After temperatures on Friday hovered near 60º, old man winter blew back into town on Saturday, reminding us that Spring is still over two months away. Winds gusted to 45mph and temps fell into the mid 20's by late Saturday afternoon, with lows predicted to reach the single digits by Sunday night. One positive, depending on how you look at it, was little snow accumulation. Snowmobile enthusiasts and skiers probably aren't too happy, tho. I'm sure more snow will come...all too soon.

Two Pennsylvania men died Thursday while serving in Iraq.

44-year-old Lt. Col Michael McLaughlin, a native of Tionesta, was a member
of the Pennsylvania National Guard.

He died on Thursday when a suicide bomb hit a session he had been conducting
to recruit Iraqi police officers.

27-year-old Marine Cpl. Albert P. Gettings of New Castle died as a result of
small-arms fire while conducting combat operations in Fallujah.

A man is accused of grabbing and shoving a woman at their Emporium home.

State police charged Gary Lee Pashong with harassment after the alleged
incident involving Veronica Lukaschunis on Monday afternoon.

Officials at the State Health Department say that the rumors were true, sort
of… One case of giardiasis was confirmed in McKean County in December.
1 to 2 thousand cases of the waterborne parasite are reported from more
urban areas each year.
Officials say one confirmed case does not mean there is a problem.
The parasite causes gastro-intestinal illness.
In 1979, 400 confirmed, and 29 hundred estimated cases of giardiasis created
an epidemic.
Health officials say one case is no reason to show concern.

Area elk are migrating to McKean and Potter counties.

The only free-roaming elk herd east of the Mississippi is concentrated in
Elk and Cameron counties, but elk have been spotted in McKean and Potter
counties recently.

About 77 thousand people came to see the elk last year. That's up about 10
percent over 2004, according to tourism officials.

More people are expected this year because of increased Pennsylvania Wilds
advertising.

A Theft of a 20-pound propane tank is being reported by Coudersport State
Police. According to a report that has been released, a gray 20-pound
propane tank and regulator was taken from Gill Contant's home in Bingham
Township sometime between December tenth and yesterday. The value of the
tank is estimated at 70 dollars. Anyone with information is asked to
contact Coudersport State Police.

Someone in Norwich Township allegedly sent sexually explicit reading
material to an inmate at Pelican Bay State Prison in California.

State police in Kane say their investigation is continuing.

Two people were hurt in an accident Wednesday afternoon on Route 120, about
3 miles east of Emporium.

State police say a car driven by 45-year-old Jeannie Hoffower of Emporium
went out of control and rolled over.
Hoffower and her passenger, 34-year-old Kim Guisto, were treated for their
injuries at Elk Regional Heath Center.

Emporium state police say there’s been an increase in scam mailings and
telephone solicitation in the Cameron County area.

Police say if an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. And they
remind people to not give their personal information to people they don’t
know.

The Allegheny Bradford Corporation has received a patent for a new filter
housing for the pharmaceutical / biotech industry. Allegheny Bradford's
Opti-clean is the first and only multi-round filter housing designed for
maximum drain-ability which is key in the filtering of proteins for the
manufacturing of biotech drugs.

A Saturday morning Crash in Bradford Township called out Police and
paramedics.

A seventeen-year-old man was driving east on 770 when he lost control and
rolled his truck.
Police report the teen was not injured.

Hunters should not be allowed to use a prehistoric weapon known as the
atlatl, according to an internal study done by the state game commission.

The study says the atlatl is not deadly enough to humanely kill a deer.

An atlatl is a piece of wood that propels an arrow-like dart. Atlatl
enthusiasts say they like it because it re-creates the feel of a Stone Age
hunt.

A Georgia man has started an online petition that criticizes the
government's decision to grant Rex the Bomb Sniffing dog to his handler,
Hazel hurt native, Jamie Himes Dana.

Chris Duhon says that Dana's request to adopt the dog is selfish, and by
removing the dog from his service, it causes other soldiers to be killed.

US Congressman John Peterson's Press Secretary Chris Tucker says the
petition is misguided.

The petition can't stop the adoption process, President Bush signed that
wording into law December 30, but the 198 signature petition is insulting to
Dana, according to Tucker.

Another petition on thepetitionsite.com in favor of Dana has garnered ove 29
thousand signatures in support of her adoption of rex.

It was a rough Christmas for some area churches.
Father John Kuzilla of St. Boniface Church in Kersey tells state police that
someone took the Baby Jesus from the church’s nativity sometime between last
Thursday and Sunday.

