Potter & McKean County Community Source 2/1/22

1 2022

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FEBRUARY

p o t t e r m c k e a n

county

Austin • Coudersport • Crosby • Eldred • Gifford • Kane • Lewis Run • Mt. Jewett • Otto Eldred • Port Allegany Ridgway • Roulette • Smethport • Turtlepoint

Baumgratz publishes ‘Murders & Mysterious Deaths in PA Wilds’

BY DANIELLA GRIESBAUM

Jason Richey

GOP governor candidate sees rural Pa. as key to state’s future

BY JIM ECKSTROM When Jason Richey is asked how he can stand out in a crowded Republican field seeking nomination to run for governor, he offers a simple answer.

“Because I’m from Western Pennsylvania …

I’m a political outsider and that’s what I think this state needs as its next governor,” Richey said earlier this month during a campaign swing through McKean

Leadership McKean plans projects, workshops Each year Leadership McKean (LM) participants work together to determine projects that will benefit the community.

This year’s five project teams met recently to delve deep to organize, determine and plan their projects. The five project areas include: Human Services, Health, Business, Economic Development & Entrepreneurship, Education and Tourism & Recreation. The completed projects will be presented at the Leadership McKean graduation on May 19 during an evening event at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford in which the public will be welcome to attend.

LM’s 9 Month Core Program meets monthly October through May in locations throughout McKean County.

Executive Director Kristin Asinger stated, “We are very excited about the long term success of Leadership McKean. Our participants gain the opportunity to learn, network and develop working relationships with leaders from all over McKean County.

The LM program expanded last year by offering leadership workshops, speaker events and networking opportunities. Last year we had over 100 participants take part in the two-hour leadership and professional development workshops.

The first workshop for 2022 ‘Appreciating Differences in Style and Personality’ will be taught by Terry Hinton of Workforce Solutions and is offered twice, Feb. 22 during the day and in the evening on the 23. These workshops are open to the public as well as our alumni.”

For more information visit www.leadershipmckean.com.

and Warren counties.

“There’s a lot more to this state than just Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania … we need someone who understands that.”

That focus on building a base of support in rural Pennsylvania is why Richey, an attorney with a heavyweight lawfirm in Pittsburgh, was making his second visit to McKean and nearby counties since he announced his candidacy

in November. He met with civic and business leaders in Bradford Monday morning before attending a lunch meeting in Smethport.

Of the dozen or so announced candidates for the GOP primary, most are what Richey called “career or failed politicians” from the eastern or central part of the state. He noted that two former successful statewide candidates in past decades — the late former Gov.

Richard Thornburgh and former Sen. Rick Santorum — were Republicans from the Pittsbugh area and they were affiliated with his law firm, K&L Gates.

Richey said his first act as governor would be creating a new cabinet position focused on rural Pennsylvania. He said the state has too many

GOP Governor continued on .... page 3

book also includes over 45 photographs.

With 25 murders featured in each published book, Baumgratz has showcased approximately 150 cases thus far through his writing. “I carried all these cases and more around for about 12 years and then in 2017w I began my adventure, choosing 25 cases that most interested me,” said Baumgratz.

In Jan. 2018, Baumgratz published his first book in his mysterious death series, titled “Elk County Murders & Mysterious Deaths, Volume I.” According to Baumgratz, his first book is a best seller which remains his best seller to this day.

Although his first publication wasn’t until 2018, Baumgratz stated that his interest in local murders and mysterious deaths began at the age of 11. “One could say that my interest began while I was growing up. My dad mentioned a long-ago murder that

St. Marys native Jim Baumgratz has published and released the first volume of “Murders & Mysterious Deaths in the Pennsylvania Wilds,” which includes two McKean County murders.

McKean County cases included in this volume are the 1924 unsolved murder of Earl Fetterly at the Maple Shade Inn in Port Allegany and the 1935 murder of Kane High School custodian William Campbell.

Baumgratz has previously written four books on historical murders and mysterious deaths, including three books on Elk County and one on McKean County. Each volume of the books contains 25 true cases of murder, mayhem and mysterious deaths from rural Pennsylvania counties.

Sticking to his tried and true format, the latest book also includes 25 infamous cases, this time around from the Pennsylvania Wilds region. The 226-page Local Author continued on ......... page 4

Kaleida officials react to last week’s rural health hearing

BY MARCIE SCHELLHAMMER One of the top takeaways for Kaleida Health officials from a House Majority Policy Committee hearing on rural health, held in Bradford, was that COVID has caused similar problems for rural hospitals everywhere in the nation.

