A state grand jury is investigating former state Representative Linda Bebko-Jones and her staff for fraudulent nominating petition signatures. This is more than likely going to lead to criminal charges. Bebko-Jones quit her re-election campaign for an 8th term when she said she would not defend a petition challenge. A Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article by Dennis Roddy reports that the investigation began when former state Sen Anthony “Buzz” Andrezeski wrote a letter to Attorney General Tom Corbett complaining that his Mother’s signature was forged. What makes this so amazing is that Andrezeski was an adviser to the Bebko-Jones re-election campaign. And Andrezeski got the political career of Bebko-Jones going by hiring her as a staff member. Buzz just ain’t that bright. It appears much of the investigation is centering around Mary Fiolek, Bebko-Jones’ top aide and Bebko-Jones herself.

Today is my favorite day of the year. Love that extra hour of sleep. Make sure your clocks are turned back as Daylight Saving Time has ended. And change the batteries in your smoke detectors too.

Dan Rooney’s book “Dan Rooney: My 75 Years With The Pittsburgh Steelers and The NFL” comes out this week. Good story in it involving Erie. In 1939, the Chicago Bears and the then Pittsburgh Pirates played an exhibition game in Erie, PA. Art Rooney sent 6 year old Dan to knock on the door and interrupt the pep talk George Halas was giving to the Bears. Dan said his Father sent him to ask that the Bears take it easy on Pittsburgh. The players laughed. Pittsburgh won the game 10-9 for their first ever win over Chicago.

Kasey White of Bangor, NY bowled an 800 series with throwing a 300 game. His 803 series came on games of 277, 280 and 246. White is a native of Erie, PA.

The Pittsburgh Inn, 3725 W Lake Rd, changed hands on Friday. The building, liquor license and business was sold for $200,000.

In high school football, McDowell crushed Erie Central Tech 42-7.

The Erie, Pa, connection accounted for three-fourths of the Gannon goals and assists as the Golden Knights captured the inaugural Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Men’s Soccer Championship 2-0 Saturday night before 855 fans at Gannon University Field. Afrim Latifi (Erie, Pa/Cathedral Prep) scored the first goal off a header in the 38th minute, sending the Golden Knights to halftime with the momentum and a 1-0 lead. Bruce Stephen (Durban, South Africa/Westville Boys) recorded his first career assist on the play. Dan Howell (Erie, Pa/Iroquois) iced the match with his 11th goal of the season with 5:04 remaining, finishing a pass from Andrew Lorei (Erie, Pa/Cathedral Prep). Steven Boehmer (Dayton, Ohio/Carroll) recorded seven saves in the shutout victory. Gannon improved to 16-2-1. The Golden Knights now await word on a possible NCAA Division II Tournament bid. No automatic bid comes with the GLIAC Championship. The NCAA Tournament bids will be announced Monday, November 5.

The Penn State Behrend men’s soccer team had an outstanding performance in the 2007 AMMC Championship game, defeating the number one seeded Medaille Mavericks 2-1 in over-time. This marked the first AMCC title for the men’s team since 2003. The men will go on to play in the NCAA tournament next week. Game match-ups will be announced Monday afternoon.

The AMCC Women’s Soccer Championships took place Saturday, November 3 at the Behrend fields. The top seed Penn State Behrend Lions took on long time rivals 2nd seeded Frostburg State. The past ten AMCC titles have been split by only two teams, so it seemed only fit that these same teams square off for the 11th. Earlier this season the blue and white won a hard fought battle against the Bobacts, defeating them 1-0. The Behrend women would go on to claim victory again and their sixth AMCC title with a 2-1 win. With the win, the women’s soccer team will now go on to the NCAA tournament. Schedules and match-ups will be determined early this week.

Mercyhurst College senior quarterback Mitch Phillis threw five touchdown passes in his final game as a Laker but the University of Indianapolis battled back from a 17-point deficit to beat Mercyhurst 43-37 Saturday. The loss ended Mercyhurst’s season, its final one as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), with a record of 4-7 overall and 3-7 in the conference.

