This was the view for a large amount of Erie and Crawford Counties yesterday. Corry seems to be the hardest hit. Schools were cancelled and large amounts of the town were without power. We don’t think we’d like to be without power on a day like that.  A number of other towns across Western Pennsylvania are also reporting power outages due to the storm.

Speaking of Corry, police in the area are looking for a man who pulled over a woman, identified himself as a polic officer and searched her car with a German Shepherd. The problem is the man wasn’t a police officer, and he hasn’t been seen since.  Weird.

ErieBlogs own Mike will be manning the phones as part of WQLN’s Collegiate Challenge this morning from 8 to 9:30 a.m.  Feel free to call him and donate to WQLN, which is a great community resource. If you call Mike and mention ErieBlogs.com, you will get a prize from Mike personally (this is independent of WQLN’s gifts and membership perks). If you blog, we’ll mention it specifically in tomorrow’s post.

Pittsburgh’s public television will air The Gardens of Pennsylvania tonight and will feature the Erie Zoo and Botanical Gardens along with other gardens from across the state.  We couldn’t confirm whether WQLN will carry this program. 

Governor Sarah Palin will be in Erie today for a rally at 3:15 p.m. at the Bayfront Convention Center. Palin is expected to be onstage at about 4:15 p.m. Officials expect 8,000 people. We recommend parking far away and walking or taking the bus. If you’re going and taking pictures or video, let us know so we can post them.

The most recent InsiderAdvantage poll shows Obama up by 8 in PA and the last Rasmussen poll also shows Obama up here by 7 points. Former US Senator Tom Daschle was in Erie last week campaigning for Obama, as was Governor Ed Rendell with Ted Kennedy, Jr.

The only state ballot question next week will ask voters if they support a $400 million investment to repair old water systems to provide safer, better drinking water. This will include repairing old systems and waste water treatment plants.

The Erie Community Foundation will hold a reception today at the Children’s Advocacy Center. The Foundation will award $245,276 to 16 local agencies. Among the organizations receiving funds are Dr. Barclay’s Camp for Children with Diabetes, Gaudenzia Erie, Safe Kids Erie, St. Paul’s Neighborhood Free Clinic and the Children’s Advocacy Center.

Rubin Swift, 34, of Erie has been arraigned on charges he raped a young girl in 2006 and 2007 when the girl was 11 years old. Swift, already in jail, was a fugitive last year before being found in Cleveland. He ran for mayor in 2004.

Not that there are any left in Erie, but Value City has filed for Chapter 11 bankrupcy protection. It’s expected the rest of the stores will close–including the Meadville location, which was given a stay of execution last year.

The Michael Joyce trial continues. Yesterday, two witnesses testified they saw Joyce golfing and scuba diving after his 2001 auto accident.

An article authored by Gannon University President Antoine M. Garibaldi, Ph.D., will be published in The Sphinx, the nation’s second-oldest African-American publication still in existence. The article, titled “The Educational Status of African American Males in the 21st Century,” originally was published in December 2007 in The Journal of Negro Education. That issue of The Journal of Negro Education was its special 75th Anniversary issue.

The Erie Art Museum has introduced a new “green” membership level for new and renewing Museum members. The cost of a “green” membership is an additional $10 to the basic levels of membership (basic membership levels: senior & student $20, individual $35 and family $65). The extra $10 is to provide seed money for the Museum to move forward with other green efforts in programming, education and building operations.

Sports

The Phillies won the World Series last night, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3, with the series record of 4-1. Yankees, Red Sox, Rays, Indians, Pirates, etc. = stunned.

Many sporting activities, like some D10 playoff games, were cancelled last evening due to weather. The will be made up tonight and Friday.

The Erie Otters traded Kelly Geoffrey and a draft pick in next year’s priority draft to Kingston in exchange for a 3rd round pick next year.

The Edinboro University men’s cross country team dropped to 12th in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA Division II Cross country Preseason National Rankings. The women also dropped one spot to 13th.

The Mercyhurst College men’s soccer team is rated No. 4 in the Atlantic Region, according to the latest poll by the NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer Committee. The top four teams in each region at the end of the regular season qualify for the NCAA tournament.

The Mercyhurst women’s volleyball team snapped its longest losing streak of the season, defeating Lake Erie College 27-25, 25-14, 20-25, 25-23 Wednesday evening.

The Allegheny College women’s volleyball team dropped a 3-1 (25-19, 21-25, 16-25, 22-25) decision at Hiram to fall to 14-15 overall, 10-5 in the North Coast Athletic Conference.

Events

The Gem City Concert Band will host a free concert on November 6 at 7:30 p.m. at the Blasco Library. Here’s a flyer.

Wednesday, November 5th the Guelcher Film Series at Mercyhurst College will show “schism” the first feature film from Lyons Den Productions, an Erie-based, award-winning production company. The film was shot in various locations in Erie including Brevillier Village, the Armory, and East Erie Turners. It also stars several local actors. This is the first locally-produced film to be selected for the prestigious film series.

The Erie Art Museum’s Contemporary Music Series presents Lou & Peter Berryman in concert at the Erie Art Museum Annex on Wednesday, Nov.12, 2008 at 8 p.m. The performance will be held in the Erie Art Museum Annex,423 State Street, admission is free; a $10 donation is suggested. They have appeared on A Prairie Home Companion and NPR’s Weekend edition.

Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey presents Boom-A-Ring circus event at the Erie Civic Center Thursday through Sunday, October 30 – November 2, 2008. Tickets begin at $12 on up to $37.

The last night of Erie Zoo, ZooBoo will be tonight.  Come see the Talking Pumpkin, try your luck at the Corn Maze, and beware the troll lurking on the Children’s Zoo bridge! There will also be crafts and facepainting nightly, along with spooky train rides. Children 11 and under will receive a special bag for trick-or-treating throughout the Zoo. Admission is $4.50 for adults (over age 12), $4 for children age 2-11, and under two are admitted free. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Erie Zoo website.

The Erie Planetarium is planning an Erie Legends show for Halloween on October 29 and 30. Showtimes are 7 and 8 pm, and cost is $4 per person. Please call 814-454-1813 Ext. 0 to make a reservation.

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.