At the hearing, representatives of hospitals throughout the region gave testimony about the state of rural health care. The Era circled back to Kaleida Health — parent company of Bradford Regional Medical Center and Olean (N.Y.) General Hospital — to hear reactions to what was presented.

Don Boyd, president and chief operating officer of Kaleida; Mike Hughes, vice president and chief administrative officer of Kaleida; Mary LaRowe, interim CEO of BRMC and OGH; and Dr. Jill Owens, chief medical officer of BRMC and OGH, spoke with The Era via a virtual meeting on Tuesday.

“One of the takeaways from the discussion … is there are very common themes that are impacting not only rural hospitals across the country but also more specifically in Pennsylvania,” Boyd said.

He mentioned the impact of the pandemic has been felt in every walk of life, and has exacerbated the rural health struggles of recruitment, population decline, access to needed specialities, the Great Resignation and people leaving medical positions for higher rates of pay with traveling agencies.

“I was walking out of one of our hospitals yesterday with one of our physicians,” Boyd said, noting they were discussing COVID. “The impact in the region of COVID really doesn’t have any boundaries.

“One of the great takeaways was a real understanding of that, and not just in health care, but the other aspects of the healthcare industry and the industry overall that are impacted by it,” Boyd said.

The hearing was an opportunity for the legislators and the public to learn that the problems BRMC is experiencing are universal.

“It’s not Bradford alone that is experiencing these things.”

He mentioned the transformation plan created by the board of directors to integrate services in Bradford and Olean was in response to all the issues, “really to try to work against those headwinds that you heard about” in the hearing.

Although Boyd was not on the list to provide testimony, hearing host Rep. Martin Causer, R-Turtlepoint, asked him to provide feedback. He described the short-term response to the issues, including adding 10 beds temporarily to BRMC and adding specialists who will live in and be part of the community.

“We were looking at the services people were leaving to access,” Boyd said. And that is where they focused recruitment.

The primary care positions in Bradford are filled, and they’ve recruited physicians in oncology, pulmonology, orthopedics and

neurosurgery.

“Four of those are going to live in and have their offices right in Bradford,” he said. “The access to care is going to improve in Bradford.”

That’s a point that he wanted to make sure wasn’t lost in the overwhelming amount of information presented at the hearing.

Another point he stressed was regarding co-pays for ambulance service, which was described during the hearing as well.

Patients who were taken to BRMC by ambulance, and then sent to Olean by ambulance, were paying two copays.

Boyd said, “Patients that do require a transfer from Bradford to Olean, we’re covering that if there is an incremental expense to the patient.”

LaRowe said that once in a while, there is a mistake on the insurance and patients will be billed for it, but she added that it can be corrected.

“Transportation was, in fact, very thoughtfully considered” during the transition for Bradford and Olean hospitals, Boyd said. “Recognizing this

was a change initiated to improve access to care, we’re covering that cost for transport from Bradford to Olean.”

One of the experts testifying at the hearing represented The Lutheran Home at Kane, and the struggles they have experienced in the current atmosphere.

The Era asked Kaleida representatives to explain the impacts at The Pavilion at BRMC. Boyd and LaRowe explained that during the first year of the pandemic, there was not a single death of a patient due to COVID-19 at The Pavilion.

“That speaks volumes to the work being done by the team,” Boyd said.

“It really underscores the quality of care.”

LaRowe said, “I’m proud to say every time I walk into the Pavilion, the attitude of caretakers is upbeat and positive. It’s a difficult job. It’s been a challenge. Visitation has been limited. It makes it very difficult for folks.”

Boyd said they are working hard to create a program for training CNAs — certified nursing assistants.

“Having a training

program will give us better access” to people wanting to work in the healthcare field, LaRowe said. While she acknowledged that the Pavilion shares many of the same challenges as other facilities, she added that being connected to BRMC is a benefit.

“We obviously can take advantage of some of the expertise at the hospital,” she said.

Boyd said they do experience turnover, but “we have a thoughtfully considered wage scale and have considered programs to support them for going back to school to continue to develop their skills.

We’re trying to provide a career pathway.”

During the hearing, Dr. Nate Graham testified about hardships like reimbursements and a lack of surgeons willing to come to rural areas. Owens explained on Tuesday that Graham realized, after hearing hospital officials testify, “how bad things really are … and how much systems need to transform and do something differently because if we stayed in the current model everyone is going off the cliff.”

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FEBRUARY 1, 2022

Federal grants to help fund emergency vehicles Funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help emergency response agencies in rural communities is reaching into local McKean County communities.

Kane received $27,000 as an USDA’s Economic Impact Initiative Grant, which paid for a portion of the $49,000 spent on a new police SUV. “Actually, we received notice of this grant a while back,” said Kane Mayor Brandy Schimp. “So we now have a new police unit added to our department with our new town branding, inc. — we also adopted a new patch and logo for the police department with this unit, which is truly exciting.”

In addition to Kane, the City of Bradford received a $100,000 USDA Community Facilities Grant, in Sept. 2021, which paid for a portion of the City’s new 2022 Horton Ambulance. “We had applied for the USDA grant for the purpose of paying approximately 65% of the cost of the new ambulance and receiving it was certainly a huge help to offset expenses to the City’s budget,” said Bradford City Administrator Chris Lucco.

Elsewhere in Bradford, the Bradford Township Volunteer Fire Department (BTVFD) received a loan in the amount of $604,000 and grant monies of $176,000 under the USDA’s

Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant programs. The combined sum of these two programs contributed to the purchase of two new fire trucks for the Township.

The two new fire trucks were purchased in March of 2021 to replace the 2001 and 2006 trucks, which were recently retired due to age, according to Fire Chief Dan Burkhouse.

“The original delivery date for the new fire trucks was May/June of this year, however that date has already been pushed out once — so now we are expecting the new vehicles hopefully in Sept. or Oct., but I wouldn’t be surprised if shortages and shipping delays don’t push the delivery date out even further and into 2023,” explained Burkhouse.

The total cost for the two new trucks is approximately $1.2 million and although the USDA loan and grant were helpful they did not cover the entire expense of the new trucks, which has motivated the BTVFD to previously and continually raise additional funds through their Truck Fund Campaign, with raffles, 50/50’s and other fundraising events.

For more information about the two new trucks or to donate to the Truck Fund Campaign, visit the Bradford Township Volunteer Fire Department Facebook page.

Bronaugh highlighted 731 other projects that the USDA has made in five

programs that fund essential community services to help rural America build back. These programs include Community Facilities Direct Loans and Grants, Community Facilities Loan Guarantees, Community Facilities Technical Assistance Training Grants, Community Facilities Disaster Grants, and Economic Impact Initiative Grants.

“These loans and grants will help rural communities invest in facilities and services that are vital to all communities, such as health care facilities, schools, libraries, and first responder vehicles and equipment. When we invest in essential services in rural America, we build opportunity and prosperity for the people who call rural communities home,” Bronaugh said.

More than 100 types of projects are eligible for Community Facilities funding. Eligible applicants include municipalities, public bodies, nonprofit organizations and federally recognized Native American tribes. Projects must be in rural areas with a population of 20,000 or less.

Interested parties should contact their USDA Rural Development state office for information about additional funding, application procedures and eligibility. Also see the Community Facilities Direct Loan Program Guidance Book for Applicants for a detailed overview of the application process.

Richard Zmuda

Zmuda charged in alleged theft from ambulance service SMETHPORT — Former Bradford City fireman Richard Zmuda is in legal trouble again.

Zmuda, 47, of 1065 West Valley Road, Smethport, was arraigned Thursday on allegations of theft and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

According to the criminal complaint, on Nov. 6, Smethport Borough police were contacted by Marlin Hairston, who police said is the owner of Phoenix EMS Services. He told police he had been letting Zmuda drive his vehicle, but recently Zmuda moved out of the house he was living in, which was owned

by Hairston.

Both Hairston and his father told Zmuda to return the vehicle, three cell phones that belong to Phoenix and the keys to the residence. Police said none of the items had been returned, and as of Nov. 6, 2021, he had “disappeared and will not return phone calls or text messages,” the criminal complaint alleged.

Zmuda was arraigned Thursday before District Judge Bill Todd and released on $5,000 unsecured bail. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 7 before Todd.

Zmuda served with the Bradford City Fire

Department for 15 years, and as interim fire chief in Bradford for 3 months in 2015, then as fire chief in North Fond du Lac, Wis., before theft allegations in Bradford brought him back to McKean County.

Zmuda had been charged with taking money from an older relative, and was ultimately sentenced to one year of probation and 50 hours of community service for the theft charge in 2016.

He was charged with domestic assault last July.

The case remains pending in McKean County Court.

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FEBRUARY 1, 2022

MISS CONGENIALITY IN P E N N SY LVA N I A

Commissioners approve funding for trails, bridges SMETHPORT — The McKean County commissioners approved funding from the Marcellus Shale impact fee for trails and for at-risk bridges on Tuesday.

On the agenda was the approval of a $25,000 allocation from Act 13 funds, as recommended by the McKean County Planning Commission for Greenway Funds. The amount will be allocated in thirds to the Borough of Kane and MJ2KB Trail Club, both for Knox & Kane Rails to Trails, and to the Kinzua Valley Trail Association for the Kinzua Valley Trail extension project.

Commissioner Cliff Lane said, “The Knox & Kane project, we’ve been working on that since 201011. It’s good to see it expand and modernize.”

The planning commission also recommended a $40,000 allocation for atrisk bridges. Of the total, $10,000 will go to Bradford Township for the East Warren bridge replacement project, and $30,000 to Wetmore Township for the replacement of Dwights Road culverts.

Rick Fry, head of the planning commission, said, “These are some of the

GOP Governor continued from 1 resources and interests in its rural counties — from oil and gas to timber and farmland — for them to be ignored.

His next move would be to reset Pennsylvania on taking advantage of its energy resources — particularly natural gas — to fuel new manufacturing opportunities while bringing down utility costs for households and businesses. The state has lost population each year since 1950, Richey said, and the decline will continue unless there is a boost in employment and economic development.

He believes Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration had short-sightedly veered away from the state’s energy resource advantage without a clear plan for ensuring the state’s energy needs can be met.

Under Wolf, the state has joined the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, in which 11 other participating states in the Northeast have established a regional cap on CO2 emissions.

Large fossil fuel emitters, such as power plants, essentially buy allowances for carbon they emit and with revenues helping to fund green energy projects.

Republicans in Harrisburg have put roadblocks in the way of Pennsylvania consummating its participation in RGGI Richey said all energy sources, including green, will be on the table in his administration, but he believes Pennsylvania remains a critical part of supplying energy in a matter that is not just state politics, but national and even world security.

“I’d rather have drilling for natural gas here, where we have strong environmental laws, than see more energy produced, see more methane in the air, by

bridges we’ve identified that need help in the area.”

Repairing the bridges is good for the community, and for emergency responders, he added.

Also from Act 13 funds, the commissioners approved paying $47,820 to the McKean County Redevelopment Authority; $7,492 to the Office of Economic and Community Development, payable to the McKean County Redevelopment Authority; and $10,871.70 to the OECD. In other business, commissioner Carol Duffy said the CASA of McKean County annual meeting was on Tuesday, and she expressed her appreciation to the volunteers and board members of the organization. “It’s been a challenging year,” she said. “Their work with children is certainly appreciated.”

Duffy also gave an update on the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania. “Each year at the CCAP conference in Harrisburg, we select seven legislative priorities we focus on.”

That list will be announced soon, she said, adding, “We will be

discussing this further in February” at the next meeting.

Lane added, “CCAP as an organization, it’s all the counties working together to help counties do things well. We work together to try to do something that helps all our citizens in all our counties.”

Also at the meeting, representatives of the Citizens for Constitutional McKean County asked how to go about making a presentation to the commissioners at a meeting. They were advised to reach out to chief clerk Pam Burlingame to make arrangements.

Jim Machuga said, “We’re just encouraging people to get involved. We need to get reconnected with how the process works. (Many) Americans don’t like where our country is headed.”

Lane said the commissioners welcome public comment.

“The public being involved is very important,” he said. “We want things to happen for everybody.

The next commissioners’ meeting is Feb. 8 at 10 a.m.

China and Russia,” he said.

Richey said he has consulted with experts about methane emissions and he understands that the potent greenhouse gas issue must be aadressed — with abandoned wells plugged and residual methane in drilling and transport processes captured and turned into fuel.

Ken Kane, Republican Party chairman in McKean County, said Monday he “liked what he heard” from Richey and that he is “definitely a candidate I will keep an eye on. He’s from Western Pennsylvania and he has shown a lot by coming up here to McKean County.”

A few other issues Richey, who grew up in Aliquippa and wrestled at Allegheny College, addressed: Income taxes Richey said as governor he would work to steadily cut Pennsylvania’s income taxes to zero. He cited states like Texas, Tennesee and Florida, which are seeing annual influxes of new residents and booming business growth.

COVID-19 response “We have to respect people’s liberties above all else,” Richey said, saying he would not institute statewide mandates regarding shutdowns, masking or vaccinations.

