​Oil City Stephanie Staub was name the FLEX Young Professional of the Year during the group's annual FLEX Presents ceremony, held last night in the ballroom of the DeBence Antique Music World in Franklin.

The award is given to one area professional under 40 each year among nominees recognized for their contributions to their community through civic engagement, entrepreneurship, and leadership.

Staub was one of 11 nominees considered for the award this year. Nominations are made by members of the community and judged by professionals from outside the area. 

Here is some of the information Staub included in her bio as part of the judging process: 
 
Staub is a K-4 STEM Teacher and Technology Integrator with the Oil City Area School District. Her professional achievements include IU Professional Development on all STEM topics, Professional Book Study, Code.org seminars, Freedoms Foundation Summer Programs, and EVERFI Hockey Scholar Training. She has presented at the Pennsylvania Educational Technology Expo and Conference twice and was awarded a 2022 NASA SPARX Teacher Recognition.
She is involved in the National Association of the Education of Young Children, PBIS Team at Southside Schools, Teaching Next Generation Scientists Professional Learning Community, Intermediate Unit 6 Technology Integrators, and Pennsylvania Teachers Association and judging the Future Engineers program. 
Outside the classroom, Staub has helped with Oil City Athletics in different capacities, teaches Kids in College, and organizes local Remake Learning Day. Over the years, her schedule has also included helping with "Get on the Trails" business contest and organizing a 200-mile fundraiser to raise money for local organizations and families in need. 
She also stays busy by teaching yoga at Trailasana Yoga Studio; running Steph’s Silhouettes, a small self-run t-shirt and earring business; and opening Staub & Co. Succulents, a traveling greenhouse business.

The other 10 nominees were: 
Becky Deeter, Ag Choice Farm Credit; Jessica Hilburn, Benson Memorial Library; Kieran Irwin, Bandit's Gambit; Jennifer Mosher-Johnson, Oil City Area School District; Will Price, United Way of Venango County; Aaron Ritsig, Northwest Commission PTAC; Andrew Ritsig, Bon Appetit at Grove City College; Ashley Smith, Venango County Planning Commission; Megan Weber, Komatsu Mining Corp.; and Devin Zagar, 7 Foot Productions.

More on the FLEXand their FLEX Presents event is available in our earlier News From You story. 

The Barrow will be filled plenty of laughs starting Friday night. The two weekend show is a rollicking adventure of five nuns from Hoboken as they try to put on a variety style show to raise money for a sister's funeral who died from an accidental dinner poisoning.
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Nonsense The Musical opens Friday at 7:30 p.m.. Show times are April 29 and 30 at 7;30 p.m., Sunday May 1 at 2 p.m.. They then return May 6 and 7 for evening shows and the finale will be Sunday May 8 at 2 p.m.. Visit the Barrow box off ice for tickets or go online here for tickets.
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To view more photos please visit: https://sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p486327819

The proposed intersection project will take Liberty down to two lanes beginning around 11th Street and adding bike lanes in both directions. Between 11th Street and South Park Street a center turning lane will be added.

​This plan also allows for "bump outs" to decrease the distance for pedestrians crossing Liberty at 12th by several feet, perhaps as much as 30 feet at one crossing.

Some parking along Liberty will be lost but Jamieson pointed out the plans to turn 12th Street between Liberty and Buffalo into a one-way will allow additional parking spots there.
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The city will gain at least five additional parking spots, maybe more, according to Power.

Jamieson pointed out left turning lanes will be added at the intersection with 12th in both directions with new signals and signage.

​Landscaping is expected to be done to improve visibility and the bend at the intersection will be lessened. The goal of the project improvements is to increase safety all-around, according to Jamieson.

A group of Franklin High schoolers will be taking their noggin skills to Knoxville, Tennessee this week to compete in the Academic Game League of America National Championships.
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For many, it won't be their first rodeo. In fact, Alyssa Shick is a returning national champion in the Propaganda category. She was an eighth-grader who understood the art of influence better than anyone else in this country.​

In games leading up to this weekend, Bullard has been the top winner in the group, but they each have their specialty. When asked who is the best they all pointed to Shick without hesitation.

​Luther, who will compete at nationals for the first time, seems to have a gift for linguistics, but in a quick match during class lost to Motter. "It's kind of like advanced Scrabble," Luther said while explaining the way the LinguiSHTIK game is played.

The idea of a "sign" was prevalent Friday as I attended the annual Franklin Christian Ministerium Cross Walk. I saw signs everywhere. I made many photographs with signs in them. Some poignant to what was in front of me, some whimsical observations, but signs are what we look for when we are dealing with faith, though maybe not as literal as the signs I documented on this day.

Some were more obvious than others.

Some seemed tongue-in-cheek play on words.

Some seemed contrary to the message direction of the day. The 125-plus folks attending would possibly agree with the one way, but not going in the opposite way they were going.

But for Christians around the globe, Good Friday is perhaps the most significant day of the year. It was the day, according to Scripture, that an innocent man died in order to save all of humanity.

​Weighty stuff.

The Franklin Ministerium observes this day with the telling of Jesus Christ's last moments in the mortal coil. They enacted the 14 Stations of the Cross from Jesus being condemned to crucifixion to his ascension into heaven.

