Chamber: Impact of fraudulent jobless claims ‘significant’
By STACEY GROSS Staff writer In an effort to understand the impact of a spate of fraudulent unemployment compensation claims in the Oil Region, the…
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Ex hospital nurse accused of stealing pain medication 44 times
From staff reports A nurse formerly employed at UPMC Northwest is facing charges for stealing pain medications while she worked at the hospital. The Pennsylvania…
Oil City Council hears bonds sale ‘did very well’
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer During Oil City Council’s meeting Thursday, the panel heard an update on the sale of bonds and approved a resolution…
Catholic Foundation awards grant to St. Joseph Parish
From staff reports New programming at St. Joseph Parish in Oil City will be developed this year through a $2,000 grant from the Catholic Foundation…
Rains cause roadway flooding
Dave Wilson, of Cornplanter Volunteer Fire Department, clears debris from ditches along Oleopolis Road and Route 227 (Rouseville Road) at about 8 p.m. Tuesday. Crews…
OC board hears about COVID policy, hears from union
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer Oil City School Board members heard an update Monday from Superintendent Lynda Weller about the district’s COVID policy going into…
10 departments respond to Rouseville fire
By STACEY GROSS Staff writer Ten regional fire departments responded to a fire at 320 McClintockville Road in Rouseville, Sunday evening. Cornplanter Volunteer Fire Department…
Man facing charges in connection with OD death of woman
From staff reports A Petrolia man is facing charges in connection with the overdose death of an Emlenton woman in March. Emlenton police said in…
Oil Heritage events start today
From staff reports Oil City’s annual Oil Heritage Festival, which is set for July 22-25, is chock full of activities. This year’s celebration will mark…
7 members named to Venango County 911 advisory board
Venango County commissioners on Tuesday approved members of the county’s 911 advisory board that was created in May. The board consists of seven members –…
US consumer prices surge in June by the most since 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) — Prices for U.S. consumers jumped in June by the most in 13 years, signaling that a swift rebound in spending has run…
Flash flooding swamps parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey on Tuesday were facing another round of rain one day after they were swamped by a…
Deaf dog finds empathy in deaf-education teacher’s home
INDIANA, Pa. (AP) — He was an incorrigible cur. This mutt puppy wouldn’t listen to anything he was told. Three families tried. Three families brought…
Grief counselors in short supply with gun violence rising
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — As Brett Roman Williams stood at the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s office staring at a photo of his older brother’s face, a familiar…
Contempt of court, damages sought against Spencer
By DILLON PROVENZA Staff writer Cranberry Township is acting on litigation against junkyard owner Randy Spencer to “force compliance” and have him remove vehicles from…
Several OC streets are part of paving project
From staff reports A paving project involving a number of streets in Oil City is currently out to bid. The work will include paving Orange…
County leaders keep looking at uses for COVID relief funds
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer Venango County has received the first half of the $9.8 million the county was allocated through the American Rescue Plan….
Semi crash shuts down I-80; orange juice spills onto road
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer A crash involving two semi-trucks left one person injured, sent lots of orange juice onto the highway, and closed down…
Franklin man is facing charges for strangling son
From staff reports A Franklin man is facing charges for strangling his son on Monday. Franklin police said in a criminal complaint they were called…
Manager says Days Inn will open by Heritage Festival
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer The Days Inn in Oil City will be open by the Oil Heritage Festival later this month, the hotel’s general…
Fish Commission charges Spencer in connection with 2019 flooding issues
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer Cranberry Township junkyard owner Randy Spencer has been charged by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission in connection with the…
Vehicles vandalized in county
Oil City police are investigating incidents of criminal mischief in which windows have been shot out of multiple vehicles in Oil City, Cornplanter Township, and…
Man pleads guilty to third degree murder in Jefferson Co. case
From staff reports A Jefferson County man accused of shooting and killing his roommate entered a guilty plea Tuesday afternoon. William Joseph Sivak, 65, pleaded…
2 men charged for firing shots at Cornplanter Twp. residence
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer An Oil City man and his cousin from Ellwood City are facing charges for shooting at an occupied house on…
Kennerdell home destroyed by blaze; no one injured
