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October 16, 2009 / Front Page

Friends for Food passes $3,600 mark

The annual Friends for Food campaign received another $1,375 Thursday, bringing this year’s total to $3,640. The fund-raising effort provides Thanksgiving dinners to families who need them in Venango, Clarion and Forest counties. More...

Special Sections

Community News

Clarion County forms tax panel

John Corsini of the Union School District heads up the 53-delegate committee.

CLARION — John Corsini was elected chair of the newly formed Clarion County Earned Income Tax Committee at its first meeting Wednesday. More...

Bodies of two men who died in Canada expected home soon

The men were moose hunting in a remote area of the country.

The bodies of two Clarion County men who died last week in a remote area of Canada are expected to be returned home today. More...

Annual OC Kiwanis Peanut Day is today

Oil City Kiwanis Club members Jim Kellogg and Dwight McCarty pack peanuts Thursday in preparation for today’s annual Kiwanis Peanut Day sale. More...

Court Reporter

VENANGO COUNTY COURT REPORTER

Central Court District judges Andrew Fish and Douglas Gerwick presiding Whitney Michelle Wade, 19, Franklin; waived a preliminary hearing on charges of simple assault and harassment; bail set at $1,000. More...

Letters/Columns

People who steal obviously have no community pride

Editor: The Franklin Gardeners Association would like to make the public aware that someone has stolen from us. We have large planters at the entrances to the bike trail, purchased and voluntarily maintained by us. More...

Parents should meet their potty-mouthed children

Editor: I live across the street from a school bus stop, and I am concerned with the language used by Oil City Middle and Senior High School students when they exit their bus. More...

Include a public option in health-insurance reform

Brash, bullying talk by the nation’s health-insurance industry exactly makes the case for keeping a public option alive in health-care reform. More...

AP Sports

Polamalu restores edge to Steelers

Pittsburgh safety to make first start since opener

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Steelers’ defense, one of the best in NFL history only a year ago, isn’t the dominating unit it was expected to be. The once-relentless pressure is sporadic. The ability to finish off teams is vanishing. More...

Phillies win wild opener, 8-6

Carlos Ruiz and Raul Ibanez each belt threerun homers for the defending champions.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Brad Lidge and the Philadelphia Phillies picked up where they left off a year ago against the Dodgers in the NL championship series. More...

Ex-Penn St. RB Scott sues authorities, school

STATE COLLEGE, (AP) — A former Penn State tailback who hoped to play in the NFL claims in a lawsuit that authorities ruined his professional aspirations after filing a rape charge against him that was later dropped. More...

Entertainment

TV Grid

Full Story

PBS SCHEDULE

The following are today’s television listings for the local PBS stations: WPSU 7 p.m. — NewsHour with Jim Lehrer 8 p.m. — Washington Week with Gwen Ifil and National Journal 8:30 p.m. More...

Swine flu moving quickly into region

Cases confirmed in Brookville, Franklin school districts

The H1NI influenza is moving quickly into western Pennsylvania. Officials are reporting there are confirmed H1N1 (swine flu) cases in the Franklin and Brookville school districts. More...

A piece of Franklin history on auction block this weekend

Some Franklin history will hit the auction block this weekend, when a house at 928 Liberty St. goes up for sale. The wood frame house, built in 1901 in the Colonial Revival style, sits next to its twin. More...

Districts argue appeals on vacant properties

Franklin and Valley Grove make their cases to the county tax assessment board.

Two Venango County school districts believe they have ended up on the wrong end of real estate tax bills. The Franklin and Valley Grove districts on Thursday argued appeals before the Venango County Tax Assessment Appeal Board. More...

AP News

Boy found in garage, not in balloon

The story of 6-year-old Falcon Heene dominates cable television and captivates people across the nation.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — It looked like something straight out of science fiction and sounded like a parent’s worst nightmare: A flying saucer shaped helium balloon zooming across the skies of Colorado with a boy named Falcon inside. More...

Former Titusville man charged with abducting son being held abroad

ERIE (AP) — Federal prosecutors in Erie say a former Titusville man accused of kidnapping his 13- year-old son is being held in Bulgaria. Assistant U.S. More...

2 dead, 2 injured in Butler County car wreck

PORTERSVILLE (AP) — Two teens died and two others were injured in a single-car crash Wednesday night in Butler County near Portersville. More...

Sports

Knights to visit Oil Field tonight

Grover Cleveland was President of the United States for the second time when the series began, Cy Young was in the midst of 16-year streak of winning 20 games or more and Thomas Burke of the U.S. More...

Oilers will run past Knights

Last week: 31-7, .816 Season: 190-37, .837 Bragging rights in Venango County will be on the line tonight at the Oil Field when Franklin locks horns with the host Oilers in a clash surely to be affected by a blast from Mother Nature’s mig More...

Keystone spikers squeeze Berries

Keystone’s Holly Barrett served for 10 points and had 20 assists Thursday as the Panthers topped homestanding Cranberry, 25-20, 9-25, 25-16, 25-23 in a Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference volleyball match. Scholastic volleyball .. More...

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No Social Security hike, could boost new payments

Some budget hawks say payments are unwarranted, could add to budget deficit.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Social Security recipients won’t get a cost-of-living increase next year for the first time in more than a third of a century, and that could boost President Barack Obama’s plan to send seniors another round of $2 More...

Mother of teenager set on fire says ordeal is a nightmare

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Michael Brewer loves his skateboard, SpongeBob and the tree swing in his front yard. More...

Smoking bans protect nonsmokers’ hearts

More than 126 million nonsmoking people are regularly exposed to someone else’s smoke.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A major report confirms what health officials long have believed: Bans on smoking in restaurants, bars and other gathering spots reduce the risk of heart attacks among nonsmokers. More...

Features

Construction drives up new job numbers

States in the South and Southwest see the biggest boost.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Businesses reported creating or saving more than 30,000 jobs in the first months of President Barack Obama’s stimulus program, according to initial data released Thursday by a government oversight board. More...

Insurers dropping some Chinese drywall policies

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. More...

On Wall Street

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