Around The County

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…

From staff reports Franklin state police have released more details of a UTV crash in Canal Township that fatally injured one man and seriously injured…

From staff reports In what has been a less than cheerful year, a trio of Oil City organizations want to bring some of that merriment…

By JUDITH O. ETZEL Contributing writer There is what some weather forecasters describe as a blockbuster winter storm tracking along the Atlantic Coast and due…

By JUDITH O. ETZEL Contributing writer The surge of patients being admitted to the UPMC Northwest hospital in Seneca because of COVID-19 infections is relentless….

From staff reports The Catholic community in northwest Pennsylvania united in a day of generosity Dec. 1 through the #iGiveCatholic day of giving. A total…

By SARAH TITLEY Staff writer Venango County Toys for Tots will hold its annual toy distribution Saturday at the Oil City VFW. Organizers are asking…

From staff reports The United Way of Venango County will offer the use of learning hubs to any student in the county who needs assistance…

From staff reports The University of Pittsburgh at Titusville’s Education and Training Hub has moved from guarded to elevated risk posture, which imposes some additional…

One person was injured in a one-vehicle crash Sunday in Oil City. Noel Bartlett, of the Oil City fire department said a vehicle hit a…

By JUDITH O. ETZEL Contributing writer The annual In the Nick of Time campaign, a community project designed to provide area teenagers with holiday gifts,…

From staff reports Three new recreation opportunities in the region are a little richer thanks to the Get on the Trail business plan contest. The…

From staff reports The Oil City Main Street Program’s annual Jingle Bell 5K Run/Walk set for Saturday as part of the city’s annual Christmas Past…

From staff reports The Victorian Christmas bazaar held for 16 years at the Oil City Knights of Columbus as part of the annual Christmas Past…

From staff reports The tri-county area’s unemployment rate continues to fall, with both Venango and Clarion counties showing seasonally adjusted rates for October below the…

From staff reports The American Cancer Society will offer local residents an opportunity to symbolically light a bulb on its Tree of Hope located in…

By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer The James M. Henderson American Legion Post in Oil City is looking to replace the American flags on the bridges…

From staff reports City crews will pick up leaves next week in the following areas: Oil City Monday – Palace Hill area Tuesday – Siverly…