Wednesday’s high, 82; overnight low, 40
THU-SUNNY 75
THU NIGHT-CLEAR, LOW IN THE MID 50s
FRI-INCREASING CLOUDS, HIGH 76
FRI NIGHT-SHOWERS POSSIBLE, LOW 50
SAT-SHOWERS, 76
.State police at Coudersport are looking for hit and run tractor trailer….Ridgeway man arrested for assaulting mother…Brockport man scammed out of $1700….Tioga County storage unit damaged during break-in……PennDot releases fatality stats…..
State police at Coudersport are looking for a tractor trailer involved in a hit and run at around 10:30 pm April 26 in Ulysses Township. A Kenworth Northwest was going west on Route 6 and attempted a right hand turn into the parking lot of the Black Forest Trading Post and Deer Park. The rig hit landscaping in the park lot with the trailer’s right rear wheels and then continued on headed east.
Physical harassment charges have been filed against 27 year old Randon Gagliardi of Kersey. Ridgway based state police claim when they responded to a call on Ridge Road in Fox Township Monday evening, they were greeted by Gagliardi on his front porch yelling obscenities and holding a large cross. The suspect allegedly failed to comply with verbal commands and entered his house where he started pushing his mother. Gagliardi was taken into custody and was transported to PennHighlands Elk.
A theft by deception was investigated Monday afternoon by state police at Ridgway. A cyber crook scammed a 69 year old Brockport man out of $1700 by impersonating a member of Publisher’s Clearing House.
DUI charges are being filed against a 64 year old Driftwood man by state police at Emporium. Troopers claim when they stopped the suspect for a traffic violation on West Fourth Street in Emporium Tuesday afternoon, they found he was driving his 2009 Saturn Vue under the influence of alcohol.
A break-in at a storage unit on Valley Road in Richmond Township, Tioga County is being investigated by state police at Mansfield. Someone forced their way into the unit at Butters Stow’N Go belonging to Pizza Hut of Mansfield causing $35 in damage to the lock and $25 in damage to the door track. The crime took place sometime between April 29 and May 6.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) reports that in 2021, statewide traffic deaths increased to 1,230 from 1,129 in 2020.Pennsylvania roadway deaths were up about 9% in 2021. This increase is in line with a recently released report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, projecting a national increase of approximately 12% in the first nine months of 2021.Pennsylvania’s updated 2022 Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) sets the groundwork for progressing “Toward Zero Deaths” by focusing on both 
infrastructure-based strategies and behavior change to reduce the frequency and severity of crashes. This is done by implementing roadway designs that emphasize minimizing the risk of injury to all road users, reducing inequities in our transportation network, and using cost-effective, data-driven methods.The SHSP seeks to substantially reduce traffic related fatalities and serious injuries by addressing several safety focus areas, including three priority emphasis areas: lane departure crashes, impaired driving, and pedestrian safety.
In 2021, fatalities in crashes involving lane departure increased to 596, up from 551 in 2020, accounting for nearly half of highway fatalities across the state. Strategies to combat these crashes are aimed at keeping vehicles on the roadway, within the proper lanes of travel, and include low-cost safety improvements such as centerline or shoulder rumble strips, high friction surface treatments, and cable median barrier. Speeding, impaired, and distracted driving are leading factors in lane departure crashes; therefore, behavioral safety efforts are equally important.
Fatalities in crashes involving impaired driving decreased from 471 in 2020 to 450 in 2021. While impaired driving fatalities have decreased over the last 15 years, they remain high, accounting for more than 35% of fatalities in 2021. Impaired driving consists of a driver under the effect of alcohol, drugs, medication, or any combination of those.
Pedestrian fatalities increased to 182, up from 146 in 2020. Pedestrian fatalities accounted for 15% of fatalities statewide in 2021. Active transportation is on the rise and being promoted across all areas of the state from urban centers to small rural towns, resulting in increased pedestrian activity making it more likely to have collisions with motor vehicles.
Other crash types with notable increases in fatalities in 2021 include:
Crashes involving a 16 to 17-year-old driver – 45 fatalities, up from 26 in 2020.
Crashes involving aggressive driving – 126 fatalities, up from 91 in 2020.
Motorcyclist fatalities – 226, up from 217 in 2020.
Crashes involving heavy trucks – 156 fatalities, up from 122 in 2020.
Unrestrained fatalities – 378, up from 348 in 2020.
According to national data, driver behavior is a factor in more than 90% of crashes.
In addition to behavioral safety, PennDOT focuses on infrastructure improvements to roadways in an effort to further reduce fatalities and serious injuries. Approximately $450 million in Federal Highway Safety Improvement Program funds has been invested in 328 unique safety projects from 2017 to 2021. During that same timeframe, another $50 million of state funds was invested in low-cost safety improvements at thousands of locations. Examples of low-cost safety countermeasures include centerline and edge-line rumble strips and high friction surface treatments.
For more information on reportable crash data, visit PennDOT’s Pennsylvania Crash Information Tool (PCIT) website, www.crashinfo.penndot.gov. Under “Crash Downloads,” the “Reportable Crash Fatality Statistics” spreadsheet is updated with 2021 fatalities; 2021 crash statistics and suspected serious injury statistics are not yet available. The “Custom Query Tool” and additional crash downloads will be available June 1.
For more information on the department’s highway safety initiatives, visit www.penndot.pa.gov/safety.
The PA Department of Health has issued a weekly update on the number of Covid-19 deaths in Pennsylvania. There have been 44,814 deaths, up 81 for the week. Deaths in the Black Forest Broadcasting Service area to date are holding steady.
Cameron 21
Elk 101
McKean 141
Potter 92
Tioga 193
All 154
Cat 222
Jean M. Thompson, 82, of Shinglehouse, passed away unexpectedly in her home, on Monday, May 9, 2022. Born on Tuesday, November 28, 1939 in Nile, N.Y., she was a daughter of Barney L. and Mable L. Prindle Roper. On July 22, 1960 in Eldred, she married Ronald L. “Ron” Thompson, who passed away on July 8, 1992. Jean attended school in Friendship, N.Y. For many years she was employed as a home healthcare aide. She attended the First Baptist Church in Shinglehouse. She enjoyed her flower gardens. Left to cherish her memory are five children, Penny J. Anders of Shinglehouse, Marie M. (Mark) Wolf of Allegany, N.Y., Willard W. Tompkins of Shinglehouse, Jeff L (Valerie) Thompson of Duke Center, and Thomas N. “Tom” Thompson of Shinglehouse; nine grandchildren; twenty-two great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; two brothers, Roger W. Roper of Delevan, N.Y. and Ernest (Joan) Roper of Tonawanda, N.Y.; and many nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents and husband, Jean was predeceased by a grandson, Michael I. Veley; two sisters, Patricia Ann Pendleton and Sandra Veley; and a brother, Ronald Roper. In keeping with Jean’s wishes, there will be no public visitation or funeral services. Burial will be in East Sharon Cemetery, Shinglehouse. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Shinglehouse Volunteer Ambulance Association, PO Box 98, Shinglehouse, PA 16748. Jean entrusted her care and cremation arrangements to Kevin J. Dusenbury, funeral director/owner of the Virgil L. Howard Funeral Home, Shinglehouse. To express condolences, light a candle or share a fond memory of Jean, please visit www.virgillhowardfuneralhome.com or the Virgil L. Howard Funeral Home Facebook page.