OC man charged for stealing tattoo business equipment
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer An Oil City man is facing charges for breaking into the Austin Ink tattoo business in Oil City and stealing…
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Trooper helped woman whose car was on fire
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer A Franklin state police trooper helped a woman whose car was on fire while she was driving the vehicle earlier…
No tax hike in final Grove budget, but plan has nearly $2M deficit
By DILLON PROVENZA Staff writer Valley Grove School Board on Monday unanimously approved the district’s 2020-21 budget, which has no tax increase. The budget shows…
OC man charged after drugs found in vehicle
From staff reports An Oil City man is facing charges for having various illegal drugs in his vehicle Saturday in Oil City. Oil City police…
Bank takes over OC Days Inn
By JUDITH O. ETZEL Contributing writer A Texas bank is the new owner of the Days Inn hotel in Oil City as a result of…
2 held for court in OC home invasion incident
From staff reports Two men facing charges in connection with a home invasion and shooting in April at a Cornplanter Avenue residence in Oil City…
Man charged for screaming at golfers, breaking into garage
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer A Franklin man is facing charges for screaming at golfers at a local course and breaking into an elderly couple’s…
Fire destroys Franklin home
By DILLON PROVENZA Staff writer A Liberty Street home in Franklin was destroyed by fire Monday evening. The blaze started at about 6:30 p.m. at…
Recycling center has home
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer A county recycling center became a step closer to reality when the Franklin zoning hearing board gave the green light…
Woman pulled from river in Oil City
From staff reports A woman was found to be unhurt after being rescued from the Allegheny River in Oil City on Friday afternoon. The woman…
Despite virus, Coon and Fox Club has ‘canceled nothing’
By SARAH TITLEY Staff writer During a time when staple festivals and events cease to exist, the summer schedule for the Venango County Coon and…
Police accuse Jackson Township man of sexually assaulting girl
From staff reports Felony charges were filed Tuesday against a Jackson Township man who Franklin state police say fathered a child to a now 15-year-old…
Inmate accused of trying to escape from officer
From staff reports An inmate at the Venagno County Jail is facing charges after he attempted to escape when he was taken to the Franklin…
‘Not letting hate get in’
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer A gathering to focus on unity in light of George Floyd’s death and other turbulent events across the country will…
141 seniors graduate from Oil City
From staff reports A total of 141 graduates received diplomas during the virtual commencement exercises Friday for the Oil City High School Class of 2020….
OC man gets state prison term for role in drug death
From staff reports An Oil City man will serve up to 20 years in state prison in connection with the drug-related death of a 14-year-old…
Count goes ‘smoothly’ in Venango County; turnout low in area
By JUDITH O. ETZEL Contributing writer Voter turnout in the tri-county appeared to be low in Tuesday’s primary election. Pennsylvania’s original date of April 28…
Polk man charged for having meth lab at home
From staff reports A Polk man is facing charges for having a methamphetamine lab at his residence. Polk Police and the PIC unit of Venango…
Two-part Venango fair in works
By SARAH TITLEY Staff writer The Venango County Fair will go on this August, but there will be some tweaks. Fair Board members voted this…
Titusville man accused of raping girl, 17
From staff reports A Titusville man is facing felony charges related to the sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl in October. Franklin state police said…
No one hurt in Old Route 8 crash
Nobody was injured in this one-vehicle crash Thursday in Victory Township. Venango County 911 said a tractor-trailer jackknifed and blocked both lanes of Old Route…
Man held for court on burglary charges in OC incident
From staff reports A Franklin man was held for court Wednesday in Venango County Central Court for his role in a burglary and shooting incident…
Franklin man facing charges for attacking boy
By SARAH TITLEY Staff writer A Franklin man is accused of striking a 17-year-old boy in the face Saturday at a residence on Pone Lane…
OC Main Street ‘Heart’ effort promotes unity
By JUDITH O. ETZEL Contributing writer It’s a simple slogan with a heartfelt message – Oil City’s Got Heart! That’s the theme of an Oil…
Tionesta man shot to death in Forest County
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer A Tionesta man was fatally shot late Thursday night in Marienville, and a Greensburg man has been charged with homicide….
