Around The County

From staff reports The Venango County Emergency Food and Shelter program will sponsor a county-wide food distribution in December and is looking for eligible residents…

By JON HAGG Staff writer Franklin’s annual downtown Light-Up Night kicks off this Saturday. As one of Franklin’s mainstay events, Franklin events coordinator Ronnie Beith…

From staff reports Franklin Rotary Club recently purchased and donated dictionaries to all third-grade students in Franklin Area School District, Valley Grove School District and…

From staff reports The Allegheny River is a nominee for River of the Year. Other contenders for 2017 Pennsylvania River of the Year, along with…

Mike Dulaney of the Franklin Chamber of Commerce hangs lights on the 45-foot tall spruce in front of the Venango County Courthouse Tuesday. The big…

By SAXON DAUGHERTY Staff writer Hasson Heights Elementary School in Oil City will begin using some of the $4,000 stipend it received from the state…

From staff reports Students at Franklin, Rocky Grove, Oil City and Cranberry schools are collecting food items to be donated to local food pantries to…

By NATASHA BRENNEMAN Staff writer Donation boxes have popped up all over Venango County for the annual Toys for Tots campaign, and organizers are hoping…

From staff reports Cranberry High School students (back row, from left) Shay Harry, Trevin Chittester, Ian Hepler, Andrew Holden (middle), Joe Gunn, Jenna Seigworth (front),…

From staff reports The Salvation Army in Oil City will take applications for its Christmas toy and food assistance program next week. It is open…

By SAXON DAUGHERTY Staff writer A Michigan-based company has been awarded a contract for the demolition of Oil City’s condemned parking ramp. Venango County commissioner…

Pianists Dennis Geib and Nicholas Nasibyan will perform at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18, at the Venango Museum of Art, Science and Industry in Oil…

From staff reports Franklin Civic Operetta’s Youth Theatre program’s production of “The Story of Hansel & Gretel” will be a sweet treat for the whole…

From staff reports The Oil City Police Department will step up enforcement of parking ordinances and vehicle codes in the upcoming months to maximize the…

Isabella Whittling, 10, of Seneca, got a little bored waiting in line with her mother at the Seneca Volunteer Fire Department polling location, so she…

From staff reports The annual Junior Schubert Club installation ceremony was held Monday at the Belles Lettres Clubhouse in Oil City. Installed as president for…

From staff reports Stockings for the Veterans & Family Memorial Care’s Christmas Stockings for Soldiers initiative can be picked up through Friday, Dec. 16, at…

Genevieve Hoover looks through a tree set design during rehearsal at the Barrow-Civic Theatre in Franklin for the upcoming play “Hansel and Gretel,” which opens…

From staff reports Some Oil City residents will see changes in their garbage pick-up schedules beginning Jan. 1. The changes are being made to reduce…

Regional watercolor artist Kathryn Galey will present a one-time special exhibit at Graffiti Gallery in Oil City.  The show opening is scheduled from 5:30 to…

By SAXON DAUGHERTY Staff Writer Beginning Monday, the Oil City Library will make Wi-Fi hotspots available to its patrons. Library director Dan Flaherty announced the…

Hagan Cook and Makayla Keas were named homecoming king and queen at Rocky Grove High School. The dance was held Oct. 22. He is the…

From staff reports Many children go to bed every night without a pair of warm pajamas, and many children have never enjoyed being tucked into…

From staff reports Oil City police were forced to chase a man into the Allegheny River late Tuesday afternoon after he fled from officers. The…

By MATTHEW SMAHAJ Staff Writer Owners at the Porch Music Store in Franklin have created a new method to get members in the community involved…

From staff reports National Fuel customers will see a decrease in their latest natural gas heating bills. National Fuel Gas Distribution Corp. announced Monday that…

From staff reports Rocky Grove High School held its sixth annual Search & Work Day event for the Class of 2017 last week at the…

Kindergarten and first-grade students at Smedley Street School in Oil City walked around the block Friday to see the neighbors and their own family members…

Audience members will drop their connection to the living world for Off-Barrow’s production of “No Exit” The play will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Thursday…

Students from Carol Fiorentino’s and Martha Todd’s Riverview Intermediate Unit 6 Early Intervention classroom at Next Step, along with staff and family members, spent some…

From staff reports Several Halloween events have been slated in the region. Haunted Peninsula TIONESTA – The Haunted Peninsula will be held today and Saturday…

Seniors Brooke Barnitz (fourth from left in bottom row) and Ian Bain (fourth from left in top row) were crowned the homecoming queen and king…

Emily Powell and Sam Lander were crowned Cranberry High School’s homecoming queen and king at an Oct. 22 dance at the high school. (Submitted photo)

From staff reports The Venango County Veterans Affairs office and the Franklin Area Chamber of Commerce have declared the week of Nov. 7 “Thank A…

From staff reports A community ceremony will be held Thursday to mark the reopening of the Center Street Bridge in Oil City. The event, scheduled…

From staff reports Members of the Pennsylvania Professional Firefighters Association canvassed the North Side of Oil City on Saturday in an attempt to gain support…

Franklin High School students took turns using impaired and distracted driving simulators as part of a National Teen Driver Safety Week presentation offered at the…

From staff reports The Oil City YMCA has kicked off their Annual Rose Sale. Roses are on sale at the YMCA and at businesses in the…

From staff reports Oil City High School has a new club this year called Teens Against Drugs and Alcohol (TADA) which is a newly registered…

As part of National Teen Driver Safety Week, a mobile DUI victims memorial made a stop at Franklin High School on Friday during its tour…

From staff reports The Venango Technology Center will host a Career & Technical Education Open House from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9. The…

Andrew Schwab and Kristina Wagner were crowned homecoming king and queen at West Forest High School. He is the son of James and Tammy Schwab….

Saxon DaughertyStaff writer Two more projects have been added to Oil City’s growing list of infrastructure repairs. City Manager Mark Schroyer said sinkholes were recently…

From staff reports The countdown continues on the Venango County Historical Society’s bid for a “priceless” artifact. An anonymous donor has pledged half the purchase…

By NATASHA BRENNEMAN Staff writer A toy drive in memory of Ella McNellie, the young girl who died in 2011 from a rare form of…

Cranberry High School (above) will hold its homecoming dance from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday in the high school auditorium. The homecoming king and queen…

Melanie Finotti and her goldendoodle OzzieBear and Greg Baker and his Havanese Reggie visited first graders at Sandycreek Elementary School last week. Finotti and Baker…

From staff reports The Especially for Women Health Expo sponsored by UPMC Northwest will be held from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, at…

A bald eagle was spotted feeding on roadkill Friday morning just out side Barkeyville. Deana Billock says it’s been showing up for about two days. (Photos by Deana…