NEWS

1. HUMAN SERVICES:
Chairman: Burdick Vice Chairman: Ricketts-Swales
Committee Members: Hanchett, Harris, Root, Rumfelt
2. PERSONNEL:
Chairman: Ricci Vice Chairman: Hanchett
Committee Members: Burdick, Havey, Ricketts-Swales, Root, Rumfelt
Special – Negotiations Liaison Committee (Sub-Committee of Personnel)
Chairman: Ricci
3. PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT:
Chairman: Root Vice Chairman: Barnes
Committee Members: Curran, Cyr, Hanchett, Healy, Ricci, Ricketts-Swales
4. PUBLIC SAFETY:
Chairman: Havey Vice Chairman: Rumfelt
Committee Members: Barnes, Cyr, Demick, Harris, Healy
5. PUBLIC WORKS:
Chairman: Fanton Vice Chairman: Demick
Committee Members: Barnes, Curran, Cyr, Healy, Rumfelt
Special – Space Needs Committee (Sub-Committee of Public Works)
Chairman: Demick Vice Chairman: Healy
Committee Members: Cyr, Fanton, Hanchett, Havey, Root
6. RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Chairman: Curran Vice Chairman: Cyr
Committee Members: Barnes, Fanton, Hanchett, Ricketts-Swales
7. WAYS & MEANS:
Chairman: Harris Vice Chairman: Fanton
Committee Members: Burdick, Curran, Demick, Havey, Ricci, Root
Special – Budget Committee (Sub-Committee of Ways & Means)
Chairman: Harris Vice Chairman: Healy
Committee Members: Burdick, Demick, Fanton, Havey, Ricc

Once again this year school resource officers from the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Department stuffed their shopping carts full of toys and clothes to bring Christmas to area families in need.

This year the Santa Sheriff program served 17 families, representing a total of 54 area children.

A $4,819 grant from the Santa Sheriff Fund at the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation, established by the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Department to support the administration of the program in 2012, provided funds to purchase of gifts for the families.

For the last few years, the program has received most of its referrals through area school districts to school resource officers (SROs), said Sgt. Tonya Dry. This allows the program to better serve the children who benefit as the SROs are familiar with which children are most in need and have interactions with those children in school throughout the year.

Sgt. Dry, who has served in a leadership role with the program since 2019, works closely with other area gift-giving programs and also takes referrals for additional families to ensure that needy area families are assisted during the holidays.

Since 2012, the Santa Sheriff Fund at CRCF has made possible over $80,650 in grants in support of the Santa Sheriff Fund.

“The Santa Sheriff Program has been a steady source of support for area families in need for some time now,” said CRCF Executive Director Karen Niemic Buchheit. “It touches your heart when you see the joy on the face of sheriff deputy shopping for the perfect coat or the perfect toy for a child. It is even more meaningful knowing that joy is only greater when a child sees that on Christmas morning.”

Donations can be made to the Santa Sheriff Fund Fund at CRCF, 301 North Union St., Suite 203, Olean, NY 14760 or online at cattfoundation.org.

Blaine Moses has been selected as Seneca Highlands CTC’s student of the week for the week of Dec 5th.
Blaine is a Port Allegany senior enrolled in the Heavy Equipment Maintenance Technology program.

He continually distinguishes himself from his classmates with his excellent work ethic, his high concern for accuracy and attention-to-detail and his performance in leadership roles.

He is currently undecided in his future plans.

His extracurricular activities and hobbies include: football, basketball, trapping, and
hunting

Dear Friends and Community,

It is difficult to find the words to express the gratitude for the love, prayers and support you have given during our time of loss. The kindness shown brought us comfort during this hard time.  Please know that your generosity and thoughtfulness have touched us deeply. Thank you all for being there for us.

Many blessings,

The Family of Mike Priest

On December 4th we had our second 4-H meeting. We met at the Sartwell Creek Church. Morgan from the extension office was there.

We have a lot of new members in our club this year. We helped the new members learn the 4-H pledge. Then we reviewed how to identify sick livestock.

We reviewed cows, pigs, sheep, goats, and rabbits. At the end of our lesson we played a game about eye for detail. There were pictures of each species and we had to say if it was healthy or sick. If it was sick we had to tell what was wrong with it.

Lastly we made Christmas wreaths out of tablecloths. We are donating these looking really good Christmas wreaths at the Cole Care bazaar this Saturday for the patients to enjoy them.

Rosalie, Reznor, Rayden, Teri-Lynne, Daivony, Talyah-Mae, Tess-Jean, Maddie, Ryleigh, Avaree, Natale, and me, Maeson, all attended the meeting. I would list them under the picture but I am still learning the names of our friends.

A huge thank you to Ilene Altenhein for her donations of supplies to our club.

Written by,
Maeson Redmond
Age 8

On Thursday, December 8, Seneca Highlands Career and Technical Center hosted a SkillsUSA Leadership Event. This event is held annually in Erie, Pa, but due to unfortunate circumstances was canceled this year. In a collaborative effort to provide something for the area’s SkillsUSA youth, this event brought together 22 of our own CTC students, as well as 27 Bradford High Comprehensive Career and Technical Program students from Bradford, Pa. Students rotated through four stations for 45 minute sessions. 

