A Mansfield School bus driver that ran over and killed an Elkland boy in
March has been charged by State Police.
49-year-old Paula Snyder was arraigned before the District Judge in
Wellsboro on involuntary manslaughter charges.
Snyder pulled the school bus ahead and killed 6 year old Nicholas Blackwell
on March 16.
Snyder could see over twenty year in jail if convicted.

The McKean County Landfill is working o a new cell. 6A covers four acres at
the 104 acre landfill.

The new saucer shaped pit is lined with a thick black plastic membrane.
The new cell is half the size of a much larger pit planned by Rutick LLC.
The new 2 million dollar project is still awaiting approval form the
Department of Environmental Protection.

The collection money received by the First Church of Lansdowne, PA didn't go
to feed the hungry in a third world country, or to help fund a local soup
kitchen, or even to new padding for the pews. It went to pay for a set of
breast implants, and a house on the shore.

34-year-old Colleen Lacombe pleaded guilty to stealing 325 thousand dollars
from the church while she handled the financial records. She used 3 thousand
dollars to have her breasts enhanced in 2001.

Lacombe says she has been humiliated and humbled by the experience.

The church's pastor, Nancy Wolfe Holt says the money was meant to fund
missionary programs around the world, and now that restitution has been
paid, the money will go back to the mission fund.

State Police in Cameron County report an Emporium Man shot himself
accidentally Tuesday. 82 year old Mark McLean was looking at a hand gun when
he accidentally shot himself in the left hand.

Injuries were reported as minor.

State Police are investigating an incident of criminal Mischief on Highland
Road.

Police say 20-year-old Tyler Smith is accused of kicking the mirror off a
2000 Toyota owned by 20-year-old Matthew Burton.

Smith was arrested and arraigned on harassment and mischief charges.

It could be a little longer before a new bridge is in place at the Tuna
Cross Roads.

Foster Township Supervisors passed a resolution last night that will extend
Phase Two of the tuna Cross Road Bride Engineering Agreement. Phase Two was
scheduled to end December 23. An extension will put that final engineering
phase complete at the end of Jul of 2006.

PennDot wanted the date to go later than the contractor's bid to make sure
there was not a time lapse.

Foster Township Supervisors met in special session last night, and approved
their 2006 budget, without a tax increase. AN ordinance was also passed, in
follow up to an earlier resolution to contract ambulance services to the
City of Bradford.

Solicitors told Supervisors that the contract had to be worded in an
ordinance rather than a resolution.

Bradford Regional Medical Center has officially hired a replacement for Dr.
Lau.

Peter Delneky will provide obstetrics and gynecological services at the
Suzzalo Medical Arts Building. Delneky specializes in infertility,
laproscopy, and pelvic surgery.

Delneky's office is taking appointments.

The Knox and Kane Railroad settled a lawsuit against the Department of
Conservation and Natural Resources. The Railroad will get 12 thousand
dollars, after pursuing the suit because of DCNR actions that caused a loss
of business after a tornado knocked down the Kinzua Bridge.

Railroad Owner Sloan Cornell originally sought more than one hundred
thousand dollars in the suit.

The Senate Officially Pushed through the Defense Appropriations act before
the session closed at midnight last night.. While several versions were on
the table, it appears at this point that the most recent version was passed.
It includes wording that would allow Injured Soldier Jamie Himes Dana to
keep the bomb sniffing dog that served alongside her in Iraq.
Officials at US Congressman John Peterson's Office will comment on the
matter later this morning.

Dana is in Colorado with her family after recovering from severe injuries.

State police in Coudersport are looking for a goat thief.

Gavin McCutcheon of Harrison Valley tells police that sometime between
November 26th and Tuesday, someone stole two goats from his property, then
fled the scene.

Icy roads caused at least 4 accidents between 6 o'clock this morning and 1
o'clock this afternoon in Potter County.

A car driven by 50-year-old Georgia Osborne of Galeton went off Route 144
and sheered off a utility pole.

After emergency crews got Osborne out of the car, she was taken by Life
Flight helicopter to Geisinger Medical Center for treatment of moderate
injuries.

