Union workers at Erie Plastics have approved concessions by a count of 131 for and 34 against. These concessions will include a $2/hour pay cut, loss of 4 of their 12 vacation days and an increase in insurance premiums. This will allow the plant’s new owners to continue to operate the plant and keep the jobs in Corry. The company will be known as Wellington Products.
The sound you heard yesterday was both the markets crashing again and the price of oil going through the roof. Crude oil jumped $25 a barrel at one point yesterday on news of the government’s $700 billion bailout program. Oil closed at $122.60, up $18.05 after a late drop at the end of trading. We wonder how much more it will go up today. The record is $147.27.
We blogged last week about the English-Dahlkemper debate being held at Allegheny College. 3 other debates have been announced, including one October 2 at the Butler County Community College and another October 23 at WQLN (this will be televised). There will also be a debate in Sharon. Steven Porter has not been invited to the debates as he is not on the ballot. If the Pennsylvania Supreme Court rules on his ballot appeal, and he is on the ballot, we figure he will be official invited.He says he will attend though.
If you have an analog TV set or a digital converter and try to get WQLN over the air,
you may have noticed the signal is tough to get. It seems the very strong winds of last weekend damaged some equipment at the station. According to an anonymous source, an outside consultant is being called in to help get things back on line. Our source also says a local politician is angered and came to the station to protest the outage.
Scott Rittenhouse was sentenced to 6 months to 1 year in prison after being pleaded guilty of possessing child pornography on his laptop. He was a student at Gannon but was expelled last year.
Raise your hand if you’re starting to crave Fuhrman’s cider. Still no word on when the mill will be rebuilt – the bad credit markets have made it near impossible for the family to get a loan. Bummer. With no Fuhrman’s and Finney’s Pumpkin Farm closed, we’re not sure what to do this fall.
Erie Indemnity expects to book a third-quarter $2.4 million charge from its Lehman exposure, Erie Insurance Exchange anticipates a $12.2 million charge from its Lehman securities and Erie Family Life Insurance sees booking a $4.8 million charge on its Lehman holdings. Will our insurance premiums go up because of these losses?
Railpower Technologies Corporation, with its U.S. office located in Erie, announced the sale of two Eco-Motive locomotives to Union Pacific.
The Presque Isle Rotary Club is donating a personal dictionary to each 3rd Grade student in Millcreek and Fairview. David Mosier, a member of the club, will be distributing the dictionaries at Tracy School. The comprehensive dictionary contains: weights and measures, The Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, maps of the seven continents, information about the 50 states, biographies of the U.S. presidents, and facts about the planets in the solar system.
Sports
MLB: The Cleveland Indians beat the Boston Red Sox 4-3. Detroit and Pittsburgh were off for the day.
The Allegheny men’s soccer team suffered its second straight double-overtime defeat at Frank B. Fuhrer Field as it fell to Mount Union, 3-2.
The Mercyhurst men’s golf team is tied for 18th place after day one of the NCAA Great Lakes Fall Regional, hosted Sunday and Monday by Grand Valley State. The Allegheny College men’s golf “A” squad placed second overall and the “B” squad finished fourth at the Guy W. Kuhn Invitational, hosted by Allegheny at the Meadville Country Club.
Events
Rapper KRS-One (MySpace) will play at Erie’s Forward Hall on October 9. Tickets are $20 before the show, $22 at the door. They are available at Ink Assassins.
The Gannon University Small Business Development Center will sponsor a Business Plan Workshop 6-8 pm on Tuesday, September 23 and Tuesday, September 30. You must attend both sessions. Cost is $35. To register, call (814) 871-7232 or click here.
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.
