Six month old Devlin Peters died in a fire in Columbus, just outside of Corry, PA. Your heart just has to ache for the family. As soon as the 911 call was made neighbors and construction workers doing a project at nearby Columbus Elementary School tried to save the child by using garden hoses and buckets of water from a swimming pool. They could hear the baby crying. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Excellent job by Eden who appeared “The O’Reilly Factor” last night. She filed a suit against Universal because they wanted a video she shot taken off of YouTube. Copyright stuff. The Prince song “Let’s Go Crazy” was playing on a boombox in the background. It was a 29 second clip. Maybe I’m wrong but song clips under 30 seconds are usually allowed without having to pay a royalty. All bumper music is under 30 seconds and broadcasters know this. I remember reading that Apple has an agreement with the major music companies that allows podcasters to play 30 second clips in their shows.
For more on this see Erie Blogger Making Headlines Around the World by Mike and her blog So anyway….
Another Erie Blogger, Sc0t, recently served a 5 month sentence in federal prison for conspiracy to commit copyright infringement and criminal copyright infringement in violation of the Family Entertainment Copyright Act from his involvement in the BitTorrent peer-to-peer (P2P) network previously known as Elite Torrents.

Pamela Jane Weir-Graham of Rochester NY was arrested for stealing $27,617 from the Greater Erie Youth Symphony Orchestra. The former director used a credit card issued to the group for personal expenses.

Inventor John Kanzius will share the latest updates on his groundbreaking cancer research project to area business and community leaders, during the Manufacturers’ Association’s monthly Eggs ‘n’ Issues briefing, Tuesday, July 31, at the Manufacturers’ Association of Northwest Pennsylvania Conference Center, 2171 West 38th Street at 8 am. To register for this briefing, contact Tracy Shepard at 814/833-3200, 800/815-2660 or click here to register on the Association’s web site. Cost is $30 for members, $60 for non-members.
Based in Erie, Kanzius, a former broadcast executive and engineer, invented a radio wave technology that shows great promise for a non-invasive treatment and cure for cancer. “There have been a lot of exciting developments with the project and this briefing will give the business community a better understanding of the progress that has been made.” said Ralph Pontillo, Manufacturers’ Association president. “This research has the potential to dramatically grow the Erie economy.” The Kanzius Non-invasive Radio Wave Treatment is a potential cancer therapy that uses high-energy radio waves to destroy cancer cells that have been “tagged” with nano particles. Nano particles attached to cancer cells are heated by radio waves to a temperature, which destroys the cancer cells. The technique is non-invasive, and can be provided without the need for auxiliary chemotherapy or radiation. Intensive and promising technological research about the Kanzius Radio wave Treatment is currently under way at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the Mayo Clinic and other American medical centers.
The Manufacturers’ Association is partnering with the Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority to present the Roar on the Shore motorcycle rally, August 10-11, to raise funds for Community United for a Cancer Cure, the Erie-based group, working to help fund the Kanzius research. For more information on the event visit www.roarontheshore.com.

Erin Cafferty has received the Gold Award, the highest honor given by the Girl Scouts of the United States of America. Erin, 18, showed appreciation for US military veterans by organizing the making of 12 lap quilts that were donated to a Veterans Affairs convalescent center and by inviting a jazz quartet to play at the center. She is a member of Troop 736, a biology freshman at Pennsylvania State University and the daughter of Karen and Gerard Cafferty of Erie, Pa.

Deborah Wheeler has been hired as the Assistant Superintendent of the Brookfield (CT) school district. Dr Wheeler earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Edinboro University, a master’s degree in early childhood education and a sixth-year certificate from Southern Connecticut State University and a doctoral degree from the University of Hartford.

The Erie SeaWolves won their fifth straight game on Friday night as they took down the Harrisburg Senators 8-7 at Jerry Uht Park. The two teams play again tonight at 7:05 in Erie.

Mercyhurst College has promoted Craig Barnett to be the school’s new athletic director effective August 31. Barnett replaces long-time Athletic Director Pete Russo, who announced his retirement on June 22 and will leave the position on August 31. Barnett spent two years at Mercyhurst from 1991-93 and returned as the school’s associate director of athletics on Dec. 5, 2006. He then became the acting director of athletics when Russo announced his retirement. During his first stint at the school, he was an assistant men’s hockey coach and the Mercyhurst Ice Center director. Barnett was the goaltender for the Erie Panthers of the ECHL during the 1989-90 and 1990-91 seasons.

Hillary Pattenden has accepted a hockey scholarship from Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania. The 16 year old goaltender plays for the Richmond Steelers Senior AAA women’s team.

Discover Presque Isle will be held today and Sunday at Presque Isle State Park. No matter what your age or interests, there is something for everyone. Admission and parking are FREE.

Gannon University’s Schuster Theatre presents the 4th Annual Shakespeare Summer Nights with performances outdoors on the Friendship Green located near the Gannon Arch on West 7th Street. Shakespeare’s magically, romantic fantasy, The Tempest directed by Paula Barrett will wrap up its run July 27th. The mysteriously, deceptive tragedy Macbeth with a modern twist is directed by Zach Flock, with a final performance July 28th. All performances begin at 7:30 pm, and are FREE and open to the public. For more details, call (814) 871-7493.