By LUKA KRNETA Staff writer No one was injured in a fire that destroyed a home at 755 North Kent Road in Kennerdell on Friday…
Woman accused of assaulting Sugarcreek officer
From staff reports An Oil City woman who was at the Sugarcreek Borough police station in connection with citations she had received is now facing…
Woman facing hindering, obstruction charges
From staff reports A woman is facing charges after allegedly lying to police and preventing the apprehension of a runaway teenager on Monday. Franklin state…
Man charged with stalking for second time in six days
From staff reports A Seneca man who was charged last week for stalking a woman is now facing additional charges after he returned to the…
Oil Heritage Festival back to full capacity this year
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer After last year’s abridged Oil Heritage Festival, things are on track for Oil City’s annual summer celebration to return to…
Tionesta woman accused of repeatedly stalking OC man
From staff reports A Tionesta woman is facing charges for repeatedly contacting and harassing an Oil City man. Oil City police said in a criminal…
Grant effort seeks to reduce vaccine hesitancy in state
By STACEY GROSS Staff writer Would you like a vaccine with that funnel cake? A grant introduced last week seeks to help local nonprofits in…
First Forest County Bigfoot Festival draws hundreds of fans
By RANDY BARTLEY Staff writer Bigfoot left a big impression in Marienville last weekend. The first Forest County Bigfoot Festival drew hundreds of fans of…
Caregiver accused after autistic man found wandering
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer An Oil City man is facing charges after an autistic man he was supposed to be caring for was found…
Ex-Butler Health System official, husband, sentenced in fraud case
From staff reports A former chief operating officer with Butler Health System and her husband were sentenced on Thursday in federal court on fraud and…
Look closely. Those spots you spot could be a fawn
By STACEY GROSS Staff writer Keep your eyes peeled among the rose bushes this week, and you might find a fawn hidden in them. That’s…
Venango OKs Second Amendment resolution
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer Venango County commissioners have approved a resolution that declares the county to be a Second Amendment county. In the resolution…
OC man pleads guilty in sexual exploitation case
From staff reports An Oil City resident has pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of violating federal laws relating to the sexual exploitation…
Alliance’s outdoor recreation business contest starts today
From staff reports The Oil Region Alliance’s outdoor recreation business contest is starting today. The Alliance seeks to award up to $5,000 to a business…
Nonprofits found ways to survive
By RANDY BARTLEY Staff writer The COVID-19 pandemic has made things difficult for the region’s nonprofits for about the past 14 months. Some brick-and-mortar organizations…
Vote tally turns up more write-in nominees in primary election
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer Write-in candidates received enough votes in several Venango County municipalities for their names to appear on the general election ballots…
Man charged with endangering child as result of ATV accident
From staff reports An Oil City man faces charges after an April 25 ATV accident in the area of Reservoir and Beech streets on the…
Venango in line with state on masks
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer After being given the choice, Venango County will permit unvaccinated people to enter its buildings without masks once the state…
School put on lockdown during prom after ‘credible’ threats
NEW CASTLE (AP) — New Castle High School was placed on lockdown during a procession for students attending the prom after what officials called “credible”…
Ohio man faces charges in Franklin man’s drug death
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer An Ohio man is facing charges of delivering drugs, which led to the death last year of a Franklin man,…
Police say drugs, $4,000 found in Franklin apartment
From staff reports A Franklin man is facing charges after 400 grams of methamphetamine as well as other drugs and $4,000 were found in his…
Police locate man facing multiple drug charges
From staff reports Oil City police have arrested a transient Oil City man they were searching for who is facing multiple drug-related charges. On Monday…
Franklin gets $129,000 grant to remove blighted properties
From staff reports The city of Franklin was awarded a $129,000 grant to demolish and excavate 10 properties, according to a news release from state…
Mercer man faces charges in drug case
From staff reports A Mercer man is facing charges after he was found under the influence and in possession of drugs in the area of…
Pennsylvania to resume work-search rule for jobless benefits
HARRISBURG (AP) — Pennsylvania will resume work search requirements in July for people receiving unemployment compensation, a top Wolf administration official said Monday. Gov. Tom…
Eyes on the road
By LAURA O’NEIL Staff writer Cranberry Area High School students on Friday morning were greeted with a sobering sight. As students got off the bus,…