A crudely made pipe bomb was found on the steps of the Erie County Courthouse. The Erie Police Bomb Squad blew up the device. The Erie County Sheriff’s Office and the Erie Police did a bang up job with the dangerous situation. Authorities were checking tapes of courthouse and Gannon University surveillance cameras in hopes of finding the person that left the device.

The victorian Dreamland Ballroom at Conneaut Lake Park burned down to the ground. The nearly 100 year old building is a complete loss.

I’m finally starting to see some figures on how the Erie real estate market did last year. The average price of a residential house in Erie County was $127,200 in 2006. And surprise, surprise. The average residential home price in Erie County went up 1.5 percent to $129,100. That’s really good considering the mortgage meltdown.
The median price using Greater Erie Board of Realtors (GEBOR) figures (Erie County and some in the surrounding areas of Crawford and Warren counties) went up 10.5 percent year over year from $95,000 to $105,000. That would indicate sales of older, lower priced homes were slower.
On Tuesday Jan 29, there were 1427 residential listings with GEBOR. On the same date a year earlier there were only 5 fewer. There is currently about a 5 month supply of homes in the inventory, about average. During last spring and summer there was about a 7 1/2 month supply.

Erie PA based Zurn Industries LLC, has completed its acquisition of the stock of GA Industries Inc for $76 million in a cash purchase. Cranberry, Pa based GA Industries has another plant in Mars, PA and owns the Rodney Hunt Company of Orange, Mass. Zurn itself is owned by Rexnord LLC.

Skate Erie Association got the OK to locate a skate park at Columbus Park in the Little Italy neighborhood.Now they just have to raise the money to build it. It’s going to be a huge draw. Kim Berdis should be congratulated on her efforts with Skate Erie. Kudos go to City Councilwoman Jessica Horan-Kunco for her support and Erie Mayor Joe Sinnott who got behind the project.

Mike Richwalsky, partner at Erie Blogs and assistant director for public affairs at Allegheny College, gets a ton of ink in the University Business Magazine article titled “Facebook Applications: The Game Changer?”

On January 30, the Erie PA based GMD Films production “Virgin Pockets” became available as a Movie Download to 3 Million Tivo subscribers, thanks to Amazon.com’s ‘Unboxed’ Network. That same day, the February Issue of National Pool Magazine “Billiards Digest” arrived in the mailbox of their over 20,000 subscribers – and GMD instantly sold out all remaining stock of “Virgin Pockets”.

MedAppz, the leader in Web-based electronic health record (EHR) applications, today announced that MedAppz iSuite 3.5 CCHIT Certified Ambulatory EHR software has been chosen by Medical Associates of Erie (MAE) to provide community-based electronic health records throughout Erie County, Pennsylvania. “Mid-sized communities need to have access to the same level of healthcare technology that larger cities and regional hospitals enjoy,” said Dennis M Styn, President of MAE. “And for us, choosing MedAppz iSuite 3.5 to connect the Erie practices was a no-brainer: MedAppz provides us with an integrated Web-based system that automates all our current processes, doesn’t require a huge technology investment, and is simple to learn and use.”
MAE, charged with finding the best medical technology for the community’s needs, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Millcreek Health System in Pennsylvania created to provide healthcare to the community and promote the advancement of medicine and education throughout the region. MAE employs specialists in Family Practice, Orthopedics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ophthalmology, Internal Medicine and General Surgery. The physicians in the group are also instructors and professors at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM). Medical Associates of Erie (MAE) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Millcreek Health System, which operates the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and School of Pharmacy, Millcreek Community Hospital and Millcreek Geriatric Education and Care Center. MAE is a multi-specialty group practice with over 75 employees, including 21 physicians, one optician and one nurse practitioner. Currently, offices are located in Erie, Edinboro, Girard, Albion, and Waterford. There are 12 locations overall throughout the county.