Scott and Kim McClelland take the stage together this summer for the first time since 1996. The McClelland’s met 20 years ago in the summer of 1987 at the Erie Playhouse. As a way of celebrating their life in the theatre, they have created “Lovers Haters and Others.” The Roadhouse Theatre show is homage to the great love affairs written for the stage. Classic and poetic love stories will be paired with epic vicious battles between famous characters from theatrical history. “Lovers Haters and Others” runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm through August 4. Admission: $8 (student), $10 (regular), $12 (riser) and $15 (VIP) Box Office Phone: (814) 456-5656.

The comedy “Moonlight and Magnolias” about the making of Gone With The Wind is being performed at the Erie Playhouse tonight and July 27-29. Showtimes are 7:30 pm with a 2 pm Sunday matinee.

The Wattsburg Erie County Battle of the Bands and Music Festival will be held Friday evening July 27 and Saturday July 28 at the Erie County Fairgrounds.

The Native American Festival will be held at the Wooden Nickel Buffalo Farm 11 am – 6 pm daily July 28-29. Admission is $3 per person, 3 and under are FREE. Parking is by donation to the Edinboro Lions Club. Opening ceremonies at 12 Noon each day. Intertribal dancing all day with special dancers performing at 1pm, 2pm, and 5pm.

The Counting Crows, Live and Collective Soul will play a concert at Jerry Uht Park in Erie, PA on July 31 as part of “The Rock ‘n’ Roll Triple Play Ballpark Tour.” Tickets can be purchased at the SeaWolves box office at Jerry Uht Park and on SeaWolves.com. Children under 12 get in FREE with each paid adult ticket holder.

The Motorcycle, Car, Boat and Truck show called the Lake Erie Classic will be held August 3-5 at Erie International Airport, Tom Ridge Field.

The 15th Annual Erie Art Museum’s Blues and Jazz Festival, the largest jazz and blues event in the Erie region, is a 2 day Festival held August 4 and 5 at Frontier Park in Erie, Pa. Bring a blanket or lawn chair. A variety of festival fare will be available from local vendors and restaurants. Admission to all Festival events is free.
Saturday August 4 – 12 pm One World Tribe with the UpRise African Drum and Dance Ensemble, 2 pm Familiar Spirit Band, 4 pm Geoff Achison, 6 pm Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials, 8 pm Junior Brown
Sunday August 5 – 12 pm Gem City Jazz Band, 2 pm Cats A Bear, 4 pm Babik, 6 pm Stew Cutler Trio, 8 pm Rashied Ali Quintet
Ongoing: WQLN Kids Tent, Festival Fare, LEAF Arboretum Tours/Green Tag

The Lake Erie Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association will host its 2007 steak fry on Saturday, August 4, at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. The annual event, which will be held at the Wilson Picnic Grove on the campus of Penn State Behrend, begins with a social hour at 5 pm, followed by the dinner’s signature “grill your own” steak fry at 6 pm. The fund-raiser is open to all Penn State alumni. Proceeds benefit the Lake Erie Chapter’s Robert W Sparks scholarship fund, which has awarded more than $55,000 to local students in the past 16 years. Tickets for the annual steak fry fund-raiser are $19 per person. For more information or to RSVP, contact Phil Mobilia, president of the Lake Erie Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association, at 814-725-1999 (home) or 716-483-7219 (office), or via e-mail at Phil.Mobilia@psualum.com. Please respond by July 30. Visit www.behrend.psu.edu/alumni for more information about the Lake Erie Chapter or to become a member.

The Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania 25th Anniversary Celebration will be held Saturday, August 4 at the Erie Bayfront Convention Center. Tickets are $35. RSVP by July 27.

Representatives of the waterfowl organizations, individual sportsmen and the public are invited to attend a briefing on Friday, Aug 10, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Northwest Pennsylvania Duck Hunters Association, on the status of Atlantic Flyway waterfowl populations and proposed preliminary federal frameworks for the 2007-08 hunting seasons. The briefing will begin at 1 pm, in Room 112 of the Tom Ridge Education Center at Presque Isle State Park in Erie.

The Erie Chamber Orchestra, in residency at Gannon University and under the direction of Bruce Morton Wright, will perform its 24th annual summer concerts entitled “Music in the Air” on the campus of Villa Maria Academy, 2403 West 8th Street Erie, PA. On Friday, August 10 they will perform a Classical Music Night and on Saturday, August 11 they will perform a Pop Music Night. Both concerts will be performed at 8 pm. The concerts are FREE of charge, with seating and are on a first come, first served basis. There will have a number of chairs at the site, but you are encouraged to bring your own chairs or blankets. In the case of rain, these concerts will be performed in the auditorium of Villa Maria Academy.

Titled “Local Government and the Erie Economy,” the 2007 Economic Research Institute of Erie (ERIE) conference will address topics relevant to Erie and its surrounding communities, including the debate about consolidating the area’s local governments and the smoking ban. The institute’s sixth annual conference will be held on August 14, in McGarvey Commons, located in the Reed Union Building at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. The cost to attend this year’s conference is $149 and includes printed materials, breakfast and lunch. A reduced rate of $75 is available for nonprofit, government and economic development officials. For more information or to register for the conference, call (814) 898-7149.