What's in the news

Vo-Tech plan progresses

PORT ALLEGANY -- Work could begin as soon as late March on the expansion and renovation of the Seneca Highlands Vocational- Technical School in Port Allegany.

Constructions bonds totaling more than $7.6 million were sold on Feb. 19 after all nine participating school districts approved the project.

Among winning bidders were: J.C. Orr, Altoona, general contractor, $4.07 million; Pure Tech Inc., Bradford, electrical work, $1.42 million; and Mazza Sheet Metal Inc., Olean, N.Y., HVAC, $1.72 million.

Fallen soldier recalled

WARREN - A Warren County man who died while fighting in the Vietnam War will be memorialized in Soldiers Grove at the state capitol building.

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. John Gertsch, a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, was killed in action on July 19, 1969. The marker being placed in his honor will be unveiled during a public ceremony on June 4.

Soldiers Grove was designated in 1987 to honor Pennsylvania's veterans of foreign wars.

Gertsch distinguished himself while serving as a leader during combat operations in the A Shau Valley.

Waste plan protested

KERSEY -- Many Fox Township residents are protesting a state plan to dump demolition waste from the Quehanna facility in Karthaus, which was the site of radioactive materials, in the Greentree Landfill.

The Fox Township Supervisors have expressed their objections to the Pa. Dept. of Environmental Protection. The Quehanna site contains residual radioactivity left over from work conducted decades ago. DEP began cleaning up the site in 1998. It's located in the Quehanna Wild Area of the Moshannon State Forest. The site has housed several businesses over the years that have used radiation in their manufacturing processes.

In 1957, the Quehanna area was chosen due to its remoteness for a research facility. Curtiss-Wright Corp. was authorized to use the area to develop nuclear jet engines and experiment with nucleonics and metallurgy. The site was also used for a pool reactor, including the use of hot cells and laboratories. In 1960, Curtiss-Wright donated the facility to Penn State University for research. The hot cells were leased to the Martin-Marietta Corp. for the manufacture of thermoelectric generators.

NUMEC, a subsidiary of the Atlantic-Richfield Corp., leased the site in 1967. NUMEC used the reactor pool after removing and shipping the reactor components and nuclear fuel, as a storage pool for Co-60. In 1978, Atlantic- Richfield employees purchased the wood irradiation process, including the Co-60 pool irradiator, as Permagrain Products Corp. That company filed for bankruptcy in 2002, when DEP assumed responsibility.

Airport funds in limbo

BRADFORD -- Proposed changes in federal funding may threaten commercial air service to Bradford Regional Airport.

Cuts contained in the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization legislation could mean much lower subsidies for smaller airports, such as Bradford, DuBois, Oil City-Franklin, Altoona and Jamestown, N.Y. President Bush supports the cuts, but Congress may oppose them.

Officials Bradford Regional Airport are still working on a change in hub cities from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C.

Awarded Purple Heart

RIDGWAY -- A McKean County man, Staff Sgt. Steve Kerr of the Pa. Army National Guard, was awarded the Purple Heart during a service last weekend at the Ridgway Armory.

Brigadier General James R. Joseph presented the award to Kerr, a resident of Duke Center, for gallantry. Kerr was injured in May 22 while serving in Tikrit, Iraq.

Kerr's group was in Tikrit during an engagement, patroling outside an Iraqi police station.

"The commander was in with the Iraqi police at one of their stations," Kerr said. "We were outside pulling a patrol. A suicide bomber pulled up and detonated it. My best friend was killed and I was blown on the ground."

Kerr's back was injured and he received numerous cuts and abrasions. He returned to duty about a week after the incident and was home in July for rest and relaxation leave.

More using airport

FALLS CREEK - DuBois Regional Airport has been attracting more passengers since adjusting its flight schedule in December.

By adding a fourth departing flight, the airport is back on course for an annual passenger count of at least 10,000, which would trigger a larger federal grant. Last year, some 8,633 passengers flew out of DuBois.

Starting on April 9, the airport will have departures Monday through Friday at 7:15 a.m., 9:40 a.m., 1:45 p.m. and 4:25 p.m. Also, there will be a departing flight at 2:15 p.m. on Saturdays and departures at 10:15 a.m. and 4:25 p.m. on Sundays. Arrivals on Monday through Friday will be at 9:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 4:15 p.m. and 9:10 p.m. The Saturday arrival will be at 2:00 p.m. There will be two Sunday arrivals, at 4:15 p.m. and 9:10 p.m.

Books sent to Iraq

KANE - Iraqi children have received eight boxes filled with retired textbooks from Kane Area School District.

English teacher Mary Beth Stopper coordinated the project. Students filled the boxes and sent them to a U.S. Army base in Iraq. From there, American soldiers distributed the textbooks to children trying to learn English in Iraqi schools. Students prepared letters to go with the books.

Last year, Kane eighthgraders packed 18 boxes of supplies for shipment to victims of Hurricane Katrina.

An anonymous donor has paid for much of the shipping cost. Students and staff at Kane Middle School have also donated.