NEWS

​Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) today invited the public to provide comments on its delivery of public safety services, a required component of its accreditation review by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA).

Members of the public can post their comments on the Accreditation Public Comment Portal (calea.org). Comments can be in the form of commendations for good performance, suggestions for improvement, or concerns.

CALEA is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization that ensures public safety agencies are abiding by current best practices and continually self-evaluating policies and procedures to maintain compliance with over 450 applicable standards. Accreditation is a highly prized recognition of professional excellence.

BRADFORD, PA – Mike Wilt, PA-C, cardiology provider at Upper Allegheny Health System (UAHS) is set to lead the February Walk with a Doc. The walk will take place on Thursday, February 1 at 5 p.m. The event is hosted by Bradford Regional Medical Center (BRMC) and the Guidance Center (TGC) and will take place at Richard E. McDowell Trail on Campus Drive.

The walk is free and open to everyone. In honor of American Heart Month, participants are encouraged to wear red to the event. Prior to leading the walk Wilt will be discussing a health-related educational topic with participants. His discussion topic will be the effects of sleep apnea on cardiac health. If interested, please register at walkwithadoc.org/Ewaiver.

An alternate indoor location has been reserved for the event in the case of inclement winter weather.  The location is the University of Pitt at Bradford Fitness Center located at 300 Campus Drive, Bradford, PA 16701.  Any changes in the location will be announced on the Walk with a Doc Bradford Facebook Page the day of the event.

RIDGWAY, Pa (January 25, 2024)— Dickinson Center, Inc. (DCI), an affiliate of Journey Health System, is proud to appoint Board Certified Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist Mary Anne Albaugh, MD, as their new medical director. She will also continue to serve as a psychiatrist at Deerfield Behavioral Health, an additional Journey Health System affiliate.

“We’re excited Dr. Albaugh will lead our talented team of psychiatric providers at Dickinson Center,” said Jim Prosper, executive director of Dickinson Center, Inc. “Our consumers will benefit from the exceptional skill set and knowledge she will share with our providers.”

Dr. Albaugh began working within the Journey Health System at Deerfield Behavioral Health in 2015. She is a graduate of Gannon University and Hahnemann University School of Medicine (now Drexel University College of Medicine) and is double-board certified in general psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry. With more than 40 years of clinical experience, she has dedicated her career to improving the mental well-being of communities throughout northwestern Pennsylvania.

   On January 26, 2024, representatives from the Seneca Highlands Career and Technical Center travelled to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to compete in the District 6 Skills USA competition at the Pennsylvania College of Technology. The participants were given the opportunity to show how vital career and technical education are to America’s future through their applied learning, presentations, demonstrations, and speaking and employability skills. 

Skills USA is a nonprofit national student organization that serves students enrolled in a career and technical school. Its mission is to empower its members to become world-class workers and responsible citizens, and it complements the skills training received at the Seneca Highlands Career and Technical Center. The advisors at the Career and Technical Center are Mr. Brent Bryant and Mrs. Kim Mooney. 

The following list is made up of sixteen students from the Seneca Highlands Career and Technical Center and their home district who participated in the competition. First Place students will attend the state competition for Skills USA coming up in Hershey, Pennsylvania. We are so very proud of all the student competitors who attended the district-level competition, and perhaps some of our students at the Seneca Highland Career and Technical Center may advance to the national level!

Attendees at District 6 Competitions:

​Harrisburg, PA –01/29/2024– The Allegheny River in western Pennsylvania has been selected by a public vote as the state’s 2024 River of the Year, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn and Janet Sweeney of the Pennsylvania Organization for Waterways and Rivers (POWR) announced today.

“We are excited to honor the Allegheny River as Pennsylvania’s 2024 River of the Year, and I cannot wait to celebrate this incredible river during a sojourn later this year,” Dunn said. “Congratulations to Three Rivers Waterkeeper for the successful campaign and earning this prestigious honor. Thank you to everyone who voted in this wonderful competition highlighting one of our most precious natural resources.”

The historic Allegheny River starts as a stream in Potter County, meandering through a field of wildflowers before crossing briefly through New York and then through six counties in Western Pennsylvania.

The 325-mile river ends in Pittsburgh where it meets the Monongahela River and flows into the Ohio River, providing drinking water to more than one million people and acting as an ecologically and economically precious water trail.

The fertile valleys and abundant biodiversity have led many communities to call this place home, including the O-non-dowa-gah (Seneca Nation) who call the Allegheny Ohi:yo’ (beautiful river), the Lenni Lenape (Delaware Nation) who named it welhik-heny (most beautiful stream), and French settlers who referred to it as La Belle Riviere.

Ridgway, PA – The North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission (North Central), in cooperation with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), is pleased to announce a new Greenways mini grant funding round.

North Central is encouraging municipal entities and authorities, council of governments, 501C3 tax exempt corporations, educational institutions, incorporated watershed associations, conservation districts, and county and local governments within the region that are interested in expanding the North Central Pennsylvania Greenways network to apply for funding under the commission’s Greenways Implementation Block Grant Program.

Eligible applicants must be located within the six county region comprised of Cameron, Clearfield, Elk, Jefferson, McKean and Potter counties. 

           BRADFORD, Pa. – Joshua Schuessler of Rixford had already earned 15 college credits – equal to a typical semester – before ever stepping onto the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s campus as a first-year student.

            Schuessler earned those credits while at Otto-Eldred High School through Pitt-Bradford’s College in the High School program, which allows students to earn college credits from certain courses taught by their high school teachers who are certified through the program.

Tuesday, January 30, 2024—McKean County has been awarded grants in direct federal funding for an amount of $17,679 under Phase 41 of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP). Each phase requires a separate application and will be voted on separately.

