The City of Bradford’s Office of Economic and Community Development is pleased to announce that it will be hosting two separate ribbon-cutting ceremonies to celebrate the accomplishments of two significant community development projects funded in part through the Impact Bradford project. The first ribbon-cutting & dedication ceremony will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 25th, at the intersection of Onofrio Street and North Onofrio Street. This ceremony will celebrate the revitalization of Onofrio Street through the renovation of sixteen homes and the construction of sixteen new homes along with significant cleanup and infrastructure improvements that have taken place over the past ten years.

The second ceremony will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday in front of the Old City Hall Building on Kennedy Street. This ceremony celebrates the completion of the final phase of the revitalization and redevelopment of the Boylston Street and Kennedy Street area of historic downtown Bradford. The $2.2 million downtown streetscape project primarily funded through Impact Bradford includes the replacement of curbs and sidewalks, which include decorative stamped concrete and traffic-calming areas, new stamped-concrete crosswalks, decorative streetlights, new trees and plantings and the upgrade of the traffic signal at the corner of Kennedy Street and Boylston Street.

Speakers for these ceremonies include Jackie Z. Parker, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s Community Action Team. Ms. Parker is representing Govenor Rendell. Other speakers included Senator Pro Tempore Joseph Scarnati, Representative Martin Causer and Bradford City Mayor Tom Riel. The public is invited to help the Bradford community celebrate by attending both of these ceremonies.

From CNN.com:
The political discussion about solving America’s energy crisis is focused on offshore drilling and renewable energy, but scattered throughout the country are thousands of small oil wells called stripper wells.

Many of them are family owned and these small, independent operators say they could also be part of the energy solution. Forgotten about and misunderstood, many small operators say most people don’t even know they exist.

“That’s part of our message — to let the public realize we are not the Exxons and the Mobils,” said Fred Fesenmyer of Minard Run Oil, a Bradford, Pennsylvania, company that has been in his family for six generations. “I think we’re a huge part of the solution.” more…

A huge crowd took advantage of the weather Friday to attend Bradford’s Festa Italiana. The “Italian Fest”, as it is commonly known, has been a tradition for years, with Italian cuisine and entertainment. The games, music, food, and beer spell a three day party with plenty to do for the entire family. The celebration culminates with a fireworks display at dark on Saturday night.

Visit Bradford-Online.com’s Photogallery to see more…

Festa Italiana begins Thursday and will continue through Saturday. The traditional Bradford celebration means food and friends, music, memories, and fun.

Check back here over the next few days for more pictures from the Fest!

The weather cooperated Thursday night and the crowd was great. Here are a few shots:

Local businessman Mike Smith was found guilty Tuesday afternoon in a case that has drawn wide attention. The City of Bradford issued a citation to Smith for a violation of the sign ordinance, but Smith contended that he was a veteran showing his patriotism by displaying the American flag.

According to WESB News:

Smith was fined $50 and has 30 days to appeal Cercone’s decision…

Join the discussion on TalkAboutBradford.com.

First there was a wrap-up party at the Bank Street Community Garden. The party marks the end of the garden’s design and construction. It was also intended to thank Kara Smith and Rachel Ence, the interns who contributed so much to make the project a reality. See our previous post with video.

After the wrap-up party, Bradford held it’s first celebration of National Night Out in the Family Video parking lot on West Washington Street. The City of Bradford Police Department provided children’s fingerprinting ID kits, safety information, and gave tours of the City’s Emergency Response Team van. The local D.A.R.T. (Diving And Recovery Team) were also there to explain their operations. McKean County CARE for Children was on hand with safety information and SAFE Kids McKean County handouts.

Project Pride Manager Linda Campongiani explains the concept behind Bradford’s National Night Out:

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I had no opinion on the Fox News claim of being fair and balanced. After seeing the way they twisted the story of the City of Bradford citing Mike Smith for flying flags in front of his business, I realize they have no problem making up the headline and story they want. Notice their spin on this story, “Veteran Facing Possible 90 Days In Jail For Flying Flag“. Also, why would you interview anyone else? After all, “Fair and Balanced” sounds good, but it really makes for a boring story, doesn’t it?
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So many times we do not know ahead of time so we can prepare for a homecoming. This is your opportunity to make a difference for both the soldier and his family.

We have a young warrior of the 173rd Airborne unit who is arriving home
from Afghanistan on August 4th. His name is John McGriff, a Bradford man and
last week the 9 soldiers killed were from his unit, who gave their lives for
our freedom. As his mother (Dawn McGriff) asked in her e-mail to me, I
believe everyone in Bradford should post their flag the week of August 3rd
in his honor and support. If you have any other ideas of other support let
me know. He also was made a member of Bradford Legion Post 108, he should
have his membership card when he arrives home. They hope he will arrive
around 4-4:30 pm Monday.

Clair D. Butler,
Adjutant, Bradford Legion Post 108

We thank you for your consideration. Please pass this email along to other
businesses and individuals in the community.

This information was provided by:

Diane Sheeley
Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce
www.bradfordchamber.com

John McGriff is a BAHS graduate, Class of 2005. Upon his arrival in Bradford, he’ll have a motorcycle escort through town. The first stop will be to see his mother at her place of employment, KOA Speer, on Williams Street. His escort will lead him along Bolivar Drive, E. Main Street, and Main Street. If you see Specialist McGriff, let him know that he’s a real hero!

For the past week, the story has been circulating that a Bradford, PA business had received a citation from the City for flags that extended into the roadway. A photo from the local newspaper, the Bradford Era, shows the business owner standing amidst a display of American flags in front of his building.

Bradford City Mayor Tom Riel has stated that tne citation has nothing to do with the American flag, or patriotism. The issue is obstructing a City right-of-way.

Today the Mayor revealed that when the citation was issued there were “six or seven white flags with lettering, that sat much lower to the ground”, that were not evident when the Era photograph was taken. Riel said that the display in the Era photo weren’t placed there until after the citation was issued.
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