“beloved daughter, mother, sister, and granddaughter”
SHINGLEHOUSE, PA—Ashley K. Plants, 30, of Shinglehouse, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, March 27, 2026.
Born on Wednesday, October 25, 1995 in Coudersport, she was a daughter of David P. and Paula J. Johnston Plants.
Ashley received her GED from Oswayo Valley High School in Shinglehouse. While living in Pittsburgh she was employed by GetGo.
Ashley attended the former Christian and Missionary Alliance Church in Shinglehouse and also had attended Crosstown Alliance Church in Wellsville, NY. She loved to collect rocks, photography, antiquing, and history. She was a music fanatic. Her greatest love was caring for her children.
Angela M. OLSON, 54, of Duke Center, PA, died Friday, March 27, 2026 in her home. Born August 5, 1971, in Bradford, she was the daughter of Robert Earl and Rosemary Stiles Hultz.
On January 2, 1998, in Coudersport, she married Cale D. Olson, who survives. A 1989 graduate Port Allegany High School, she was employed by Potter Pak in Roulette and Morgan AM&T in Coudersport. Angela was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary in Eldred. She enjoyed crocheting. Angela was an animal lover, especially her Great Danes and Pugs.
Surviving besides her husband, Cale, are: a daughter, Marissa A. (Kyle) Dean; her mother, Rosemary Baker of Duke Center; aunts, uncles, and cousins.
She was predeceased by her father; and an infant brother, Gordon Charles Baker. A gathering to celebrate Angela’s life will be her life on a later date.
Arrangements are under the Olney-Foust Funeral Homes & Crematory, Switzer Chapel, 77 Willow Street, Port Allegany, PA. Online condolences may be expressed at www.olneyfoust.com.
BRADFORD, Pa. – BRADFORD, Pa. – The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will hold its 16th Empty Bowls and Baskets Dinner on Thursday, April 2.
The event, which raises awareness and money and awareness about hunger in the Bradford area, will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Mukaiyama University Room in the Frame-Westerberg Commons. A requested donation of $10 for the public and $5 for Pitt-Bradford students and children will be accepted at the door.
The tasting will include an array of homemade soups, bread and baked goods along with beverages. Diners may take home a handcrafted basket, ceramic bowl or other homemade item as a reminder that someone else’s bowl might be empty.
The event is a community-wide effort. Pitt-Bradford students, faculty and staff wove baskets, local school students made artwork, and local artisans and students contributed bowls.
A silent auction and bake sale will also raise money. Proceeds from the event will help the Friendship Table and Destinations in Bradford as well as the Panther Pantry, which is a resource for Pitt-Bradford students experiencing food insecurity.
Over its first 15 years, the Empty Bowls and Baskets event has raised more than $24,800 to fight hunger.
The Empty Bowls Dinner began in 1990 when a Michigan high school art teacher and his students sponsored the first dinner served in handmade bowls to help the cause. By the following year, the originators had developed the concept into Empty Bowls, a project to provide support for food banks, soup kitchens and other organizations that fight hunger. Since then, Empty Bowls events have been held throughout the world and have raised millions of dollars to combat hunger.
Janice L. “Jan” StrombergPort Allegany – Janice Stromberg, 81, of Port Allegany, passed away surrounded by the love of her family on Saturday (March 28, 2026).
Arrangements are under the direction of Hartle-Tarbox Funeral Homes, Inc., Port Allegany.
BRADFORD, Pa. – For the 16th consecutive year, the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford has received recognition for its support of active military and veteran students.
Viqtory Media has named Pitt-Bradford a gold-level school for the 2026-27 academic year for embracing military students and their families and dedicating resources to ensure their success.
The Military Friendly® Schools list has come to set the standard for higher education institutions to give the best opportunities to veterans and their spouses. This prestigious list provides a comprehensive guide for veterans and their families using data sources from federal agencies and proprietary survey information from participating organizations.
Ruth K. COVERT, 86, of Smethport, PA, died Saturday, March 28, 2026 in UPMC Cole, Coudersport. Arrangements are under the direction of Olney-Foust Funeral Homes & Crematory, Switzer Chapel, 77 Willow Street, Port Allegany, PA.
On March 28th Coudersport Fire Department was dispatched to N. Main St. and North St. for a possible structure fire that may be a controlled burn. Update all units recalled
Leslie W. “Les” SMITH, 78, of Port Allegany, PA, died Thursday, March 26, 2026 in his home. Born February 10, 1948, in Anselma, he was the son of Benjamin and Dorothy Laird Smith.
On May 1, 2010, in Port Allegany, he married Cheryl R. Bepler, who survives. A Vietnam War Veteran, he served honorably with the U.S. Army from 1965 – 1969. He was employed as a maintenance mechanic by GKN in Emporium. Les was a member of AA for 53 years, Bucktail American Legion Post #138 in Smethport, and Allegheny Mountain Engine and Implement Association in Port Allegany. Les was a lifelong motorcycle enthusiast.
Surviving besides his wife, Cheryl, are: two daughters, Rebecca (Mike) Naylor of Turtlepoint and Sarah (Amanda) Smith of Reading; four grandchildren; a brother, Milton (Patricia) Smith of Parkesburg; and a nephew, Milton (Erica) Smith, II.
He was predeceased by his parents. A gathering to celebrate Les’s life will be held on a later date. Memorials may be made to Allegheny Mountain Engine and Implement Association, P.O. Box 86, Port Allegany, PA 16743.
