REGIONAL NEWS

Copper wire pilfered

KANE - Another theft of copper wiring is under investigation by state police from the Kane barracks.

Troopers say somebody entered private property at the site of a Verizon Wireless tower and made off with approximately 100 feet of copperclad wire. To gain access, the thieves cut a wire fence owned by a security company.

Police said the loss is about $450, counting the missing wire and property damage.

Industrial park update

ST. MARYS - Plans are progressing for developing the property around the St. Marys Airport for an industrial park and community facility,

City Manager David Greene reports that construction of sanitary sewer lines, water service lines and electric lines, as well as establishment of stormwater detention ponds, are among the initial steps.

Trees are being removed to pave the way for an access road to be built. Greene said that infrastructure work will be done by October. Tentative plans call for the industrial park to be ready for occupancy by next July.

Soccer fields located in the park will remain in use.

Cost of the work, involving 54 acres, will be about $1.8 million. There will be 15 building lots, ranging from 3.1 to 6.4 acres. Palo Construction of Clarion is general contractor.

Airport Road will be extended and a cul-de-sac added.

Geocaching competition

WELLSBORO -- Wellsboro Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a geocaching competition May 16-19, with more than $1,000 in prizes being offered.

A caching tour of 16 sites around Tioga County -- scenic vistas, historical sites, outstanding landmarks - has been established. Participants will receive GPS coordinates and must find each site.

Those who locate all 16 will be eligible for prizes. Registration takes place from 9 am to 1 pm Saturday on Wellsboro's town green.

Fined by DEP

BRADFORD - A McKean County family faces fines of more than $100,000 by the Pa. Dept. of Environmental Protection for damaging a designated high-quality waterway near Bradford.

Penalties have been assessed against seven members of the Pecora family, residents of Bradford Township, for activities on Minard Run.

They're accused of destroying fish habitat and causing other damage by dredging, damming, installing pipes, discharging and conducting other activity in the stream. The violations began about 10 years ago and have continued off and on ever since, DEP officials allege.

Eliminate cafeteria staff?

JOHNSONBURG - Citizens are protesting a proposal by the Johnsonburg Area District School Board to eliminate 11 cafeteria jobs and outsource food service to a company from the Pittsburgh area.

A final decision will be reached when board members meet in June to adopt the district's 2008-09 operating budget.

Supporters of the plan say contracting for cafeteria service could save the district $50,000 in the first year. They cite successful contracting in Bradford, Brockway, DuBois, and Elk County Catholic in St. Marys.

Enters guilty plea

SMETHPORT -- A former assistant warden of the McKean County Jail entered a no contest plea to charges of taking money from inmates' accounts.

Robert D. Windsor Jr., 45, of Eldred, entered the plea before Warren County Judge Paul Millin to five counts of failing to make required disposition of funds and a separate count of misapplication of entrusted property.

He will pay a $10,000 fee prior to being formally sentences to a term of probation. Windsor started working as the jail's commissary officer/ work release coordinator in 1994 and was promoted to assistant warden in 2000.

The thefts were discovered in 2002. An audit set the amount of stolen money at more than $22,000.

Chapel to be built

BRADFORD -- University of Pittsburgh at Bradford has received a $1 million gift from anonymous donors to build an interfaith chapel on campus.

The chapel will provide a site for religious services, weddings, receptions and musical performances. It will also be available daily for private meditation and prayer.

Plans call for the chapel to be built on the west side of the campus, overlooking Tunungwant Creek. Its sanctuary will seat about 150 people. Groundbreaking is expected by October.

The university is launching a fund-raising campaign to build the chapel fund to the estimated $2.5 million that will be required.

It will be named in honor of Harriett Wick, former executive of Zippo Manufacturing Co., which was founded by her father, George G. Blaisdell, in 1932.

Save the bell tower?

ST. MARYS - A key element of St. Marys' history is being targeted for preservation by a group of local citizens.

Estimated price tag for saving and rehabilitating the bell tower at the corner of South St. Marys Street and Market Street is $90,000.

The plan would include a modern electrical system and other equipment that would allow the tower to be used for emergency alert sirens.

Crystal Fire Department has pledged its support for the project through in-kind services valued at $10,000.

St. Marys Pharmacy has also agreed to support the plan. Additional funds are being sought from the Stackpole Hall Foundation and the Pa. Dept. of Community and Economic Development.

School tax increase

KANE -- Kane Area School Board has passed a $15.2 million budget for the 2008-09 fiscal year.

It calls for a real estate tax rate of 13.90 mills in McKean County and 25.98 mills in Elk County, up from 13.06 and 25.68 for the current school year.

Final approval of the budget is expected to come at the school board meeting June 12.

Board member Dave Westerburg dissented, suggesting that a tax increase could be avoided by using a portion of the district's financial reserves.

About $1.1 million is targeted for repaying a long-term loan for construction of a new elementary school.

Pharmaceutical disposal

ST. MARYS -- Elk County Recycling Office is teaming with the Pa. Dept. of Environmental Protection to hold the state's first pharmaceutical disposal event scheduled on June 7 from 8 am to noon at Elk Regional Health Center in St. Marys.

Both controlled and noncontrolled substances will be accepted, including prescription, over-the-counter and veterinary medications, cough syrups, vitamins and nutritional supplements and inhalers. Needles or medical waste will not be accepted.

The event allows area residents the opportunity to dispose of the contents of their medicine cabinets in a safe way.

Recent studies show that pharmaceuticals have been infiltrating much of the nation's drinking water.

Most sewage treatment plants are not equipped to filter pharmaceuticals out of drinking water.

Officials say the best way to dispose of such products is by incineration.

Additional information is available from the Elk County Recycling Office at 776-5373.