News Briefs From Around The Area

Fatal car crash

GALETON -- A Galeton man died in a one-vehicle crash last Wednesday morning on Route 249.

State police said 30-year-old Bobby Ray Googe was trying to pass a log truck while towing another vehicle when the truck he was operating went out of control. The vehicle rotated counter-clockwise and rolled over several times before coming to rest. A 16-year-old passenger escaped injury. Neither occupant was wearing a seatbelt.

Arson suspected

BRADFORD - Investigators suspect arson as the cause of last Thursday morning's fire that destroyed four homes in Bradford.

The blaze broke out in an unoccupied two-story home at 170 Kennedy St., owned by Debra Miczo of Emporium. Fire spread to three adjacent occupied homes. Police said all four structures were destroyed, while other homes along Kennedy Street sustained heat damage.

The American Red Cross is assisting 11 victims who were left homeless. There were no serious injuries. Damage has been estimated at $400,000. Trooper Greg Agosti, a fire marshal out of the Ridgway barracks of the Pa. State Police, is heading the investigation. An accelerant-sniffing dog was brought to the scene from State College.

Store robbed

ST. MARYS -- St. Marys City Police are investigating an armed robbery that occurred early Saturday morning at the Nittany Minute Mart at 770 Washington Street.

At about 12:30, a white male entered the store armed with a sharp instrument and demanded an undetermined amount of money from the proceeds of the closing shift. The thief, whose identity was disguised, then fled on foot.

Pollution abated

BENEZETTE -- Bennett Branch Watershed Association celebrated successes in acid mine drainage treatment efforts and land reclamation last week during a gathering at the Gilbert Farm Elk Viewing Area atop Winslow Hill.

Coal mine pollution plagued Bennett Branch and Dents Run for decades, but the situation has gradually improved. Aquatic life is returning, said Doug Austin of the Pa. Fish and Boat Commission, adding that the waterways are on their way to becoming "clean and usable."

Bill Sabatose, president of the Toby Creek Watershed Association, cautioned those present to remain attentive to the maintenance needs of the water treatment equipment

Animal shelter progresses

ST. MARYS -- Elk County Humane Society President Veronica Conrad and Vice President Joe Boylan report that the organization's new animal shelter in St. Marys should be ready for use by October.

"The building is up, and we're moving forward with it," Boylan said. "We're fortunate the City of St. Marys was able to give us good lease rates."

Operating costs will be about $68,000 per year, over and above the $16,000 paid to a humane officer. Municipalities using the shelter are being asked to provide financial support. The organization is working with law enforcement to hold abused and neglected pets.

Airport 'marketed'

BRADFORD -- Bradford Regional Airport is marketing itself as a center of activities beyond air travel. Operators want to bring a 30,000-squarefoot tenant center to airport grounds, near the beacon along the access road.

Construction is likely to start no later than 2009, after funds are acquired and environmental studies conducted. Marketing efforts will also be part of the broader plan to attract tenants.

The center is being developed in conjunction with the proposed Pa. Army National Guard armory, across the access road from the center site. An economic development committee has been appointed to oversee the project.

State adds acreage

COUDERSPORT -- The Potter County Board of Commissioners recently approved the transfer of a 972-acre tract of land located in West Branch Township to the Susquehannock State Forest.

Property owners David and Linda Acker and Daniel Millard have agreed to pay the real estate taxes owed on the property for the next five years. That will help cushion the blow from the removal of the acreage from the tax base. The West Branch Township Board of Supervisors also approved the transfer.

Bank robber sentenced ST. MARYS - An Elk County man has been sentenced to five to 10 years in the state prison system for robbing a St. Marys bank last November.

Edward L. Joshnick, 43, St. Marys, pleaded guilty in March to robbing National City Bank with a firearm and to 30 counts of theft by deception in eight separate cases.

UPB awarded grant

BRADFORD -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford has been awarded $2.15 million from the state to support new academic programs. Funds come from a rural education outreach initiative.

The money will support new majors in entrepreneurship and hospitality management/tourism, while helping UPB to upgrade the information technology, biology and health sciences curriculums.

Water wells limited

ST. MARYS - St. Marys City Council will hold a public meeting in the near future with representatives of the Pa. Dept. of Environmental Protection to request changes in the city's aquifer drilling ordinance.

The ordinance stipulates that water wells drilled in the city not be used for drinking water. Some residents are seeking revisions, so that the ordinance applies only to industrial areas, such as those surrounding Keystone Powdered Metal, the Stackpole Center and Carbone.

Rite Aid coming

ST. MARYS - A branch of the Rite Aid pharmacy and retail store will be built at a highvolume intersection in St. Marys. The business is targeted for the corner of Ford Road and the Million Dollar Highway.

The current buildings on that lot will be demolished. That work is expected to begin no later than December.

Child welfare plan

SMETHPORT -- McKean County Children and Youth Services will soon submit its two-year plan for state approval. The Pa. Dept. of Public Welfare certifies the agency based on its caseloads, placements, and handling of negligence and abuse issues.

Last year's Children and Youth Services budget totaled $4.4 million. The current plan calls for $4.2 million in expenditures. The agency has recently become more aggressive in holding parents and guardians accountable for school truancies and is using foster care more often as an alternative to placement of children who are being abused or neglected.

Teacher strike averted

BRADFORD - Unionized teachers at Bradford Area School District reached agreement on a new contract last week, averting a strike in time for classes to open on schedule for the 2006-07 school year.

Negotiations started almost 18 months ago. After the two sides reached an impasse, the outstanding issues were evaluated by an appointed fact-