Around The County

By NATASHA BRENNEMAN Staff writer CLARION – More than 250,000 people are expected to attend this year’s Autumn Leaf Festival, which begins Saturday. The nine-day…

From staff reports A bridge on Route 427 over a tributary to Sugar Creek in Plum Township, Venango County, has been restricted to single-lane traffic…

Oil City High School students (from left) Amanda Espy, Taylor Thomas, Hannah Hargenrader, Beatrice Bassi and Julia Serbati have been named to the school’s homecoming…

From staff reports HARRISBURG – Several local fire departments were among the 142 local volunteer fire companies across the state that were awarded more than…

From staff reports Andrew Burda, a Boy Scout with Troop 111 in Franklin and a student at St. Patrick School, was awarded the Ad Altare…

From staff reports The Heritage Society of Oil City has scheduled two viewings of a recently discovered 1968 film that showcases downtown Oil City. The…

From staff reports The kickoff event for the 2017 Venango County Relay For Life will be held at 6 p.m. today at Pioneer Flats at…

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — The National Weather Service has confirmed that Saturday’s strong storms spawned one, not two, tornadoes in western Pennsylvania. The first…

From staff reports The Veterans of the Vietnam War auxiliary organization Welcome Home committee is involved in connecting with current soldiers. The organization’s efforts to…

Nature artists will display and sell their work during McKeever Environmental Learning Center’s 14th Annual Nature Art Show Friday through Sunday, Sept. 23-25.  Hours for the nature art show…

Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” will open at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30, at the Barrow-Civic Theatre in Franklin.  The show will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1,…

From staff reports Sunday’s ColorUsUnited 5K run/walk promises to be a blast – a big blast of color that is. The second annual race is…

From staff reports CLARION – Several local youths have been named as contestants in scholarship pageants to be held during Clarion’s annual Autumn Leaf Festival….

From staff reports Forty people including children, parents and butterfly enthusiasts attended a program on monarch butterflies Sunday at Oil Creek State Park. Young attendees…

From staff reports Officials at the United Way of Venango County are gearing up for the second annual ColorUsUnited 5K run/walk Sunday at Two Mile…

From staff reports Members of Oil City Firefighters Local 700 will collect donations along city streets Thursday for the annual Coats For Kids drive to…

Miss Pinky Sprinkles, the pig, and her canine groom, Mr. Stash Bandit, participated in a “muttrimony” ceremony Saturday afternoon during DukeFest in Franklin. DukeFest organizers…

From staff reports On July 31, several buses were loaded up with 129 Venango County youths as they said goodbye to their families for a…

From staff reports The Derrick is gearing up for its annual Creative Cookbook contest, and has made it easy for readers to send in their favorite…

The Rocky Grove Volunteer Fire Department is looking for vendors for various flea markets it has scheduled.  Flea markets are scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday,…

A program titled “The Amazing Monarch Butterfly” will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, September, 11th at Oil Creek State Park.   Attendees should meet at the Egbert Area…

From staff reports State Rep. Lee James will host a shredder event from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday at his district office in Seneca. “Identity…

From Staff Reports The Oil City High School marching band will host the 2016 Music in Oil Country marching band festival on Saturday. The show…

By SALLY BELL Staff Writer Ten years of hard work have gone into improvements at the Venango County Fair grounds and one board member said…

From staff reports The Venango County Tea Party Patriots and members of the Christian Life Academy media team have joined forces to create video interviews…

Old Home Day attendees check out the cars that were on display Monday during the Fertigs Community Center’s annual event. The event included a car, truck and motorcycle cruise-in,…

Jacob Davis, a first-grader at Smedley Elementary School gets a hug from his brother, Gabriel Sibble, who was waiting with their mother, Alex Shreffler, and…

From staff reports The feeding of wildlife in areas where hunting occurs could be considered baiting, depending from how far away animals are being drawn…

Artists, crafters and vendors are needed to fill spots at an event to benefit breast cancer research.  The Hope Gift Shoppe will be held from 9 a.m. to…

DukeFest, the fifth annual dog walk that benefits local non-profit animal rescue and response groups, will be held Saturday, Sept. 10, in Bandstand Park in Franklin.  Admission is…

HARRISBURG (AP) — A Pennsylvania appeals court says state environmental regulators can continue weighing the effects gas drilling wells have on public and natural resources….

From staff reports The Venango County Historical Society is seeking donations for its book and yard sale to be held during Applefest. Items may be…

By SALLY BELL Staff writer Venango County’s second annual Recovery Celebration is coming up in September. The event is planned for 4 to 7 p.m….

From staff reports Police are starting to warn motorists that officers will be out in force to patrol roadways during the Labor Day holiday. Franklin…

Jessica Woods of Oil City, Melissa Allio of Pleasantville, Rebecca Allio of Pleasantville and Christina Brown of Erie, dressed in period clothing while attending D-Day Conneaut in Conneaut, Ohio. D-Day…

By SALLY BELL Staff Writer An outpouring of community donations will soon make life a lot easier for one Cooperstown teen. Tyler Carbaugh, 18, has…

By SAXON DAUGHERTY Staff Writer A few local hunters hit the jackpot earlier this month when they got word that their name had been drawn…

From staff reports Work on Liberty Street curb ramps in downtown Franklin will begin later this week. The safety and accessibility project includes the installation…

If your family could benefit from $500 worth of free groceries, you should consider entering the The Derrick and The News-Herald’s Creative Cookbook contest. Each…

The Oil City Arts Council will end its summer music series Wednesday with a performance by local talent Mitch Littler at the Pipeline Alley concert venue.  This lunch-time performance…

STONEBORO — The Great Stoneboro Fair will be held Wednesday through Monday, Sept. 5, at the fairgrounds at 2381 Mercer Road, Stoneboro.  The fair features amusement rides, agricultural exhibits,…

Southside Neighborhood Association delegate Robin Moon (left), hands Xavier “BaBa” Miller an ice cream T-shirt that he won Tuesday at the sixth annual ice cream…

From staff reports Ridgeview Road, Route 4022, Plum Township, Venango County, is open to traffic, PennDOT announced Thursday. A section of the road between the…

From staff reports Big Bend Road (Route 3016) in Scrubgrass Township is scheduled to be closed to through traffic beginning next week from the intersection…

From staff reports Venango County Sheriff Eric Foy will host a public safety program dealing with concealed carry rights from 8:15 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday,…

From staff reports The 2016 Pennsylvania Stone Skipping competition was held Saturday at Franklin’s Rock in River Festival. Participants from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, Michigan, Illinois,…

It’s going to be a circus Saturday, Aug. 27, at Drake Well Museum and Park in Titusville.  The fourth annual Drake Day Circus will be held from 10 a.m….

Tickets are available for the “Oil City Uncorked” fall wine walk which will be held from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9.  The walk will feature an…

A crew from Francis J. Palo Inc. of Clarion finished installing the barriers at the base of the rock face along routes 8 and 62…

By SAXON DAUGHERTY Staff Writer A few plaques that were once placed on Oil City Area School District facilities might now be used to educate…