Even as President-Elect Barack Obama begins to pick his cabinet and other key positions, two states remain uncalled from Tuesday’s election. At the time we write this, North Carolina and Missouri are neither red nor blue. In North Carolina, Obama leads 50% to 49%, and its flipped in Missouri.
Bit of a police blotter today.
James DiNicola, 31, has been in the news lately for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl. The girl, now pregnant, has been given approval to go home to the Dominican Republic to have the baby. DiNicola’s lawyers were fighting this, as they argue the DNA of the baby is a key element of the case.
Crystal Clayton, 45, was sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison after being found guilty of 3rd degree murder of a 3 month old baby. Clayton, who was babysitting the child, was on cocaine at the time of the baby’s death.
Carlos Bryant, 26, was sentenced to 18 years to 39 years in state prison for raping a 53 year old mentally disabled woman. The woman as injured and required surgery. Let the record show we resisted the opportunity to make a “what happens in prison” joke here.
Lori Cochran of Millcreek was sentenced to 1 to 5 1/2 years in jail after she pleaded guilty to homicide by vehicle and DUI. She caused an accident that killed Colleen DiFillippo last December.
The Michael Joyce trial continues in Pittsburgh. Yesterday, Dr. Joseph Thomas testified for the defense that Joyce was actually injured in an accident – the one for which Joyce received over $400,000 from insurance companies. Other witnesses included a secretary from Joyce’s old law firm and a dental office worker who said Joyce saw a dentist for jaw pain.
Erie Insurance reported its third quarter financials yesterday. Terrence W. Cavanaugh, president and chief executive officer said “Our financial performance in the third quarter was reflective of the condition of the global economic environment.” Translation: we’ve lost money like you wouldn’t believe but at least we’re in the same boat as everyone else.
Jeffrey Jacobs, chief executive officer of Colonial Downs (which will be sold) was elected as chairman of MTR Gaming Group Inc., the operator of Presque Isle Downs. The Jacobs family’s Jacobs Entertainment Corp. is MTR Gaming Group’s largest shareholder controlling 15.9% of MTR. Jacobs replaces Ted Arneault, who relinquished his spot on the company board of directors last week.
Penn State has asked the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for an appropriation increase of $24.5 million or 6.9 percent as part of the Universitys proposed 2009 budget plan which was approved in September by Penn States Board of Trustees. The funds will be used to help support the University’s basic operating increases, with emphases on competitive faculty and staff salary adjustments, escalating health-care costs, rapidly increasing fuel and utilities costs, deferred maintenance and facilities improvements, and strategic academic program initiatives.
VisitErie is preparing to kick off a Winter Ad Campaign for 2008-09 and is geared to attract visitors for weekend getaways in Erie during the winter months. If you are interested in learning more or a business that would like to participate, please contact Emily Beck at (814) 454-1000 or email at ebeck@VisitErie.com.
The Erie Metropolitan Transit Association (EMTA) was featured on the front page of “Mass Transit” magazine and in the article “Strategic Planning in a High Performance Transit Authority.” The article was written by EMTA board member Michael Mogavero, PhD.
Sports
Shawn Szydlowski scored all three goals to lead the Erie Otters to a 3-0 win over the Barrie Colts in an Ontario Hockey League game played in front of 3,136 at the Tullio Arena.
The Erie BayHawks Announced new radio and TV agreements for the team’s premier season. An agreement was made with Connoisseur Media’s WFNN-Fox Sportsradio 1330 AM, the Fan and Image Sports Network to air the team’s games. The games will be called by the BayHawks broadcast team of veteran Erie play-by-play man Chris “Red” Hughes and Brian Graves. The radio agreement calls for the BayHawks first game against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants on Friday, November 28, to air on WRKT (Rocket 101) with the remainder of the game broadcasts to air on the Fan. The television schedule for this year includes only one game on December 18, 2008 against Dakota.
The University of Notre Dame, ranked No. 16 in the Associated Press Division I preseason poll, forced 46 turnovers and posted a 96-30 victory over Gannon Wednesday evening in a women’s basketball exhibition game before 5,428 fans at ND’s Joyce Center.
The Mercyhurst women’s soccer team is ranked No. 2 in the Atlantic Region in the final regular-season poll, released Wednesday by the NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer Committee. Six teams from each region will be selected to play in the NCAA national tournament, with selections to be announced Monday.
The Gannon women’s soccer team fell two spots and is ranked seventh in the latest NCAA Division II Atlantic regional rankings released Wednesday afternoon. The latest rankings only considered matches played through Sunday, November 2 and did not consider Tuesday’s Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Quarterfinal loss to Indiana (Pa.).
The Allegheny men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will take part in the “Hour of Power” Relay at the Mellon Pool on Thursday at 5 p.m. It is an event to beneft sarcoma research. The relay will be swam in honor of former Carleton College swimmer Ted Mullin, who passed away in the fall of 2006 due to sarcoma, a rare soft-tissue cancer.
Events
Gem City Concert Band will present a fall concert Thursday, November 6, at the Blasco Library’s H.O. Hirt Auditorium. The hour-and-half-long program will begin at 7:30 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public, although a free-will offering will be accepted to benefit Gem City Bands.
The McDowell Center for Performing Arts will present Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic musical The King and I in the newly renovated Little Theatre (3320 Caughey Road) on November 6-7-8, 2008 @ 7:30 p.m. and November 9, 2008 at 2 p.m. Featuring such songs as “Hello Young Lovers”, “I Whistle A Happy Tune”, “Getting To Know You”, “Shall We Dance”, “I Have Dreamed”, and so on. Reserved seat tickets for The King and I are only $5.00 and are on sale now. Call (814) 836-6925 for ticket information.
Films For Food announces it will show Michael Moore’s newest documentary Slacker Uprising at the 2008 Films For Food Event. The event is a 24 Hour Marathon of Indie Films held at Theater 145 with beginning Friday November 7th at 8:00 p.m. through Saturday the 8th with the last film beginning at 8:00 p.m., followed by a Public Reception on 10:00 p.m. The cost of admission? Food. Visit Films For Food to find out more.
The Dave Liebman Quartet will perform at the East Erie Turners on 829 Parade Street, at 8 p.m., Friday, November 21. Admission is $25, $20 for JazzErie members and $5 for students. Dave Liebman is a master musician/composer who has performed with Miles Davis, Chick Corea, Elvin Jones and others.
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.
