Olean man convicted of drug charges in McKean County trial…..Virginia teen driver cited for going too fast for conditions after McKean County accident….PennDot says it’s ready for impending storm……Health Department says more than 1 million Covid Cases confirmed…..
Wednesday’s high, 40; Overnight low, 19
THU-MOSTLY CLOUDY, HIGH 30
THU NIGHT-SNOW SHOWERS, LOW 20
FRI-AM SNOW THEN CLEARING, HIGH 25
FRI NIGHT-FAIR, LOW 15
SAT-MOSTLY SUNNY, HIGH 31
SAT NIGHT-MOSTLY CLOUDY
McKean County District Attorney Stephanie L. Vettenburg-Shaffer reports that, following a jury trial this Monday and Tuesday, 35 year old Karl J. Ginnery of Olean was convicted of crimes related to controlled substances. The defendant was convicted of Possession with Intent to Deliver (methamphetamine); 3 counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance (methamphetamine; marijuana; and benzodiazepine pills); 2 counts of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia; and Possessing an Instrument of Crime. He was found not guilty of an additional count of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and possession of marijuana and benzodiazepine pills with intent to deliver. The charges stemmed from an investigation following a traffic stop in the City of Bradford on September 3, 2020 of a vehicle in which Ginnery was a passenger. A search of the vehicle and subsequent investigation yielded various items of drug paraphernalia, including a scale with methamphetamine residue, and controlled substances, including methamphetamine. The defendant was charged and convicted of possessing the methamphetamine with the intent to deliver it to another man. The car was driven by Megan Sena of Roulette. Neither she nor Ginnery was listed as the owner. The case was investigated by Officer Joshua Frederoski of the City of Bradford Police. District Attorney Stephanie L. Vettenburg-Shaffer prosecuted the case on behalf of the Commonwealth. Sentencing is scheduled by President Judge John Pavlock, who presided over the trial, for February 10, 2022.
A Norfolk. VA teen driver and her passenger escaped injury in a one-car accident last Monday afternoon. According to state police at Lewis Run, the 16 year old was going too fast for conditions when her Lexus LS430 fishtailed off the road and hit a tree head on. Both the driver and her passenger, 18 year old Andrei Grigore were using seatbelts but the driver was cited for going too fast for conditions.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) will be pre-treating major roads in advance of the winter weather forecast this week. Anti-icing trucks may be seen along high-volume roads in the PennDOT District 3 region in Bradford, Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga and Union counties.
Anti-icing involves wetting the highway with salt brine before a storm’s arrival. The solution lowers the freezing point of water and slows or prevents ice from forming a bond with the pavement during the early stages of a storm.
The salt brine is spread from sprayers attached to the brine tank on PennDOT trucks. The trucks have signs on the backs indicating their purpose. The public can track the location of PennDOT plow trucks on www.511PA.com.
PennDOT District 3 has no concerns with staffing going into the 2021-2022 winter season. While snow is falling, PennDOT will have crews treating roadways around the clock, but the department aims to keep the roads passable rather than completely free of ice and snow. PennDOT will continue to treat roadways through the storm until precipitation stops and roads are clear.
With freezing temperatures, roads that look wet may actually be icy, and extra caution is needed when approaching bridges and highway ramps where ice can form without warning. Motorists should leave plenty of space when following a truck that is plowing or spreading winter materials.
While PennDOT recommends not traveling during winter storms, motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.
511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts.
PennDOT reminds motorists to pack an emergency kit for their vehicles. A basic kit should include phone chargers, non-perishable food, water, blanket, small shovel and warm clothes. When preparing an emergency kit, motorists should take into account special needs of passengers such as baby food, pet supplies or medications and pack accordingly.
PennDOT also reminds citizens that downloadable materials, including home and car emergency kit checklists and emergency plan templates, are available at http://www.Ready.PA.gov. Citizens can also find information about getting involved in local emergency response efforts and other volunteer opportunities through the ReadyPA website.
For more winter driving tips and information on how PennDOT treats winter storms, visit http://www.penndot.gov/winter
Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Tioga, Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan, Union, Snyder, Northumberland, Montour and Columbia counties at www.penndot.gov/District3.
Follow the conversation by using #PAWinter on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PennDOTNews, visit the department on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PennsylvaniaDepartmentofTransportation or find the department on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/pennsylvaniadot/.
PennDOT’s media center offers resources for organizations, community groups, or others who share safety information with their stakeholders. Social-media-sized graphics highlighting winter safety are among the available options.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reports there are now 1, 769,262 confirmed Covid cases in the state. Confirmed cases in the Black Forest Broadcasting Service area as of noon Wednesday: 
CAMERON 438
ELK-2912
McKEAN-5057
POTTER-2361
TIOGA-4733
ALLEGANY (NY)- 7139
CATTARAUGUS (NY) 11,837