Shooting victim’s fiancee speaks

By Monica Pryts Herald Staff Writer GREENVILLE —
The fiancee of the Greenville man who was shot Tuesday outside their home said Thursday she has no children with the accused shooter.

Mandy Johnson, 31, of 20 N. Second St., said she hardly knows Robert Leroy Martin, 57, of Emporium, Cameron County, let alone has a child with him as Greenville-West Salem Township police alleged in court papers filed this week.

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Emporium, PA: The Center of the Universe

I came across this blog entry about a visit to Emporium. It is very touching, and in many ways reminds me of why I love this town.
Randy

CLICK HERE TO READ IT
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Mountain Lines by Nelson Haas

Click on the image to see it full sized

Mt. Jewett native is shot; suspect nabbed

By Ted LutzRepublican Staff
A former Mt. Jewett resident was seriously wounded Tuesday when he was shot outside his home in Greenville.Andy Eschrich, 29, was taken to UPMC in Greenville and later flown by medical helicopter to UPMC in Pittsburgh.A family member said Eschrich was in "very serious condition." Another family member said "it's not good."The hospital did not release information on the patient's condition.Robert Leroy Martin, 57, of Emporium is charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault, according to court documents obtained by The Kane Republican.Emporium-based State Police said the suspect in the shooting was apprehended Tuesday morning on a lane near his residence in the Tannery Heights section of Shippen Township in Cameron County. Police said Martin was in his vehicle when he was apprehended.Eschrich is the son of Linda Eschrich of Boyd Street in Mt. Jewett and the late Dan Eschrich. The victim has many relatives in the Mt. Jewett area. More...

Emporium man in state police custody following shooting in Greenville
By JOELLEN CHESNUTEra Reporterjoellen@bradfordera.comandADAM VOSLEREra Reportera.vosler@bradfordera.com
An Emporium man is in police custody at the Emporium-based state police barracks following a shooting in Greenville, Mercer County.Robert Martin, a suspect in the early Tuesday morning shooting of Mount Jewett native Andy Eschrich, is reported to be in custody. According to a press release from the Greenville Police Department, officers responded to a 911 call at 2:25 a.m. Tuesday at a 20 North 2nd Street residence from a female caller, reporting her boyfriend had been shot and her car was on fire. More...

GOVERNOR RENDELL ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL RECOVERY TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS FUNDED WITH LOW BID SAVINGS

None of which are in Potter, Tioga,McKean or Cameron County!

HARRISBURG – Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced the addition of 52 projects to Pennsylvania’s list of highway and bridge improvements that are being funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).“The combination of competition in the marketplace and the easing of costs for materials has produced bids that have been, on average, 11 percent below estimates,” Governor Rendell said. “This means we can stretch these critically needed recovery dollars even further and reach even more areas of Pennsylvania.”
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Swim Team Awards Party/ Night Swim

The Emporium swim team held their end of the year Awards party, coupled with a Night Swim fundraiser for next years swim team expences. The night swim was successful and plans are being made to do it again in August.

more photos at http://camconative.dotphoto.com

Penn State takes top honors — for partying

PHILADELPHIA. After years of wild tailgate parties before football games, all-night frat parties and boasts among themselves of being the best place for a college student to have fun, it's official: Penn State is the nation's top party school.Penn State topped the annual list of party schools from the Princeton Review, after years of falling just short to the sun-drenched likes of the University of Florida and Arizona State University.

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FORMER MANHATTAN MADAM'S RADIO INTERVIEW IMPLICATES RENDELL?

http://grassrootspa.com/
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State Police Celebrate 100 Years of Service in Cameron County

Earlier this week, Emporium-based state police celebrated their 100th anniversary of providing state police service in Cameron County.People who attended the celebration included Troop F commanding officer Captain Donald Peters, current PSP personnel, Trooper Rex Johnson with his restored 1938 Pennsylvania Motor Police Vehicle, several retired Emporium-based troopers and various law enforcement dignitaries from Cameron County.Sgt. Eric Wolfang says about 50 people attended a short ceremony, and were then treated to a wide variety of state police memorabilia.News release sent by Sgt. Eric Wolfgang
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From The Eldred Borough Fire Department:

From The Eldred Borough Fire Department:"THANK YOU!Our friends in Emporium, Cameron County, PA, for loaning Eldred an ambulance to service our community and townships.And THANK YOU all the fire departments and ambulance services for offering help in our time of need.The Officiers and MembersEldred Boro Fire Department"The Eldred FD site has pictures of the Sunday's fire that destroyed their ambulances and building.

