Developer Brad Fairfield announced he received funding to begin construction of Koehler Brewery Square. Hallelujah. National City Bank has joined Sky Bank in providing the financing. Construction is expected to start by the end of November and the building for Cornerstone Healthcare Group should be move in ready by the end of 2007. Fairfield has been working on this since mid 2001.

Kelly Gray has teamed up with Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx to design an expensive and edgy men’s clothing line called Royal Underground. Gray is the former head of St John known for her conservative clothing worn by Condoleezza Rice and others. So why is she now designing items for a tattooed rock star? Gray and Sixx met for the first time on February 17 at a Motley Crue concert in Erie, Pa at the Erie Civic Center Tullio Arena. The two became friends and are now reportedly an item.
Photo credit: P R Brown for Tenth Street Media.

City Councilwoman Jessica Horan-Kunco has put together a meeting scheduled for November 1 at 4:30 pm for the Proposed Skatepark. Thanks you. Mayor Sinnott, City Council Members, Mark Buccigrossi, Mary Drapcho, Tom Furhman and Kimberlee Berdis have been asked to attend. I think the skatepark would be a great and I’m fricking 45 years old. The City of Erie received a $82,900 state grant and a $65,000 federal grant to build a skate park in Erie at Bayview Park. That was over 2 years ago. Nothing has been done to actually build it. If you support the skatpark, please add your name to the peition.

The City of Erie received a grant of $3,923 from the state for a collection event where residents can bring their household hazardous wastes and electronics for proper disposal or recycling.

Tollgrade Communications (Nasdaq: TLGD) reported revenue of $14.9 million and a loss per share of $(0.25) for the third quarter ended September 30, 2006. These results include a per share charge of $(0.30) for the implementation of cost restructuring initiatives announced on July 27, 2006. Excluding this charge, their non-GAAP earnings per share for the third quarter ended September 30, 2006 were $0.05. Tollgrade manufactures products for the telecommunications industry. The company was founded in Erie and moved.

Friday night Erie PA area high school football scores:
Erie Cathedral Prep 14 Warren Harding 13
Pittsburgh Shaler 22 Erie McDowell 9
Erie Mercyhurst Prep 32 Eisenhower 0
Franklin 24 Erie Strong Vincent 7
Titusville 56 Erie East 0
Warren 42 Oil City 36 (OT)
Fairview 8 Corry 0
General McLane 53 Meadville 16
Hickory 18 Ft LeBouef 0
Seneca 34 Girard 6
Iroquois 48 Union City 12
Wilmington 19 Northwestern 0

The Mercyhurst College men’s hockey team rolled past UConn 6-2.

Trevor Lewis scored a goal and added two assists to lead the Owen Sound Attack to a 4-3 win over the Erie Otters in an Ontario Hockey League game played last night in front of 2,855 at the Tullio Arena. Andrew Hotham, Josh Vatri and Kelly Geoffrey replied for the Otters, who lost for the second straight time to sink to 3-10-0-2. The two teams face one another again tonight at the Tullio Arena in a 7:30 pm start.

Former Erie Central High School standout Torry Mitchell was invited to the Pittsburgh Xplosion free agent camp. The Xplosion compete in the Continental Basketball Association. Mitchell, a 5-10 point guard, began his basketball career at Mercyhurst College before transferring to Edinboro University after two years.

The Pitt women’s swimming and diving team garnered a commanding 178-65 win over St Bonaventure. Freshman Margo Ekstrom (Erie, Pa/ McDowell) took second in the 3M diving event and third in the 1M boards.

Gannon University, Mercyhurst College and Penn State-Behrend will hold an intensive, one-day intercollegiate food drive billed “The Collegiate Golden Harvest” on October 28 from 9 am to 4 pm. All donated food will go to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwestern Pennsylvania and be distributed to 275 agencies that directly serve families in need.

Belle Valley Fire Department presents it’s annual haunted house “Valley of the Ghouls” every Thursday, Friday and Saturday in October plus Monday Oct 30th. Time 7:30-11pm. Cost is $5.

The Erie Zoo 18th annual Zoo Boo runs through October 30, 6-9 pm nightly. Admission is $4.50 for adults (ages 12 and up), $3 for kids 2-11 with children under 2 admitted free.

The Port Farms Pumkin Farm Harvest Festival takes place through Oct 31. Hours are Mon-Fri Noon-6 pm, Sat 11-7 and Sun Noon-7. Ticket are $3 for adults, $5 for kids 3-18 with kids under 3 admitted free.

