When Erie County Executive Mark DiVecchio speaks you don’t know if he’ll telling a joke or announcing one of his off the wall plans. DiVecchio want to build a courthouse for county offices in SW Erie County in what is being described as a branch campus. He didn’t explain where the money will come from for this. Maybe he plans to buy lottery tickets with county money. There was a meeting with leaders in Corry, Union City and the surrounding area a couple of weeks ago. They said not to forget about them when it comes to economic development and funds for projects. I don’t think they meant a county building. I wonder if DiVecchio has thought about a branch office for himself. Maybe in North Warren.

City Finance Director Gary Peterson has resigned. The city finances aren’t all his fault but he should shoulder some of the blame. The city finances are a mess. There is zero organization. They don’t know how much money they have. They don’t know how much is owed. Bills just keep showing up because there is no system for making purchases. A crack hoe is a better manager of finances than the City of Erie.

Accuride is tearing down the old Gunite/EMI factory at 12th and Cherry in Erie. Just the one building on the corner sits on 5 acres and there are a few buildings and a parking lot on the property. It’s will cost them millions to demolish the buildings but I suspect they’re getting a few grants to do it. Plus, it will save them a bundle on taxes. The plant that dates back from just after the Civil War closed about 6 or 7 years ago.

Erie is getting a Cold Stone Creamery, a premium ice cream store. Location to be announced. I’d like to know how Paige, who lives 2470+ miles away from Erie, knew this before people in Erie….

Former Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge of Erie was guest speaker earlier this week at the Petroleum Club in Oklahoma City. He also toured the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. Ridge says the Memorial is important to the United States and serves as a reminder that terrorism is alive in America.

We all know left-handed people are weird and well, just plain suck because they are left-handed. There is a funny, informative article from a Penn State Behrend professor and a researcher on the subject. According to Clare Porac, a professor of psychology at Penn State Erie, humans are born with two genes for handedness, either “dextral” or “chance.” The dominant dextral gene induces right-handedness whenever it turns up. The chance gene leaves the decision to chance. It takes a pair of the latter to make a person left–handed. Nerves connect our hands to the areas of the brain responsible for motor skills, Porac continues. There’s a separate set for each hand. “Printing and handwriting come from different regions of the same part of the brain, a strip across the parietal lobe,” Porac explains. Handwriting is a fine motor skill, while printing is not. With a lot of brain training your new dominant hand can be just as good as the old. And for anyone else out there, it might not be too late to start. Being ambidextrous might just come in…handy. Clare Porac is a professor of psychology at Penn State Erie and the author is Joe Anuta of Penn State.

The Allegheny College Playshop Theatre will present “The Caucasian Chalk Circle” written by Bertolt Brecht and directed by David Jortner, visiting assistant professor of communication arts and theatre. The play will be performed on Feb 24 and 25 at 8 pm and Feb 26 at 2:30 pm in Arter Hall on the Allegheny College campus.

Erie Youth Hockey Association Joe McCallion House Select Tourney will take place this weekend in Erie.

The theater group All An Act Productions is performing the comedy “The Middle Ages” by AR Gurney. The show will run Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 3 pm through March 5th at East High School, located at 1001 Atkins Street, Erie, Pa 16503. General Admission is $5.

The Erie Philharmonic performs at the Warner Theatre Saturday night at 8 pm.

Brian Regan will be at the Warner Theatre on Sunday night. Some tickets are still available.

Tickets for the Train concert in Erie go on sale March 4 at 10 am. Unless they change the date AGAIN.

The Gannon University men’s basketball team erased a 13-point second-half deficit and rallied for a 57-54 victory over cross-town rival Mercyhurst Thursday night at the Hammermill Center. Mercyhurst dominated play throughout the first half and owned a 28-15 advantage at halftime. That’s when I got disgusted and left. Crap. Darmel Whitfield, who scored all of his points in the second half, drained his fourth three-pointer of the half with 1:48 remaining to give the Golden Knights a 55-54 lead. It was a lead they would never relinquish. Gannon completed the 2005-06 season with a 12-15 overall record and 6-11 GLIAC mark. Mercyhurst ended the regular season with a 19-8 overall slate and 9-8 mark in conference play. The Lakers play at Ashland in the GLIAC Quarterfinals on Tuesday, February 28. Best of luck to the Lakers.

The Gannon women’s basketball team defeated Mercyhurst in overtime 75-68. Casey England led all scorers with a career-high 28 points and seven three-pointers. Christina Jackson added her fifth consecutive double-double with 23 points and 14 rebounds. Erin Solada led Mercyhurst with 19 points and nine rebounds.

Bob Learn Jr of Erie made it to match play in the 2006 GEICO Classic at AMF Thruway Lanes in Buffalo. Mike Machuga of Erie finished in 63rd and received $2000.

The Erie Otters lost to Saginaw 5-1. Vince Scott netted the lone Otters goal. The next Otters home game takes place Saturday when the Ottawa 67′s visit the Tullio Arena for a 7:30 pm start.