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Mountain Lines by Nelson Haas

Click HERE to see this beautiful image in full size

Today's Wildlife shots

My wife and I went "hunting" today. Lots of activity in the woods! Here are a few samples, and there are lots more photos, from today, posted at http://camconative.dotphoto.com/

This bull elk was feasting on a tree and seemed a bit miffed that we were disturbing him

My wife spotted this old bruin in lower Hicks Run. I beleive it is an old male and he carried the battle wounds on his face. I estimated this bear to be 450+ pounds

This young skunk was in a camp yard. So cute...but couldn't get too close!

Just like human children....gotta yell at them to not play in the road.
This bear was near the Ostrum farm on South Mountain. He was casually rummaging through the yards, inspecting trash cans. This one looked to be about 300 pounds.

“Pioneers of Second Fork” book released

St. Marys Daily Press http://www.smdailypress.com/content/view/211825/
Elk County native Jim Burke recently released his first book, “Pioneers of Second Fork,” which traces the history of 16 families of early pioneers who came to settle in western Pennsylvania at a location originally known as Second Fork.Today the area is known as Bennett’s Valley.
Burke explained that he has always had a passion for local history and this is what inspired him to write the book. In the past Burke has written articles for several magazines. He is working with the Mt. Zion Historical Society on plans to publish a diary of a local citizen who was a veteran of the Civil War.
“I’m also considering writing a book on fiction that deals some events of local history,” Burke said.Burke noted that “Pioneers of Second Fork” was an extensive effort and he has notes from the project dating back to the 1960s. “I interviewed many of the descendants of the families who were the early settlers profiled in the book. In this endeavor we obtained many pictures and documents,” Burke said. “We also visited many libraries, museums, and historical societies.”He noted that obtaining information for the book took him to locations such as the town of Winslow in Maine, Andersonville Prison in Georgia and Plymouth Harbor.
He added that all 16 families profiled in the book provided some very interesting information about the history of the area. Some of the stories focus on events such as a shoot-out on the banks of the Sinnemahoning, encounters with indians, and the Paul Bunyan of the Bennett’s Branch. “I also discovered that one of our native sons, born on Rock Hill and educated in Caledonia, is acknowledged as the founder of Los Angles, California,” Burke said.
“Pioneers of Second Fork” is available for purchase at several local locations including from Ben Stone in Benezette, the Valley Farm Market, Burkes Home Center, St. Marys Chamber of Commerce, St. Marys Country Club and the Elk County Historical Society. It can also be purchased online from the Mt. Zion Historical Society or from the publisher, AuthorHouse. Burke also noted that in researching the book he met a wide variety of interesting and knowledgeable people and it would be virtually impossible to acknowledge all of them.
Burke is a lifelong resident of Elk County and is actively involved with the Mt. Zion Historical Society. He noted that the Mt. Zion Historical Park was a dream of his parents, Joseph and Helen Burke.
“When my father passed away I assumed the duties as president of the society. I might add that the society has a very active board of directors, and through their combined efforts have developed the park to what it is today,” Burke said.
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Causer: Funding is Fair, Reasonable

HARRISBURG - Rep. Martin Causer (R-Turtlepoint) today refuted claims by the Rendell administration that the House Republican budget proposal cuts funding for schools. "Every lawmaker in Harrisburg recognizes that educating our students is absolutely a top priority. We owe it to the kids, and it is vital to our Commonwealth's future success," Causer said. "Our plan does NOT cut funding for schools, and I am deeply disappointed by the misinformation being spread by this administration and some in the education community." Causer acknowledged that Gov. Ed Rendell has proposed a greater amount of school funding in his plan but pointed out that it requires an income tax increase of at least 16 percent. Also, his use of the federal stimulus funds in addition to increased state funding will undoubtedly lead to a huge hole in the state budget when stimulus funds expire in 2011-12. "I've heard from many people locally who are opposed to higher taxes, and thousands of Pennsylvanians have voiced their opposition to the plan at StopPATaxHike.com," Causer said. "We have developed a plan that uses a mix of state funds and federal stimulus dollars to fund our schools in a fair and reasonable way without further burdening the taxpayer.
Following is a breakdown of funding by district under the GOP plan. Please note these percentage increases are higher than the districts received in last year's budget. The top figure is the amount of proposed funding. The bottom number is the percentage increase over last year.
Austin Area $1.4 million7.9 percent
Bradford Area $15 million7.6 percent
Cameron County $6.1 million5.4 percent
Coudersport Area $4.8 million4.7 percent
Galeton Area $2.4 million6.6 percent
Keystone Central $23.8 million7.5 percent
Northern Potter $4.9 million7.3 percent
Oswayo Valley $4 million6.1 percent
Otto-Eldred $6.2 million5.5 percent
Port Allegany $8 million5.4 percent
Smethport Area $7 million3.9 percent
"Funding public education is a priority, but school districts have to live within their means just like everyone else does," Causer said. "I wholeheartedly support our schools and the good work they do to educate our students, but in a year when we are proposing to cut almost every other budget line item, I consider our plan to be more than fair."