If one truly listens to the words spoken at each "station," it is a powerful story of love, hope and sacrifice.

Parents and grandparents attended to teach their kids and grandkids what they believe and what has given them comfort.

Good Friday for many is a chance to reflect on the religious beliefs they hold dear to their hearts.

Many of those in attendance have walked the roughly one-mile journey through town for many years.

"Do not let fear keep us from showing love."
Upon Christ's dying, he turned to the others being crucified and offered them salvation.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica the series of stations are: (1) Jesus is condemned to death, (2) he is made to bear his cross, (3) he falls the first time, (4) he meets his mother, (5) Simon of Cyrene is made to bear the cross, (6) Veronica wipes Jesus’ face, (7) he falls the second time, (8) the women of Jerusalem weep over Jesus, (9) he falls the third time, (10) he is stripped of his garments, (11) he is nailed to the cross, (12) he dies on the cross, (13) he is taken down from the cross, and (14) he is placed in the sepulcher.

Among car horns and others going about their business, Friday's crowd took a few moments to reflect on what Jesus tried to teach and continues to teach through his words given to us by his apostles and countless theologians and philosophers since.

Jesus seemed to embrace those who didn't agree with him and chose patient lessons to get his ideas out to others.

The annual Franklin Easter egg hunt that was put on pandemic hiatus returned to Fountain Park Friday.

Mind you it was scheduled for last Saturday and, mind you, it had a rain date for this Saturday, and mind you, the forecast for Saturday morning isn't what you'd call egg hunt friendly. 

So the Franklin organizers, who surround their leader Ronnie Beith, made a call Thursday afternoon to hold the event Friday night instead.

No one knew prior to that it would be Friday night. There was no long-time planning that it would be Friday night. Last week the organizers simply said to keep an eye on the Franklin Events page for instructions. They didn't say maybe it would be Friday night. Just that they needed flexibility due to the shaky weather forecast.

Whatever is in the drinking water the Franklin community consumes is working to make each event they do a success. This egg hunt had disaster written all over it - it was canceled and the rain date looked awful. But the organizers, with smiles strewn across their lips, said we got this.

Hours of preparation filling eggs came down to, will folks get the word?

​They did.

And boatloads of candy and prizes were doled out on a brisk, but warm spring-ish evening in a little town in northwest Pennsylvania that somehow always seems to get it right. One person quipped "Franklin could hold a nose-picking contest and it would be a success." 

Maybe that would be their line to never cross, but based on prior evidence this town knows how to give their community a fun time.

Happy Easter!

Update: Due to a less than favorable forecast for Saturday's rescheduled Easter egg hunt in Fountain Park, the organizers have moved the Franklin event to tomorrow night (Friday, April 15) at 6 p.m.

"Saturday morning is definitely not looking good. We want to get this event in and the best chance of that by the looks of the weather forecast is 6 p.m. Friday evening," said event organizer Ronnie Beith. "We have lots of great prizes and egg fillers and we can’t wait to gather the kids in the park."

Should anything change, Beith says folks should check on the Franklin events Facebook page.

If the giddy joy of Cheryl Brickner is any indication, there are some fun prizes hidden inside some 5,000 or so Easter eggs she and many others helped stuff Wednesday morning. In the small conference room turned Easter Bunny assembly line, Brickner could be found chasing a little automated Pikachu from one end of the table to the other.
She was having a blast in between stuffing the eggs. She was even caught crawling around on the floor under the tables to retrieve one that got away from her.

Perhaps it was product testing, or perhaps it is just the joy of volunteering and helping Franklin bring back a favorite tradition right before Easter.

​A small group gathered to stuff the last few hundred eggs to help top off the thousands already prepared by several organizations like the Kiwanis Club, Franklin Fine Arts Council, Rocky Grove High School and Franklin Rotary. Franklin Marketing and Events coordinator Ronnie Beith said it has been a challenge finding a way to store all the eggs.

In a press release issued a couple days ago, Beith acknowledged the Franklin Kiwanis Club as a good partner for the event for many years now. Donations have come in with items ranging from a couple hundred dollars worth of silver dollars to inflatable beach balls, tiny toys like Brickner's Pikachu (which she did put in an egg and not her pocket) and of course, plenty of candy.

“We are so excited to see the park littered with [thousands] of colorful eggs again and hear the joy of the dozens of children,” said Beith. "The community continually partners to provide these events for the children, and it is nice to get back to tradition.” Last year during the pandemic woes, they were able to partner with others to provide a drive-up Easter Bunny Lane as an alternative.

According to the press release, this year’s major prize sponsors include Chris Rakow, Pizza Hut, Eat ‘n Park, RAACA of Venango County, Haggerty’s Ice Cream, Venango County A.B.A.T.E. and Benjamin’s Roadhouse. Donations were also given by Pastries by Andrea, Leonardo’s Pizza and Wanango Country Club.

