Articles by VenangoExtra.com
Plumer stepping down from substance abuse post
By MARISSA DECHANT – Staff writer Venango County substance abuse director Marie Plumer will be leaving her position to take on the role as executive…
Facebook forges ahead with kids app despite expert criticism
NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook is forging ahead with its messaging app for kids, despite child experts who have pressed the company to shut it down and…
Commercial plane crashes in southern Iran, killing 66 people
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — An Iranian commercial plane crashed on Sunday in a foggy, mountainous region of southern Iran, killing all 66 people on board,…
Maatta’s third-period goal leads Penguins past Maple Leafs
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Olli Maatta has played five seasons with Evgeni Malkin and he’s not sure he’s ever seen his teammate play as well as…
Oil Region Ballet to perform ‘The Tale of Aladdin and the Magical Lamp’
The Oil Region Ballet has spent a year preparing for its production of “The Tale of Aladdin and the Magical Lamp.” The ballet’s adaptation of…
Man charged in theft of $17,000 from vehicle; 2nd suspect has died
From staff reports A Seneca man is facing charges for allegedly taking part in the theft of $17,000 in cash last year from an impounded…
‘Black Panther’ scores mighty $25.2 million debut
LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Black Panther” is well on its way to a record-making weekend at the North American box office. The Walt Disney Co….
Magnitude-7.2 earthquake slams south, central Mexico
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A powerful magnitude-7.2 earthquake shook south and central Mexico Friday, causing people to flee swaying buildings and office towers in the…
Shifting gears: NASCAR’s young look on display for Daytona
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Never before has one race displayed NASCAR’s rapidly changing look more than this year’s Daytona 500. Three drivers under age…
Recent Deaths 2/17/18
V. Pauline (Kenemuth) Reichard, 92, of Fraser, Michigan, formerly of the Kossuth area, died Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. L. Jean Greenlee, 90, of Sandy Lake, died Thursday,…
Entries being sought for gallery’s spring show
Entries for the Graffiti Gallery’s spring show are being accepted. This is an open call, juried exhibit and there is no specific theme. Artists may…
Kerr Avenue Crash
322 Crash
I-80 Crash
Court documents outline more details in firearms arrest
By MARISSA DECHANT – Staff writer More details have emerged from court documents in the case of a Franklin man who is facing firearms charges….
2 Ohio police officers killed responding to 911; suspect held
WESTERVILLE, Ohio (AP) — Two Ohio police officers responding to a 911 hang-up call were fatally shot on Saturday after entering a townhome in a…
Alfred Hitchcock remains an influence on crime writers
NEW YORK (AP) — As he wrote what has become one of the top-selling novels so far in 2018, “The Woman in the Window,” the…
Steelers sign Pro Bowl FB Nix to 4-year contract
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed Pro Bowl fullback Roosevelt Nix to a four-year contract. The 25-year-old Nix played in all 16 games…
Organizers gearing up for 11th annual Oil Country Bluegrass Festival
Court Appointed Special Advocates of Venango County and Oil City Arts Council will team up to host what will be Oil City’s 11th annual Oil…
Venango County DA concludes probe into inmate’s suicide
By JIM MEYER – Staff writer The November death of a Venango County jail inmate has been determined to be a suicide with no else…
With extraordinary political theater, Winter Olympics begin
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AP) — In an extraordinary show of unexpected unity, North and South Korea sat side by side Friday night under exploding fireworks…
Unlimited movie-theater deal could be too good to survive
NEW YORK (AP) — MoviePass is trying to bring to movie theaters what Netflix did for DVDs and online streaming: Let subscribers watch as many…
Lehtonen, Seguin lead Stars over Penguins 4-3 in shootout
DALLAS (AP) — When Dallas goaltender Kari Lehtonen had to face Pittsburgh’s top three scorers in a shootout Friday night, he relied on a memory…
Recent Deaths 2/10/18
Patricia A. Schwabenbauer McFadden, 85, of Erie, formerly of Seneca, died Friday, February 9, 2018. David A. Whitman, 63, of Meadville, died Wednesday, February 7,…
South Carolina train crash leaves at least 2 dead, 70 hurt
