Edinboro University of Pennsylvania faculty yesterday held a protest march on campus. The Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties (APSCUF) union contract for the 14 state schools expires on June 30. The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education gave the union a 3.3 percent pay raise for the last contract.

Presque Isle Downs and Casino will have a synthetic surface for their track. The jockeys and the racetrack agreed to the decision and will share the costs. Officials have gone to other tracks to look at ‘Polytrack’ and ‘Tapeta Footings.’ Presque Isle Downs and Casino will offer live Thoroughbred racing for 25 nights in September. In 2008, the track expects to offer about 100 nights of racing from late spring through early fall.

The US Environmental Protection Agency announced it has lifted one of two water quality impairments for Presque Isle Bay due to improvements in sediment conditions. Officials credit the sediment improvements to reduced industrial discharges, upgrades in the city of Erie’s wastewater treatment plant, and actions taken by local organizations to reduce harmful storm water runoff. More information on the environmental status of Presque Isle Bay is available here on the EPA site.

Recent heavy usage by local patients of type O Positive and O Negative blood combined with recent light donor turn out over the past week have caused this shortage. A surplus of donors is needed to return the blood supply to safe levels. During the past week walk-in donations were very light at the Erie Community Blood Bank’s fixed site at 26th and Peach street. Several weeks of light donor turn out, due in part to the wintery weather, has contributed to this situation. “Extremely heavy usage of type O blood caused a problem for us.” Said Dan Desrochers Director of Marketing and Community Relations at the Community Blood Bank. “Normally the usage is spread out among all the different blood types, so it is not as bad.” All donors are strongly encouraged to donate at the Community Blood Bank, 2646 Peach Street. The Community Blood Bank is open from 9-6 Monday through Friday and until 7:30 pm Tuesday night and Saturday 9 am -12:30 pm. Photo ID required.

On the 18th of April, 1791, the Pennsylvania governor was authorized by the Legislature to complete the purchase of the Erie Triangle. On March 3, 1792, a patent was issued to the State, signed by George Washington as President, and Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State. The consideration was $151,640.25.

William W Harvey, Jr has been promoted to Executive Vice President of the Financial Division and Chief Financial Officer of Warren PA based Northwest Bancorp (NASDAQ: NWSB). Also, Steven G Fisher of Erie has been promoted to Executive Vice President of Banking Services.

Carolynn Masters, PhD, RN, CARN, has been selected as the new Dean of the College of Sciences, Engineering and Health Sciences at Gannon University, effective immediately. Dr Masters had served as interim Dean of Sciences, Engineering and Health Sciences since July 2006. Under the direction of Dr Keith Taylor, provost and vice president for academic affairs, a University Search Advisory Committee consisting of faculty, staff and administrators, received and reviewed a large number of resumes for the position. She joined Gannon in 2000 as an associate professor and director of the university’s Villa Maria School of Nursing. She served in that capacity until July 2006, when she was appointed interim dean.

The Erie SeaWolves failed in their bid to win three straight games on Tuesday night as they fell to the Akron Aeros 5-1 at Canal Park.

Breanna Haggerty led the Mercyhurst women’s lacrosse team with eight points to its win over the Seton Hill Griffins, 18-6.

Penn State Behrend baseball player Josh Fyffe (Fredonia/Sharpsville) has been named the AMCC Baseball Player of the Week. The freshman led the Behrend Lions to wins in three of the last four conference games, including coming through in the clutch with two game-winning RBIs.

Jeff Fleming (OL/DL) and Sid Facaros (TE/LB) of Riverview High School in Oakmont, PA announced they will attend Allegheny College.

A NASA planetary scientist involved in the planning for human settlements on Mars will speak at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, on Tuesday, April 17. Christopher McKay’s discussion, “The Search for Life on Mars and Europa,” is a joint presentation of the college’s annual Speaker Series and the Open House Nights in Astronomy outreach program sponsored by the School of Science. His talk is free and open the public, and will take place at 7:30 pm in the McGarvey Commons of the Reed Union Building. Astronomical viewing from the college’s Mehalso Observatory will follow, weather permitting.

Careers in law enforcement, firefighting, criminal justice and other public safety professions are on the rise, and the Mercyhurst College Center for Public Safety (CPS) is quickly becoming a regional force in preparing individuals to serve in this field. Learn more about all that the Center for Public Safety has to offer at an Open House on Wednesday, April 18, from 6-7:30 pm, at the Michele and Tom Ridge Health and Safety Building on the campus of Mercyhurst – North East, 16 W Division St, North East, PA.

The Walker School of Business at Mercyhurst College will sponsor a talk by Dr Luis Cosenza, executive director for Central America and Belize at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), on Thursday, April 19, at 11:30 am in Taylor Little Theatre. His lecture is free and open to the public.

Alto saxophone sensation Dave Pietro will be joined by four Brazilian musicians to present a special evening of Latin jazz at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, on Thursday, April 19. Music at Night tickets can be purchased at the door on April 19, in advance at the Reed Union Building main desk, or online. Ticket prices are $10 for adults, $8.50 for adults over 60, $5 for Penn State Behrend students, and $4 for kids under 16. In addition to the Music at Night performance, Dave Pietro’s Banda Brazil will perform at noon on Wednesday, April 18, also in McGarvey Commons. This one-hour concert, part of the Music at Noon series, is free and open to the public.

Literary nonfiction writer Marilyn Abildskov will close the 2006-07 Creative Writer’s Speaker Series at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, with a reading on Thursday, April 19. Abildskov will read from her works beginning at 6 pm in the Smith Chapel worship space. A 4:30 pm reception for her in the Smith Chapel living room will precede the reading; both are free and open to the public.

