Venango planning commission approves Cranberry tire store
By JIM MEYER Staff writer The Venango County Planning Commission on Tuesday gave conditional approval to the construction of a retail store, Chris’s Tire Service,…
Around The County
Hoops fundraiser for moms battling cancer now set for Monday
From staff reports The fundraising event that had been scheduled Wednesday at Venango Catholic High School to help the families of two Oil City elementary…
Radio station signals in new era, keeps familiar presence
By RANDY BARTLEY Staff writer For nearly 60 years, Clarion County residents have been entertained by WWCH, the sole AM-radio station in the county. However,…
Cranberry students win press awards
Cranberry High School students, from left, Lindsay Perry, Jenna Seigworth, Sara Uddin, Ava Fischer and AJ Howard were winners in the Student Keystone Press Awards….
7 siblings in area bluegrass band are making their mark
By ROSEMARY FIELDING Staff writer Echo Valley is a bluegrass band consisting of seven close-knit siblings from New Galilee who live on a farm, are…
Cranberry looks at police tax
By JUDITH O. ETZEL Contributing writer An entry in Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposed 2019-20 budget could wallop Cranberry Township residents with a $50 per person…
5 area students earn Clarion scholar-athlete awards
From staff reports Five area residents were among the 174 Clarion University students who earned scholar-athlete status. They are: Taylor Moltz, of Oil City, a…
OC will conduct North Street survey for CDBG application
From staff reports The City of Oil City intends to include a North Street reconstruction project in the city’s 2019 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)…
Nominations open for FLEX Young Professional of Year
From staff reports Future Leaders and Entrepreneurs Exchange (FLEX), the young professionals organization of the Venango Area Chamber of Commerce, is accepting nominations for the…
Kelly introduces Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act
From staff reports U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th District, along with other members of the House from both parties, introduced the Craft Beverage Modernization and…
Hawthorn Pottery Co. helped shape a community
By RANDY BARTLEY Staff writer The small southern Clarion County community of Hawthorn was built around a gristmill but found fame around a potter’s wheel….
Nature Art Showcase winner announced
From staff reports The Council on Greenways and Trails announced the top vote-getter at the Fourth Annual Nature Art Showcase and Sale was “Fox in…
Venango Chamber Orchestra to begin rehearsals Sunday
From staff reports The Venango Chamber Orchestra will begin rehearsals for its spring concert set for Sunday, April 7. This will be the orchestra’s 27th…
Softball association receives AED
Heidi Boitnott, left, unit director of the emergency room at UPMC Northwest, presented an Automated External Defibrillator to the members of the Cranberry Girls Softball…
Franklin pub gets new owners
From staff reports FoxTales Pub in Franklin is under new ownership. Longtime employee Kevin Myers and his wife, Rebecca Myers, purchased the pub after the…
Trampoline turmoil
With Thursday night’s rain and plummeting temperatures came flooded and icy roads causing accidents. With Friday’s high winds came this — a trampoline caught by…
No word on when water issues at Polk Center will be cleared up
By ROSEMARY FIELDING Staff writer Polk Center is dealing with the contamination of some of the facility’s water system with Legionella bacterium. The contamination of…
Oil City Subway restaurant closes
From staff reports The Subway restaurant in downtown Oil City has closed. The restaurant’s last day of business was Tuesday, and some employees were inside…
Venango group offering garden beds for summer
From staff reports Community members may sign up with Venango Area Community Gardens to request a raised bed for the summer for the use of…
New owners look to reopen Grove City’s Guthrie Theater
By JIM MEYER Staff writer The new owners of Grove City’s Guthrie Theater are seeking to reopen the local landmark with some new flavor. Veritas…
Sander’s Market eliminating round-the-clock hours
From staff reports The owners of Sander’s Market in Franklin confirmed Monday that the store will no longer be operating 24 hours a day. “It’s…
Agriculture workshops set in Clarion, Venango counties
From staff reports Free workshops on manure management for people with farms of all sizes are scheduled in Clarion and Venango counties. The programs are…
Groundhog Day more than a celebration of early spring
By RANDY BARTLEY Staff writer It may seem unusual to have a wedding on Groundhog Day, but for Kelsey and Thomas Stark, of Murrysville, it…
Free cancer support group to meet monthly
From staff reports UPMC Northwest is offering a free cancer support group for cancer patients and survivors as well as their family members and caregivers….