This is how some people get rich. John Twerdok and Daniel Brodland of Upper St Clair were at a church camp when they used a knife to cut a hot dog into the shape of a man.Then ALL the kids wanted one. Twerdok, being an engineer, and Daniel Brodland, being a business administration major, put their skills to work. They formed a partnership, did designs, received a patent and did market research. A friend told them to go to the Plastics Technology Center at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. The concept got help from the Ben Franklin Technology Partners. Erie PA based Omega Plastics cast the mold and is the manufacturer. The name of their product which cuts and forms hot dogs into a man is called the Frank Former. Production is now underway.

A warm welcome to Erie PA to the Cain family who will soon be moving from Salt Lake City. The Cains Adventures is their blog.

The Gannon men’s basketball team, ranked 15th in NCAA Division II, shot over 50 percent from the field for the third consecutive game and earned a tough 74-62 victory against visiting Saginaw Valley State Thursday night at the Hammermill Center. The Golden Knights improved to 18-2 with the victory, tying the best 20-game start in school history and doubling last year’s victory total in the process.

Trailing by two with 10 seconds left in regulation, Mercyhurst’s Terry Smith cooly sank two free throws to send the game into overtime. From there, T J Mathis scored six points, leading the Lakers a 74-68 overtime victory over visiting Northwood Thursday evening.

The Gannon women’s basketball team (12-8 ) returned home for the first time in 19 days and presented head coach Cleve Wright with his milestone 100th career coaching victory Thursday night at the Hammermill Center. The Lady Knights put five players in double digits in scoring and rolled to an easy 80-54 victory against Saginaw Valley State, snapping a four-game losing streak and improving to 7-1 at home.

The Mercyhurst women’s basketball team fell short in an upset bid of Northwood in a 68-67 loss Thursday. The game came down to the final possession when the Timberwolves got an offensive rebound and a basket with seven seconds left to steal a win from the Lakers. Amy Achesinski led the Lakers with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Paris Pugliese also contributed 14 points and seven rebounds.

Paul Cianfrini scored what turned out to be the game winner as the Erie Otters beat the Barrie Colts 5-3 in an Ontario Hockey League game played last night in front of 3,231 at the Barrie Molson Centre. Jordan Skellett, Luke Gazdic, Justin Hodgman and Ryan O’Reilly also scored for the Otters who ended a 10-game road losing streak and a 24-game road winless (0-22-2-1) streak with the victory. Erie also ended a five-game losing streak to improve to 11-35-2-1 on the season.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are now looking at Youngstown for the location of their NBA Development League franchise. Len Komoroski, Cavs president, made a presentation Thursday to Youngstown officials.

The Gannon women’s basketball team is asking the community to “Think Pink” on Saturday, Feb 9. That day, the Lady Knights’ home game against GLIAC rival Wayne State will serve as a special fundraiser for cancer research. The Lady Knights will recognize those who have survived breast cancer while also raising awareness. The team will show its support in several ways. During the game, scheduled to tip at 1 pm at the Hammermill Center, the women’s team will wear pink uniforms. In addition, 13 sets of pink jerseys will be auctioned off. Attendees can purchase official Think Pink t-shirts for $7 at the door, or in advance by contacting Lisa Wenner, associate director of admissions at Gannon, at (814) 871-7414. T-shirts also will be sold when Gannon plays Northwood University at the Hammermill Center at 1 pm on Feb 2. All proceeds will be donated to the Erie Unit of the American Cancer Society–Making Strides Against Breast Cancer; all funds raised stay local.
Team member Abby Bunstine, a junior pre-medicine major from Chillicothe, Ohio, knows all too well the importance of breast cancer awareness. Her mother, Lynn Bunstine, was recently diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer and is finishing chemotherapy treatments.
Admission to the Feb 9 game against Wayne State is FREE with tip-off scheduled for 1 pm. Following the women’s game, the Gannon men’s team will play Wayne State at approximately 3 pm. Whether or not you have been touched by cancer, Gannon’s basketball program encourages you to help “Fill the Mill” and support those who have by wearing pink and attending the games.