State police say a car driven by 27-year-old Lynn Marie Harmon of Ulysses
went off an icy Route 49 near the village of Gold.

Neither Harmon nor her 6-year-old passenger were hurt.

Police say 18-year-old Harvey Sell the fourth was driving to fast for
conditions when his vehicle went off North Hollow Road , then rolled onto
its roof.

A passerby took Sell to Charles Cole Memorial Hospital, where he was treated
for moderate injuries.

And, no one was hurt when an SUV driven by 24-year-old Erin Kritzer of
Williamsport fishtailed near Route 44, then went into a snow bank and rolled
onto its side.

Two Smethport men were involved in separate accidents Friday on an icy Route
46.

In reports released today, Kane state police say 23-year-old Nathan Elkin
and 27-year-old Corey Cochran were driving their vehicles just north of
Smethport when they went out of control.

Neither man was injured but Cochran's SUV was severely damaged, and Elkin's
car was moderately damaged.

Police add that both men were driving too fast for conditions, but no
charges are pending.

Two Kane residents were injured in an accident this morning on Route 255,
just south of Johnsonburg.
State police say a car driven by 25-year-old Jesse Jones of St. Marys hit a
car driven by 29-year-old Allis Brinkley of Kane.
Police say Brinkley suffered moderate injuries while her passenger,
26-year-old Scott Dahl, sustained minor injuries.
Charges are pending against Jones.

A Salamanca middle school student is going to Hollywood.
12-year-old Anton Oliverio won the New York City Guitar Center's Drum Off,
which means he is considered one of the six best drummers in the country.
The competition is believed to be the world's largest. Judges include
drummers who have performed with David Bowie, Eminem, Sheryl Crow and other
well-known artists.
Oliverio is the youngest competitor ever to reach the finals, which are
scheduled for January 14th in Hollywood.

There was a burglary reported in the 500 block of Bolivar Drive on Tuesday.
Foster Township police say the homeowner told them someone walked into the
house through an unlocked door and went through items in the home.
The homeowner, who police did not identify, was not sure what was taken from
the house.

Olean School Superintendent Mark Ward says that, because of high fuel costs,
the district has no choice but to shut down the heating systems in all
schools after 3 p.m.
He told the school board during Tuesday night's meeting that if the district
used the same amount of fuel as last year, it would cost an addition 238
thousand dollars.
Earlier in the school year, Olean and Bradford school districts turned the
school thermostats down to cut costs.

Congressman John Peterson says provisions in the Deficit Reduction Act of
2005 will ensure better and more open access to health care services in
rural parts of northwest and central Pennsylvania.
The bill includes a provision that would allow people who have long-term
care policies to qualify for Medicaid without spending their entire life
savings.
Peterson says affordable, reliable and open access to quality health care is
vital to the continued growth of rural communities.
He adds that the bill is far from perfect, but it's more equitable than
previous health care measures.

A Roulette man was involved in a Tuesday crash in Forest County. State
Police say 55-year-old Richard Diorio lost control of his Chevy Colorado on
State Route 66 when he struck an embankment. Diori's passenger, Joshua
Miller of Akron Ohio was taken to Kane Hospital for treatment.

An Olean city employee that lives in Portville has a few clouds over his
future at this time. Olean Common Council moved to not allow Mark Donahue to
have an out of city waiver.
Alderman voted 3-2 in favor of the waiver, but 4 votes are necessary to
approve such a decision.

Olean City employees are required to live in the city unless they have
approval from the council.

Donahue moved out thinking he had permission from his supervisor, but
council has to make the approval.

Officials say there are some legal issues still to work out in the case.

A move to put a resort in the ANF is gathering grassroots support. AS the
US Forest Service works on it's 10 year plan, Warren County Commissioner
John Bortz is leading an effort to be sure that local opinions are worked
in.
Officials say that a resort in the ANF would promote tourism, keeping with
Pennsylvania's plan to draw visitors to the PA wilds.

Bids for the Rehab of the Route 219 Bypass Project will be opened today. The
multimillion dollar project will call for the replacement t of a few bridges
in the nearly seven miles between Owen's Way and the NY border.

The project will begin work in 2007.