CAYCE, S.C. (AP) — A crash between an Amtrak passenger train and a CSX freight train in South Carolina on Sunday killed two people and…
Fighting for four-lanes
By JUDITH O. ETZEL – Contributing writer The Venango County commissioners are pulling out all the stops in an effort to sideline any plan by…
I-80 Crash
Missing Oil City man’s family offers reward
By JIM MEYER – Staff writer The family of Daniel Kulling is offering a cash reward of $1,100 to anyone with credible information leading to…
J. Lo shout-outs A-Rod, covers Prince at pre-Super Bowl show
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jennifer Lopez raised money for Hurricane Maria victims in Puerto Rico, celebrated an anniversary with beau Alex Rodriguez and covered Prince songs…
Zajac has 2 goals and assist as Devils beat Penguins 3-1
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Just when it looked like the New Jersey Devils were coming back to the pack in the Eastern Conference after a…
Coal Oil Johnny workshop planned
The Oil City Library will be the site for a workshop from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 10, to explore the celebrity Coal Oil…
Family’s dog turns up 10 years after vanishing from home
APOLLO, Pa. (AP) — A family has been reunited with its dog 10 years after the dog went missing. Debra Suierveld and her family assumed…
Missing OC man located in Virginia
From staff reports Oil City police reported they have made contact with Steven T. Martin, 23, of Oil City, who was reported missing Jan. 27….
Victims’ dad apologizes after lunging at Nassar in courtroom
CHARLOTTE, Mich. (AP) — A distraught father seething over sexual abuse suffered by three daughters tried to attack former sports doctor Larry Nassar in a…
10 ads that stand out during Super Bowl 52
NEW YORK (AP) — It’s Super Bowl ad time again. Advertisers of all stripes are vying for the attention of the 111 million viewers expected to tune…
Kessel, Malkin lead surging Penguins past Capitals, 7-4
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins spent the first three months of the regular season looking tired, lethargic, blah. Then the calendar flipped to January…
Recent Deaths 2/3/18
Bettie Louise Hughes, 98, of Oil City, died Friday, February 2, 2018. Erma Oliver, 100, of Oil City, died Friday, February. 2, 2018. Mary Kay (Say)…
OC police looking for missing man, 23
From staff reports Oil City police are trying to locate a 23-year-old man. Police said Steven T. Martin was last seen around 2 p.m. Saturday…
Blue moon, supermoon, total lunar eclipse rolled into one
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The moon is providing a rare triple treat this week. On Wednesday, much of the world will get to see…
State police: 5 killed in shooting at Pennsylvania car wash
MELCROFT, Pa. (AP) — State police say at least five people were killed in a shooting at a Pennsylvania car wash. WPXI-TV reports the shooting occurred…
ROBOTICS RULE
By JIM MEYER – Staff writer A student competition at Franklin Area Junior/Senior High School that showcased youthful technical ingenuity while providing perspective on the…
ID Theft
Man who crashed into Joy Plant 1 pleads guilty
By MARISSA DECHANT – Staff writer A Franklin man has pleaded guilty to leading authorities on a high-speed chase and crashing into a cement wall…
‘Beetle Bailey’ cartoonist Mort Walker dies at 94
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Comic strip artist Mort Walker, a World War II veteran who satirized the Army and tickled millions of newspaper readers with…
10 things to watch for at the Grammy Awards
A year ago this week, the discussion was about a Grammy boycott among hip-hop/R&B musicians for having so few slots among the top nominations. This…
Man’s drug-sniffing dog helps addicts make good choices
LEBANON, Pa. (AP) — As Hope Rescue Mission in Reading was gearing up to provide winter shelter for the homeless, it knew it had to…
Celebration of Talent Competition at The Barrow-Civic Theatre
This year’s Celebration of Talent contest will span quite the range in age and in variety of talents. The competition will feature 12 performers from…
OC man faces eluding, DUI charges
From staff reports An Oil City man is facing charges after he allegedly fled from police while driving under the influence on the South Side…
Tiny house ‘resort’ in the works in Pennsylvania
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A campground in Elizabethtown is undergoing a transformation of sorts, one that will give it a unique selling point on the…