If you own property in the City of Erie, the value of your house or building just went down 5 percent. The budget for next year is about $10 million out of wack. Erie City Councilmen Jim Casey, Ian Murray and other want to raise property taxes. Casey said, well, taxes haven’t gone up in 8 years. You know why? Because we’re already at the highest allowable by law. They would need court permission to raise them any further. The high taxes are the reasons why businesses have fled the city.

While most of America was watching the Monday Night Football game, the History Detectives on PBS ran a segment on NFL Hall of Fame member Jim Thorpe. A man from nearby Jamestwon, NY has a ticket to a basketball game featuring Jim Thorpe and the World Famous Indians. He wanted to know if it was real because it was previously unknown that Thorpe played basketball. The ticket was real and worth a bundle. Thorpe and the WFI played a barnstorming tour in 1927 that included Erie, Jamestown NY, Warren PA and a number of other area towns. Even historians and the Thorpe family didn’t know about the basketball tour.

The Erie County Sheriff’s Department has received a 31 foot boat from the Department of Homeland Security. The boat cost the DHS $225,000. It’s a nice boat but the county doesn’t have the money to opertate it.

Pennsylvania’s Gaming Control Board has pushed its deadline back to December 28 for applications for the seven conditional slot machine licenses the state is going to award to the state’s racetrack operators. The deadline, which was originally October 31, was set back because applicants complained the application process was too difficult to complete in time. They have to fork up $50 million for a license. MTR Gaming will soon be building Presque Isle Downs outside of Erie in Sumitt Township.

Accuride Corporation recently announced that it has appointed Richard (Rick) Klein to Vice President / General Manager Accuride Aluminum Wheels. Accuride has aluminum wheel manufacturing plants located in Erie, PA and Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Since early 2004, Klein has served as Accuride’s Director of Operations / Erie Plant.

Erie Insurance is making a number of rate reductions that will result in savings for its personal and commercial auto policyholders in the state of New York.

Jack Jiang, PhD has recently joined Barbeau Pharma to serve as Vice President, Research and Development. Jiang is currently on the faculty of the School of Pharmacy at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.

The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel has named Ryan Johnson sales manager. Johnson, a graduate of Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in hotel, restaurant and institution management.

Jonathan E Helmreich, college historian and professor emeritus of history at Allegheny College, has written a new history of the college, the first in 90 years. “Through All the Years: A History of Allegheny College,” a 560-page volume with almost 900 illustrations, explores the evolution of the college from its beginnings in the frontier town of Meadville to the present day.

Gannon University will host a Graduate and Professional School Fair from 10 am to 4 pm Tuesday, October 4. The fair will be held in the Yehl Room of the Waldron Campus Center, 124 West Seventh Street. Some 50 schools, representing more than 100 academic programs in areas like business, education, engineering, health sciences, law, the liberal arts, and the social sciences, are expected to participate.

The Orchid Society of Northwestern Pennsylvania will present workshops on growing orchids on Tuesday, October 4th 2005 and Tuesday, October 11th 2005 at the Blasco memorial Library from 7-8 pm. This workshop is for beginners and advanced as well. There is no cost to this workshop. For more information call 814-474-5429 or email cathy(at)szy.com.

The 2nd Annual Eerie Horror Film Festival takes place once again at the Roadhouse Theater in Erie, Pa, October 5-9, 2005. Horror and sci-fi films from all over the world, celebrities and thousands of fans. Special guests this year include: Gunnar Hansen (“Texas Chainsaw Massacre”), Lloyd Kaufman (Troma Films), Ben Meade (“Bazaar Bizzare”), Debbie Rochon, Pam Sutch, Jasmin St Claire, John Hancock and more.

The Gannon University Schuster Theatre kicks off its 2005-06 mainstage season with “Other Worlds Than These,” 12 one-act plays performed in repertoire. The shows, directed by Ed Helenski, technical director for the university’s Schuster Theatre, are written by Ray Bradbury, Rosalyn Drexler and Don Nigro. The plays will be performed over three consecutive nights for two weeks: Thursday, Oct 20 through Saturday October 22 and again Thursday October 27 through Saturday October 29. All tickets are $5.

Both Mercyhurst College Division I hockey teams were ranked in the preseason polls. The women’s team was ranked 5th and the men 25th.

In a bit of a suprise, the Toronto Maple Leafs sent Carlo Colaiacovo down to the AHL affiliate. The Erie Otters alumni was expected to stick with the big team.

Seneca High School grad Amanda Giewont is on the Robert Morris women’s crew team. The junior is on the open four boat. Katie Smerick of Harbor Creek High School and Ashlyn Crowe of Girard are also on the team.

Mike Hardesty of Gannon University too first place honors at the LeMoyne College Invitational cross country meet.