Paul Dunn was named assistant offensive line coach of the Atlanta Falcons. Dunn at one time was an assistant coach at Edinboro University.

Vinnie Durdella, a linebacker at Mayfield (OH) High School, committed to attend Edinboro.

The Erie Art Museum’s First Fridays program for preschool kids ages 3 to 6 is slated for Friday, Feb 1, 10-11 am at the Erie Art Museum, 411 State Street with activities inspired from the Museum’s Zoo.Logic exhibit. First Fridays is a special program for 3-6 year olds and their families. Led by Museum staff, children and adults explore the art right in the galleries with storytelling, art-making and music. Cost is $5 per child and free for families with an Erie Art Museum family membership. Participants meet at the Erie Art Museum Annex, 423 State Street. Space is limited. Please call ahead to reserve a place, (814) 459-5477.

Darkwood Consort, the world’s only touring viola and bass clarinet duo, brings an impressive repertoire spanning 10 centuries of music to its February performance at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. Darkwood’s concert takes place at noon on Thursday, February 7, in the McGarvey Commons of the college’s Reed Union Building. The performance is sponsored by Music at Noon: The Logan Series and admission is FREE to the public.

The 14th annual Sarah Backstrom Memorial Women’s and Girl’s Hockey Tournament will be held in Erie February 8-10, 2008. Admission is FREE to all games. About 1,000 young ladies plus family and friends will be in town for the weekend. Hotel rooms will be hard to come by and expect delays at restaurants. Who was Sarah Backstrom? She was a feisty red headed defensewoman who gave all off her love of the game and passion to play it to the Erie Lady Lions. Sarah fought every battle to the end, with passion and determination. The Erie Lady Lions lost Sarah to Leukemia but have never lost her spirit.

The Chautauqua-Lake Erie Wine Trail Wine and Chocolate Weekend will take place 10 am to 5 pm, Feb 9-10. Tickets, which can be purchased online or by phone, are $21 a person. None will be sold after Friday Feb 8. If you are unable to get tickets to the event, you can still visit the wineries for wine tastings, but you won’t get to sample the goodies and get the recipe cards.

The 6th annual “Spirit Against Cancer” Dance and Cheerleading Competition is scheduled for February 9 at 10 am in the Junker Center. “Spirit Against Cancer” was created in memory of Becky Hubler Decker. Her commitment to the community included serving as dance coach at Penn State Behrend, cheerleading coach at Edinboro University, she was captain of the Invaderettes dance team, and a member of the Buffalo Bills (Jills) dance team. All proceeds from this special event will benefit the American Cancer Society. For more information, please contact Assistant to the Director of Athletics, Stacy Pondo at (814) 898-6240 or by email at slp15@psu.edu.

The Association of Program Members (APM) of General Electric Transportation in Erie PA announced that it will be sponsoring the 13th Annual Winter Wishes Benefit Gala for the Foundation of Western Pennsylvania on February 16, 2008. Each year, the members of APM reach out to the community to collect donations for the silent auctions, live auctions and raffles that are held at the event. They also solicit “table sponsors” from local businesses. As a table sponsor, the business’ name appears on the centerpiece showing their support for this wonderful event as well as in any promotional materials that they put together for the function. The money raised with the auctioned items donated by local businesses will help provide funding for Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy. Community support of this event is recognition of the importance of this cause are greatly appreciated. Along with your assistance, GE will be able to make an impact on the day-to-day life of children whose lives are threatened.

Mark your calendars for Sunday, February 17 from 12:30-3:30 pm and/or 8-11 pm and get ready to “rock and bowl” with the Erie Playhouse Family at Eastway Lanes, 4110 Buffalo Road. The cost for a Family/Team (4 or 5 bowlers) for one session is $80. Individual bowlers are welcome – Adults $20 and $15 for children 12 and under. Teams registering by Feb 14 will recieve a $10 discount. The cost includes 3 games, shoes (no discount if you bring your own) and unlimited pop and pizza. A cash bar and additional food will be available. Contests and games of chance throughout each bowling session.

