Around The County

By SARAH TITLEY Staff writer Substitute superintendent Pat Gavin had a lot of good things to say about Franklin students during Monday’s Franklin School Board…

A class of 12 students recently received certificates of achievement in the evening welding technology program at Venango Technology Center. The program was coordinated by…

By JUDITH O. ETZEL Contributing writer International Women’s Day will be celebrated Sunday, March 8, around the world. Not to be outdone, some local women…

New signs explaining the rules for permit parking in a public lot off Center Street in downtown Oil City are in place, and five new…

From staff reports Second Harvest mobile food pantry will provide food assistance to people in the Emlenton area from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday,…

From staff reports Venango County is sponsoring a collection of household hazardous waste and electronics from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March 28 in…

Rocky Grove High School students, from left, Jasey Donovan, Jackson Donovan, Grace Beach and Anabell Hawkins took first place in a regional Pennsylvania Governor’s STEM…

By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer Oil City School Board members heard about several matters Monday that will come up for votes at next week’s meeting….

From staff reports Sugarcreek Borough police say there has been a recent uptick in reports of individuals trying to sell or offer goods and services…

By DILLON PROVENZA Staff writer The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation plans a summer reopening of the nearly quarter-century-old bridge that carries Pithole Road over West…

From staff reports The Kahle Lake dam will benefit from a $43.5 million multi-year funding plan released by the state and the Pennsylvania Fish and…

From staff reports St. John’s Episcopal Church and Grace Lutheran Church in Franklin have partnered with Second Harvest Food Bank and Central Elementary School of…

From staff reports UPMC Northwest Hospital is putting some of its smallest patients in the driver’s seat. Pediatric patients can now drive themselves to the…

By ROSEMARY FIELDING Staff writer Valley Grove School Board acted on two significant items at its work session Monday evening. The board unanimously approved a…

From staff reports Attendees at the fifth annual Nature Art Showcase and Sale cast ballots for the People’s Choice award while they viewed more than…

From staff reports State Rep. Lee James has scheduled two days for area residents to receive free assistance with their property tax and rent rebate…

By JUDITH O. ETZEL Contributing writer A legislative measure that would halt the proposed closing of the Polk and White Haven state centers, residential facilities…

From staff reports Darling’s Oil City Pharmacy, located at 811 Grandview Road, has opened for business. “Oil City is the perfect place for a locally…

From staff reports Thirty-two regional teams competed in the Bash at the Berry Dome VEX robotics competition on Saturday at Cranberry Area High School. Two-team…

From staff reports Bowl-A-Palooza, a major fundraiser for Youth Connection, will be held Saturday, April 4, at Seneca Lanes. Bowling will begin at 12:30 p.m….

From staff reports The Clintonville Volunteer Fire Department has its tanker truck back in service, thanks to the generosity of some area business owners and…

Audra Shontz, a fifth-grade teacher in Lakeview School District, explains the reading aspect of the new teen after-hours program at the Franklin Library during Wednesday…

From staff reports The Venango Chamber Orchestra will begin rehearsals on Sunday for its 28th season of performing live orchestral music. Rehearsals will be held…

From staff reports The Forest Area School District has earned a $23,427 state grant to help pay for a new dishwasher unit at West Forest…

A team of students from Franklin High School won first place at an Equations tournament held Wednesday at Slippery Rock University. The team inludes, from…

By DILLON PROVENZA Staff writer A Franklin family that has been dealing with its share of health issues recently was given a chance to put…

From staff reports Historic churches are at risk due to a declining membership, financial constraints and structural concerns. Those issues have resulted in at least…

From staff reports The Oil City Police Department has received complaints about a Social Security scam via telephone. A local woman told the newspaper she…

From staff reports PPC Violence Free Network, a program under Family Service & Children’s Aid Society, received a $20,000 grant through the Mary Kay Foundation….

By DILLON PROVENZA Staff writer Although no one can predict whether Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow come Groundhog Day on Sunday, it’s fair to…

Paul Adams III of Polk, left, an Arrow of Life Scout and the son of Paul Adams II and Mendy Adams, was the winner of…

From staff reports The Venango County Relay for Life is holding organizational meetings for those interested in becoming part of the annual event in 2020….

By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer The towers at the Venango County Courthouse are in line for a facelift once the weather improves. Josh Sterling, the…

By JUDITH O. ETZEL Contributing writer The Oil City Heritage Society has planned a tentative schedule of public programs for the year. Nick Hess will…

From staff reports Registration for kindergarten classes in the Oil City School District for the 2020-21 school year will be held Monday, March 30, through…

By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer The city of Franklin, Cranberry Township and Sugarcreek Borough have set aside some money for home rehabilitation programs in their…

From staff reports The Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) on Wednesday approved a $50,000 grant to assist a Pinegrove Township farm with the creation of an…

Three Cranberry eighth-grade students – Evan Goodman, Erika Moore and Aubrey Stewart – were honored with SEI (Service, Effort and Initiative) awards at Monday’s meeting…

From staff reports Venango County commissioners will host a town hall meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the old Salvation Army building at 734 Elk…

By JUDITH O. ETZEL Contributing writer Oil City saw a major resurgence in new construction dollars plugged into the local economy in 2019. And while…

From staff reports Reservations are still open to attend a town hall meeting Jan. 30 in Franklin to discuss how to bring historic churches and…

State Sen. Scott Hutchinson met with Seneca’s Cub Scout Pack 111 on Monday to help the Scouts in earning their Building a Better World requirement….

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A fight to block Gov. Tom Wolf from closing two state centers for the intellectually disabled produced a second large majority…

From staff reports Relay for Life teams of Venango County are participating in the American Cancer Society’s 2020 Daffodil Days. Judy Stevenson and Gayle Oxenham…

From staff reports Photographs are being accepted for the annual photography contest sponsored by the Friends of the Marienville Area Library. Submissions may be made…

By JUDITH O. ETZEL Contributing writer How to save historic churches, beset by diminished membership and declining financial wherewithal, has sparked a move to bring…

From staff reports Holden Stahl, a junior at Oil City High School, has been named the recipient of the annual Cole McMahon “Heart of Gold”…

From staff reports The Venango County Historical Society will be hosting Venango County Photographs: Past and Present on Saturday, Jan. 18 and Sunday, Jan. 19….

From staff reports Cranberry Area School District has scheduled kindergarten registration for March 25-26. A child must be age 5 on or before Aug. 1…

From staff reports Students in Franklin will have additional resources to help tide them over their weekends, as the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest…