Jim Eckstrom

Nearly 5 inches of rain was recorded at the Bradford water treatment plant near Hefner Reservoir in ... The Bradford Era More by this Author

Vintage tractor at AMEIA Show

KANE — In 2024, volunteers were determined to build new decking and railings on a 490-foot Knox & Kane Railroad trestle — a key component of linking a popular rail trail between Lantz Corners and Kane — without a contractor. “People thought we were crazy,” said Tom Kase, a Kane Borough councilman and local trail group president. “Seven-hundred volunteer hours later, on and off during the month of September (in...

BRADFORD, Pa. — Ron and Debra Ward had been standing in line for an hour — and they knew they might have an hour or more still to wait as the queue inched along in the parking lot of the Allegheny Mountain Arts Gallery.

For Mary Ann Colestro-McCalla, the Festa Italiana is like a carousel — one that turns slowly. It picks up new generations of helpers, carries experienced volunteers and board members through their prime contributing years, and carefully lets off longtime veterans who've handed the traditions down and believe the event is in good hands. That, she says, is how the Festa continues on as such an important annual happening, one that...

SMETHPORT — A 43-year-old Bradford man was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the June 7, 2025, shooting death of 21-year-old Rebecca Haynes in her Bradford home. Thomas McElhattan, who fired five 9mm pistol bullets into the body of Haynes from close range, stood quietly before McKean County Court Judge Michele Alfieri-Causer as she pronounced sentencing on first-degree murder as well as on counts...

SMETHPORT, Pa. — A 43-year-old Bradford man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for the June 7, 2025, shooting death of 21-year-old Rebecca Haynes in her Bradford home. Thomas McElhattan, who fired five 9mm bullets into the body of Haynes from close range, stood quietly before McKean County Court Judge Michele Alfieri-Causer as she pronounced sentencing on first-degree murder, aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person. The...

BELMONT — The Allegany County Department of Health reported Thursday that a county resident with a confirmed case of measles is "recovering well," but health officials added that two individuals exposed to the first case are now presumed to be positive for measles. The department said Thursday, through contact tracing, public health staff identified 45 direct contacts and provided them with guidance and monitoring instructions. Among these contacts, two individuals...

Stanley E. Pecora Jr., emcee of the opening ceremony for the 2026 Festa Italiana, honored all the generations that have worked to keep the event alive — while he also noted the important contributions Italian immigrants made in helping to build the Bradford area. Pecora, a long-time Bradford attorney, recalled listening to his father’s stories about people coming “from the old country,” scraping together the steamship fare to get to...

In a ceremony at Oak Hill Cemetery, local police, members of the board that oversees the cemetery and family members gathered for the dedication of the Fallen Officers Memorial. The memorial, which now complements existing memorials in Oak Hill honoring firefighters and military service veterans, remembers Bradford City Police Sgt. David Distrola, who died Dec. 23, 1989, when he fell from an overpass as he attempted to avoid being...