The 2008 Erie Home and Garden Expo will be held February 21-24 at the Erie Bayfront Convention Center. Hours: Thursday 4-9 pm, Friday 2-9 pm, Sat 10 am – 8:30 pm and Sun 11 am to 5 pm.

The 10th annual MECA Bar Stool Open will be held on Saturday February 23, 2008 in downtown Erie, PA. Entry fee is $100 per team of 4 golfers, $25 per person. Must be 21 years of age or older to participate. Click here to for the registration form.

Want a cure for the winter blahs? Got cabin fever? Come to the Community Board Game Night at Community United Church on Saturday Feb 23. Doors open at 7 pm, Games begin at 7:30 and end at 10 PM. Admission Donation: $2. Snacks and beverages will be provided. Under 18 years old must have guardian. This is an alcohol and smoke free event. Open to the public. We will play board games for groups such as Scruples, Pictionary, etc. Want to save on the admission? Bring grocery bags of empty recyclable aluminum beverage cans. For each bag, the admission will be reduced by 25 cents.

There will a fund raiser for Marine Sergeant Art Fuller on Saturday Feb 23 from 6 pm to 1 am at the North East Vet’s Club at 28 Vine Street in North East, PA. SGT Fuller suffered a stroke and is unable to return to work. The cost is $6 at the door which will cover food (chili, hot dogs and macaroni salad) from 6-9 pm. There will be a Chinese auction and cash bar available and the band Black Diamond will be playing from 9 pm – 1 am. SGT Fuller, an Iraq veteran, is from Corry Pa.

The 2008 Erie Outdoor Sport and Travel Expo will be held February 29 – March 2 at the Erie Bayfront Convention Center. Hours: Noon-9 pm Friday, 10 am-8 pm Saturday and 10 am-5 pm Sunday.

Erie CareerLink is hosting Crystal Reports Training in both introductory and advanced sessions on March 3-6. Info and Registration form. Crystal Reports is a business intelligence application used to design and generate reports from a wide range of data sources. Several other applications, such as Microsoft Visual Studio, bundle an OEM version of Crystal Reports as a general purpose reporting tool. Crystal Reports became THE report writer when Microsoft released it with Visual Basic.

Pennsylvania Sea Grant is sponsoring a FREE one and a half day workshop March 13-14 at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center in Erie. The workshop will provide an update and overview of current ballast water policy, legislation and research as it applies to the Great Lakes. Scientists, legal experts, legislators, industry personnel and agency staff will discuss the current state of ballast water policy, pending legislation, proposed ballast water treatment methods and evaluating the current risk of introduction and spread of AIS to Great Lakes ports by foreign and domestic ships. For Registration form email Karla Kaczmarek, or Marti Martz.

As the signature event for Young Erie Professionals (yep!), the Generation-E Leadership Awards recognize young professionals who are paving the way to the future of Erie, Pennsylvania. Yep! has honored 34 individuals over the past three years who not only have chosen to live, work, and play in the Erie area, but who have made a lasting impact on our region. The 2008 winners will be recognized the evening of Friday, March 28 at the Ambassador Banquet and Conference Center.

The GE (NYSE: GE) 2008 Annual Meeting of Shareholders will be held on April 23, 2008 in Erie, Pennsylvania at the Erie Bayfront Convention Center.

There will be a Rust Belt Bloggers Summit on July 11-12 in Erie. People from Youngstown, Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and other area cities will be attendance to discuss economic development issues in the region.

The Manufacturers’ Association and Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority annual Roar on the Shore motorcycle rally will be held July 17-20, 2008. While downtown Erie serves as the hub of the rally, related events take place throughout the city and region. Most notably, two outdoor concerts featuring major artists will be held Friday and Saturday, July 18 and 19, at Liberty Park along Presque Isle Bay.