Bradford Regional Medical Center's newest medical staff member and first
cardiologist is expected to start seeing patients January third.

Dr. Steven C. Herrmann's office is in the Medical Arts Building at 199
Pleasant St., Suite 11. Appointments are being taken now. Patients may call
directly for their own appointments or may be referred by their primary
care physicians.

Keystone Powdered Metals of St. Mary's, along with Penn State University,
will receive one million dollars to develop gears for vehicle transmissions,
if the Defense Appropriations Bills is approved by the US Senate.

Congressman John Peterson is pleased that his defense-related priorities
were well funded in 2006

He says Keystone Powdered Metals is a priority because the production of
powder metal steel gears requires fewer raw materials, less energy, and
reduced amounts of labor in comparison to traditional metal gears they are
becoming the component of choice for all military and commercial vehicle
transmission applications.

Two women putting up decorations in a church building noticed a fire, and
saved the building before the blaze got out of control.

Shinglehouse Fire Chief Doug Estes says the woman were decorating the Bell
Run Union church's multipurpose building in Ceres Township when they saw
fire coming from an adjoining room and soon learned it was coming from a
stereo that was playing Christmas music.

Beth Bell and Cheri Thomas used fire extinguishers to keep the fire under
control while waiting for firefighters to arrive.

The church play the women were decorating for will go on as scheduled.

The Olean Soccer Club has decided not to buy land from the City of Olean
because it's contaminated.

Environmental testing on the West Henley Street property in the mid-90s
shows that it contains chromium and arsenic.

The report says the land can be used for commercial development, but not for
parks or public use.

Neither Mayor William Quinlan nor members of Common Council knew about the
report because it was done before any of them took office.

The soccer club is now looking at two other sites in Olean.

The Federal Essential Air Service program may receive an additional 30
million dollars in federal funding over the next few years as a result of a
deal struck between House and Senate negotiators on the Deficit Reduction
Act of 2005.

Congressman John Peterson, who has been fighting against reductions in the
EAS program, praised his colleagues for keeping federal funding in tact for
the program.

The EAS ensures that small communities are able to maintain a minimal level
of scheduled air service.

Elizabeth C. Greville of Kane has been named assistant to the president for
outreach services and sponsored programs at the University of Pittsburgh at
Bradford.

She will oversee the Office of Outreach Services and coordinate the
university’s grant-seeking efforts. She also will serve on the President’s
Cabinet.

University president Dr. Livingston Alexander says Pitt-Bradford is
fortunate to have someone with her knowledge and considerable grant-writing
experience join the university.

State Police are monitoring local roads during the holiday season. Governor
Ed Rendell says more than 300 departments will participate in the statewide
crackdown on speeding and seatbelt usage.

Studies show fewer drivers wear their seatbelts after the sun goes down, so
many of the traffic checks will take place after dark.

Ryan Gooch, and his father Mike, are working to bring a wood products manufacturing facility to the borough of Driftwood. Ryan is a graduate of Coudersport high school, and earned a Wood Products and Manufacturing degree from Penn State University, and his father is a long time Adelphia employee.
The new business, to be called Pennsylvania Pellets and Millwork Inc., will manufacture wood moldings and trimwork, as well as pellet fuel for the heating market. The project is expected to cost $4.5 million, and could create as many as 30 new jobs in Driftwood. The project is expected to begin in mid 2006.

Over 900 million pieces of mail were processed by the US Postal Service
nationally yesterday, on the busiest postal day of the year.

Monday was the last day that first class packages can be sent in time to
reach their destination on time via the postal service.
Some Christmas cards and packages still may make their way home on time if
mailed today, but it's not as likely if you didn't wait in the line at the
post office yesterday.

As though the nearby Seneca Casino hadn't hurt the local Bingo operators
enough, New State Laws have volunteer firefighters concerned.

House Bills 10 and 11 call for tripled fees, paid twice as often for non
profits to get bingo licenses, and for stricter standards for reporting
winners, as well as prize limits.

The bill has passed the house, and is waiting on Senate Approval. Martin
Causer says to impose more paperwork on these already struggling
organizations is just ridiculous.