The Gannon football team lost to Northern Michigan 27-23. The Gannon team will finish 0-10 as they face Ashland (7-1) next week.

Trevor Harris’ record-breaking season continued on Saturday as the sophomore quarterback led Edinboro to a 49-30 win over visiting Clarion. The game was the APSCUF PSAC Game of the Week, with the victory boosting the Fighting Scots to 7-3 overall and 3-2 in the PSAC West.

The Air Force men’s hockey team rallied with five third period goals, including three within a 2:15 span early in the period, to defeat Mercyhurst 6-2 Saturday night and gain a split of their weekend series. Air Force improved to 4-2-0 overall and to 2-2-0 in Atlantic Hockey while Mercyhurst dropped to 1-6-1 and 1-2-1 respectively. The Falcons’ win marked the first success by the home team in the six games to date with the all-time series now knotted 3-3. The Lakers outscored the Falcons 5-3 Friday night for their first win of the season.

The Mercyhurst women’s volleyball team avenged a loss to Gannon earlier in the season, sweeping the Golden Knights in three straight games Saturday to conclude the season. Mercyhurst won 30-26, 30-28, 30-21 on Gannon’s home floor.

The Edinboro University wrestling team opened its season on Saturday with three wins in the Fighting Scot Duals. The Fighting Scots, ranked 16th in the USA Today/NWCA/ InterMat Top 25, debuted with a 35-3 win over Mercyhurst, followed by a pair of come-from-behind wins, 21-15 over Army and 19-15 against Maryland.

Mercyhurst’s Brian Pogel posted a 2-0 record, but the Lakers suffered three defeats at the hands of Division I squads Edinboro, Army and Maryland at the season opening Fighting Scot Duals Saturday afternoon.

Sophomore Margo Ekstrom (Erie, Pa/McDowell) won the both the 1M and 3M boards as Pitt’s women’s swimming and diving team improved to 3-0 on the season with a 140-89 victory over Cincinnati.

The Wooden Nickel Buffalo Farm huge cornfield maze which they call “Corn Stalking USA” is now open and runs through the end of November. Hours are Friday through Monday 10am – 10pm. Cost is $8 with kids age 6-12 getting in for $6 and 5 and under entering for free. For details call (814) 734-2833.

The Erie Playhouse production of Frankenstein runs through Nov 11.

Gannon University on Sunday, Nov 4 will host its annual Fall Open House. Students and their parents can attend an optional mass at 11 am in the Mary, Seat of Wisdom Chapel, 512 Peach Street. Registration will begin at 11:30 am in the lobby of the Waldron Campus Center, 124 West Seventh Street. Students can enter Scholarship Contests in eight academic disciplines: English, French, Spanish, German, Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, and Education. Contest winners are eligible for annual scholarships up to $3,000 should they decide to enroll at Gannon. For more information on Fall Open House, contact the Gannon University Office of Admissions at (814) 871-7240, or 1-800-GANNON-U.

Erie Art Museum Contemporary Music Series Presents: Michael Cooney Concert: Sunday, November 4, 2007 at 3 pm at the Erie Art Museum Annex, 423 State Street. FREE admission (suggested concert donation $10) Michael Cooney has an encyclopedic knowledge of American and British folk songs, plenty of charisma, a truckload of instruments, and rarified musical skill. Anyone who revels in good storytelling, dry wit, the ironic twists and turns of human fate and history, and clean, unpretentious vocals and fret work will love Michael Cooney. Workshops: Monday, November 5, 2007 at 1 and 7 p.m. Erie Art Museum Annex . 423 State Street FREE admission Michael Cooney will present workshops featuring one of his favorite topics – folk and novelty songs written by and about scientists in conjunction with their Ancient Microworlds exhibit. This workshop is appropriate for all ages that enjoy word play, science and the dark humor of academe.

