REGIONAL NEWS

Bank robbery

DuBOIS -- A knife-wielding robber held up the Liberty Boulevard branch of S&T Bank shortly before noon on Saturday.

Investigators have refused to disclose how much money was stolen.

DuBois City Police Department is heading the investigation. Officers report that a man entered the bank at about 11:40, demanded money from a teller and brandished a knife. After he was given cash, he fled on foot on Liberty Boulevard. He may have then boarded a motorcycle.

The suspect is a white man in his late 20s or early 30s. He stands 5-8 or 5-9, with a medium build, weighing between 170 and 180 pounds. He has brown hair and had a white gauze bandage covering his left cheek.

Pa. State Police from the DuBois barracks and Sandy Township Police Department are assisting with the investigation.

Science program saved

BRADFORD - University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will continue to provide the popular "Science in Motion" program for area school students for the 2008-09 school year.

Early drafts of the Pennsylvania state budget did not include a Science in Motion allotment, but funding was restored prior to final passage of the budget.

The program gives area students access to high-tech science lab equipment. UPB is one of 11 universities statewide with the program, serving school districts across the region.

'Pot' farm raided

OLEAN -- Local, state and federal police agencies joined last week on a raid at a major marijuana growing and distribution operation in Cattaraugus County, N.Y.

More than 1,000 marijuana plants, 80 pounds of packaged marijuana and $25,000 in cash were seized.

Arrested were Joseph Tigano III, 44, owner of the premises, and Joseph Tigano I, 70. Each was charged with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana.

Cattaraugus County Sheriff Dennis John called the plantation "one of the most highly sophisticated operations found in Western New York . . . from starting, tending and harvesting plants to packaging and distribution."

Fishing, Hunting Museum

WARREN -- Site of the proposed Pennsylvania Hunting and Fishing Museum is being shifted from Forest County to Warren County.

Under the new plan, the museum would be connected to the new Warren County Conservation District building. The museum's board of directors wants the facility to include conservation education to complement exhibits on hunting and fishing history.

Tax woes deepen

CLARION -- Clarion Borough leaders are pushing for a bill before the Pa. General Assembly that would help local governments in areas where there is a large amount of taxexempt property.

A rally in Harrisburg in support of House Bill 2018, the Tax-Exempt Property Municipal Assistance Fund, was attended by Mayor John Stroup, Borough Manager Nancy Freenock and Chamber of Business and Industry Executive Director Tracy Becker.

The bill would provide state reimbursement to local governments that have 15 percent or more of their land tax-exempt. Clarion Borough is home to a state university, the seat of county government, the local school district and numerous churches.

All of these properties are located within the borough limits and do not contribute to the tax base.

The amount of non-taxable property in the borough is $75.6 million, or 71 percent of the total assessed value. Thus, only 29 percent of the property in Clarion is taxable.