Two people charged with endangering welfare of children
From staff reports A transient man and an Oil City woman are facing child endangerment charges after two young children were found playing in a…
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2 Oil City police officers assaulted
From staff reports Two Oil City police officers were injured Saturday during an altercation with a transient Oil City man who was a parole absconder….
Route 8 project moves into fourth phase
From staff reports Work on the fourth phase of the Route 8 reconstruction project in Irwin Township is expected to begin next month. This phase…
100-mile bike ride fundraiser set for Saturday
By LAURA O’NEIL Staff writer A team of about 12 cyclists will set out next weekend on a 100-mile bike ride from Oil City to…
Venango’s new Veterans Affairs director has ideas for programs
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer Venango County’s new Veterans Affairs director has been on the job for a few weeks. Harry Whittemore, of Oil City,…
Chamber’s Leadership Venango gears up for start of fourth year
By LAURA O’NEIL Staff writer The Venango Area Chamber of Commerce is gearing up for its fourth year of Leadership Venango, a leadership training program…
OC man killed in Halyday Run crash
From staff reports An Oil City man was killed in a one-vehicle crash Monday along Halyday Run Road in Cornplanter Township. Franklin state police said…
Grove will seek board approval regarding masking, cyber options
By STACEY GROSS Staff writer Masking requirements, cyber options, and personnel assignment approvals will be sought at next week’s Valley Grove School Board meeting ahead…
Oil City man dies in Bredinsburg Road crash
From staff reports Franklin state police late Friday evening reported an Oil City man died in an accident on Bredinsburg Road in Cranberry Township earlier…
Emergency workers honored for saving man in cardiac arrest
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer Every seat was filled Thursday in Oil City Council chambers as friends and family of six EMTs and paramedics from…
Jeeps group raises more than $4,500 for Two Mile improvements
By STACEY GROSS Staff writer The Oil Valley Jeeps presented a check for $4,569.71 to Two Mile Run County Park’s capital improvement fund on Wednesday….
Cranberry targets relief money for rent, mortgage assistance
By DILLON PROVENZA Staff writer Cranberry Township will allocate more coronavirus relief money toward rent and mortgage assistance for low to moderate-income households. Township supervisors…
OC man facing more than 300 charges for sexual assaults
From staff reports An Oil City man is facing more than 300 charges, including 10 counts of rape, in one case, and several counts in…
OC man facing rape, other sex assault charges
From staff reports An Oil City man has been accused of raping a 14-year-old girl in Rocky Grove. The girl told police Eric Sharp, 21,…
OC man charged for threatening shootout
From staff reports An Oil City man is facing charges for threatening a shootout Saturday in the South Side Country Fair in Oil City. Oil…
Property buyer has gone quiet
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer After generating quite a buzz in the region back in the winter, little has been heard the last few months…
Franklin man faces charges for fleeing police, having drugs
From staff reports A Franklin man is facing charges for fleeing an officer Friday and having drugs in his possession. Sugarcreek Borough police said in…
2 people facing charges after incident in Franklin
From staff reports Two people are facing charges following an incident Thursday in Franklin in which a Polk man is accused of fleeing from police…
Woman charged for role in Franklin robbery
From staff reports A second person has been charged in connection with a robbery in Franklin in March. Polk police said in a criminal complaint…
Weather Service says tornado touched down near Dempseytown
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh has confirmed that a tornado touched down near Dempseytown on Thursday. No injuries or…
Tornado confirmed in Cochranton
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer The National Weather Service in Cleveland has confirmed that a tornado touched down Thursday afternoon at a farm near Cochranton….
National Fuel seeks $10 increase in bill for typical customer
From staff reports National Fuel Gas Distribution Corp. is requesting a rate increase of more than $10 in the monthly bill of a typical residential…
11,000 data breaches over 15 years at core of UC fraud uptick
By STACEY GROSS Staff writer More than 11,000 data breaches, causing exposure of more than 1.6 billion personal records over a span of about 15…
Man accused of raping girl, 13, at camp during family reunion
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer An Ohio man has been charged with raping a 13-year-old girl at a camp in Victory Township on Sunday. Franklin…
Venango, Forest jobless rates drop
From staff reports The tri-county area’s June seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, for the most part, was down from May, according to the state Department of…
Festival art show winners announced
From staff reports “Day Off” by D.P. Warner won the Best in Show award at this year’s Oil Heritage Festival Art Show. The People’s Choice…
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…
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…