Marijuana Plants in Cameron Co.

State police are investigating the discovery of 24 suspected marijuana plants along the railroad tracks just east of Memorial Springs along Route 120 in Lumber Township, Cameron County.State police eradicated the plants after they were found at 12:30 p.m. Sunday.Anyone with pertinent information is asked to contact Emporium-based state police.
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Debbie Ryan Searches For Clues In Son's Death

Potter County Mother Searches For Clues On Son's Death
WJAC-TV VIDEO NEWSClick for Video
MARIENVILLE, Pa. -- Four years after her son's death, Debbie Ryan doesn't know how he died.Patrick Ryan, 30, was last seen at a Clarion bar on August 13, 2005.According to officials, it isn't clear what happened after he was seen there.His body was found on August 23, 2005 in a remote area of the Allegheny National Forest near Marienville, Forest County.Autopsy results later revealed high levels of drugs and alcohol in Patrick Ryan's system.Debbie Ryan wants to know how her son's body got to Forest County."They took his dead body and disposed of it like rubbish," she said.Police said the case is still active and they're investigating every lead.Anyone with information should call the Pennsylvania State Police in Clarion at (814) 226-1710.

See these fine prints HERE

Kinzua Dam, a paranormal hotbed?

In 1796 Seneca War Chief Cornplanter was granted 15,000 acres along the Allegheny river by Pennsylvania for his assistance to the State as a loyal and a steadfast protector of American families settling in the wilderness of the upper Ohio River basin. In what would become the oldest standing Indian treaty, George Washington granted the land to Chief Cornplanter and his ancestors forever.
Forever ended in 1965 when the completed Kinzua Dam flooded the Allegheny river and covered the ancestral lands of the Seneca leader. Their homes, their only viable farmland, and the graves of the ancestors were now under hundreds of feet of water. Despite petitions from Tribal leaders to JFK to stop the proposed Dam in 1960, the President and United States ..................MORE
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Why Do We Celebrate the 4th of July?

By: Kim Moon

After learning about why we celebrate the Fourth of July, check out our main 4th of July page more great crafts, activities, and recipes to try out during your Independence Day celebration.
Most people in the United States celebrate the 4th of July, but do you know exactly why the holiday is so important to our country? Imagine how you would feel if someone older than you (maybe an older sister or brother) kept telling you what to do all of the time and kept taking more and more of your allowance.

That is how the colonists felt in the years leading up to 1776. Great Britain kept trying to make the colonists follow more rules and pay higher taxes. People started getting mad and began making plans to be able to make their own rules. They no longer wanted Great Britain to be able to tell them what to do, so they decided to tell Great Britain that they were becoming an independent country. (To be independent means to take care of yourself, making your own rules and providing for your own needs.)
The Congress met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and they appointed a committee (a group of people working together to do a specific job) to write a formal document that would tell Great Britain that the Americans had decided to govern themselves. The committee asked Thomas Jefferson to write a draft (first try) of the document, so he worked for days, in absolute secret, until he had written a document that he thought said everything important that the committee had discussed.

On June 28, 1776, the committee met to read Jefferson's "fair" copy (he put his best ideas together and wrote them neatly.) They revised (made some changes) the document and declared their independence on July 2, 1776. They officially adopted it (made it theirs) on July 4, 1776. That is why we call it "Independence Day." Congress ordered that all members must sign the Declaration of Independence and they all began signing the "official" copy on August 2, 1776. In January of the next year, Congress sent signed copies to all of the states.
The Declaration of Independence is more than just a piece of paper. It is a symbol of our country's independence and commitment to certain ideas. A symbol is something that stands for something else. Most people can look at a certain little "swoosh" and know that it stands for "Nike." Well, the signers of the Declaration of Independence wanted the citizens of the United States to have a document that spelled out what was important to our leaders and citizens. They wanted us to be able to look at the Declaration of Independence and immediately think of the goals we should always be working for, and about the people who have fought so hard to make these ideas possible.

The people who signed the Declaration risked being hanged for treason by the leaders in Great Britain. They had to be very brave to sign something that would be considered a crime! So every time we look at the Declaration of Independence, we should think about all of the effort and ideas that went into the document, and about the courage it took for these people to stand up for what they knew was right -- independence!