The 50 dollar Baby Jesus was later found along Garr Road in Kersey and
returned to the church.

In Lockport, police are still investigating a theft and vandalism of a
church

Father Joseph Gatto of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church says around nine
thirty Friday night he found the statues of Joseph and Mary that have been
with the church for over 50 years were damaged.

Forty five minutes later the vandals apparently came back and stole the
statue of baby Jesus

Right before Christmas, two baby Jesus figurines and a Virgin Mary statue
were stolen from churches in Brookville and Sigel.

A Fire at the Gold Eagle Hotel in Eldred left no injuries. Eldred Borough
Fiure Chief Bob Windsor reports the structure was lit up by a faulty
electrical box.

20 firefighters were on scene for about half an hour Saturday.

Grant Monies have arrived for the feasibility study of a resort in the
Allegany National Forest.

Warren County Commissioners are still deciding whether they should wait for
more money to do a broader tourism study.

Commissioner John Eggleston says the county is looking for a comprehensive
tourism plan.

A Bradford man was arraigned on drug, burglary and other charges after an
alleged incident Wednesday at the corner of State and North Center streets.

Papers filed in District Judge Dominic Cercone's office say 25-year-old Tim
Bottorf was found with a hypodermic needle and a tie-off string while police
were investigating a disturbance.

During the arraignment, Bottorf was also charged in an unrelated Christmas
Eve incident.

Bottorf allegedly broke into a Congress Street home by kicking in the front
door. The female resident of the house called police, and told them she saw
Bottorf run from the house to Park Street, get into a vehicle and leave.

He is in jail on a total of 10 thousand dollars bail. Preliminary hearings
on both sets of charges has been set for January 25th in Cercone's office.

An Austin woman and child were injured on Cowley Hill Road Monday. Police
say Sharon Geci was traveling in Portage Township when she lost control and
struck a guide rail, rolling her Ford Explorer onto its side.

Tickets for Bradford Little Theatre's upcoming production of "A Year with
Frog and Toad" are on sale.

Director Chris Mackowski says the show has something fore everyone, and that
adults will love the musical score and children will love the friendship
between the storybook characters.

Tickets are available at Mayer Brauser's, Graham's Florist, Ott & McHenry,
Smith's Trophy Shop and Tina's Hallmark.

The show runs January 20th through 22nd at Pitt-Bradford's O'Kain
Auditorium.

Someone threw three boxes of trash and animal carcasses along Jo Jo Road in
Wetmore Township sometime on Sunday.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Kane state police.

Record numbers of oil and gas drilling permits have been pushed through,
according to the DEP.
McKean County tops off the state with an increase of 235 wells since last
year.

Natural gas and oil wells across the state have increased by more than 1500
this past year.

High Crude oil prices and a greater need for energy prompted the surge.

Bradford City Police are working with police in Smethport to find a graffiti
artist. Police have noticed graffiti cropping up on signs and buildings
around town with red, silver, orange and black paint. Some of the same
graffiti markings showed up in Smethport, so police believe there is a
connection.

La Herradura, The BRMC Sacks Shop, Grace Lutheran Church, J&K Pets, and
several other locations around town have all been vandalized recently.

A Port Allegany woman escaped injury in an accident this morning on Route 55
in Eldred Township.

Police say 44-year-old Suzanne Evans fell asleep at the wheel, when her car
went off the road, hitting several small trees.

She was cited for careless driving

Two people were hurt in a two-vehicle crash at noon today on Route 321 about
five miles north of Route 6.

State police say a pickup truck driven by 26-year-old Nathan Mealy was
trying to turn when an SUV driven by 19-year-old Erin Bowen tried to pass
it, and hit the fender. The SUV then went out of control and rolled over.

Bowen and her passenger suffered minor injuries.

A Warren woman who set a fire that killed her daughters has been sentenced
to life in prison without parole.

29-year-old Amy Nicole Niver pleaded guilty on Monday to two counts of
second-degree murder and one count of arson. Had she gone to trial and been
convicted of first-degree murder, she could have faced the death penalty.

The May 22nd fire killed 8-year-old Hannah Niver and 2-year-old Emma
Wightman. According to court records, Niver told a firefighter she started
the fire because she didn't want the father of her youngest daughter to take
the girls from her.

Niver's attorney says her doctor believes she has a long-term mental illness
but that wasn't enough to support an insanity defense.

State Police are looking for a man that shot a dog in Oswayo Township.
31-year-old Richard Nelson Jr. told police he found a dead five-month-old
dog at the end of his driveway, with a bullet hole. Nelson says it also
appears the animal was hit by a car or injured before being shot, and left
for dead.