The second annual Teaching and Learning Expo, hosted by the Mercyhurst College chapter of Kappa Delta Pi education honor society and the Council for Exceptional Children, takes place Saturday, Oct. 28, from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm in the Audrey Hirt Academic Center on the Erie campus. The expo is open to interested education majors from all local colleges and universities. The fee is $5 and includes lunch. Distinguished education and business professionals will conduct sessions on how to interview effectively, integrate math and literacy, use the computer creatively in the classroom, and make learning meaningful through thematic units. For more information or to register, contact Mercyhurst’s Dr Ruth Auld, 824-3370; rauld@mercyhurst.edu.

On Saturday, October 28, 2006, bring the family to the Tom Ridge Environmental Center for a day of Halloween fun and discovery. The event is free and all are welcome. From 10 am to 6 pm, there are things to excite the imagination, unexpected eerie creatures to encounter and mysteries to solve. The whole family can trek through TREC during a spooky scavenger hunt. Visit stations throughout the Center to learn more about nature’s tricks and treats at Halloween – collecting “treats” along the way. There is even a costume contest for children ages three – twelve. Come as your favorite Halloween-y animal and compete for a prize. Or stop by the face painting station for a pumpkin, ghost or other favorite painted Halloween character. The science of chocolate will be bigger than ever on the BIG Green Screen. The original “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” starring Gene Wilder will be playing throughout the day. Showtime’s are at 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm. Movie tickets only are $ 4 each. Moviegoers will also take part in a search for the “golden ticket” with fun and prizes sponsored by Sam’s Club.

The Lakeshore Marching Band Association 22nd Annual Competitions take place at Erie Veterans Memorial Stadium on October 28 from 2:30 pm until 10:30 pm. It features 25 regional high school marching bands competing for first place in their class. Gates open at 1 pm. Admission: Adults $8, Child/Senior/Student $6.

The Mercyhurst College Dance Department will present The Mercyhurst Dancers in “Dances for Dave, Hip Hop and Moore” on Saturday, Oct 28, at 2 and 7 pm, and Sunday, Oct 29, at 2 pm in the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12.50 for seniors and students, and $5 for youth under 15, and can be purchased through the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center box office, 824-3000.

Classy 100 is holding an 80′s Halloween Thriller dance at Rainbow Gardens on Saturday, October 28th from 9 ’til 1. Memories in Motion will be playing the music, and they’ll have a costuime party. Tickets are $10 in advance ($12 at the door) and can be purchased at Quizno’s on E 38th Street, The Amish Buggy on upper Peach Street and at Classy 100′s studios at 471 Robison Road.

Celebrate Halloween at the 46th annual Holiday Festival and Spaghetti Dinner sponsored by the Dr Gertrude A Barber National Institute on Sunday, Oct 29 from 11 am – 5 pm. Kids and families will love “Barber Boo,” a celebration of free activities such as games and crafts, hay rides, and trick or treating through the Barber National Institute. Bingo, games of chance, theme basket raffles and Christmas crafts for adults. A spaghetti dinner with all the trimmings; tickets just $6 for adults, $3 for children ages 4-12 and free for youngsters under age three. For information, call 453-7661.

The Erie Otters will be holding their annual McDonald’s Junior Otters Kid’s Club Kick-off Party Sunday October 29 from 11 am – 1 pm at the McDonald’s Restaurant located in the Summit Town Centre. All members of the Otters are scheduled to be in attendance in two shifts from 11 am – noon and from noon – 1 pm. As an added bonus, all children between the ages of 4-12 that come to the Kid’s Club Kick-off Party in costume with receive a free ice cream cone courtesy of McDonald’s. The McDonald’s Junior Otters Kid’s Club is for children for 4-12 years of age. All members receive four tickets to select McDonald’s Junior Otters Kid’s Club game (a $38 value), a membership card and t-shirt, free fries once a month at McDonald’s and an invitation to the McDonald’s Junior Otters Kid’s Club Party in January – all for only $12. McDonald’s Junior Otters Kid’s Club Memberships will be accepted during the Kid’s Club Kick-off Party, at the Road Runner Fan Assistance Center at all Otters home games, at the Otters Office located at 809 French Street or online.

The jazz quartet “Sonic Openings Under Pressure” will perform at the Erie Art Museum on Sunday October 29 at 8 pm as part of the Museum’s Contemporary Music Series. The performance follows a 7 pm “Meet the Composer” session with members of the quartet and also concludes an artist residence at the Museum. Tickets are $12 for general admission, $10 for Museum and JazzErie Members and $6 for students and seniors.