The National Board is comprised of representatives from health and human service agencies across the country.  The United States Congress appropriates funds annually to help expand the capacity of food and shelter programs in high-need areas nationally.

In team competition, Pennsylvania College of Technology wrestling and basketball squads went a combined 0-7 last week, but three wrestlers went unbeaten in their three matches and each of them posted wins over regionally ranked opponents during the John Reese Duals at Wilkes University on Sunday.

WRESTLING

Kaden Ware, of Brooklyn, Connecticut, sixth in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III Mideast Regional rankings, had two wins by decision — one over Wilkes’ Michael Richardson, who is ranked fifth in the Southeast Region — and one win by major decision at 133 pounds.

Noah Hunt, of Muncy, fourth in the Mideast, recorded a technical fall, a major decision over Jack Bauer, of Wilkes, ranked seventh in the Southeast that avenged a loss to Bauer a year ago, and added a win by decision at 141.

Johnsonburg, Pa.:  Thursday, February 8, is the last date to register for Rolfe Beagle Club’s 8^th annual Statewide Coyote and Fox Hunt or Trap.  The hunt is scheduled for two weekends in February, 2/9-11 and 2/16-18.  Your registration must be received or postmarked on Thursday, February 8, if you plan on hunting both weekends.

Registration must be received or postmarked no later than Thursday, February 15, if you are going to participate in the second weekend only.  All registrations must be received at the Rolfe Beagle Club, 1016 Long Level Road, Johnsonburg, PA 15845.  Registration must include a phone number or an email.  Questions may be addressed to wlhab9@gmail.com.

Weigh-in is at 4:00 p.m. every day.  Categories include coyote, fox, and largest female coyote or largest female fox.  Additional information at the Facebook Page, Rolfe Beagle Club.

At 12:25 PM on Sunday, Jay Township Fire Dept. has been dispatched to Bennetts Valley & Birch Valley Road for a vehicle over the embankment.

ROAD IS REPORTED TREACHEROUS. ROUTE 255 IS NOW BEING CLOSED.

Coudersport Rotary Club hosted speaker, Kaleb Long, at their January 22, 2024, meeting at A&W West End Grill.

The 15-year-old homeschooled 10th grader spoke about his beekeeping project.

He’s been keeping bees for 4 years after taking an online course from Penn State Extension to learn about the subject.

Kaleb brought a hive with accessories and tools including a smoker, jar feeder, queen excluder, pry tool, and beekeeper garb for display. He has 12 hives that he monitors and treats for varroa mites, which carry diseases that can kill the hive.

Kaleb treated us to samples of summer, early fall and late honey for us to try. His honey can be found at Kaleb’s stand 1 mile north of Gold on Rte 449.

Thank you, Kaleb, for an interesting and informative presentation!

PA State Rep. Martin Causer  

Congratulations to Kane VFW Post 1132 on your 100th Anniversary! The post was chartered on January 29, 1924. Senator Cris Dush and I attended their celebration and presented House and Senate citations to Post Commander Dave Swanson and State Commander David “Spike” Gyger. Thank you all for your service. Here’s to another 100 years of supporting veterans!

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today gave preliminary approval to the 2024-25 hunting and trapping seasons and bag limits.

Modifications proposed for the 2024-25 seasons include:

• For black bear, the October muzzleloader season is proposed to be shortened to three days to reduce harvest rates on female bears and thereby promote stabilization of the bear population.
• Pheasant hunting within the Central Susquehanna Wild Pheasant Recovery Area (WPRA) is currently limited to youth participants drawn in a lottery. The agency has proposed to eliminate the age restriction and permit requirements and provide the Executive Director the authority to annually designate WPRAs to be opened to hunting and establish appropriate season date(s) and bag limits.
• A proposal to include mentored hunters of all ages to be eligible to hunt in the early October pheasant season segment, known best as the Junior Hunt.
• For wild turkey, fall season length changes are proposed for numerous Wildlife Management Units (WMU). Season length would be increased in 11 WMUs and WMU 5A, which was previously closed to fall hunting, would be opened for a 3-day season. Season length would be reduced in two WMUs (3D and 4C).
• For furbearers, WMU 2D is proposed to be opened to bobcat hunting and trapping. Also, the fisher trapping season is proposed to be increased by one week in all WMUs open to fisher harvest. This will allow concurrent fisher and bobcat trapping seasons.
• No changes are proposed for elk or white-tailed deer seasons. However, after-Christmas extended firearms seasons for antlerless deer might be recommended in April for up to five WMUs – 2C, 2E, 4A, 4D and 5A – where both Chronic Wasting Disease is present and antlerless licenses remained at the start of over-the-counter sales this year. Until 2023-24 deer harvest data is finalized, it won’t be known whether extended seasons will be recommended in any of these WMUs, because data could indicate harvest goals have been met and additional opportunity isn’t needed. If extended seasons are recommended by staff to the board, they would run there from Jan. 2 to Jan. 20, after a week of deer hunting open only to flintlock and archery hunters.

The public may offer comments on all proposed 2024-25 seasons and bag limits, as well as other board actions, between now and the board’s April meeting, when 2024-25 seasons and bag limits will be finalized, and antlerless deer license allocations will be determined.

The board is scheduled to meet April 12 and 13 at the Game Commission’s Harrisburg headquarters.

PROPOSED 2024-25 HUNTING SEASONS AND BAG LIMITS

HARRISBURG, PA – 01/27/2024—The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners met today in Harrisburg, hearing public comment and conducting official business. The commissioners gave preliminary approval to the 2024-25 hunting and trapping seasons and bag limits, which are outlined in a separate news release. Other highlights from today’s meeting follow.