Police are investigating.

AN Emporium man has been arrested after allegedly kicking his wife in the
ankle.

State Troopers say Ernest Reuthers kicked Theresa Reuthers at the Dexter
Street Home last night.

A former Derrick City man pleaded guilty on Monday to attempted forgery and
other charges for trying to forge his brother's name on his fingerprint card
when he was being arrested in June in Ellicottville.

Cattaraugus County District Attorney Ed Sharkey says 26-year-old John Quinn
was arrested for driving under the influence of drugs.

He's scheduled for sentencing on March 13th.

McKean County Prison Warden Dennis Luther has charged the prison board to
deal with its overcrowding issues, as soon as possible.

Luther gave an annual report Friday to the Prison board, pointing out that
the jail could never score more than an 80 out of 100 on the state
requirements without major improvements.

McKean County Commissioner John Egbert says architects have estimated a cost
of about 4 million dollars to bring the jail up to standards.

Commissioners are looking at a much less expensive option, like electronic
monitoring, to encourage more home arrests, and programs to cut down on
recidivism.

Coudersport State Police are releasing a report of a Wednesday incident of
theft at the Charles Cole Memorial Hospital. Donna Costello told troopers
that an unknown person took one hundred and fifty dollars from her purse
while she was in the Hospital for treatment. Anyone with information is
asked to contact the state police barracks.

Long time McKean County Resident and attorney in Bradford Dan Hartle has
been chosen as the new solicitor for the McKean County Sheriff's office.
Practicing law for the past 24 years, Hartle also served as the president of
the McKean County Bar Association, McKean County Republican Committee's
treasurer, and a solicitor for various local municipalities.

A small earthquake in Lake Erie late Thursday night shook some houses and
sounded like an explosion.

The 2 point 6 magnitude quake was centered about 20 miles east of Cleveland.

The National Earthquake Information Center reported no damage.

A Bradford man was accepted into the Accelerated Rehabilitation Disposition
Program for simple assault charges.
25-year-old Joshua Jorgenson approached a car in April, when he saw what he
thought was a man assaulting a woman.
Jorgensen removed the man from the car, and kicked him.
Jorgensen was ordered to perform 20 hours of community service.

A Rixford man pleaded guilty to Simple assault last week. 23-year-old Gary
Simes got in a fight with Chad Dowell on Hobson Place in June. Simes then
left the scene, obtained a tire iron and returned, striking Dowell and
injuring him.
Sentencing is set for January 26.

A Bradford man currently serving time in the State Pen appeared in Court
last week on harassment and disorderly conduct charges.
19-year-old Adam Quigley entered a guilty plea for a September incident.
Quigley walked into a Bradford Restaurant, and noticed a juror that had
convicted him in another trial. He then began questioning her loudly,
upsetting other patrons, and causing the woman to fear.
Quigley was sentenced to a year of probation when his prison sentence is
over.

A Roulette man is trying to get out of his guilty plea.
46-year-old David Page, who pleaded guilty to rape, sexual assault, unlawful
restraint, and aggravated indecent assault, says he wants to withdraw the
aggravated indecent assault plea before sentencing.
Page is accused of raping a woman in Port Allegany in November of 2004.
Page still says his contact with the woman was consensual.
Assistant District Attorney Christa Schott says Page is trying to harass the
victim further. And calls for the trial to be scheduled as soon as possible.

A Coudersport woman was injured in a Bradford crash on East Main Street last
night.

Police say 47 year old Denise Lyons was traveling on the wrong side of the
road when she ran into 26 year old Melinda Brown of Coudersport, and another
car driven by Michael Roarty.
Brown was taken to BRMC or treatment.
Lyons has been charged with Driving Under the influence, and on a suspended
license among other charges.
Police say a witness took Lyons keys before Lyons attempted to leave the
scene.

24 year old Janette Gilman of Bradford was accepted into the ARD program.

She was charged with endangering the welfare of a child for leaving her baby
in a locked car at Walmart in June.

Brian Gates pleaded guilty last week in McKean County Court to charges of
statutory sexual assault, corruption and aggravated assaulted for having sex
with a juvenile.

Paintings by a Pitt-Bradford professor will be displayed in Macedonia.

Kong Ho's paintings will be displayed for two years in the residence of the
US ambassador to Macedonia.

The paintings were selected after the curator of the Art in Embassies
Program saw Ho's work while it was on display in Washington, DC