Police: 3 pounds of pot, $18,000 found at North Side home
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer Oil City police chief Dave Ragon released more details Wednesday about the quantity of drugs and money found in a…
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Federal grand jury indicts Franklin man
From staff reports A Franklin man has been indicted by a federal grand jury on a charge of violating federal drug laws, U.S. Attorney Cindy…
Firefighters appreciate hydrant help
The Oil City Fire Department has been out in force following the last few snowstorms, and on Friday Lt. Charles Hoobler and firefighter John Horn…
Be Here celebrates five years, launches new video
From staff reports Be Here, a program of the Venango Area Chamber of Commerce, is celebrating five years and recently launched a new video promoting…
Region’s love of animals shows via donations
By MAKAYLA KEATING Staff writer Betty White was more than a well-known and beloved actress. She was also a huge animal lover, and several nationwide…
Storm that slugged South, Midwest brings misery to Northeast
A major winter storm spread misery from the Deep South, where ice-covered tree limbs snapped and a tornado claimed a life, to the nation’s northeastern…
OC man charged after 15-mile, high speed chase
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer An Oil City man is facing charges for fleeing from police Tuesday in a 15-mile chase from Oil City to…
Man facing charges after drugs found in vehicle
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer A Cranberry man is facing charges after he was found in possession of drugs in a vehicle Sunday afternoon on…
Pathways to open new school for expelled students
By LAURA O’NEIL Staff writer Pathways Adolescent Center of Oil City is opening a new school Monday for boys in seventh to 12th grades who…
Emlenton man accused of repeated sexual assaults of girl
From staff reports An Emlenton man is facing dozens of charges that accuse him of sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 16 for…
French Creek named state’s river of year
From staff reports French Creek has been selected as Pennsylvania’s 2022 River of the Year. The creek is one of the most biologically diverse waterways…
Organizer of local March for Life trip says mood was celebratory
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer A number of local residents braved the cold to attend the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Friday….
Creation of fire authority discussed at meeting
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer The creation of a county fire authority was among the suggestions that was discussed during Wednesday’s gathering of Venango County…
Man arraigned on charges related to Franklin chase
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer A man was arraigned Friday in connection with an incident on Liberty Street in Franklin last April in which he…
OC man accused of sexually assaulting child
From staff reports An Oil City man is facing charges for sexually assaulting a child. Oil City police said in a criminal complaint that in…
Venango County exceeds 10,000 total COVID-19 cases
From staff reports According to the latest state Department of Health statistics, the cumulative number of positive COVID-19 tests in Venango County has surpassed 10,000….
Man charged for fleeing police, breaking into home
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer A McKees Rocks man is facing charges for fleeing from police during a traffic stop and breaking into a house…
Superload journey delayed due to weather
From staff reports PennDOT said Monday that the journey of the superload being transported from West Milton, New York, to Wampum, Pennsylvania, has been delayed…
Early interventionists can help kids with development delays
By STACEY GROSS Contributing writer Does your two-year-old have a good vocabulary? How do you know? What if they don’t? Early intervention is a set…
294-ton oversized load to travel through Franklin next week
By LAURA O’NEIL Staff writer An oversized load may disrupt travel this week on Interstate 80, Route 322 west, which includes Liberty Street in Franklin,…
Fund for OCHS students honoring longtime editor raises about $10k
From staff reports Nearly $10,000 has been contributed so far to a fund that honors a longtime editor at The Derrick and will benefit Oil…
Franklin woman facing forgery, theft charges
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer A Franklin woman already charged with altering a check is facing additional charges of forgery and theft. Sugarcreek Borough police…
Man facing many charges after domestic altercation in OC home
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer A Titusville man is facing numerous charges following an incident Sunday evening in Oil City in which he is accused…
What’s up with Days Inn, Milan’s properties
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer As we move into a new year, Oil City residents are asking the same two questions they’ve been asking for…
Franklin man charged for crash that injured 3
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer A Franklin man is facing charges for crashing a vehicle while driving under the influence with a three-year-old passenger in…
Cause undetermined in Philadelphia house fire that killed 12
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Investigators worked Thursday to determine the cause of a fire that tore through a Philadelphia rowhome, killing 12 people, including two sisters…
State police investigate several assault incidents
From staff reports Three people are facing charges in connection with three unrelated assault incidents that occurred Christmas Day in Venango County. In one case,…
Man facing many charges related to police chase
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer A Clintonville man is facing charges for fleeing from police in the southern part of Venango County last month. Polk…
Durniok: UPMC Northwest keeps adjusting to COVID trends
By LAURA O’NEIL Staff writer After a surge of COVID-19 cases in November and the first two weeks in December, numbers have returned to a…
State Insurance Department exam finds UPMC violations
From staff reports The state has handed UPMC Health Coverage Inc. and UPMC Health Options Inc. a $250,000 penalty stemming from a comprehensive Affordable Care…
Fire destroys Victory Heights home
From staff reports No one was injured in a blaze that destroyed a Victory Heights home, according to Seneca Volunteer Fire Department Chief Paul Marsh….