While he can’t know what the coronavirus pandemic will look like into 2023, Richey said if he were governor today he would set up a statewide system to provide the medical resources and hospital bed space to breakout areas of increased infection. The key, he believes, is ensuring the state can provide the needed care for all patients while allowing the state’s economy to continue to operate.

Voting Richey said many Pennsylvanians have lost faith in the voting process after the 2020 elections. He said he would eliminate the state’s 50 days of mail-in voting and return to the

absentee ballot system, require identification to vote and call for a state holiday on the date of the general election.

“Make it easy to vote and hard to cheat,” he said.

Second Amendment Richey said he fully supports the U.S. Constituion and the right to bear arms.

He said he would have signed legislation passed in late 2021 that would have allowed permitless concealed carry of a firearm in Pennsylvania.

Miss McKean County Jenny Crowley of Kane was one of the top five finalists in the Pennsylvania State Fair Queen Pageant and was named Miss Congeniality earlier

this month. Crowley has accepted an offer to attend Penn State University at State College for a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management for Fall 2022.

Foundation announces 2022 photo contest CAMP HILL — The Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation’s annual Thru the Seasons photo contest is now open.

In celebration of the milestone 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act and in recognition of the importance of forests for water quality, the theme of this year’s photo contest is Clean Water and Forested Ecosystems.

Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests are home to over 7,100 miles of

STRENGTHENING

streams and 154 lakes, both natural and manmade, enjoyed for a wide variety of recreation. Not only do we need healthy waterways for swimming, fishing, and boating, clean water is essential to all living things and we have forests to thank for naturally purifying our water supply.

PPFF is calling on photographers, both amateur and professional alike, to share their artistic view on the value of clean water and the role forests play in

watershed health by submitting to the following categories: · Water is Life · Caught in the Rain · Raindrop to River · Reflections · Forests · Young Photographers (ages 12 to 17) All photos must be taken in a Pennsylvania state park or forest. The submission deadline is Sept. 30, 2022. For full contest details, visit paparksandforests.org.

families PROGRAM For Parents & Youth 10-14

SFP 10-14 Can Help You & Your Youth Prepare for the Teen Years!

A Free, Fun Opportunity to Strengthen Family Communication & Promote Family Bonding!

Join Us For Seven Weekly Sessions That Include: • Fun Family Games and Activities • A Free Family Meal • Free Childcare • $10 Weekly Gas Cards

• Weekly Prizes • Interaction with Other Parents • Engaging and Interactive Youth Activities • 2 Grand Prizes worth $300.00 per prize

Parents/Caregivers will discuss: • The normal developmental changes in teenagers • Helping youth to avoid risks and substance use • Setting age appropriate limits - Helping youth to understand rules and consequences • Effective joint problem-solving skills • Ways to show love and support

HELPING TEENS TO HAVE A GREAT FUTURE!

Youth will learn about and practice: • Making good decisions and setting goals • Peer pressure resistance skills to avoid problems with drugs and alcohol • Empathy and appreciation of parents/caregivers • Coping with stress

Build on Your Family’s Strengths! Register Now for the Upcoming Program!

March 15th 2022 –May 3rd 2022 – Tuesdays @ 5:30pm Kane Middle School 400 W Hemlock Ave, Kane, PA16735 TO REGISTER

Call Greta 814-363-6517 or complete and mail in the registration form below by March 11th. Forms should be mailed to: ADAS, 2 Main Street, Suite 600, Bradford, PA 16701 or email to: billingsg@adasonline.org

Yes, my family would like to attend SFP 10-14!

Parent/Caregiver’s Name(s): Student’s Name: Address: Telephone Number: Transportation needed?

Childcare needed?

Yes

Yes

No

No

Number of children for childcare Names of Children Needing Childcare:

4

Local Author continued from 1

Photo provided “Murders & Mysterious Deaths in the Pennsylvania Wilds” features 25 historical murder cases from a 12.5 county area within PA. One such story discusses John Yount, who killed a high school student in 1969 and was convicted. He escaped prison in 1984 only to be recaptured in 1987 after being featured on the ‘America’s Most Wanted’ television show.

happened in Johnsonburg.

The rumor was that a man was cut up into 11 pieces and then placed into a pickle barrel. Over the years, rumors of other area murders inspired me to research how much rumor was actually true.”

It was in his first book that he explored the pickle barrel murder, discovering that the rumors he heard since childhood were actually true. “After speaking to a family member of the homicide detective about the case, and discovering the legitimacy of the rumors, I started to really dive into courthouse records from 1843 to 1960 — only to find out that a lot of the rumors heard throughout my childhood ended up being true,” said Baumgratz.