A Fire Sunday in Corydon Township Sunday Night did not injure anyone.
Corydon Township Fire Chief Doug Cobb says a cooking stove caught fire at
the home of Jim Irwin on Wolf Run Road.

Only the stove was damaged in the fire.

Over 900 million pieces of mail were processed by the US Postal Service
nationally yesterday, on the busiest postal day of the year.

Monday was the last day that first class packages can be sent in time to
reach their destination on time via the postal service.
Some Christmas cards and packages still may make their way home on time if
mailed today, but it's not as likely if you didn't wait in the line at the
post office yesterday.

No one was hurt in an accident at the Bradford Township/Lewis Run line on
South Avenue Monday morning.

Bradford Township Police Chief Dave Doyle reports that a vehicle driven by
64-year-old Germaine Marie Duncan of Kane was traveling north when it
stopped for a vehicle in the same lane that wasn't moving.

A pickup truck driven by 34-year-old Dennis Frase of Mount Jewett couldn't
stop on the icy road, and hit the back of the Duncan vehicle.

Doyle says the pickup was moderately damaged. The car was severely damaged,
and both had to be towed from the scene.

Township police were assisted by state police.

Disorderly conduct charges against Bradford Township supervisor Tom Vickery
were thrown out today.

Vickery was charged in connection with an incident last month at the Kennedy
Street café when he and another man were allegedly arguing about the
Bradford Ambulance Service.

Vickery says he was simply expressing his right to free speech.

Vickery's preliminary hearing was today in front of District Judge Chris
Hauser.

Jamie Himes Dana could be one step closer to getting custody of her
bomb-sniffing partner, Rex.

Last month Congressman John Peterson told WESB that there was language in
the Defense Appropriations Bill that would allow her to keep Rex, a German
Shepherd.

The bill passed Monday morning.

A Westons Mills woman accused of robbing an Olean Uni-Mart on Halloween
night pleaded not guilty today in Cattaraugus County Court.

29-year-old Rosemany Kenkey is charged with robbery after allegedly going
into the store with three other people. She allegedly had a gun and demanded
money from the cashier.

The matter has been adjourned for 45 days while attorneys file motions.

A Bradford man was charged with simple assault and harassment following an
alleged incident Saturday on Congress Street.

District Judge Barbara Boser says 27-year-old Phillip M. Pashkow, 23 lincoln
ave., was in an altercation with Amanda Coovert.

He was released on 25 hundred dollars bail.

Boser scheduled Pashkow's preliminary hearing for January 9th in front of
District Judge Dominic Cercone.

Two Bradford men are in McKean County jail for allegedly breaking into
several camps in the Clermont/Wilcox area.

28-year-old Dennis Eric Swatsler and 42-year-old Donald Eugene Riley were
both charged by state police with 8 counts of burglary and criminal trespass
for breaking into the camps starting in the end of October.

They were also charged with theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen
property.

Swatsler and Riley were arraigned by District Judge Barbara Boser, who set
bail at 5 thousand dollars, cash.

Their preliminary hearings have been scheduled for January 9th in front of
District Judge William Todd of Smethport.

A Kane man was charged with making false reports to law enforcement
following an alleged incident yesterday afternoon.

47-year-old Anthony J. Chirillo told police that two men had guns pointed at
him, according to papers filed in district judge Barbara boser's office.

He also allegedly became irate with a police officer in public.

Two teen-age boys were charged after a Molotov cocktail was found in front
of Sacred Heart Church in St. Marys on Friday night.

Police say they tracked the boys' footprints in the snow to a home about a
block away.

They were charged with possession of an incendiary device.

Three students from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will be among
the 680 students who will travel around the world starting in January when
they take part in the spring 2006 voyage of Semester at Sea.

The three students are Emily Gausman from Ridgway; Kelsey Kocjancic from
Leeper; and Brandon Nelson from Warren.

They will begin their trip on Jan. 19 when their ship departs from Nassau,
Bahamas. Their journey will first take them south, where they will visit
Puerto Rico and Brazil before crossing the Atlantic Ocean for Cape Town,
South Africa. After visiting Africa, they will travel to Mauritius in the
Indian Ocean, and then they will go to Chennai, India. The ship will then
make final stops in Asia, including Vietnam, Hong Kong, China and Japan. The
voyage will end on April 28 when the ship docks in San Diego Calif.