Region moving to green
From staff and wire reports Gov. Tom Wolf announced Friday that 17 counties, including Venango, Clarion and Forest, will be moving to “green”, the least…
3 arrested on drug charges after Sugarcreek stop
From staff reports Three men are facing felony drug manufacturing charges in connection with an incident in which they were found with methamphetamine, needles and…
OC woman’s body pulled from Sage Run
From staff reports An Oil City woman was pronounced dead Tuesday after her body was pulled out of Sage Run near Riverside Drive in Cranberry…
Franklin man accused of having unlawful contact with 2 girls
By SARAH TITLEY Staff writer A Franklin man is facing felony charges for having inappropriate contact with two young girls on several occasions as far…
Meat the demand
By DILLON PROVENZA Staff writer While national meat supply chains are strained because of the COVID-19 pandemic, local businesses that sell meat are experiencing an…
Oil City will hold virtual graduation
From staff reports Oil City High School principal Scott Stahl announced Thursday the school will conduct a virtual graduation this year. Each of the 142…
Venango has handled thousands of mail-in, absentee applications
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer Venango County commissioners gave an update at their meeting Tuesday on mail-in ballots and other items related to the June…
Local DAs share views on enforcement of mandates
From staff reports Three area district attorneys have reached out to the newspaper with their thoughts about the enforcement of Gov. Tom Wolf’s mandates regarding…
Oil City police seek help in finding wanted man
From staff reports Oil City police said they are searching for Adrian I. Wise, 18, of Oil City, who is wanted for attempted criminal homicide…
Franklin man charged for firing shots in house
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer A Franklin man is facing charges for firing shots inside his house and making threats Saturday. Franklin state police said…
3 injured in Barkeyville house fire
By DILLON PROVENZA Staff writer Three people were injured in a house fire Friday in Barkeyville Borough. The fire was reported at about 7:20 p.m….
‘We’re just so happy to be open’
By SARAH TITLEY Staff writer A plethora of sandwich boards dotted the sidewalks of Liberty Street Friday for the first time in weeks as many…
Oil City businesses getting back on track
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer As some businesses in Oil City emerged Friday from Gov. Tom Wolf’s shutdown orders, it was evident each had been…
United Way achieves goal in annual campaign
From staff reports United Way of Venango County announced Thursday that it achieved its goal of $495,000 in its annual fundraising campaign. The agency raised…
Polk police still searching for mobile home
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer Polk police are still searching for a mobile home that went missing late last year. The owner of the 14-by-80-foot…
Franklin manager tells council financial picture still clouded
By SARAH TITLEY Staff writer Despite certain financial numbers looking up, city manager Tracy Jamieson told Franklin City Council members Monday the bigger picture is…
Man charged with attempted murder in hospital incident
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer A Clintonville man is facing felony charges, including attempted murder, for strangling a UPMC Northwest employee on Saturday. A criminal…
State outlines plan for park, forest facilities
From staff reports The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) has released a plan for a phased reopening of state park and forest…
County looks to get multimodal, Cornplanter work back on track
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer Two Venango County construction projects in downtown Oil City – Cornplanter Square and the multimodal transportation hub – came to…
PUC approves plan for new ‘overlay’ in 814 area code
From staff reports The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission voted 4-0 Thursday to approve a year-long implementation plan leading to the start of a new “overlay”…
OC middle school students advance in competition
From staff reports A group of seven students from Oil City Middle School competed in a regional contest in a program titled “What’s So Cool…
2 charged for breaking into Halyday Run home
From staff reports Two Oil City residents are facing charges for breaking into a residence Tuesday morning on Halyday Run Road. Franklin state police said…
OC police looking for suspects in shooting during home invasion
By SARAH TITLEY Staff writer Oil City police are still looking for suspects in connection with an armed home invasion that happened at about 2…
State elaborates on reopening criteria
From staff reports The Wolf administration on Saturday elaborated on the state’s plan to reopen portions of Pennsylvania based on Department of Health metrics. According…
Venango swamped with requests for mail-in ballots
By KARA O’NEIL Staff writer Venango County has been inundated with requests for mail-in ballots in recent weeks. The county had received about 1,800 to…