The latest book in these historical chronicles of Pennsylvania’s deadly past is a unique look at cases located in the Pennsylvania Wilds. The Pennsylvania Wilds region includes 12

St. Bonaventure University Former Smethport and St. Bonaventure softball pitcher Diana Phalon, pictured here while coaching the Allegany-Limestone High School softball team in 2017, was hired by the St. Bonaventure softball team as an assistant coach.

Former Smethport star Phalon named assistant softball coach at SBU ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — St. Bonaventure University softball head coach Mike Threehouse has announced the addition of Diana Phalon to the program as an assistant coach.

Phalon joins the Bonnies coaching staff following multiple stops around Western New York.

She previously coached at Williamson High School in Tioga County, Pa., Allegany-Limestone High School and Scio Central School.

Originally from

Smethport, Pa., Phalon was a member of the Bonnies softball team from 2008-12, appearing in 53 games in the circle for the Brown and White, scoring 11 career victories “We are excited to have Diana joining the coaching staff,” Threehouse said.

“She will bring her love of the game, her experience pitching in the Atlantic 10 and her competitive coaching nature to the program.

She will be a fabulous role model and leader. I am extremely happy she is back

on campus and I look forward to everything she will be able to share with our student-athletes.”

Phalon has also spent time coaching travel teams such as the Good Times Thunder and Synergy softball squads from 2014-16.

She has since started running pitching clinics in the Southern Tier and in the Orchard Park Region.

Phalon replaces former assistant coach Todd Randall who is now the head softball coach at Alfred State.

Winter Farmer’s meeting set for McKean County PORT ALLEGANY — The McKean County Conservation District, in partnership with Penn State Extension and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), will offer a Winter Farmer’s Meeting on Feb. 11.

The meeting will begin at noon and be held at the Veterans Memorial, located on Route 155 in Port Allegany.

This afternoon class has the following pesticide credits approved by

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture: 00 Core-2; PC Private -2, 01 Agronomic Crops-2, 18 Demonstration & Research-2.

Program topics include a Farm Bill update, NRCS program highlights, keeping pesticides out of groundwater, the importance of manure application setbacks for private drinking water resources, perennial forage weed control in hay and summer annual weed control options in corn and soybeans.

Registration is free, which includes lunch.

Register by Feb. 4 by calling the Conservation District at 814-887-4025.

Financial support for this project is provided by the PA Association of Conservation Districts through a grant from the PA Department of Environmental Protection.

Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences research and extension programs are funded in part

by Pennsylvania counties, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

and a half counties, including: McKean, Warren, Potter, Tioga, Lycoming, Clinton, Elk, Cameron, Forest, Clearfield, Clarion, Jefferson and northern Centre.

Once the former lumber capital of the world, the PA Wilds are home to more than 2 million acres of public land, 50 state game lands, 29 state parks, 8 state forests, 2 National Wild and Scenic Rivers, abundant wildlife, hundreds of miles of land and water trails, some of the darkest skies in the country, and the largest elk herd in the northeast.

For his sixth book, Baumgratz explained that he has enough cases to do multiple McKean County volumes; however there has been a big push to move into the PA Wilds,

because it covers multiple counties in the area.

“I always worked a full-time job; however, in 2002 a lull in jobs afforded me the ability to go to the courthouse and start all of my research. Fast forward to when the pandemic hit and I could no longer go to the courthouse. So I halted two other books I had been working on to focus on writing the PA Wilds Volume 1. Covering the counties of the PA Wilds offers a wider audience,” said Baumgratz. “I just love researching these and writing them.”

Currently Baumgratz is working on a new project, shifting focus from murders and mysterious deaths to those who have gone missing and bodies/skeletons found that have yet to be identified.

“My next series, that I

FEBRUARY 1, 2022

am working on now will be called ‘Missing in the Pennsylvania Wilds,’ is extremely interesting. These cases are a little different than the murder cases previously published. I’ve enjoyed the move to discuss the missing and really enjoyed researching these mysteries,” stated Baumgratz.

Locally, “Murders & Mysterious Deaths in the Pennsylvania Wilds” can be purchased in Bradford at the Main Street Mercantile; in Smethport at McKean County E-Sales; in Kane at the Kane Historic Depot and Museum; and in Port Allegany at the Port Allegany Pharmacy.

The book can also be purchased online through the pawildsmurder.com website and amazon.com.