Weather Discovery Center is science’s answer to Phil
By RANDY BARTLEY Staff writer Thousands of people were expected to make the trek to Gobbler’s Knob on Saturday morning to witness Punxsutawney Phil’s predication…
Forest County 4-H seeks volunteers
From staff reports The Forest County 4-H program is in search of adult volunteers to lead clubs. The Forest County program averages 50 members who…
National Fuel customers to see rate increase
From staff reports National Fuel customers will see an increase in their latest natural gas heating bills. National Fuel Gas Distribution Corp. announced Thursday that…
Many offices up for election in Venango County
By JUDITH O. ETZEL Contributing writer 2019 primary election listings in Venango County number in the hundreds with the open slots ranging from county row…
Franklin board terminates contract with sheriff’s office
By SARAH TITLEY Staff writer Franklin Area School Board members voted unanimously Monday to terminate their school sheriff officer contract with the Venango County Sheriff’s…
Grove wins twice in Paint the Plow contest
Rocky Grove High School won two awards in a Paint the Plow contest sponsored by PennDOT. Rocky Grove won the Fan Favorite award, which was…
Plans already taking shape for OC BridgeFest
By JUDITH O. ETZEL Contributing writer Oil City will have a BridgeFest in 2019 as city council approved a request Thursday to allow the use…
Pointe making warming shelter available
From staff reports An Oil City agency will make shelter available over the next several days of frigid weather for individuals and families who need…
Allegheny students get up-close view of border situation
MEADVILLE (AP) — Amid the politics surrounding negotiations between President Trump and Congress regarding a wall along the southern U.S. border, a group of students…
Cole McMahon award winner announced
From staff reports Dylan Socha-Kachik, a junior at Oil City High School, is this year’s recipient of the annual Cole McMahon memorial “Heart of Gold”…
Property tax, rent rebate applications available
From staff reports Application forms for the property tax, rent rebate program are available for eligible Pennsylvanians to begin claiming rebates on property taxes or…
Gems Donation store eyes March 1 opening
From staff reports A new store in Sugarcreek Borough, Gems Donation Station, is shooting for a March 1 opening. The second-hand store will open in…
Venango liquor license one of 25 up for bid
From staff reports The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, the state agency that issues, renews and validates retail and wholesale alcohol licenses, is accepting bids for…
Cleaning up more snow
City of Franklin road crews were busy Monday clearing away more snow, including shutting down a lane on the 13th Street bridge to remove snow…
Oil City Area School District sets kindergarten registration
Registration for kindergarten classes in the Oil City Area School District for next fall will be held the week of April 10. Children who reach…
Health resource program eyed in 4 school districts
By ROSEMARY FIELDING Staff writer An initiative to open health resource centers at four Venango County school districts was initiated at the state level by…
Sister organizes fundraiser for OC man killed in crash
From staff reports The sister of an Oil City man, a local construction worker and father of six who was killed in an automobile accident…
Thompson’s bill would reauthorize Oil Region as National Heritage Area
From staff reports U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-15th District, on Thursday introduced legislation to reauthorize the Oil Region National Heritage Area’s federal charter through 2026….
Penn State Extension sets food safety course
From staff reports Penn State Extension will hold a ServSafe food safety manager course at the Venango County Penn State Extension office at the Venango…
Venango Region Catholic School system seeking president
From staff reports The Venango Region Catholic School system – a private, educational institution of the Erie Diocese for students in pre-K through Grade 12…
Historical Society sponsoring history hunt tonight
From staff reports The Venango County Historical Society will sponsor a history hunt, one designed to match an item with a descriptive history, from 6…
Winterfest scheduled at Two Mile Run
From staff reports Venango Fatherhood Initiative (Family Services) will hold its Family Winterfest at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 26, at Two Mile Run County Park’s…
EMA contracts will help Venango planning commission
By JIM MEYER Staff writer Venango County commissioners on Tuesday approved the county planning commission’s use of a $1 million Federal Emergency Management Agency grant…
OC Council OKs deal with city’s non-uniformed workers
Oil City Council members ratified a three-year contract for its non-uniformed employees at a meeting Thursday. The labor deal covers about 40 city workers who…
‘Making a Difference’ is theme of MLK breakfast in Clarion
From staff reports Sister Marian Wehler, OSB, and Sister Tina Geiger, RSM, will be guest speakers at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast at…
General Authority elects officers, hears about ongoing projects
By SARAH TITLEY Staff writer The Franklin General Authority elected officers for 2019 at the panel’s first meeting of the new year on Tuesday. Tim…