Days Inn still closed, more work needed
From staff reports The Days Inn hotel in Oil City remains closed, though the hotel manager had hoped to have it open by the Oil…
Around The County
Cranberry wants to hear about high water marks in flood prone areas
By STACEY GROSS Staff writer If you live on Deep Hollow Road or Riverside Drive and have high watermarks on your buildings or properties, the…
Cooking up some dinners
Some pre-Oil Heritage Festival events, including the Elks Club chicken dinner, Town Square concert, art show receptions, and pet show, were held Wednesday on the…
Agencies plan free movie night at mall
From staff reports The Venango Fatherhood Initiative and Youth Connection are partnering to bring a free movie night to the community. A free showing of…
Route 428 remains closed due to flood damage
From staff reports Due to flood damage, Route 428 in Venango County remains closed to through traffic from its intersection with Route 417 in Oakland…
Expert: Waterways flowing too fast for people to safely enjoy them
By STACEY GROSS Staff writer If you’re planning to enjoy the water amenities in the Oil Region this week after the rain that fell over…
‘A great addition’: Recycling center holds open house
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer A number of local officials, county employees and a representative from the Department of Environmental Protection attended Friday’s open house…
Festival book sale moved to library; hours corrected
From staff reports A book sale hosted by Friends of the Oil City Library will be held at the library during the Oil Heritage Festival….
Police will focus on Move Over violations
From staff reports Troop E of the Pennsylvania State Police, which includes Franklin state police, has joined state police from five other states in focusing…
Services on hold at Salvation Army dental center
From staff reports The Salvation Army’s Oil City Dental Center is temporarily without a dentist on staff and has put a pause on services for…
Tuesday’s severe storms caused widespread damages in region
Severe storms Tuesday evening left some damage in their wake around Venango and Clarion counties. Trees falling due to high winds – up to 60…
Clarion County leaders, residents offer input for comprehensive plan
CLARION – Clarion County had an opportunity Monday night to plan for the county’s future. Representatives from Herbert, Rowland and Grubic of Cranberry Township conducted…
Clarion River history educator workshop set at Cook Forest
Cook Forest State Park will conduct a three-day Clarion River history educator workshop from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 28, through Friday, July…
Chamber leader: Lack of employees is ‘a crisis’
By STACEY GROSS Staff writer Hiring and retainment of employees have been critical challenges in most industries, both locally and statewide, according to Susan Williams,…
Children’s bike rodeo set July 24 in OC
From staff reports A free children’s bicycle rodeo will be held Saturday, July 24, in Oil City to teach children ages 5 to 12 about…
Several construction projects moving forward in Cranberry
By DILLON PROVENZA Staff writer Construction continues in Cranberry Township as multiple projects were discussed at Thursday’s meeting of the township supervisors. Road supervisor Ted…
Sugarcreek council OKs Second Amendment sanctuary designation
By STACEY GROSS Staff writer Sugarcreek Borough is now a Second Amendment sanctuary municipality. Mayor Charles McDaniel read a resolution at the borough council’s monthly…
Memory of Franklin Marine honored at fundraising walk
By DILLON PROVENZA Staff writer A memorial ruck walk honoring a Marine from Franklin was held Friday morning in the city to raise awareness for…
Cosmetology instructor thrilled with student’s national honor
By STACEY GROSS Staff writer Kristen Deets, the cosmetology instructor at Crawford County Career and Technical Center, has a national champion on her hands. Deets…
Tiny Tot entries being accepted
From staff reports The Oil Heritage Festival prince and princess will be crowned after a tally of votes in the annual Tiny Tot Contest held…
Senior Corps honors founding members
Plaques were placed on a pavilion at Oil Creek State Park by members of the Venango PA Senior Environmental Corps in memory of two of…
Youth Connection day will be celebrated Thursday
From staff reports Youth Connection Day will be celebrated Thursday in Venango County. The celebration will include a push for gaining new mentors in the…
Taste of Talent starts Wednesday
From staff reports The annual Taste of Talent vocal competition presented by the Franklin Fine Arts Council begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Bandstand Park….
Rare bird sighting in Franklin
Darlene Suttle took this photo of a bird she and some others spotted Friday evening near the Venango County Courthouse that they believed to be…
Franklin board president says ‘it’s time’ to talk merger
By DILLON PROVENZA Staff writer Franklin School Board president Brian Spaid broached the subject of school district mergers during the board’s meeting Monday. “It is…
Rainbow Gathering planned in Allegheny forest
From staff reports The Rainbow Family of Living Light has chosen the Allegheny National Forest for a regional gathering during the first week of July….
