Former President Bill Clinton will visit Erie today to campaign for Barack Obama. He will appear at McDowell Intermediate High School at 4:15 p.m., with doors opening at 3:30 p.m. Tickets to the event aren’t required, but if you want to attend you should RSVP at the Obama website here.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney will also be in Erie today to stump for John McCain. No rally is planned, but Romney will hold a press conference at the Erie County Republican Headquarters on 163 W. 14th Street. The event is free and open to the public.

Today is the last full day for campaigns nationally and locally to get out and make their cases. Later this morning, we’ll be running another of our exclusive candidate editorials. Today, we’ll feature one with Rep. Phil English.

If you’re not sure where your polling place is, you can use this tool from Google to look up your polling place. Both presidential candidates also have tools to help you find your polling place.

The New York magazine has an article discussing Sarah Palin including moments from her recent visit to Erie.  In another publication that takes a look at Palin’s visit to the area, Erie is described as “a family-oriented, conservative community.”

Compared to Ohio, our gas prices continue to be 40 to 50 cents higher. Mike filled up for $1.97 a gallon yesterday afternoon in Ohio.  Western New York is also confused why the gas prices in their region are also high with local industry insiders saying they are unable to provide a specific reason.

An early morning car crash at 8th street and the Bayfront Highway got a little dangerous when one of the drivers got out of his vehicle and shot a gun into the other car, wounding a passenger. The shooter took off and the accident is being investigated by police.

Linda Straub, who has a local business, History in the Making, creates handcrafted jewelry, made a necklace for Sarah Palin and gave it to her during the visit. The next day, she noticed Palin was wearing the necklace during her campaign and TV appearances. Very cool.

Circuity City has plans to close 155 stores nationwide. A list should be released today and we’ll be interested to see if the Erie location is on it. We’ll report more tomorrow. The Consumerist has more on this story.

Local musician Jesse Lavery has launched a new website and is offering streaming of his new EP, 5000.

The PA Department of Environment Protection will host a public meeting this week to discuss a restoration plan for the Walnut Creek watershed, which includes parts of Millcreek, Fairview, Summit, McKean and Greene townships. The watershed is impaired due to increased commercial and residential development. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6, at Asbury Woods Nature Center, 4105 Asbury Road.

Sports

NFL
NY Jets 26 Buffalo 17
Baltimore 37 Cleveland 27

The Steelers play the Washington Redskins tonight on ESPN at 8:30 p.m.

College Football
Edinboro 35 Clarion 10
IUP 35 Gannon 10
California 17 Mercyhurst 6
Wooster 35 Allegheny 21
#3 ranked Penn State had its bye week and will play the Iowa Hawkeyes at Iowa this Saturday. 

The Erie Otters have three home games this week: Wednesday against the Barrie Colts, Friday against the Peterborough Petes, and Saturday against the Windsor Spitfires.

The Mercyhurst men’s soccer team concluded its 2008 regular season with a 2-1 loss at Ohio Valley Saturday. The Mercyhurst women’s soccer team will play host to Slippery Rock Tuesday at 2 p.m. in a PSAC quarterfinal matchup. The Lakers and The Rock finished tied for second in the PSAC West, but Mercyhurst won the tiebreaker due to its 2-0 record against Slippery Rock this season.

The Edinboro women’s soccer team suffered through a season filled with injuries, but on Saturday night the Fighting Scots concluded the season in victorious fashion. Edinboro handed Clarion a 3-1 defeat to finish the season with a 7-11-1 overall record and 3-10-1 in the PSAC West.

The Edinboro wrestling team opened the season on Saturday afternoon, hosting Findlay, Army and Maryland in the Fighting Scot Duals. The Fighting Scots, ranked in the 15th in the USA Today/InterMat/NWCA Division I Preseason Top 25, swept the trio to improve to 22-1-1 all-time in the Fighting Scot Duals. Edinboro handled Findlay, 48-0, then defeated Army, 34-7, and ended the day with an impressive showing against 17th-ranked Maryland, coming away with a 23-14 victory.

The Allegheny men’s soccer team’s bid for a ninth straight NCAC postseason appearance came to an end as the Gators fell to Ohio Wesleyan, 3-2, on the final day of the regular season.

The Gannon wrestling team competed in the University of Buffalo Open Sunday, as Frank McGrath (Hammonton, N.J./St. Augustine Prep) took home a second-place finish to lead the Golden Knights. No team scores were kept.

Events

The “Signature Chefs Auction” to Benefit the March of Dimes will be held this evening at 5:30 p.m, at the Ambassador Banquet and Conference Center. Attendees will be able to sample local chef specialties as well as bid on silent and live auction packages. For more information call (814) 833-4941.

Tomorrow is Tuesday, November 4th–election day. Vote!  The Friends of the Rice Avenue Community Public Library will hold its annual spaghetti dinner the evening of election day, Tuesday, November 4, 2008 from 5 – 7 p.m. The dinner will be held at the Girard High School the cost is $7.50 for adults, $5 for kids ages 6 – 12, and kids under age 6 eat for free.

The Erie Philharmonic presents A Night in Old Vienna this Satruday, featuring musical compositions by Brahms and Korngold with a special performance byRachel Barton Pine. The concert will be held one night only on Saturday, November 8, at 8:00 p.m.  Make sure you get your tickets now before they’re sold out.

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.