Arrangements are under the Olney-Foust Funeral Homes & Crematory, Switzer Chapel, 77 Willow Street, Port Allegany, PA. Online condolences may be expressed at www.olneyfoust.com.
Angela M. OLSON, 54, of Duke Center, PA, died Friday, March 27, 2026 in her home. A complete obituary will be announced by Olney-Foust Funeral Homes & Crematory, Switzer Chapel, 77 Willow Street, Port Allegany, PA. Online condolences may be expressed at www.olneyfoust.com.
Mervin Lee MARTIN, 78, of Smethport, PA, formerly of Turtlepoint, passed away peacefully on Thursday, March 26, 2026 in Sena-Kean Manor. Born June 30, 1947, in Lancaster, he was the son of Henry Sauder and Barbara G. Smith Martin.
Mervin was a retired dairy farmer and spent his life working with cattle and equipment. He enjoyed being outdoors and hunting. Mervin attended Birch Grove Mennonite Church in Port Allegany.
Surviving are: four children, Tanya (Charles) Baldwin, Collin (Jamie) Martin, Tracy (Courtney) Biel, and Kelly Martin; two grandchildren, Cody (Meg) Martin and Kelsey (Ethan) Mix; a great-granddaughter, Josie Mix; a brother, Carl (Gloria) Martin; two sisters, Joyce (Tony) Robles and Doris Mebs; nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by his parents. The family wishes to express their appreciation for the care given by the staff at Sena-Kean Manor. There will be no viewing and interment is private.
Arrangements are under the direction of Olney-Foust Funeral Homes & Crematory, Switzer Chapel, 77 Willow Street, Port Allegany, PA. Online condolences may be expressed at www.olneyfoust.com.
BRADFORD, Pa. – University of Pittsburgh at Bradford theater students are thinking about artificial intelligence this semester. Those thoughts inspired them to create an original theater piece, “Scheherazade 2.0, or the 1,000,001 AI Nights,” to be performed next weekend.
Performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. April 2 and 3 and at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. April 4 in the Studio Theater located in Blaisdell Hall on campus. Admission is $6 for the public.
Creating a play from scratch has become a bi-annual tradition for the spring semester student production.
“As with our previous world premieres of newly devised pieces, students begin with asking themselves, ‘What are we really interested in? What are we concerned about? What’s on our minds?’” said Dr. Kevin Ewert, professor of theater. “From there, they pose a question, find something in the world to anchor that question to, and then come up with a structure to tell that story.
“The students were all interested in artificial intelligence, but they also wanted to have something positive to say rather than just doom and gloom. So, the classic tale of Sheherazade and the 1001 Arabian Nights came into the mix and became our frame, and we asked: Could telling stories save your life if they were just AI slop? The answers here are funny, incisive, and sometimes surprising.”
The students who created and are performing the piece are Randy Mong, a senior English major from Russell; Sean Luce, a senior writing and English education 7-12 major from Bradford; Sadie Elliot, a senior writing and sociology major from Pittsburgh; Malakai Hines, a freshman interdisciplinary arts major from New Brunswick, N.J.; Adriana Herrera, a senior interdisciplinary arts major from Leasburg, N.C.; Zech Waterman, a junior English major from Bradford; and Adedayo Awofiranye, a freshman nursing major from Pittsburgh.
Tickets are available at www.pitt.edu/theArts and one hour prior to the show at the Bromeley Family Theater Box Office. There is a $3 service charge per transaction for online purchases.
BRADFORD, Pa. — Peter J. Pantuso, the longtime president and chief executive officer of the American Bus Association and an international thought leader in transportation and tourism policy, has been selected as the 2026 commencement speaker for the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. He will provide insights and experiences from his own professional and personal journey, while also offering advice to current graduates on how to make the most of their opportunities.
“Pitt-Bradford helped set me on the path to success, and I am incredibly honored to be able to return to campus and celebrate the accomplishments of this class of incredibly talented graduates who will become our next generation of community and business leaders,” Pantuso said.
Late-March and early-April in-person and telephonic hearings will gather input from customers and other concerned parties
HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) today reminded consumers about an upcoming series of in-person and telephonic hearings to gather public input about the $99.368 million (8.05%) natural gas distribution rate increase request filed by UGI Utilities, Inc. – Gas Division (UGI).
UGI provides natural gas distribution services to approximately 690,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in 46 counties across Pennsylvania.
PUC Administrative Law Judges F. Joseph Brady and Alphonso Arnold III will preside over the hearings.
In-Person Public Input Hearings
In-person public input hearings will be held at the following locations and times:
Settlement includes $325,000 civil penalty, safety enhancements, and funding for methane detectors
HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) today approved a settlement with Peoples Natural Gas Company LLC (Peoples) related to a July 26, 2021, natural gas explosion in Tyrone Borough, Blair County, that resulted in one fatality, multiple injuries, and significant property damage.
The settlement, approved by a vote of 5-0, resolves an investigation and formal complaint filed by the PUC’s independent Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement (I&E), which averred that gaps in the company’s emergency response and related procedures contributed to unsafe conditions.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert for various raw beef and pork products that were produced without the benefit of federal inspection and may bear a false mark of inspection. Food produced without inspection may contain undeclared allergens, harmful bacteria, or other contaminants that put consumer health and safety at risk. FSIS is continuing to investigate and may add additional products to this alert as more information is obtained.