The Erie Area Film Makers present the First “Films For Food”
Drive to benefit The Second Harvest Food Bank of Erie, Pa. The event, being held November 9-10 at the Historical Roadhouse Theater in Erie, PA, features 24 Continuous Hours of films produced by Erie Area Film Makers. Admission to the Theater is simply a Donation to the Second Harvest Food Bank in the form of cash or a non-perishable food item. Films to be featured include “Fist Of The Vampire” by Len Kabasinksi, “Chasing Darkness” by Jason Hull, “Virgin Pockets” by Paul Gorman as well as the World Premiere of “Aspiring Psychopath” by Ryan Cavalline plus films by local favorites Dustin Austin, Monster Mark, Matt Detisch, Lisa Seelinger and many more. Many of the Film Makers will be on hand with members of their cast and crew to accept donations at the Theater. Todd Humes (“Chasing Darkness”), Marie Madison (“Virgin Pockets”) and Shannon Solo (“Wolf At The Door”) will be among the many local Actors and Actresses on hand to accept donations. This event is designed to put focus on the local issues of poverty, homelessness and hunger during the Thanksgiving Holiday when far too many families in our community go without enough food. And absolutely no one will be turned away. The event’s organizer and local Film Maker Paul Gorman explains. “Poverty is one of the issues we’re dealing with locally. If there’s anyone in the community who couldn’t afford to attend a local film during the year, now is a great opportunity to do so. Even with the relatively low cost of ticket prices here in town, many families are still unable to afford tickets to our shows. This is one of the ways the film makers here are offering a remedy. Anyone with a donation of any kind will be let into the screenings. And if someone comes down who just can’t afford a donation, well, they’ll be let in too. Keep in mind that films like Len Kabasinki’s “Swamp Zombies” and Jason Hull’s “Chasing Darkness” sold out during their initial releases here in Erie so here’s another opportunity to see these great films and make a much needed contribution to our community.” The first screening begins at 7:30 pm on Friday November 9th and will continue through 8 pm Saturday night when our last film is screened. After, The Great Lakes Film Association is hosting a Wine and Cheese Reception for the Erie Area Film Makers that’s open to the public, so anyone interested can come meet the Film Makers and learn a bit more about the growing, vibrant film community in Erie, PA. For a complete schedule of films, please visit Films For Food at www.myspace.com/filmsforfood. For more information on the event, or to make a contribution, you may contact Paul Gorman at gmdfilms@verizon.net or by phone at (814) 572-1461. This event is made possible by generous contributions from The Roadhouse Theater, Hagen Business Machines, The Great Lakes Film Association as well as the Film Makers, Casts, Crews and Technicians in the Erie Area Film Community.

The associate degree in nursing program at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, will hold an admissions information session for prospective students on Monday, Nov 12. The event begins at 6 pm in 101 Otto Behrend Science Building. It is free and open to both traditional and adult students.

The Hot Club of San Francisco, an ensemble of accomplished and versatile musicians celebrating the music of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli’s pioneering Hot Club of France, will perform at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, on Thursday, November 15. Hot Club of San Francisco is brought to Erie by Music at Noon: The Logan Series. The lunchtime performance is FREE and open to the public, and takes place at noon in the McGarvey Commons of the college’s Reed Union Building.

“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” will be shown at the Roadhouse Theatre, 145 West 11th St, on Thursday Nov 15 at 8 pm. Proceeds benefit the Great Lake Film Association.

Do you want to know how to expand your sales to the European markets? Learn about product regulatory aspects for goods entering the EU. Understand the importance of Exhibitions in the EU and how trade shows weigh into the overall concept of doing business in the EU. The Northwest Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission is holding a workshop in Mercer on Nov 15. Cost is $35. To register please contact Lori Moore, or phone (814) 677-4800 Ext 104.

The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) Student Scholarship Auction Committee has announced that the College will hold the 14th Annual Student Scholarship Fund Auction at the new Erie Bayfront Convention Center on Friday Nov 16 with the purpose of providing scholarships to their students. The program opens at 6 pm with a silent auction, followed by dinner at 7 pm and a live auction at 8 pm. For reservations contact the LECOM Communications Office (814) 866-8125 or (814) 860-5125. You may also send a request for ticket information by Email: communications@lecom.edu. RSVP by November 2.