News Briefs From Around The Area

Six drug arrests

ST. MARYS - The Northcentral Municipal Drug Task Force arrested six people on drug charges last week.

St. Marys City Police said Johnny Frank J. Coleman, 28, of Farrell; Christine Rotan, 20, of Sharon; and Andrea G. Logan, 23, of Farrell, were arrested for delivery of crack cocaine, criminal conspiracy, possession of crack cocaine, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Rotan was a fugitive from justice with warrants pending in Mahoning County, Ohio.

Additionally, the task force, in conjunction with city police, arrested Frank White, 32, of St. Marys, as a result of a parole violation; Alric Easley IV, 32, and Joshua Knepp, 27, both of St. Marys, for an Elk County bench warrant.

The task force is comprised of officers from Elk, Cameron, Forest and Warren counties. Assistance came from the St. Marys Police K-9 Unit, Elk County Sheriff's Department, Emporium Borough Police, Johnsonburg Borough Police, Ridgway Borough Police and Ridgway-based state police.

School renovations

PORT ALLEGANY -- Port Allegany School Board members last week got a look at architectural plans for the $6.25 million upgrade of the elementary school. They will vote on the plan during a meeting on Sept. 11.

The project could go to bid by March. Included in the plan are ventilation and air conditioning improvements, electrical upgrades, structural repairs (including a new roof), sprinklers and space additions. About $5.7 million in state reimbursement is expected.

Teachers on strike

BROOKVILLE -- After a three-hour bargaining session Monday night failed to produce an agreement between the Brookville Area School Board and the teacher' union, the educators refused to report to the classroom for the scheduled first day of classes on Wednesday.

Union members picketed the school building and students stayed home.

School board negotiator Tom Breth said the district was unwilling to grant a 4.75 percent salary increase for teachers.

Union president Maria Heinrich called upon the community to help settle the dispute "by contacting school board members and telling them to negotiate and settle the contract so school can open . . . It has been three years and this has been dragging on too long."

Breth said earlier that wages and health insurance costs were the keys to reaching a settlement.

Under the school board's schedule of raises, the average teacher's salary would be $50,663 for the current school year, $52,194 for 2007-08 and $53,763 in 2008-09.

The union is requesting $53,288 for 2006-07, up to an average of $58,467 for 2008- 09.

Art gallery opening

JOHNSONBURG -- This year's Autumn Harvest Festival on Sept. 16 will introduce an addition to the downtown area -- an art gallery and studio at the Johnsonburg Community Center. The gallery will allow artists to share their works while the studio will help them to work on their creative efforts.

The 85-year-old landmark building was given to the community by the paper mill and has been renovated. More than 60 vendors are registered for the festival, which opens at 10:00 a.m. with Christian music by the Moore Brothers. Johnsonburg's dollhouse exhibit will be open and a 5K run and dice run will be held.

Latest 'Our Town'

PORT ALLEGANY -- Volunteers will fan out over Port Allegany on Sept. 23, recording local scenes to help WPSUTV, the public television station shown on channel 3 locally, prepare a spotlight on the community for its "Our Town" series.

The videos will be edited down to a one-hour video scrapbook of the people, places and happenings of the Port Allegany area as seen through the eyes of its residents. The program is scheduled to air in December 2006. Volunteers are welcome to attend an organizational on Sept. 13 at 7:00 p.m. in the Borough Building.

New hotel owners

BENEZETTE -- The Benezette Hotel held a grand opening last weekend so the new owners, Brian Kunes and Matt Castle, could introduce themselves.

They're anxious for the hotel, restaurant and bar to be a gathering place in the heart of Pennsylvania's elk country. Kunes was raised in Meadville and has been an engineer in Maryland for the past 15 years. Castle was born and raised in Baltimore.

They plan to renovate the guest rooms, add a deck with outdoor seating, and expand the parking area. The business employs 13 people. Hours of operation are Mondays through Fridays from 11:00 a.m. to close and Saturdays and Sundays from 7:00 a.m. to close.

Refinery turns 125

BRADFORD -- Celebration of the 125th anniversary of the massive Bradford oil refinery, now owned by American Refining Group, concludes this weekend.

Saturday's events include the oil and gas industry swap meet from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at ARG's main grounds on N. Kendall Avenue. The event features numerous vendors displaying oil and gas and general store memorabilia for sale, along with performances. The Autumn Daze Car Show will be held downtown until 4:00 p.m., followed by a street dance from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m

Fr. Frank returns

ST. MARYS - Fr. Frank Ziemkiewicz has returned from his one-year deployment as a U. S. Army colonel in Afghanistan and Iraq. As a senior Catholic chaplain, some of his duties involved operation of the base chapel, hosting masses, counseling, civilian outreach and covering units without an assigned chaplain.

While in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Fr. Frank visited orphanages, bringing with him supplies that had been sent to him from Elk and Cameron counties. He also participated in training missions with the Afghan people and Army National Guard troops from Kentucky and Florida.

Once in Iraq, Fr. Frank was stationed in Baghdad at the Camp Victory base complex, near Baghdad International Airport. Though not directly involved at the combat level, Fr. Frank said he often heard the sounds of fighting. He added that some soldiers he counseled described the horrors of improvised explosive devices planted in the nation.

"This was both maddening and infuriating," Fr. Frank said. "It is contrary to the religion of Islam, in which the Koran emphasizes peace."

Convention Center

DuBOIS -- The City of DuBois is a step closer to building a major new cultural and convention center.

Community leaders have four prospective sites for the center, two in the city and one each in the Sandy or Washington townships. The state's capital budget currently earmarks $15 million for the project.

Vo-tech bids reviewed

PORT ALLEGANY -- Bids are being reviewed by contractors vying for a multi-million upgrade of the Seneca Highlands Vo-Tech School in Port Allegany.

Superintendents of participating school districts will evaluate the bids next week and report their recommendations to directors. Board members will meet the following week to decide whether to proceed.