Around The County

By JUDITH O. ETZEL Contributing writer Cranberry Township is asking the Venango County Land Bank for some funding to help defray costs associated with the…

From staff reports Orders and payment for the American Cancer Society’s Daffodil Days in Venango County are due by Friday, Feb. 19. Items available are…

The Oil City Arts Council will present a virtual Transit Concert with Acoustic Earle at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The concert is one of several that…

By JUDITH O. ETZEL Contributing writer The Oil City, Franklin and Cooperstown public libraries are reopening for public access Monday, Feb. 15. “Through examples of…

From staff reports The state Department of Health over the weekend announced 49 new cases of COVID-19 from the tri-county area, as well as two…

By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer As schools have transitioned between virtual and hybrid learning at different times over the last several months, the United Way…

From staff reports The state Department of Health on Friday announced a combined 35 new cases of COVID-19 were reported from Clarion and Venango counties,…

From staff reports Residents on a portion of Division Street in Oil City will be surveyed next week to determine eligibility for a street paving…

By DILLON PROVENZA Staff writer Sugarcreek Borough Council on Wednesday voted to approve a $25,000 allotment and $2,000 for vehicle insurance for the Reno Volunteer…

From staff reports The tri-county area’s December unemployment rate – for the most part – broke its downward trend as percentages in both Clarion and…

From staff reports The state Department of Health on Monday announced 14 new cases of COVID-19 were reported from the tri-county area. The state said…

From staff reports The Oil City Main Street Program and Pennsylvania Downtown Center have joined forces to encourage people to support small businesses with the…

By JUDITH O. ETZEL Contributing writer UPMC Northwest is continuing to vaccinate health care workers while eagerly awaiting a larger COVID-19 vaccine shipment to begin…

From staff reports The Franklin Fine Arts Council will sponsor its annual Franklin On Ice on Saturday, Feb. 6. “This year’s event will be a…

From staff reports The University of Pittsburgh at Titusville is moving forward with its plan to renovate the Broadhurst Science Center. “We are excited and…

From staff reports Franklin junior and senior high school students will return to 100% virtual learning through Friday after a cafeteria employee tested positive for…

By JUDITH O. ETZEL Contributing writer A local organization’s novel way to call attention to everyday heroes is cranking up as area residents offer their…

By A.J. TITLEY Staff writer Franklin School District Superintendent Mark Loucks told school board members Monday “morale is up” in the district. “The kids are…

By JUDITH O. ETZEL Contributing writer Last year was a hard one for scores of local families facing financial difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic…

From staff reports Franklin Area School District is set to return to full-time, face-to-face learning for all students Monday. Elementary students have had hybrid instruction…

From staff reports A draft of the strategic plan for the Oil Region National Heritage Area is now available for review prior to a public…

From staff reports Clarissa Davis Ray Carns Marvin of Franklin will celebrate her 100th birthday on Saturday. She was born Jan. 23, 1921, in her…

From staff reports Brayden Crocker, a junior at Oil City High School, is this year’s recipient of the annual Cole McMahon “Heart of Gold” Memorial…

From staff reports Washington’s Trail 1753 will host a free, one-hour webinar titled “The Venango Path – Then and Now” at 10 a.m. on Thursday,…

From staff reports State Rep. R. Lee James will offer veterans affairs outreach hours at his Seneca office, 3220 Route 257, from 10 a.m. to…

By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer Venango County commissioners offered a breakdown at their meeting Tuesday of how the county spent the $4.575 million in CARES…

By JUDITH O. ETZEL Contributing writer Two requests to use city properties got different answers from Oil City Council at a meeting Thursday. In the…

From staff reports The Oil City Arts Council will present a virtual Transit Concert at 7:30 p.m. on Friday with featured artist and Oil City…

By JUDITH O. ETZEL Contributing writer New construction for 2020 jumped more than $1 million from the previous year in Cranberry Township. There were 108…

From staff reports The Rocky Grove Volunteer Fire Department honored one of its own on Friday with a 15-unit fire truck parade past his home….

From staff reports A former Oil City man who has worked for the U.S. Army for about a dozen years has been honored for his…

From staff reports The Oil City School Board has scheduled a special meeting at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Oil City High School auditorium. Information…

By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer Forest County commissioners on Wednesday approved the sale of a repository property in Marienville and tabled the sale of another…

From staff reports Venango County jail warden Kelly McKenzie is retiring in February. McKenzie was appointed warden in December 2019 when the previous warden, Jeffrey…

Marvin Miller of Cranberry stands with Brooklyn Alderette, 13, of Pinegrove Township, who is using her new Trac chair to help her enjoy the outdoors….

From staff reports PennDOT is inviting the public to view an online plans display for the Liberty Street Streetscape Project (Route 62/322/8) in Franklin. The…

From staff reports The 2020 Oil Valley Film Festival held online last month featured 27 films from around the globe. The festival was comprised of…

Jason Beach, 14, of Oil City, and Noah Goheen, 6, of Seneca, delivered cookies to Oil City police officers Joab Orr (left) and Brandon Rosenberger…

By DILLON PROVENZA Staff writer A Franklin boy’s festive Christmas display has netted him about $1,000 in donations that he plans to pass on to…

From staff reports The Erie Catholic Diocese announced Friday that three clergy who helped celebrate Masses at St. Patrick Parish in Franklin over the Christmas…

From staff reports A former Venango County man facing more than 30 charges that accuse him of raping and sexually assaulting a now 16-year-old girl…

From staff reports Masses at St. Patrick Parish in Franklin have been canceled until further notice while Msgr. John Herbein, the parish pastor, awaits the…

By DILLON PROVENZA Staff writer The Pointe in Oil City is experiencing low usage of its warming center. “Our numbers seem to be down this…

By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer The timber company that owns the former Singing Hills Girl Scout camp between Oil City and Dempseytown has put the…

From staff reports Over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day several vehicles were involved in weather-related incidents in Venango and Clarion counties. A Venango County 911…

By DILLON PROVENZA Staff writer A Christmastime tradition at the Cherrytree Township Volunteer Fire Department station challenges residents to “keep it safe” during the holiday….

By JUDITH O. ETZEL Contributing writer Cranberry Township supervisors adopted a 2021 budget, a spending plan that maintains all services and does not include a…

From staff reports The Venango County Democratic Committee has expanded its reach to provide free Christmas dinners to area residents as a result of a…

By JUDITH O. ETZEL Contributing writer The Oil City Arts Council, bedeviled by a string of public event cancellations in 2020 because of the COVID-19…

By JUDITH O. ETZEL Contributing writer UPMC Northwest is a little brighter this holiday season because of the generosity of a local couple. A quartet…