Game Commission studies bobcats, otters and fishers connection to poisoned rodents….
Tuesday’s high, 39; Overnight low 33
WED-SUNNY, HIGH 31
WED NIGHT-PARTLY CLOUDY, LOW 26
THU-MOSTLY SUNNY, HIGH 33
THU NIGHT-CLOUDY, LOW 21
FRI-MOSTLY CLOUDY, LOW 35
FRI NIGHT-CLOUDY, LOW 31
Bradford man convicted of stabbing another….Harrison Valley man arrested for assault….Cyber thefts probed by state police at Lewis Run…Game Commission asking for help in studying bobcats and other species…. https://soundcloud.com/gerri-miller-611294886/black-forest-broadcasting-podcast-december-22-2021
McKean County
McKean District Attorney Stephanie L. Vettenburg-Shaffer reports that, following a one-day trial Monday December 20, 2021, Matthew Howard, 27, of Bradford was convicted of crimes related to assaulting another individual last year. Howard was convicted of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Simple Assault, Recklessly Endangering Another Person, Possessing an Instrument of Crime, and Terroristic Threats. The jury found Howard stabbed Joshua Goodmote-Miller on July 24 2020 after encountering the victim and his mother along the Barbour Street Bridge. Howard left the scene but was apprehended later by members of the public and police from Bradford City, Foster Township and the McKean County DA’s office. Goodmote-Miller was first taken to Bradford Regional Medical Center and was transferred to the Eric County Medical Trauma Center with critical injuries to the neck. He has since recovered. Assistant District Attorney Ashley Shade prosecuted the case on behalf of the Commonwealth. Sentencing will be scheduled by the Court.
Two cyber crimes are being investigated by state police at Lewis Run. A resident of Coon Hollow Road in Ceres Township told authorities she had been scammed by an unknown crook using the Cash App last Friday afternoon. A man residing on 
Ridge Lane in Annin Township told troopers he was scammed by someone who sent a letter regarding an inheritance in which the scammer requested money to release the inheritance. Authorities advise the public to be aware of specific scams requesting personal information.
State police at Lewis Run did not release the name of a driver suspected of driving under the influence before a one-car crash early Sunday morning in Ceres Township, McKean County. The 53 year old Shinglehouse man was driving a Ford Escape north on Route 44 at around 1:30 am when the car went of the road, struck an embankment and rolled over, coming to rest on the driver’s side. The driver was taken to Olean General for treatment of minor injuries. Police say his name will be released once charges are filed pending blood test results.
Lewis Run troopers have made several other DUI and/or drug arrests. Shawn Miller, 19, of Lewis Run was arrested for possession of a controlled substance late Sunday night on Route 59 in Lafayette Township. Miller was a passenger in a 2010 Chrysler police pulled over for traffic violations and was allegedly found in possession of a controlled substance and related drug paraphernalia. DUI charges are pending against a 53 year old Cyclone man whose 2018 Chevrolet Silverado was stopped on South Avenue in Bradford late Saturday night. A 56 year old Smethport man was charged for DUI after troopers stopped his 2017 on Route 6 in Liberty Township, McKean County early Tuesday morning.
Potter County
A Harrison Valley man has been arrested in connection to a domestic violence assault allegedly taking place on the evening of December 12 on Second Street in Harrison Valley. Cody Odell, 33, was charged with simple assault, harassment, public drunkenness and disorderly conduct. The victims are listed as a Sabinsville man and a Sabinsville woman, both aged 54.
Statewide
Pennsylvania’s furtakers will play a critical role in a study to determine the extent to which mouse and rat poisons might be affecting the state’s bobcats, fishers and otters.Hunters and trappers are being asked to participate in the study by submitting carcasses from these species to the Pennsylvania Game Commission.Those who harvest a bobcat, fisher or otter and who want to submit the carcass for the study are asked to contact the Game Commission by email at furbearers@pa.gov or call the Game Commission region office serving the county where the animal was taken.
The email should note which species was harvested and include the trapper’s:
- First and last name
- CID license number
- Address or pick-up location
- Phone number
- Email address
Those who call a region office should be prepared to provide this information, as well. The Game Commission’s six region offices, the counties they serve and their phone numbers are listed below:
Northwest Region: Butler, Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango and Warren counties – 814-432-3187.
Southwest Region: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Cambria, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Somerset, Washington and Westmoreland counties – 724-238-9523.
Northcentral Region: Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Lycoming, McKean, Potter, Tioga and Union counties – 570-398-4744.
Southcentral Region: Adams, Bedford, Blair, Cumberland, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin, Perry, Snyder and York counties – 814-643-1831.
Northeast Region: Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties – 570-675-1143.
Southeast Region: Berks, Bucks, Chester, Dauphin, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia and Schuylkill counties – 610-926-3136.
The study is being conducted by the Game Commission in partnership with PennVet’s Wildlife Futures ProgramOpens In A New Window, an organization with the mission to “increase disease surveillance, management and research to better protect wildlife across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and beyond.”
Those conducting the study hope to collect over 100 carcasses each of bobcats, fishers and otters harvested this season.
Submitted carcasses can be skinned, but must have all organs and the skull intact. Furtakers should freeze the carcass until it can be collected by the Game Commission or Wildlife Futures Program.
Consumption of rodents that have been poisoned, known as secondary exposure, has been shown to negatively impact small- to medium sized mammals with diets primarily consisting of meat. Better understanding the effects on these species is a critical component of monitoring their populations in the Northeast.
Furtakers’ participation in this study will provide us valuable data to continue to manage these species appropriately.
The bobcat, fisher and otter trapping seasons, and bobcat hunting season, all are relatively short and are held only in certain Wildlife Management Units (WMUs). The bobcat trapping season runs Dec. 18-Jan.9 in WMUs 2A, 2B, 2C, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E. The bobcat hunting season runs Jan. 8-Feb. 2 in the same WMUs. The fisher trapping season runs Dec. 18-Jan. 2 in WMUs 1B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E. And the otter trapping season runs Feb. 12-19 in WMUs 1A, 1B, 2F, 3C and 3D.Participants in each of those seasons need a furtaker license, as well as a permit to take those species. Permits must be purchased before the start of the season. The season limit for each bobcats, fishers and otters is one.
The PA Department of Health has updated Covid-19 information for counties in the Black Forest Broadcasting Service Area.
CAMERON 422
ELK-2759
McKEAN-4893 
POTTER-2266
TIOGA-4500
ALLEGANY (NY)- 6769
CATTARAUGUS (NY) 11,133