The D’Angelo Department of Music at Mercyhurst College brings one of Shakespeare’s most famous comic characters to life April 19 and 21 when it presents Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “Falstaff.” Both Thursday and Saturday performances begin at 7:30 pm in the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center on the Mercyhurst campus. Tickets are $12.50 for adults, $10 for seniors and students, and $5 for youths. Call the box office at (814) 824-3000.

“Dead Man Walking” will be performed at the Gannon University Schuster Theatre April 19-22, 26-28. For more information or tickets call (814) 871-7494.

The Penn State Behrend Lion Entertainment Board 5th annual Battle of the Bands is going to be hitting Erie Hall on April 20. This year legendary ska band Less Than Jake along with fellow Fueld By Ramen artist The A.K.A.’s will join the ranks of bands who have taken the stage for this massive event. The battle from 1:30 – 6:30 will be FREE ADMISSION. Admission to LTJ and AKA’s will be $5 for General Admission and FREE with PSU ID.

The Allegheny College Playshop Theatre will conclude its 2006-2007 season with Noël Coward’s comedy “Hay Fever” on April 19, 20 and 21 at 8 pm and April 22 at 2:30 pm in Arter Hall on the Allegheny College campus. Dan Crozier, associate professor of communication arts and theatre, directs the production. Tickets for “Hay Fever” are $7.50 for adults; $5 for non-Allegheny students, senior citizens and Allegheny employees; and free for Allegheny students with identification. For more information or to order tickets, contact the Playshop Theatre Box Office at (814) 332-3414.

Former world heavyweight boxing champion “Smokin’ Joe” Frazier will be in Erie at a fundraiser for his foundation on Friday, April 20. The event, organized and hosted by students in the Master of Business Administration program at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, will raise funds to benefit Frazier’s newly established foundation, which is partnering with Erie’s Trinity Center to develop a boxing/wellness youth center in Erie. The event is open to the public and will be held in the Junker Center at Penn State Behrend. Doors open at 6 p.m., with the evening’s presentation starting soon after. A suggested donation of $10 per attendee will be collected at the door. For more information or reservations, e-mail joefrazier@psu.edu. More information about the foundation can be found at www.frazierfoundation.org. Information about Trinity Center can be found at www.bethesda-home.org/programs/trinity.htm.

The Erie Micro Brew Festival presented by WQLN will be held April 21 at Union Station at 14th and French Streets. There will be 2 sampling sessions 1-4 pm and 5-8 pm. All proceeds support public broadcasting and all PLCB laws apply. Attendees must be 21. Tickets will be available soon at many Erie area locations. Scheduled to attend are: The BrewErie at Union Station, The Erie Brewing Company, Southern Tier Brewing, Pennsylvania Brewery, Voodoo Brewery, The Flying Bison, Ellicottville Brewing Company, North Country Brewing Company, Hereford and Hops, Sprague Farm and Brew Works, The Buffalo Brew Pub, Magic Hat Brewing and the East End Brewing Company.

Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, will host an Admissions Open House for prospective undergraduate students on Saturday, April 21. The Open House begins at 10 am and continues through 1 pm. High school students and their families are invited to tour the campus and meet with representatives from the Sam and Irene Black School of Business, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, School of Science, and School of Engineering. Faculty will be available to lead laboratory tours and demonstrations and answer questions about the college’s 32 baccalaureate majors. All events are free, but advance registration is requested and can be made online here.

The first Misery Bay Region SCCA autocross is Sunday, April 22 at Penn State Behrend in Erie PA. Registration is at 8 am with first car on course about 10:30 am.

Increasing global engagement at Mercyhurst College, inviting the world on to campus and sending faculty and students out into the wider world, provides the focus for this year’s Academic Celebration, slated for April 22-25 and titled “Mercyhurst: The International Arena.” Fifteen events are scheduled, and all are free and open to public.

The concert band and jazz ensemble at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, will perform their “American Originals” program on Monday, April 23. The concert begins at 8 pm in the McGarvey Commons of the Reed Union Building. Admission is free.

The State of Pennsylvania’s Authorized Trade Representatives from Australia, Canada, and South Africa will be in Erie on April 24 to meet with regional companies to discuss their export opportunities in respective markets. Breakfast/ Registration begins at 8:30 am. To schedule one on one business meetings with the trade representatives, please contact Lori Moore or call (814) 677-4800 Ext 104. 30 min individual meeting appointments will run from 11 am -12 pm and 1 pm – 2:30 pm, lunch provided. The Northwest PA Regional Planning and Development Commission is sponsoring the event.

Most classical musicians refer to the Three Bs as Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms, but an upcoming performance at Mercyhurst College will showcase another Three Bs: the beloved American composer Leonard Bernstein, Eugene Bozza of France, and the Italian Ferruccio Busoni. The program concludes this year’s Faculty Recital Series sponsored by the D’Angelo Department of Music. It will feature Geoff Wands on clarinet and Nathan Hess on piano and is scheduled for Thursday, April 26, at 8 pm in Walker Recital Hall. The program is free and open to the public.

John Kanzius and Dr Steven Curley will be holding an informational symposium on the Kanzius cancer treatment on April 28 at 7pm at the Mercyhurst College Mary D`Angelo Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $10. For more information call Mercyhurst at (814) 824-3000.

The Tragically Hip play the Warner Theatre in Erie, Pa on May 18. Reserved seat tickets are $31.50.