February 2024

McKean County Dept of Emergency Services

PUBLIC NOTICE

2025 McKean County Hazard Mitigation Plan Update

Notice is hereby given that the McKean County Department of Emergency Services is in the process of updating the McKean County Hazard Mitigation Plan. Public meetings will be conducted to inform the public about the hazard mitigation plan and to gather public input and participation during the 2025 hazard mitigation plan update. The dates, times and locations of these public meetings will be outlined in future public notices. The update process is currently active and will run through February 2025. If you have questions, please contact Gerard Rettger, McKean County Emergency Management Agency Deputy Director at 814-887-4911 or GRRettger@mckeancountypa.org. A copy of the current 2019 McKean County Hazard Mitigation Plan is located at: https://www.mckeancountypa.org/…/2019_mckean_county….

Please send any comments on the current plan or recommendations for the new plan to Gerard Rettger.

There was a time when black bear hunting occupied a faithful, but small, niche in Pennsylvania’s hunting calendar. That’s true no more.

The state’s bear hunters remain as loyal in their pursuit as ever, but there are way more of them.

Pennsylvania had fewer than 130,000 bear hunters in 2003. In 2023, it had 206,124. That total – the fourth-highest ever – marked the fifth year in a row that bear license sales topped 200,000.

 Olean, N.Y., February 14, 2024 – With funding from the F. Donald Kenney Fund at the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation, the Tri-County Arts Council will hold its annual biennial art exhibition again this fall.

Since 2004, the yearly arts exhibition has received $426,896.71 in funding thanks to the generosity of the late philanthropist and art enthusiast, F. Donald. Kenney, who established the F. Donald Kenney Fund at CRCF to support the Southern Tier Biennial.

This year’s grant of $23,039.95 will go towards a solo artist exhibition to be held in the council’s gallery space.

Innovations in Low Grade Wood Materials

Kane, Pa. – The April 11, 2024 Roach-Bauer Forestry Forum is pleased to announce they will host two businesses for the upcoming Forum on Innovations in Low Grade Wood Materials, and an update from the Pennsylvania Hardwoods Development Council (HDC).  Jonathan Geyer from the Pennsylvania HDC, Royce Novosel-Johnson, AJ McGarity, and Lindsey Novosel from Woodside Oils, and Luca Pandolfi from Woodland Biomass Innovations will be featured speakers. 

Getting It Right

by

Pastor B.J. Knefley

Why is it that there appears to be a great attempt on the part of people to be right? Everyone seems to have an opinion about everything. Often the opinion is expressed without facts or information. Any attempt to enlighten them with the facts usually is refuted with more opinion.

People have opinions about many things. Politics, local events, other people, and the run of the mill gossip can each generate enough opinions to last a lifetime. You name it and someone will have an opinion about it. Everyone seems to have a desire to be right, so why don’t we just attempt to get it right in the first place?

It saddens me to see the many opinions that are expressed without the benefit of facts. Read any news blog or watch any news program and they all seem to be riddled with opinion, while at the same time represented as truth. We then take these opinions and share them with others as the gospel truth. After all, it must be true because we heard it from this network news show or, some famous person or another said it. In some ways it’s comical.

I’m not against opinions, after all, I have some too. But I am against those that persuade others to become judge and jury because of their opinions. Opinions that cause us to be distrustful of others or cause us to act in a manner that is mean and harmful go too far. The arena of public opinion can ruin others and cause a great deal of pain and hardship. Nothing has to be true anymore, it just has to be presented as true.

There is a simple thought that states we are to do unto others, as we would have them do unto us. I think it goes well with another one, “Love your neighbor as yourself”. These are simple thoughts that could have a profound impact on the lives of many, if we’d only practice them. Getting it right may have more to do with keeping our mouth shut and our emotions in check while we engage our mind. Our opinions may in turn become helpful rather than destructive. Think about it.