Jolly July 3rd to culminate with fireworks display
From staff reports The Oil City Arts Council will hold its annual Jolly July 3rd festival from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday in Justus Park,…
Franklin July 4 events underway
By DILLON PROVENZA Staff writer Franklin’s 11-day 4th of July festivities began Thursday with a concert, and today’s schedule is highlighted by the popular penny…
Mobile food pantry planned in Emlenton
From staff reports Chapel on the Hill in Emlenton will hold a drive-through mobile food pantry from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, July 8….
Cranberry Clothes Closet will be open in July
From staff reports The Cranberry Clothes Closet will be open every Thursday in July from noon to 4 p.m. The closet, located at the old…
Tionesta will host KenVenture event
From staff reports Tionesta will be the host of a KenVenture event on Sunday. KenVenture features a group of five people who travel to random…
ORA holding online contest for tourism awards
From staff reports The Oil Region Alliance of Business, Industry and Tourism is facilitating an online contest in which local businesses and groups will earn…
United Way kindergarten readiness program resumes
From staff reports Local students are participating in the Success By 6 kindergarten readiness program this summer following last year’s cancellation of the program due…
Outdoor movies offered in Franklin, Cooperstown
From staff reports Franklin Fine Arts Council has begun a new summer feature called Movies in the Park that offers outdoor viewings of family-oriented films…
SCI Forest visitation resumes June 25
From staff reports The state Department of Corrections announced Thursday that three state prisons, including SCI Forest, have finalized plans to reimplement in-person visitation. Visitation…
Forest Co. commissioners hear Bigfoot Festival was big hit
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer Forest County commissioners heard about the success of the Bigfoot Festival in Marienville during the panel’s regular meeting Wednesday. Robin…
Hunting, furtaker licenses available
From staff reports Hunting and furtaker licenses are now being sold for the 2021-22 season. Licenses may be purchased at the treasurer’s office in the…
Gala at VC raises more than $45,000
Venango Region Catholic School hosted its 2021 Heritage Gala with the theme “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on Saturday at Venango Catholic High School. The evening…
You’re Not Alone group is meeting again
From staff reports The NarAnon group called You’re Not Alone has restarted its regular weekly support group meetings. The group meets at 7 p.m. Wednesdays…
County looks forward to getting recycling center up and running
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer After five years of planning, a new Venango County recycling center will open next month at the former Crawford Area…
GEMS plans ‘Mentor and Me’ programs for girls
From staff reports GEMS will hold a series of “Mentor and Me” programs this summer for Venango County girls entering third through 12th grades. The…
OC’s Music on the Square returns tonight
From staff reports The Oil City Main Street Program’s summer outdoor concert series, Music on the Square, returns tonight with a concert by Billy and…
Franklin spruce-up work planned at Riverfront Park, boat launch
By DILLON PROVENZA Staff writer The Franklin Moving Forward group will be sprucing up seating and signs at Riverfront Park and the Franklin boat launch….
Pipeline Alley concerts to start
Classic Rock band Touch of Grey Trio, featuring John Hyatt, Evan Andrea, and Richard Freysinger, will perform at Pipeline Alley in Oil City from 7…
Libraries open with more hours, resources
By LAURA O’NEIL Staff writer The three libraries that make up the Oil Region Library Association are back in full swing and with more resources….
Valley Grove students stock up on books for summer reading
By DILLON PROVENZA Staff writer Valley Grove Elementary School students were given nearly 3,000 free books this week as a part of the school’s summer…
Organizers plan final sendoff for McGinty Scholarship outing
From staff reports This year marks the final year of the Thomas McGinty-Patrick Connelly Charity Golf Classic that provides scholarships to Venango Catholic High School…
Dinos visit Smedley school
Dinosaurs descended on Smedley Street Elementary School in Oil City on Thursday as part of the school’s theme week to round out what Smedley Principal…
Rocky Grove playground in line for possible facelift next year
By STACEY GROSS Staff writer The Rocky Grove playground could get a facelift in 2022. The regular meeting of Sugarcreek Borough Council was held Wednesday…
Venango Relay for Life set for July 17
From staff reports The Venango County Relay For Life will be held from 2 to 9 p.m. Saturday, July 17, and the luminaria ceremony will…