Tri-county area’s jobless rate drops
From staff reports The tri-county area’s November seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was down from the previous month, according to the state Department of Labor &…
Panel OKs more funds for 100 Seneca project
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer Members of the Venango County Economic Development Authority discussed funding and other matters related to the 100 Seneca project at…
Oil City gearing up for First Night festivities
From staff reports Oil City is gearing up for its First Night festivities on New Year’s Eve. Following a hiatus of one year due to…
Man facing charge in second trespass case
From staff reports An Oil City man who is already facing charges for entering a residence he had been evicted from is now facing an…
Police continue investigation into Rockland homicide
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer Franklin state police are continuing their investigation of a homicide that occurred earlier this month in Rockland Township. Peter Bernardo…
Man killed in Irwin Township crash
From staff reports One person was killed in a one-vehicle crash in Irwin Township that apparently occurred overnight Sunday, according to Venango County 911. The…
Oil City man, woman charged in methamphetamine case
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer A man and a woman are each facing charges of possessing and distributing methamphetamine in the Venango County area. On…
Homicide charges filed in double fatal Redbank crash
By RODNEY L. SHERMAN Clarion News editor A 29-year-old Tarentum man has been charged with numerous offenses, including two counts of criminal homicide, stemming from…
Former Oil City resident indicted in Spanky’s robbery
From staff reports A former resident of Oil City has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Erie on charges of Hobbs Act robbery…
Hutchinson co-sponsors bill to halt closure of Polk State Center
From staff reports The state Senate passed legislation, co-sponsored by Sen. Scott Hutchinson, that would keep Polk State Center open for a minimum of five…
Thousands without heat, water after tornadoes kill dozens
MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Residents of Kentucky counties where tornadoes killed several dozen people could be without heat, water or electricity in frigid temperatures for weeks or…
Veon nominated to fill Venango judge vacancy
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer Marie Veon, a longtime Venango County district attorney, has been nominated by Gov. Tom Wolf to fill the judicial vacancy…
Log Cabin owners hope to open early next year
Work to rebuild the Log Cabin Restaurant in Seneca is coming along. Missy Scrivens, who owns the restaurant with her husband, Josh, said they are…
Final goodbye: Recalling influential people who died in 2021
They both carved out sterling reputations as military and political leaders over years of public service. But both also saw their legacies tarnished by their…
Penn State hires first woman, person of color to head school
The Penn State trustees on Thursday named the University of Louisville’s president Neeli Bendapudi to succeed Eric Barron as the school’s top administrator. The unanimous…
Venango County Conservation Hall of Fame inducts Hribar, Cramer
From staff reports Leonard “Lenny” Hribar, a retired Pennsylvania Game Commission wildlife conservation officer, and the late Raymond L. Cramer were inducted Sunday into the…
People can take a walk through Bethlehem in Cooperstown
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer The little town of Bethlehem will be coming to life again this year in Cooperstown with animals, bakers, blacksmiths, potters,…
Mega Toy Give-Away planned for Dec. 8
From staff reports Hand In Hand and Galloway Church have partnered together to give away toys and clothes to friends and neighbors in Venango County….
Franklin woman killed in Crawford County crash
From staff reports A Franklin woman was killed in a one-vehicle crash Wednesday afternoon on Interstate 79 in Vernon Township, Crawford County. Meadville state police…