Black Forest Broadcasting

Shinglehouse and Coudersport firefighters responded to early morning call. See story below.

Eldred American Legion destroyed by fire earlier today. Firefighters were dispatched around 11:00 am and remained on the scene well into the afternoon.Several area departments responded to the four alarm call. Too early to know the cause.

BFB Headlines (Friday January 27, 2023)…Shinglehouse and Coudersport fire departments respond to early morning call…NY driver escapes injury in fiery crash….State police identify victim in 1987 accident…Game Commission launches black bear stream….next on-air report at noon today on www.blackforestbroadcasting.com

Potter County

Coudersport volunteer fire fighters assisted members of the Shinglehouse department in fighting an a fire  in Oswayo early Thursday morning. Fire fighters were dispatched at 5:46 am to fire at 101 School Street. Sixteen volunteers from Coudersport advanced a 3” supply line to Shinglehouse Engine 39-1 from tankers 48-3 and 48-5. Coudersport was released a short time later.

Tioga County

An Addison, NY driver was cited for speeding after a  fiery one-vehicle crash Tuesday afternoon in Farmington Township. Mansfield state police said Steven Haus was going east on Pleasant Valley Road near its intersection with Burfield Hill Road when his 2011 Dodge Neon went on the south shoulder where it traveled for a short distance before crossing the road and colliding with a ditch. Upon initial contact, the car burst into flames but Haus was able to get out unharmed.

Cold Case

Talk about cold cases. The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) Troop T announced this week  it closed a 35-year-old case by identifying the victim of a fatal crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Linda Jean McClure, 26, of Indiana, Pennsylvania, was a passenger in a tractor-trailer that crashed at mile marker 119.4 eastbound, in Stoneycreek Township, Somerset County, on October 22, 1987. The tractor-trailer caught fire after striking the fuel tank of another semi-trailer truck, killing McClure and her driver. While police immediately identified the truck driver as a California man, his passenger remained unknown despite multiple attempts to identify her. In August 2022, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission agreed to pay for forensic genetic genealogy DNA testing. Once funding for the testing was secured, the Pennsylvania State Police teamed up with Othram to help establish an identity for the unknown woman or to at least identify a nearest living relative.  Forensic evidence was sent to Othram’s lab in The Woodlands, Texas where forensic scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to produce a genealogical profile for the unknown female. Othram’s genealogy team then produced investigative leads from this profile. PSP Troop T investigators continued their investigation and determined that the woman was McClure. McClure’s family told investigators they last communicated with her in the late 1980s. She was not reported as missing to law enforcement. Her brother submitted a DNA sample for comparison, which confirmed McClure was the victim of the crash.

Statewide

I’ve always been jealous of hibernating black bears and now here’s a chance to get inside  a den. The Game Commission launched a 24-7 live stream from a black bear den in Pike County, bringing to four the number of live streams the Game Commission plans to run into the spring of 2023. Also showing are the Farm Country Eagle Live stream which provides a bird’s-eye view into a

long-established nest in a giant sycamore overlooking scenic farmland, the ever-popular Hanover, Pa. Eagle Live stream and the agency’s Snow Goose Live stream capturing the migratory action at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area.

This is the first time since 2021 the Game Commission is offering live stream viewers an up-close look inside a black bear den. Bears den each winter, but few of them in known spots where cameras can be installed and footage streamed to viewers. The livestreams are a collaborative effort by the Game Commission, HDOnTap and Comcast Business. HDOnTap provides the streaming services and Comcast Business provides the internet connectivity for the two eagle cameras. All of these livestreams can be viewed directly at HDOnTap.com or through www.pgc.pa.gov. Pennsylvania’s black bears usually are born in January and begin walking in about eight weeks. They leave the den when 3 months old. During the 2019 run of the black bear live stream, the bears left their den on April 11. In 2021, their departure date was March 24. Bald eagles typically lay eggs in mid-February and, if the eggs are viable, they’ll hatch in mid- to late March, with young fledging in June, but continuing to stop back at the nest.Snow goose migration typically peaks at Middle Creek from mid-February to March. For more information on these species and others, visit www.pgc.pa.gov.