In an extremely unfortunate accident, 88-year-old thoroughbred trainer John Wilson was killed at Presque Isle Downs and Casino when a horse he was tending to reared up and kicked him in the head. He was taken by ambulance to Hamot Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead on Saturday night.
Cara Milani, who was injured in a house explosion in Greene Township earlier last month, has passed away. She was receiving treatment in Pittsburgh for her injuries. Memorials may be made in her memory to the Cara L. Milani Nursing Scholarship Fund in care of any Northwest Savings Bank. Friends may call at the Russell C. Schmidt & Son Funeral Home, 5000 Wattsburg Road, Erie, corner of East Gore Rd. and Pine Ave., Monday 7 to 9 p.m. and Tuesday 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. and are invited to services there on Wednesday morning at 10:00 a.m.
When driving area roads and highways, please be sure to watch for deer. The Pennsylvania Game Commission recently issued a warning for drivers to watch for deer, and Erie Insurance did the same last week. According to Erie Insurance car collisions with deer cause more than 200 deaths and tens of thousands of injuries, and $1.1 billion in property damages. About one in every 100 drivers is likely to have a collision with a deer.
Gannon University has opened their new academic complex in the former Verizon building. The building, the Morosky Academic Center, will house the health and medical studies departments. 24% of Gannon students are studying health sciences. Between that and LECOM, Erie’s becoming quite the medical and health training leader in the country.
St. Vincent has opened their new state-of-the-art NICU. The $2.8 million project will be bigger, allowing more family to visit as well as 19 pods, offering some additional privacy.
Fall is upon us and the leaves will be changing color soon. This might be a good time to strap on those hiking boots and visit the Erie Bluffs State Park and the Roderick Wildlife Reserve. Colors will probably be in their full glory in mid-October and early to mid-October closer inland. FallinPa.com has more information for PA road trips this time of year.
Congressman Phil English’s office announced that student who are interested in attending the a military academy must have their applications submitted to the congressman by October 27. Nominations can be made by English, Senators Casey or Specter, the President, or Vice President. A nomination does not guarantee an appointment or an offer of admission into a military academy.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has been trying to buy easements from property owners bordering Elk creek and smaller streams. The easements would allow the public to fish in more creek water. Once the project nears completion, the Commission will roll out an online map of where the easements are located so fishermen can take advantage of the available stream access. Mercyhurst College is one of those property owners and has offered to sell an easement to the Commission for $1.
Sports
The Erie Otters opened their home schedule with a win against the Kitchener Rangers. The 4-0 shutout marked the first shutout for an Otters goaltender since the 2004-05 season. Erie is now 2-2 for the season. The Otters are at home both Friday and Saturday this week, facing Plymouth and London, respectively.
NFL: The Bills beat the St. Louis Rams 31-14, continuing their undefeated season at 4-0. AFC East = stunned. The Browns finally got their first win of the season, beating the also-winless Cincinnati Bengals 20-12. The Pittsburgh Steelers play Baltimore tonight on ESPN.
MLB: Except for one game tonight (and possibly one more tomorrow), the regular season for Major League Baseball has come to a close. Teams competing in the post-season: Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Miluakee Brewers, Anaheim Angels, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays and either the Chicago White Sox or the Minnesota Twins. Detroit can play the spoiler, playing the White Sox this afternoon in a make-up game. A Chicago loss gives the Twins the AL Central crown and a ticket to the playoffs. Detroit beat Tampa Bay on Saturday 4-3 but lost on Sunday 7-8. Cleveland beat the White Sox on Saturday 12-6 but lost to them on Sunday 5-1. The Pittsburgh Pirates lost to the San Diego Padres on Saturday 3-2 but won Sunday 6-1. The Pirates are a joke.
College football: Wins all around for local college favorites. Penn State beat Illinois 38-24. The 5-0 Nittany Lions are ranked #6 both the AP and USA Today polls. They take to the road to face Purdue next week.
Other scores:
Pittsburgh 34 Syracuse 24
Gannon 31 Clarion 24
Edinboro 31 Lock Haven 0
Mercyhurst 34 Slippery Rock 10
Allegheny 24 Oberlin 13
Events
The Girard-Lake City Chamber of Commerce will hold “Meet the Candidate” luncheons with 3rd District Congressional candidates Kathy Dahlkemper and incumbent Representative Phil English. The first luncheon will be held on Wednesday, October 1, 2008 with Dahlkemper, and on Wednesday, October 15th with Representative English. Both events will be held at Hunter Jacks Restaurant with a buffet style lunch will be served promptly at noon for both meeting, cost is $8.00 per person. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (814) 774-3535.
The 7th Annual Great Lakes Open Tae Kwon Do Championships will be held Saturday, October 11th, beginning at 10 a.m. The event will be held at the Junker Athletic Center at Penn State Behrend.
Northwest Pennsylvania Middle School Association celebrates the Month of the Young Adolescent with a Fall Conference “Taking the Sting Out of Cyber Bullying” on Thursday, October 16, 2008. The even is open to the public but geared toward parents with middle school children and will be held at the Walnut Creek Middle School, 5901 Sterrettania Road Registration beginning at 6:30 p.m. The Internet and a myriad of other digital media have given bullies more immediate and direct ways to harass and intimidate other children. The presentation will focus on awareness, solutions, and resources in identifying and dealing with Cyber Bullying among teenage adolescents.
The NPAECT Connect Communicate and Collaborate conference with feature several technology-related & Web 2.0 topics in a hands-on, relaxed environment. Special guests include Discovery Education. The event will be held October 18th, 2008 at the Wattsburg Middle School. Visit the official website for more information.
There will be a benefit honoring Virginia (Peebles) Russell on November 1st, 2008 at the Perry Hi-Way Hose Company from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. Virginia has been battling breast cancer for 4 years and is currently undergoing her 3rd round of chemotherapy. Medical bills are continuously piling up so your support and attendance is appreciated. There will be a Chinese auction, handmade quilt raffle, 50-50 drawing, bake sale, games for adults & children, refreshments, and various other entertainment. Tickets are $5.00 and can be purchased at the door or in advance by calling Pam Prinzi at (814) 459-6597.
The Northwest PA Choral Festival will be held in November in celebration of the founding of the Young People’s Chorus of Erie (YPC). The YPC is the only countywide, comprehensive youth chorus program in northwestern Pennsylvania. The choral festival will be held on the Penn State Behrend campus on Saturday, November 1. Public and private school teachers in Erie County and throughout the region of northwest Pennsylvania are invited to participate in this inaugural event. For more information including how to register, visit the official website.
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.