A St. Marys man accused of robbing the National City Bank at St. Marys Plaza
waived his preliminary hearing.

42-year-old Edward Joshnick was charged with robbery and theft by deception.
According to a bank teller, Joshnick went into the bank, wearing a mask,
showed a gun to a teller, then handed her a back to put money in. She put
the money in the bag and the man went to the ext window where another
teller put more money in the bag and gave it back.

After he left, a man matching the description of the robber was spotted by
Elk County Deputy Sheriff John Gangloff, who confronted him and ordered
him to stop.

According to the affidavit of probably cause at District Judge Donald
Wilhelm's office, the man continued to walk away from Gangloff, but
dropped the money, mask and weapon when he was encountered by state
police, who took the man into custody after a short chase. The amount of
money stolen from the bank was $2,290, the amount found on Joshnick. St.
Marys Police Officer David J. Marconi, said Joshnick admitted to committing
the robbery after being advised

The death of Coudersport Native Patrick Ryan is still under investigation.
Clarion Boro Police say they do not have any information that they want to
release at this point.

Forest County Coroner Norman Wimer says circumstances surrounding Ryan's
fatal overdose of drugs and alcohol are suspicious, but the homicide
investigation is not being pursued as aggressively as it was before

Wimer still has not released the name of the drug that was found in Ryan's
Body

State Police in Forest County, where Ryan's body was found, referred
questions about the case to the Punxsutawney Barracks.

29 farms in PA are now protected.
Governor Ed Rendell says the state's premiere Farmland Preservation program
preserved more than 22 thousand acres of farmland in 2005
Rendell says once farmland has been rezoned for residential or commercial
use, it can no longer be used as a farm.

The effort is in an attempt to preserve PA's agricultural heritage, and
future.

The program has preserved more than 300 thousand acres since 1988.

Buffalo General and Erie County Medical Center in Western NY have changed
their policy on organ donors.

Officials say too many people were dying while waiting for an organ from a
family member or person with an emotional tie.

Now patients can use donors found over the internet, or other media.

Bradford Township Police have released more details in that accident on
Minard Run Road Sunday morning.

Police say 57-year-old James Rice of Bolivar Drive lost control and sheared
off a fire hydrant near the Penn Hills Club.

Three Otto Township families will get a few bucks to help pay for their
electric bill this Christmas.
Paul and Cheryl Button of Rixford pulled in the 100-dollar grand prize in
the Otto Township Chamber of Commerce Christmas Lighting competition.

Greg English of Olean Road n Derrick City won the 75 dollar second prize.

And in third place, winning a 50-dollar prize is Gary and Jenny VanSkyver of
Duke Center.

A Fire in Austin damaged a manufacturers product line.

Firefighters say Emporium Specialties caught fire Sunday morning, shutting
down a manufacturing line for quite some time for cleanup.

Austin firefighters were re-dispatched Sunday afternoon when the fire
rekindles.

Austin Fire Chief Darren Van Why says one firefighter hurt his leg in the
blaze.

Emporium Specialties produces tools for finishing metals.

Damages were estimated at about 200 thousand dollars.

State Police report an unknown motorist smashed a mailbox in Eulalia
Township sometime last week, and left without notifying anyone of the crash.

Police say Cindy Dubotz mailbox and post are valued at 30 dollars.

Coudersport State Police are reporting a Saturday afternoon accident
involving a snowmobile and two Genesee Residents. An unknown snowmobile was
allegedly traveling down the center of Cross Road in Bingham Township at
high speed when a vehicle being driven by Varley Fuller swerved to avoid
hitting the snowmobile. Fuller's vehicle would end up striking a tree on
the eastern side of the road. Both Fuller and his son 7-year-old Wyatt
received minor injuries in the incident. Anyone with information is asked
to contact the State police barracks in Coudersport.

According to a press release from the State Police in Coudersport a Woodland
man has been arrested for writing bad checks in Galeton. According to the
release Richard Casher wrote 3 checks over the coarse of 2 weeks in late
July to early August that were returned to the Larry's Sports Center.
Casher has been charged with 3 different charges including one on bad
checks.

