A 21 year old inmate at the Erie County Prison hanged himself with a bed sheet. He was being held on two indecent assault charges.
Presque Isle Downs and Casino is sure making a splash with their first thoroughbred racing meet. The average daily purse will be $432,400 a day. That will be the second highest in the country with only Saratoga being higher. All 525 house stalls have been taken. Live horse racing begins September 1 with races Wednesday through Monday throughout the month of September. In 2008, the track expects to offer about 100 nights of racing from late spring through early fall.
This year Presque Isle Downs will offer an inaugural 25 night meet which runs from Sept 1-29. Presque Isle Downs will offer eight races per program on a Wednesday – Monday schedule with post time at 5:30 pm. The stakes schedule, at about $1.7 million, includes the $400,000 Presque Isle Downs Master Stakes for fillies and mares at six furlongs Sept 15. The Sept 15 card will include the $175,000 Presque Isle Mile for 3 year olds and up at one mile, and the $175,000 Karl Boyes Memorial Northwestern PA Stakes for 3 year olds and up at 5 1/2 furlongs. Pennsylvania HBPA president Joe Santanna stated that the purses for the first Presque Isle Downs meet will be the highest in Pennsylvania racing history. For its final meet 20 years ago, Erie Downs offered 79 days of racing with an average purse of $1,500.
Vanessa Schultz ran away from her Erie PA home on Jun 26, 2006. She is still missing. The 17 year old is 5′ 2″ and weighs 110 lbs. Her date of birth is Sep 13, 1989. She may be in the company of an adult male. They may still be in the local area or they may be in the Meadville, Pa area. Vanessa’s ears are pierced and she has a mole on her left cheek. She may go by the name Vanessa Lynn. Anyone having information should contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (800-843-5678) or Erie Police at (814) 870-1125.
Linda Sekhon has been named president of the Pennsylvania Society of Physician Assistants. Sekhon has a BS in physician assistant from Gannon University in Erie; Master’s degree in medical science from St Francis University. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physician Assistant at Duquesne University
The Erie SeaWolves dropped their second straight ballgame against the Connecticut Defenders on Saturday night 8-3. The SeaWolves and Defenders wrap up their three game series on Sunday afternoon at Dodd Stadium as the SeaWolves look to avoid a three-game sweep…2:05 First Pitch. RHP Dallas Trahern (10-6, 3.63 ERA) takes the mound for the ‘Wolves.
At Boxing at the Ball Park, 14th ranked Sugar Ray Narh (21-1, 18 KOs) knocked out Luis Bolano (41-9, 31 KOs) at 1 minute and 52 seconds of the first round. Heavyweight Rocky Mullooly 2-0 of Erie, PA stopped Akron, Ohio’s William Ullinger 0-1 in the first round. Heavyweight Nick Firtha (11-4-1) of Akron stopped Carlton Johnson (15-14) of Portsmouth, VA in the fourth round. Jr Middleweight Paul Scianna (3-1) of Livingston, NJ stopped Jay Washington (2-9-1) of Philadelphia in the fourth round. Cleveland Heavyweight Jabir Basit (0-0-1) and Cleveland Heavyweight Aaron Harris (1-1-1) settled for a no contest after Harris could not continue after an accidental head butt. Boxing at the Ball Park was promoted by Michael Acri Boxing Promotions and the Erie Seawolves.
Jovan Johnson (Erie Mercyhurst Prep) will get plenty of playing time for the Pittsburgh Steelers tonight as they take on New Orleans in the Hall of Fame game.
The Knights of Columbus Council 4262 will be holding a pancake breakfast to benefit the family of a North East house fire. The breakfast will be at St Gregory School Gym today, Sunday August 5 from 8-11 am. Cost is $7 adults, $3.50 children.
The Battles Museum will be the backdrop for Battle for the Yellow House, a Civil War encampment and battle re-enactment August 5. Scheduled in conjunction with Dan Rice Days, the re-enactment is expected to bring in approximately 200 re-enactors. Battle for the Yellow House will include open camp hours, drilling and firing demonstrations, two battles, candlelight tours, a Sunday morning church service and a book signing. Battle Re-Enactments will be held Sun at 2 pm. For additional information, please call (814) 454-1813 Ext 24.
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.
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 Motorcycle, Car, Boat and Truck show called the Lake Erie Classic will be held today at Erie International Airport, Tom Ridge Field.
Capture the magic of summer with PotterPalooza, a fun filled summer camp for young wizards in training. Five days of classes and activities include Astronomy, Potions, Transfiguration, Magical Crafts and More. August 6-10 at the Erie County Historical Society Watson-Curtze Mansion, ages 5-13. Call (814) 454-1813 Ext 24 for additional information.
The Manufacturers’ Association and Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority released a schedule of events, parking and shuttle information, as well as rules and restrictions for the Liberty Park-Pepsi Amphitheater, which will go into effect August 10-12 for the first Roar on the Shore bike rally benefiting the John Kanzius Cancer Research Fund.
The rally kicks off Friday, August 10, with registration for the Bringing in the Roar bike parade at 3 pm at Presque Isle Downs and Casino, located off Interstate 90 Exit 27 in Summit Township. At approximately 5:30 pm, the parade led by grand marshal Peter Fonda will make its way north on Perry Highway (Route 97) and Glenwood Park Avenue (Route 505) to State Street in Erie. The bike parade continues north on State Street, then west on the Bayfront Parkway to Liberty Park. Please note: No one under 18 will be allowed entry to the park unless accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
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.
