COUDERSPORT, Pa. – The Ella Reagle Staff Assistant Award was established in honor of Ella Reagle, who served the College of Agricultural Sciences and Extension for thirty years. This award, endowed by the family of Ella Reagle, honors an outstanding staff assistant who demonstrates the dedication and hard work that was characteristic of Ella.

Penn State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences Dean, Troy Ott, announced last month that Sheila Gabreski, Penn State Extension Office Manager in Potter County, has received the 2024 Ella Reagle Staff Assistant Award.

Sheila Gabreski has served the local community with Penn State Extension for 14 years. Most notably, farmers, gardeners, 4-H members, and others who reach out to this office recall Sheila’s warm personality and helpful nature. In 2023 alone, she helped serve 649 walk-in customers, one of the most frequented offices in the state. Behind the scenes, she supports programs throughout the community by providing educators across the state access to our facilities, community contacts, marketing of programs, approval of contracts, and local management of funds and grants. She has personally assisted groups like the North Central Beekeepers Association, Potter County Community Garden, and the Penn State Master Gardener Program. 

Outside the office, Sheila volunteers as a 4-H leader, keeps a beautiful home garden, and lives with her family here in Coudersport on their small farm.

Congratulations, Sheila, on this great honor.

Cattaraugus County Sheriff: Travel Advisory CANCELED. The lake effect snow warning continues through 7PM tonight, and a winter weather advisory in place from Wednesday evening through late Thursday night. For additional weather info visit weather.gov/buf As of 12/3/24 at 11:30AM.

Prospective pesticide applicators can gain a foundation of knowledge about safe and proper handling and use of pesticides by attending the “Private Pesticide Applicator Short Course,” a Penn State Extension workshop aimed at those who would like to become certified private pesticide applicators. Private applicators include those who intend to purchase and apply restricted-use pesticides to the property they or their employer own or rent to produce an agricultural commodity, including nurseries and greenhouses.

This event, portions of which may be livestreamed, is designed to help participants prepare for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s private pesticide applicator certification exam. Instructors will review and highlight key material in the Pesticide Core and Supplemental Manual. Small group activities and breaks will take place between chapters.

The workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. on Dec. 11 and from 9 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Dec. 12 at the Penn State Extension’s Potter County office, 216 Gunzburger Building, 1 N. Main St., Coudersport. Participants can register for the workshop through Dec. 9 for a $40 fee. More information is available on the Penn State Extension website at https://extension.psu.edu/private-pesticide-applicator-short-course-workshop .

Organizers point out that the registration fee does not include study materials. All participants are responsible for obtaining their own private pesticide applicator core certification examination training materials for the class. Instructors recommend ordering training packets in advance on the Penn State Extension website or by calling the Penn State Publications Distribution Center toll-free at 877-345-0691.

Smethport Area School District will be operating under a 2 hour delay today.

Travel Advisory 12/3/2024 6:10am

Travel Advisory

Travel Advisory – Cattaraugs County

Cattaraugus County Sheriff: 12/3/24 @ 6 AM: TRAVEL ADVISORY for Southern Cattaraugus County until further notice. Heavy lake-effect snow is making travel difficult with slippery roads and poor visibility especially along Interstate-86 in Western Cattaraugus County.

Motorists are asked to avoid unnecessary travel in these areas until further notice.

Due to the weather, the Oswayo Valley Memorial Library will be closed on Tuesday, December 3rd. Any activities scheduled today are canceled. 

The Oswayo Valley Senior Center is closed today 12/3  due to weather conditions.  Stay home and keep warm.  

Motorists are advised of a multi vehicle crash on Route 15 between Route 2005 (Exit 165 / Bloss Mountain Road /Sebring) and Route 660 / Business Route 15 (Exit 179 / Covington / Canoe Camp) in Tioga County.

Route 15 southbound

·         Both lanes are closed between Exit 165 and Exit 179. A detour using local roads is in place.

Route 15 northbound

·         Motorists can expect a lane restriction between Exit 165 and Exit 179.

Motorists should be alert, slow down, and drive with caution.

****PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT**** due to no volunteers for the recycle program we will be going down to one day a week. We have one volunteer for Sunday from 1 PM to 4 PM, starting Sunday, December 8, 2024. This will be the only time we will have the recycle bins open unless we get more volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering please call the office at 814-544-7549.

On December 2, at 4:48 pm Wellsville Fire and Ambulance were dispatched to County Rt. 18 for a truck vs a building crash unknown injuries with possibly no entrapment

HARRISBURG – Rep. Clint Owlett (R-Tioga/Bradford) today announced more than $430,000 in state funding to support school safety and mental health in Tioga County.

“For our students to succeed in school, they must feel safe and supported,” Owlett said. “These grants are an important tool in helping achieve that goal, and I am pleased to see this funding coming to our area schools.”

The county’s three school districts received the following School Safety and Mental Health Grants to address both physical security and behavioral health needs:

• Northern Tioga School District – $137,012.
• Southern Tioga School District – $132,542.
• Wellsboro Area School District – $126,580.

Additionally, New Covenant Academy was awarded a $38,000 grant through the Targeted School Safety Grants for Nonpublic Schools program. This funding is to support programs address school violence and improving school safety and security.

The grants were awarded through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency and its School Safety and Security Committee.

By Zoe Hatcher, Lead Pastor | Open Arms Community Church | http://oachurch.com

Mark 2: 1-5 1”A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Millions of people will go to worship at churches all over America this Sunday but there will be a glaring absence of a large group of people: the handicapped and those with physical disabilities.

A survey in The Journal of Disability and Religion revealed only 10 percent of U.S. churches offered any tangible support to disabled people.

In the story above we see a few of Jesus’ followers who were so dedicated to making sure that all of their friends could get to Jesus that they climbed up on the roof of the house they were meeting in and tore off the roof to make a way for their paralyzed friend to get to Jesus. What they did took courage and physical effort. They didn’t own the property, they could have been fined or punished for what they did, damaging the roof and interrupting the teaching.