Pennsylvania state police have released a report of a one vehicle accident
in Roulette Friday. Joel Perry lost control of his vehicle and over
compensated before striking a utility pole. Charges are pending in the
incident for failing to drive at a safe speed. Perry received minor
injuries in the incident and was wearing his seatbelt.

43-year-old Robert Warecki has been arrested for reportedly striking his
17-year-old son in the head with his fist Friday. According to the report
released by the NY state police Warecki fought with police when they
attempted to arrest him for the incident. Warecki is being charged with
several charges including Harassment and resisting arrest. He was placed in
Cattaraugus county jail in lieu of five thousand dollars bail.

The Circle K Whitetail Hunting club in Bradford Township is still waiting on
a decision on the legality of operations and permit validation. The issue
that recently went before President Judge John Cleland was referred back to
the Township Zoning Board. No word as of yet as to when the Zoning Hearing
Board will make a decision.

A Bradford Juvenile was reportedly struck by a vehicle on Main Street
yesterday. According to a police report the juvenile ran across the street
from the Forest Oil building. Witnesses said that the boy was staggering
when he got back up. City Police and the City Ambulance service responded
to the scene and transported the youth to BRMC. No other information on the
incident is available at this time.

The Center for Rural Health Practice at the University of Pittsburgh at
Bradford has been given two grants worth 62 thousand dollars to fund a
study. The study is focusing on how federal and state funds are used by
states and identifying infrastructure – related barriers that rural
communities could face in securing the funds. A Final report will be given
in September of next year.

No one was injured when the awning of the CVS pharmacy drive thru fell on a
van. The awning reportedly collapsed due to the weight of snow and ice.
The vehicle driven by Kathleen Hamric had to be town from the scene Friday
afternoon.

M. Gladys Swetland, believed to be the oldest resident of Pennsylvania, died
on Wednesday at the Charles Cole Memorial Hospital at the age of 113.
Swetland was born in Mills, Potter County on April 18, 1892 and was never
married. She continued driving past her 100th birthday and was placed in
the long-term home at the age of 110. Swetland played piano for fellow
residents as well as for Governor Ed Rendel at the age of 112.

The County Commissioners and the McKean County Solid Waste Authority are
approaching an agreement. According to the Commissioners Chairman John
Egbert, the counties Erie law firm is drafting an agreement that is based on
compromises deemed acceptable by the Authority. The two sides originally
set a date of December 27 to sit down and discuss the future but now is
tentatively a date for an agreement to be finalized.

Timothy Williams, the convicted murderer of Officer Steve Jerman in 1999,
was denied a new trial. Clarion County Judge Charles Alexander denied the
appeal for a new trial despite one of the witnesses claiming to have shot
the Kane Officer instead of Williams. The Alleged admissions of Becky
Lucrezi, one of the two occupants of Williams' vehicle's back seat, have
been currently denied by Judge Alexander. Lucrezi was granted immunity at
the original trial for her testimony against Williams. The Post conviction
review of the case has been allowed to continue despite the new trial
denial.

Opens Arms Community Church has launched a new, trendy, state-of-the-art Web
site that's very different from most church sites.

Openarmsbradford.org is an interactive site with a team of people who keep
it updated with not only church news, but links to local news and the rest
of the community.

Currently, the church offers the services on a podcast and a streaming or
downloadable mp3 file of McAvoy's weekly messages.

In the next few months they hope to broadcast the service live with webcam
video.

A series of Potter County burglaries has been attributed to a pair from
Westfield and Wellsboro. 13 burglaries between August and October are under
investigation, and both suspects have been incarcerated in the Tioga County
jail while the charges are sorted out.

An argument in Shippen Township brought out the State Police. Troopers say
23 year old Rebekah Afshar struck Sarah Afshar in the elbow. Harassment
charges are pending.

State Police say a dodge pick up took a dump on Route 120. The truck dropped
several items out of the bed. The items fell directly in front of a vehicle
driven by Ed Lakes of Emporium. Lake's bronco received minor damage.