The Pittsburgh Steelers dominated Denver winning 34-17 in the AFC title game. Seattle will meet the Steelers in Super Bowl XL in Detroit on Sunday Feb 5. For those of you who went to Edinboro, that’s Super Bowl 40, not extra large.
It was great to see Nate Washington make an important catch for Pittsburgh. Washington has fond memories of Erie PA. In 2002, Washington had 214 yards receiving for Tiffin against Gannon University. In his Senior season in 2004, Washington had another monster game with 10 catches for 299 yards. Washington still holds the records for number of catches and receiving yards at Gannon University Field.

There was a huge fire at Chipsco Tools in Meadville. Chipsco designs molds for the plastics industry and manufactures tools.

Jerod Impichchaachaaha Tate is an American Indian classical composer of Chickasaw heritage. Music producer Alan Bise heard Tate’s “Worth of the Soul” performed at Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa and called it one of the concert highlights of his life. Bise was so impressed with Tate’s work that he recently founded Thunderbird Records, a label specifically for classical American Indian music.

St Thomas More Catholic Church in Iowa City has hired Michael DeSanctis, a liturgical consultant from Erie, Pa, to help them with their planning of the church’s move to the suburb of Coralville, Iowa. Dr DeSanctis is a professor at Gannon University and author of Building from Belief: Advance, Retreat, and Compromise in the Remaking of Catholic Church Architecture. I had Dr DeSanctis for an art history class. To this day, I notice the architectural details of every building I see. Gannon and Erie are lucky to have him.

The March of Dimes is preparing for its 24th annual SnoBall Softball Tournament. Registration for this double elimination, co-ed tournament ends today. The entry fee is $175 for an entire team, which must include at least two females. For more information, contact Jessica Darr at 814-883-7772, or the March of Dimes Erie office at 814-833-4941.

US Rep Phil English is holding a press conference on Monday, January 23 at noon at the American Legion at 4109 West 12 St for a ‘special announcement.’

Preschool to Elementary aged kids are invited to the Erie County Library, Blasco Memorial Branch tonight at 7 pm for an hour of story time, crafts and snacks. The event is free. Sponsored by the Junior League of Erie, story time takes place the first Saturday and the third Monday of every month.

The Edinboro University Chamber Players with guest guitarist Junar Ortega perform a concert titled “Fire and Ice: Hot Latin Music” tonight at 7:30 pm at the Blasco Library in the HO Hirt Auditorium.

Journalist, poet, activist and lecturer Kevin Powell will speak at Allegheny on Wednesday, Jan 25 at 7 pm in the Ford Chapel. Powell’s lecture — titled “Looking for Martin: Are Dr King and His ‘Dream’ Still Relevant?” will examine the life of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, the importance of the civil rights movement, and present-day challenges. Kevin was the jerk on the first season of MTV’s “The Real World: New York” in 1992.

This is the last week that the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania is taking last years phone books for recycling. The books will be recycled by Erie Energy Products and made into insulation and the Food Bank receives much needed money for the collected books. Here is the list of collection points.

The Highmark Quad Games Cross County Ski and Snowshoe Race has been postponed again due to lack of snow. The event was originally scheduled for Jan 8th, then pushed back to Jan 15, then Jan 22 and now has been rescheduled for Jan 29. If there is still no snow by Jan 29 it will be pushed back to Feb 5 and then to each successive Sunday. The final attempt will be Feb 26.

The Chautauqua-Lake Erie Wine Trail presents a Wine and Chocolate Festival and Valentine’s celebration over the weekend of Feb 11-12. Tickets for the event are $21, must be purchased in advance, and are good for the weekend.

Area volunteer fire companies, please take note of this event. Congressman Brian Higgins (D-NY) in conjunction with the United States Department of Homeland Security will conduct an Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program workshop on February 22, 2005 in Mayville, NY in an effort to bring federal funds to area first responders. The workshop will be held from noon – 2 pm at the Hall R Clothier Building, 7 North Erie Street, Mayville, NY.

Wojtek Wolski collected a team-record seven points on four goals and three assists to carry the Brampton Battalion to a 9-4 win over the Erie Otters in an Ontario Hockey League game played Sunday afternoon in front of 2,522 at the Powerade Centre in Brampton, Ontario. Mike Blunden scored twice to pace the Otters. Josh Kidd and Nick Palmieri also scored. The Otters return to action Wednesday at 7:30 pm against the Guelph Storm at the Tullio Arena.

The 6th ranked Mercyhurst College women’s hockey team got a pair of goals from Valerie Chouinard and a back-breaking late second period score from Robyn Law to turn back Niagara 3-1 Sunday afternoon and complete a weekend sweep. Mercyhurst, winners of three straight and nine of its last ten, improved to 16-6-2 overall and to 7-0-1 in College Hockey America.

The 17th ranked Edinboro wrestling team edged 18th ranked Michigan State 17-16.