The Erie Federal Credit Union and the Millcreek Kiwanis are holding a blood drive for the Community Blood Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania on October 30 from 2-6 pm at the Erie FCU branch at 5500 Zuck Rd. Donors will be eligible for giveaways and prizes.

Chelsea Sexton, who helped General Motors market the EV1 battery-electric car of the 1990s and is featured with celebrities Tom Hanks and Mel Gibson in the documentary “Who Killed the Electric Car?,” will be at Mercyhurst College Wednesday, Nov 1, to introduce the film and answer questions afterward. An offering of the Guelcher Film Series at Mercyhurst, the documentary will be shown at 2 and 8 pm in the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center. Sexton will also speak at noon to members of the Erie Rotary Club.

The Technology Council of Northwest Pa and the Penn State Behrend Sam and Irene Black School of Business will present Mr Toshihiro Nagamatsu, President of Shingijutsu Consulting on Wednesday, November 1, from 6-7 pm. Mr Nagamatsu, a pioneer in the field of lean manufacturing, was the project leader for lean production implementation at Toyota. He will be speaking for 30 minutes and taking questions for 30 minutes. The event will be held in the McGarvey Commons at the Reed Union on the campus of Penn State Behrend. Please RSVP with brenda.borgia@technwap.org .

“Wristcutters: A Love Story” will be shown at the Edinboro University Louis C Cole Memorial Auditorium on Wednesday, November 1 at 7:30 pm. Meet and Greet with director Goran Dukic (confirmed) and actors Shannyn Sossamon (invited) and Shea Whigham (confirmed). Tickets are $5 with Edinboro students attending for free. Tickets the day of the show are $7.50. The Student Art League of Edinboro University of PA and Lyons Den Productions are coordinating/ promoting the event. Click here for more info.

The annual Mercyhurst College Career Fair will be held on Thursday Nov 2 from 1 to 4 pm in the Athletic Center.

The 2006-2007 Silberman Recital Series at Allegheny College will continue with pianist Alec Chien playing “A Solo Recital of Old Favorites” on Friday, Nov 3. The concert, which begins at 7:30 pm in Ford Memorial Chapel, is free and open to the public. Chien will perform works by Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Frederic Chopin and Franz Liszt.

The students of Toni and Guy in Erie, 930 Peach Street, are holding a fund raiser on November 4 from 9 am – 4:30 pm called “Healing Hands for Hunger.” This event is to raise money and donations for the Second Harvest Food Bank. For every five pounds of food you bring in you get a free five minute chair massage, also for every $5 you donate you also will receive a five minute chair massage. ALL proceeds go to the Second Harvest Food Bank. All massages will be done by students that will be supervised by their instructors.

Gannon University will host a workshop on play therapy to be presented by Richard E Watts, PhD, a nationally known author, researcher, and clinician. “Counseling with Toys” will run from 9 am to 4 pm Friday, Nov 10 at the Avalon Hotel, 16 West Tenth Street. It will be hosted by the Gannon University Community Counseling Program and is co-sponsored by the Gamma Upsilon Chi chapter of Chi Sigma Iota, the Gannon Social Work program and School of Education, the Pennsylvania Association for Play Therapy, the North American Society for Adlerian Psychology, and the Lake Erie Adlerian Institute. Participants can qualify for six continuing education credits (CEUs) and ACT 48 hours. The cost is $50 (pre-registration by Nov 2), or $20 for students. A discount is available for members of Chi Sigma Iota. For more information or to obtain registration material, contact Kenneth McCurdy, PhD, assistant professor, community counseling, at 814-871-7791.

The rock band Lareau will play at Docksiders located at 1015 State Street in Erie on November 10. Admission is $5. The band has just completed filming its first music video with Producer’s/Director’s James Pizzaro and Aaron Doonan . The song is the title cut from their debut Rust Records release entitled ‘Changes’. Lareau is working on their second album with producers Darrin Payne and Anthony Brown at All Sound Recording Studios in Warren PA.

The All American Hot Dog and Chili Party will be held November 12 from 1-5 pm at the Huzar Club, 1122 East 10 St. This is open to the public. Hot dogs and a variety of chili’s to try. Games, Chinese auction, basket raffles, 50/50′S and fun. Proceeds benefit 12-year old Kristina King, Student Delegate of Harbor Creek. She will be going to Washington, DC April 2007 for the People to People World Leadership Forum.

The Goo Goo Dolls will play a concert at the Warner Theatre in Erie Tuesday December 5. Tickets are on sale now.