“We have the most prizes ever donated for this comeback year,” Beith said. “There are toys in the eggs, silver dollars, candy, and over 500 coupons for kids’ meals, pizzas, ice cream or treats. What a wonderful way to welcome the kids back to the park.”
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​​The event features four age divisions for those 8 and younger. There are four coupons for special prize baskets in each age group. The start of the hunt begins at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 9, in Fountain Park. "It's over in about five minutes," Brickner said with a chuckle.

But there is more to do.

Other Easter-themed events will also take place in Franklin that day. The Franklin Public Library will host a story time from 10 to 10:30 a.m. Rural King will be in have photo ops with chicks at Fountain Park from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. A bunny petting station from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Galleria at Olde Liberty. And of course, the Easter Bunny herself will make an appearance in the park. Rain date for the hunt is April 16 unless otherwise noted through social media at https://www.facebook.com/FranklinPAEvents.

If your employer needs a quick turnaround on your status or if you're traveling has restrictions, this service could get you on your way.

​Dr. Thea M. Blystone has been a practicing pharmacist for a number of years. Seeing a need for quick accurate test results during the COVID pandemic she has opened a testing facility in Seneca. She evolves her business to the changing needs of testing. Her rapid turnaround is a benefit for those needing to travel where restrictions are in place or in the workplace so folks don't unnecessarily miss work.

"We guarantee a three-hour result," Blystone said. "But, we really haven't had to take that long."

​Though the pandemic seems to be getting to the control stage, there is still a need for caution and accurate testing according to the Center for Disease Control.

Blystone's clinic is located at 3529  Route 257 in Seneca. To learn more about her business and what she offers visit her at https://tmrx.care/test.

With rifles popping off in no particular rhythm from a line of a dozen or more shooters, Hayden Bell of Cranberry concentrates on his breath, his points of contact and getting the bullet in the chamber of his air rifle into a half millimeter bullseye 30 feet away. He is the only one on the planet in that moment. He is calm and disciplined.

His trigger finger is so smooth it barely appears to move when his rifle fires.

"The best shooters are the ones who can block out the 'extras' and focus on the target," said Bell's teammate Zach Byers.
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Bell and Byers are members of the Oil City Junior Rifle Team. They train at the Isaak Walton League on Deep Hollow Road. There they work with coaches and more importantly, hone their abilities.

The top rifle team members spend around 500 hours a year in practice, firing between 15,000 to 20,000 rounds. To compete at various events, they are known to travel 2,000 to 3,000 miles in a year. "Kids learn life skills. They learn focus and discipline," said JR Byers, Zach's dad and frequent chauffeur.

​The rifle program is feeling the effects of COVID with lower numbers participating. So on Fridays, they offer a youth shooting program to pique local interest at a low cost, Byers said. Those interested have to pay $5 for their first visit and only $1 after that.
​The club has all the necessary equipment for them to use during these visits. "It's the best kept secret in Pennsylvania," team coach Steve Knight said about the junior rifle program. 

The program is funded through grants and fundraising. Many former participants have earned college scholarships and shoot in high level competitions all over the world.

The Oil City competition squad does quite well. Competitors are scored individually and also contribute to the team's overall result. Over the weekend, the squad competed with several members shooting well with two members, Hayden and Jack Ogoreuc scoring in the top 25 of 162 competitors, according JR Byers. 

They've taken aim at advancing to the national competition in Camp Perry, Ohio in July. The team is currently in 15th place in the national standings.

To make it to national, they must be in the top 20. That will not be officially determined until after the results of a competition held on the West Coast. 

JR Byers said one of the great things about the program is the top kids help the beginners, creating a family-like atmosphere. This includes getting hand-me-downs. As the kids grow in the program and out of their gear, many donate it back to the program so the next youngster has the equipment they need. "The point is to get kids into the program," he said. The Friday sessions really give kids and the parents a lox-cost way to see if they really like target shooting.

As the kids advance and get more serious, the more they see the benefits of the program and the more they invest in their own gear. "It's an investment for a lifetime," said Bob Ogoreuc, whose son Jack is one of the top shooters on the team. He compared it to youth hockey, which his son also played, where the likelihood of using the same equipment for many years is slim. "That rifle, he could have his whole life"

Youth interested in trying out the program should contact the league by either showing up on Friday or contacting them through their Facebook page or calling the Izaak Walton at 814-676-6130 or email them at oilcityikesmembership@gmail.com

PPC has several other efforts planned throughout SAAM.  

• Center Street Bridge in Oil City will be lit teal from April 3 to 9. 
• Oil City, Franklin and Cooperstown libraries will feature “Survivor Book Displays.” These showcases include books authored by sexual assault survivors and titles that empower and encourage to survivors.  
• A monthlong informational table will be set up on Venango Campus Rhoades Center. 

​The largest effort is Denim Day on April 27. PPC Violence Free Network will join thousands of individuals and organizations across the country in honoring and supporting victims and survivors of sexual violence on April 27.

Inspired by a protest in Italy following an overturned rape conviction because the victim was wearing tight jeans. Now Denim Day has become a symbol against the misconceptions about sexual violence.

​And it is an issue in our backyard as well. From July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021, PPC served 57 adults and children who were affected by sexual violence. These eervices included hotline calls, counseling, crisis response to police/hospitals, and assistance with protection orders.  ​