Archive
April 14th, 2013
Gregory L. Chicola, 58, of 739 Brandy Camp Road, Kersey, died Saturday, April 13, 2013, at his residence as a result of ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease).
He was born February 27, 1955 in Clearfield, son of the late Steve and Marian Rachocki Chicola.
He was a lifelong resident of the area and was a graduate of St. Marys High School. He was a former employee of Industrial Steel.
Mr. Chicola served in the Army Reserves, enjoyed westerns, road hunting, cooking, swimming, enjoyed his guns and repairing guns and cars, woodworking, loved his dog Rascal, and enjoyed being with his family.
James Earl Bennett, 78, of Ridgway, died Thursday, April 11, 2013 at Hamot Medical Center in Erie.
He was born August 7, 1934 in Punxsutawney, a son of the late James Robert and Ella Grace (McQuown) Bennett.
On June 15, 1957 he married the former Diane Dunmire, and she survives.
Mr. Bennett worked at Airco Carbon in St. Marys and Punxsutawney. He served in the United States Army after the Korean Conflict. He loved the outdoors, fishing, camping.
April 12th
Representatives from several state park agencies presented updates on projects at the East Branch Stakeholders Meeting held Thursday at the dam.
Jeanne Wambaugh, district forester at the Elk State Forest which surrounds the dam, reminded residents about outdoor burning hazards.
This year there have been four fires in the Elk State Forest encompassing a total of 26 acres. The largest fire occurred on Sunday and was 20 acres in size.
Countless individuals traveled past the row of trees located in front of the South St. Marys Street Elementary School every day for decades unaware that a little piece of the community's history was also sitting right there in their midst, half buried near one of the stumps. With those trees now cut down to allow for improvements to SR 255, local historian and photographer Ray Beimel was walking by the site last weekend taking some photographs and noticed a plaque located near one of the stumps.
ST. MARYS – Poised for possible budget cuts and committed to a budgetary balancing act, the St. Marys Area School District's approval of pay increases for 12 of its administrators was defended Friday by superintendent Ann Kearney who said the move will see a "zero percent increase in the budget for administrative salaries for next year, even with the raises."
MT. JEWETT – A Johnsonburg pastor and his wife accused of starving their three adopted children had additional child endangerment charges filed against them in McKean County Court Thursday.
April 11th
The date for repair completions of the East Branch Dam have been pushed back to 2018 with construction work on the project beginning next year.
The St. Marys Area Board of School Directors voted at Monday's meeting to approve the district's participation in new pre-K program that will be offered free of charge to qualifying low-income students.
ST. MARYS – "We say if it's old, gold, or silver we want to see it," said Mike Kerr, a buyer with The Great American Treasure Hunt company currently stopped at The Comfort Inn in St. Marys.
Frances M. "Mabel" Weichman, 88, a resident of Elk Haven Nursing Home and formerly of 929 Windfall Road, St. Marys, died peacefully on Wednesday, April 10, 2013 at Elk Haven Nursing Home following a brief illness.
She was born October 4, 1924 in St. Marys, a daughter of the late Bernard and Mabel Rippy Fritz.
On February 12, 1942 in St. Mary's Church, she married the late Francis J. Weichman, who preceded her in death on October 25, 1982.
