admitted himself into the Charles Cole Memorial Hospital on Monday morning. Several charges are pending.

The Seneca Highlands IU9 Family Literacy Program partnership is sponsoring a summer reading program. Community Librareies in McKean Potter, and Elk Counties will be engaging in the summer reading program named Dragons, Dreams, and Daring Deeds.

State police in Kane are reporting that Steven Kimble entered and damaged several items in the home of Misty Lynn Kimble. Authorities also say that Steven Kimble has made several threatening phone calls.

A single vehicle accident occurring on Thursday in Kane, left two juveniles injured and the driver in custody. State Police say that the operator failed to safely take a corner and fell off the side of the road before striking a tree. Neither passenger was wearing their seatbelts. One passenger is in serious condition while the other only has minor injuries. The juvenile Driver of the vehicle is facing several charges one of which is a D-U-I.

State Police are investigating a four wheeler accident Saturday, that injured two teens from Shinglehouse. The teens reportedly left the road and ended up in a ditch throwing the teens from the vehicle. Shinglehouse Volunteer Fire Department and Shinglehouse ambulance service where both at the scene. The teens where transported to the Charles Cole Memorial Hospital Emergency room. Charges are pending.

A Cameron County man was charged with trespassing. Police say he entered an Emporium home Sunday morning. Steven Krivonyak faces criminal charges for entering the Woodlawn Avenue home, and taking a shower

A Smethport Clothes Dryer caught on fire Saturday afternoon. Smethport Fire Department says the department received a call about 5:30.
Firefighters took out the fire quickly, and smoke and water damage was limited to the laundry room. No injuries were reported.

Governor Ed Rendell’s budget threatens the McKean County Visiting Nurses Association. Rendell’s budget calls for a three-dollar co-pay for Medicaid patients. The VNA offers a variety of services to homebound patients, and numerous visits could yield co-payments totaling 30 dollars or more.
State Representative Martin Causer has been invited to meet with the VNA to learn about the association, and discuss the budget cut.

Sources say funding for the WIC program is being cut. The program, which provides nutritional information and food to mothers and children under five, has five offices in McKean County. If the schedule goes as planned, the funding cuts will lead to the closure of two or three of the five WIC clinics. Mothers from Kane, Mt. Jewett, and the rest of the county will need to come to Bradford or Port Allegany to participate in the program.

Alcohol-related deaths in McKean and Potter Counties increased in the year 2004. According to PennDOT, in both counties, alcohol was involved in three deaths, up from one in 2003. Fatalities where the victim was not wearing a seatbelt also increased in both counties in 2004. In McKean county, there were four deaths of people without seatbelts, while in Potter county, there were two deaths, both an increase of one from the year before.