These were:

• Professionalism with Brent Bryant.
  • This involved an outside ropes course, and a pretend minefield
• Social Media and You with Tom Boylan & Dave DeGolier
  • Maintaining professionalism on social media
• Framework for SkillsUSA with Kim Mooney
  • Mastering important technical skills, workplace skills, and personal skills through games and activities
• Teambuilding with Michelle Jack
  • Students created snowmen utilizing leadership skills, and enjoyed other interactive activities

Students ate a catered lunch provided by the SHCTC Culinary students and given a presentation by Kelly Compton, Curriculum Specialist at the Seneca Highlands IU9. Kelly spoke about Courage.

Students are looking forward to the SkillsUSA Districts Competition being held in Mercer, Pa in early January.

Andrea Robbins teaching 8 a.m. chemistry. “I’m a morning person,” she says. “My students are there. They know it’s important.” After more than 40 years of breaking down complex topics for students, Robbins is retiring this week. (photo by Matthew Lester)

BRADFORD, Pa. – Andrea Robbins, one of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s longest-serving faculty members, is retiring this week after more than 40 years of service to the university teaching chemistry and algebra.

She had not planned a career in academics when she came to Pitt-Bradford in 1982 as a lab instructor – a job she intended to have for a couple of years before pursuing a career in industry. But she fell in love with another lab instructor, Don Robbins, who introduced her to the woods of his native McKean County, where she still prefers to be found today and plans to spend time in retirement.

The Robbinses were married for 31 years before Don’s death in 2015.

Andrea Robbins grew up in Leetsdale, Pa., loving science at a time when that was uncommon for a girl. After getting a hand-me-down chemistry set from an uncle, she asked for and received one for Christmas, sparking her passion for chemistry. Her 10^th grade chemistry class set in motion her desire to be a chemist.

 Robbins attended Villa Maria College, in Erie, Pa., and took chemistry classes at Gannon University, where she was often the only woman in upper-level courses.

 Robbins’ gained a reputation at Pitt-Bradford as an instructor who excelled at breaking down tough topics into digestible bits.

“I try to remember my best what it was like to be on the other side of the desk,” she says of teaching and meeting with students. She also believes that it takes a lot of work to understand tough topics.

“I’m very old-school in my methods,” she said. “You get out of learning what you put into it. You only learn by pushing a pencil.”

In 2008, she received the Chairs’ Faculty Teaching Award.

A devoted outdoorswoman, she plans to spend more time fishing for trout and hunting for deer (archery) small game and spring gobbler. She is also planning trips to visit her children and grandchildren in New Hampshire and many nieces and nephews around the country. Alaska and Hawaii are also on her list.

Smethport Borough will be having their  “Ride into Christmas ATV” parade on Thursday, December 15 at 6PM.

We want to spread some joy to those that can’t get out and see the Christmas lights.   

Parade starts on Willow Street side of park, will go to Sena Kean first, back down Willow so the residents at Lakeview can enjoy the lights.

Borough Police will be our escort to all the side streets East and West on both sides of town. will end at Smethport Firehall with coffee, cookies and hot chocolate where our judges will pick 3 winners. 

Come out and see all the decorated machines, hear the Christmas music and wave Santa on in his ATV sleigh. 

Today, the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) and the Department of Health (DOH) joined the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association at Hershey Pharmacy to discuss updates to the Naloxone Standing Order and encourage pharmacies to keep a variety of naloxone formulations on hand for the public.

“A key component to decreasing overdose deaths is getting naloxone into all communities across the state,” said DDAP Special Assistant Steve Ross. “Every Pennsylvanian can access naloxone through their local pharmacy using the naloxone standing order. By adding different forms of naloxone to the standing order and encouraging availability of these products at pharmacies across the commonwealth, we’re giving Pennsylvanians additional resources for combatting the increase in fentanyl.”

Naloxone is a medication approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to rapidly reverse an opioid overdose by quickly restoring breathing to a person if their breathing has slowed or stopped. Naloxone can be administered by individuals with or without medical training to help reduce opioid overdose deaths. The DOH has resources available to educate people to use the naloxone products available to save lives.

The Wolf Administration instituted the first standing orders allowing the general public and first responders to obtain naloxone from their local pharmacy. In 2022 the standing order expanded to include an eight milligram naloxone nasal spray, ZIMHI, a 5 milligram (mg) intra-muscular injection device, and most recently, a non-prefilled syringe option with two single-dose vials of naloxone that is injectable.

“Naloxone is now available in all four forms, including the most cost-effective non-prefilled syringe and vial version,” said Acting Secretary of Health and Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson. “I want to make it easy for pharmacies to keep naloxone on hand and to provide residents with the option they feel most comfortable using to save a life.”

Pennsylvania also partners with Prevention Point Pittsburgh and NEXT Distro to support a statewide mail-based naloxone program for Pennsylvania residents to request and receive naloxone for free by mail. In August 2022, the Wolf Administration announced that 10,000 requests for naloxone have been filled through the mail-based program, providing almost 36,000 doses of naloxone to people in all 67 counties in Pennsylvania.

Additionally, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s (PCCD) Naloxone for First Responders Program (NFRP) provides and distributes free naloxone to organizations and individuals who may encounter someone experiencing an overdose. Through this program since 2017, Centralized Coordinating Entities (CCEs) distributed 181,247 kits of Narcan and an additional 265,308 kits of Narcan directly to organizations serving high-need communities through its Statewide Portal. More than 22,815 overdose reversals have been reported using state-purchased Narcan.

Learn more about the Wolf Administration’s efforts in combatting the overdose crisis pa.gov/opioids.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Photos and video from the event are available here.