The Federal Highway Administration (FHA) rejected Pennsylvania’s application to make I-80 a toll road. A factor for why the FHA rejected the application is because it believed the money that would be paid to the state was not based on an objective market valuation. “There is simply no evidence that the lease payments are related to the actual costs of acquiring an interest in the facility,” said Tom Madison of the FHA. A Spanish company and a unit of Citigroup offered a $12.8 billion upfront payment to lease I-80 for the next 75 years. What now? While the turnpike commission scrambles to put together a new application the state needs to figure out where it will find other revenue for state transportation and other projects.

Brothers Thomas and Tam Jordan have been ordered to stand trial in the murder of Sabrina Kowal. Kowal was murdered in 1991 over drugs and money. They face first degree murder charges.

Governor Ed Rendell has said this week he will push to extend the rate caps currently in place for electric customers in PA. When the caps are set to expire in 2010, bills are expected to go up 50-60%.

WSEE HD is now available to Armstrong Cable and Time Warner Cable customers. It seems in their infinite wisdom Armstrong dumped KDKA-HD in favor of WSEE. If Mike loses his Steeler games in HD, he will be very upset. This week, the Browns and Steelers play each other Sunday night on NBC. WICU broadcasts in HD.

Steven Porter has formally appealed the ruling keeping him off the ballot this November.

We posted the other day about Good Morning America’s visit to Erie next week. We said you could go down and check it out but that’s incorrect. The event is invite only. We can just hear the sighs of disappointment. Sorry about the confusion.

Day one of the smoking ban has come and gone and we’re already seeing lawsuits. This time, its the owner of the Ballroom Bingo Hall on West Lake Road. The owner is asking for an injunction to allow smoking in her bingo hall. A judge will hear the case next week. Her claim is she will lose customers because of the ban. We don’t recall seeing similar claims or lawsuits when both Ohio and New York went smoke-free, and bars, restaurants and bingo halls continue to operate and do just fine.

The Campaign for Healthy Weight will make a stop in Erie this Saturday. The organization behind the campaign is rallying Americans behind the healthy weight cause and urging people to think more about their “health” instead of simply a number on the scale. The campaign is also sponsored in part by the Milk Processor Education Program which wants you to wear sexy clothing and sport a milk mustache.

Memorial services where held across the country yesterday including Somerset County, Pa. where the fourth plane involved in the 9/11 terrorist attacks crashed into a field near Shanksville. The 40 passengers and crew aboard Flight 93 that crashed in PA fought with the hijackers.

Movies opening this weekend: Burn after Reading, Righteous Kill, The Family That Preys, and The Women.

Sports

The Otters just couldn’t catch a break this pre-season. The Niagara IceDogs beat the Erie Otters 6-4 last night. The Otters close out the pre-season with a record of 0-4-1. The Otters play the London Knights next Friday, September 19th, which is another away game.

Major League Baseball: The Indians lost to the Orioles 6-3. The Pittsburgh Pirates were shut out by the Houston Astros 6-0. The Detroit Tigers were off for the day.

Events

Young professionals, business executives and civic leaders from across the state are invited to take part the Pennsylvania Young Professionals 2008 ImPAct Conference, being held beginning today and running through this Sunday, September 14 at Erie’s Bayfront Convention Center, 1 Sassafras Pier. This marks the first year the ImPAct Conference (Innovative Minds Creating Pennsylvania’s Tomorrow) will be held in northwestern Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Porcelain Artist Show and Annual Convention, “Attic Treasures,” starts today. Admission is free and the hours will be 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The last time this event was held in Franklin was in 2000.

The Albion Area Fair continues today at the Albion Boro Park and ends tomorrow, Saturday, September 13th. One of the nations oldest carousel, the Albion Area Carousel will be open, and a number of events ranging from pottery wheel demonstrations to tractor pulls will be held.

View this past Sunday’s comprehensive events list to see a list of events for the week and months ahead. If you would like your event posted here, please contact us via our online form.