Around The County

From staff reports The annual Taste of Talent vocal competition presented by the Franklin Fine Arts Council begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Bandstand Park….

Darlene Suttle took this photo of a bird she and some others spotted Friday evening near the Venango County Courthouse that they believed to be…

By DILLON PROVENZA Staff writer Franklin School Board president Brian Spaid broached the subject of school district mergers during the board’s meeting Monday. “It is…

From staff reports The Rainbow Family of Living Light has chosen the Allegheny National Forest for a regional gathering during the first week of July….

From staff reports The Oil City Arts Council will hold its annual Jolly July 3rd festival from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday in Justus Park,…

By DILLON PROVENZA Staff writer Franklin’s 11-day 4th of July festivities began Thursday with a concert, and today’s schedule is highlighted by the popular penny…

From staff reports Chapel on the Hill in Emlenton will hold a drive-through mobile food pantry from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, July 8….

From staff reports The Cranberry Clothes Closet will be open every Thursday in July from noon to 4 p.m. The closet, located at the old…

From staff reports Tionesta will be the host of a KenVenture event on Sunday. KenVenture features a group of five people who travel to random…

From staff reports The Oil Region Alliance of Business, Industry and Tourism is facilitating an online contest in which local businesses and groups will earn…

From staff reports Local students are participating in the Success By 6 kindergarten readiness program this summer following last year’s cancellation of the program due…

From staff reports Franklin Fine Arts Council has begun a new summer feature called Movies in the Park that offers outdoor viewings of family-oriented films…

From staff reports The state Department of Corrections announced Thursday that three state prisons, including SCI Forest, have finalized plans to reimplement in-person visitation. Visitation…

By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer Forest County commissioners heard about the success of the Bigfoot Festival in Marienville during the panel’s regular meeting Wednesday. Robin…

From staff reports Hunting and furtaker licenses are now being sold for the 2021-22 season. Licenses may be purchased at the treasurer’s office in the…

Venango Region Catholic School hosted its 2021 Heritage Gala with the theme “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on Saturday at Venango Catholic High School. The evening…

From staff reports The NarAnon group called You’re Not Alone has restarted its regular weekly support group meetings. The group meets at 7 p.m. Wednesdays…

By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer After five years of planning, a new Venango County recycling center will open next month at the former Crawford Area…

From staff reports GEMS will hold a series of “Mentor and Me” programs this summer for Venango County girls entering third through 12th grades. The…

From staff reports The Oil City Main Street Program’s summer outdoor concert series, Music on the Square, returns tonight with a concert by Billy and…

By DILLON PROVENZA Staff writer The Franklin Moving Forward group will be sprucing up seating and signs at Riverfront Park and the Franklin boat launch….

Classic Rock band Touch of Grey Trio, featuring John Hyatt, Evan Andrea, and Richard Freysinger, will perform at Pipeline Alley in Oil City from 7…

By LAURA O’NEIL Staff writer The three libraries that make up the Oil Region Library Association are back in full swing and with more resources….

By DILLON PROVENZA Staff writer Valley Grove Elementary School students were given nearly 3,000 free books this week as a part of the school’s summer…

From staff reports This year marks the final year of the Thomas McGinty-Patrick Connelly Charity Golf Classic that provides scholarships to Venango Catholic High School…

Dinosaurs descended on Smedley Street Elementary School in Oil City on Thursday as part of the school’s theme week to round out what Smedley Principal…

By STACEY GROSS Staff writer The Rocky Grove playground could get a facelift in 2022. The regular meeting of Sugarcreek Borough Council was held Wednesday…

From staff reports The Venango County Relay For Life will be held from 2 to 9 p.m. Saturday, July 17, and the luminaria ceremony will…

From staff reports The tri-county area’s April seasonally adjusted unemployment rate – for the most part – was down from March, according to the state…

From staff reports The Rhododendron Arboretum in Oil City’s Hasson Park, an extensive rhododendron planting on a hillside within the 48-acre public park, features a…

From staff reports Titusville youths will celebrate World No Tobacco Day with a “Big Butt Clean-Up” on Wednesday. YWCA youth advocates and Titusville middle and…

By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer Oil City Council approved the hiring of two new full-time firefighters. Interim Oil City fire Chief Derek Long introduced firefighter…

From staff reports Of the 390 tri-county veterans who have died since last Memorial Day, 282 were from Venango County, 99 were from Clarion County…

Gus Baker, Logan Dykins, and Magnum Vincent, seniors at Rocky Grove High School, were honored with military cords that they will wear during graduation exercises….

From staff reports PennDOT drivers license centers will be closed Saturday through Monday in observance of Memorial Day, but starting June 1, the department of…

From staff reports Memorial Day will be observed Monday in Franklin with three services and a parade downtown. A memorial service for U.S. Navy veterans…

From staff reports The state Department of Health announced Venango County reported three new virus-related deaths and the tri-county area reported 88 additional cases of…

By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer As an appeal of the merger of St. Stephen Parish into St. Joseph Parish in Oil City continues to play…

From staff reports St. Elizabeth Center will hold an open house from 9 a.m. to noon today at the center, which is located at 311…

From staff reports Several candidates for township or borough positions in Venango County were nominated for those posts in contested races during Tuesday’s primary election….

From staff reports Oil City will hold its annual electronic-waste recycling event Friday. The event is open to Oil City residents and will be held…

From staff reports Future Leaders and Entrepreneurs Exchange, the young professionals organization of the Venango Area Chamber of Commerce, is holding FLEX Presents event on…

By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer There is no tax increase in the Oil City School District’s proposed budget for the 2021-22 school year. Oil City…

From staff reports Emlenton residents on Saturday morning walked through the borough in search of two years’ worth of litter to clean up. The community…

By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer The former Days Inn hotel in downtown Oil City may be opening in a limited fashion in about a month….

From staff reports Those attending Catholic Mass in the Erie Diocese this weekend may attend without wearing a face mask as long as they are…

By DILLON PROVENZA Staff writer Cranberry Township supervisors on Thursday approved a $1,000 contribution toward the township’s July 2 holiday fireworks extravaganza. The $1,000 amount…

From staff reports Venango Regional Airport in Franklin will receive $150,000 from the state Department of Transportation. Gov. Tom Wolf announced the distribution of $10…

From staff reports Anyone who wants their first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination or their single dose of the Johnson & Johnson shot can…

From staff reports Venango County will sponsor a collection event for both household hazardous waste and electronics from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June…