Teri Rhodes will appear before court today for sentencing. Rhodes pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter this past August for the murder of her own child whom she gave birth in her Mercyhurst apartment and immediately suffocated to death. Rhodes was a sophmore attending Mercyhurst when she gave birth to the full-term baby girl on August 12, 2007.  Rhodes faces a maximum sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison or may be as low as two years.

Tom Lavery reports at Pittsburgh Radio and TV Online that there have been budget and staff cuts at Citadel Broadcasting. Stations affected include Classy 100 and Country 98. If the former “Jet 102 Millionaire” is out of a job, at what point should we all start to panic?

Unemployment in Pennsylvania was up 4,000 with the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rising to 5.8 percent in October. The national average is at 6.5 percent. For the entire year so far, PA’s unemployment rate is up 1.4%, compared to the U.S. rate of 1.7%.

The City of Erie has decided to change winter parking regulations on odd-even streets in the event of a snow emergency. From November 1st through March 31st, parking is allowed on only one side of the street in these areas, depending on if it is an odd or even numbered day. Currently, odd-even parking is only in effect from 8 am to 4 pm on weekdays, but the new regulations will allow the mayor to implement the parking rules on weekends as well. Heads up: this change will go into effect December 9th, but the mayor said he will use them this weekend if needed.

West Virginia-based MTR Gaming Group Inc. has until December 15 to come to an agreement with the Michigan Harness Horsemen Association. If it doesn’t, MTR will be unable to hold live horse racing at the Jackson Harness Raceway in Michigan. Considering Michigan’s economy and future outlook, maybe investing in the state isn’t such a good idea.

County Executive Mark DiVecchio plans to use his veto powers to close the Presque Isle library branch. The library survived the cut when County Council passed the 2009 budget, but DiVecchio would like to shut down the library and save $300,000. He also will try to cut 10 more jobs that Council restored. Those 10 jobs were part of his original budget plan to cut 44. Five of the seven council members would be needed to override the County Executive’s veto.

The Erie County Courthouse was closed Thursday due to a broken water filtration system that flooded several floors of the building. The cause of the break was undetermined, and did some damage to the remodeling work currently being done on the fifth floor. The courthouse should be back open today.

A northwestern Pennsylvania jury must decide whether a woman consented to have sex while bound and gagged with duct tape or whether she was raped in a motel in March. 6-foot-3, 320 pound Paul Sweetapple is being charged for raping a 27-year-old woman. Good ol’ Sweetapple is claiming that the duct tape and whole bondage thing was consensual. The woman is claiming Sweetapple forced her to have sex and threatened to suffocate her if she didn’t comply. The jury will have a decision soon as to Sweetapple’s fate. Sweetapple. Sweetapple.  Sweetapple.

A deal to revitalize the historic Statler Towers in Buffalo, NY has fallen through for Scott Enterprises. Scott was part of an investment group working to purchase the former hotel, with plans to put a Marriott Renaissance Hotel on the site. Retail, offices, and some residential space were also included in the plans. The seller, British businessman Bashar Issa, reportedly kept changing the purchase agreement, not to mention the number of creditors standing in line to collect on the sale.

The Discovery Channel will feature Lake Erie Biofuels in its television documentary series called “Shades of Green.” Lake Erie Biofuels is Pennsylvania’s first large-scale biodiesel production facility. The documentary will provide an inside look into the production of biodiesel and the impact it could have on our economy and environment.

Boscov’s department stores are entirely unfamiliar to the Erie area (or the region for that matter) but that doesn’t mean some of your money won’t go to help out the ailing chain. Governor Rendell announced the state will re-direct $35 million of federal Housing and Urban Development money to help bailout the Boscov department store chain which is based in Reading, Pa., and has stores along the mid-Atlantic region. Rendell was quoted as saying “It would be devastating in the state of Pennsylvania to lose Boscov’s.”

Bradley Kuch, a 1998 Gannon graduate, was named “Surface and Air Transport Specialty Practitioner of the Year” by the American Association for Respiratory Care. Kuch is a member of the transport team at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and a clinical research associate in the Department of Critical Care Medicine.

Sports

The Erie Otters play an away game this Friday against the Kitchener Rangers but return to Erie on Saturday to play the London Knights.

The Erie BayHawks have made five roster cuts, trimming their squad to 11. The team’s first and only pre-season game is set for this evening against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants at Grace College in Warsaw, Indiana. This Sunday the team will also host a Fan Fest at Family First Sports Park from 12-3 pm. The event is free and will allow fans to meet the players for autographs and photos, as well as get the chance to win prizes from the BayHawks, Cavaliers and 76ers.

The Detroit Tigers have purchased the contracts of pitcher Guillermo Moscoso and fielders Wilkin Ramirez and Casper Wells. The three spent time with the Erie SeaWolves during the 2008 season, and Ramierez was also selected for the Eastern League’s all-star squad.

Events

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.

Ozark Jubilee–Direct from Branson, will be performing at the Warner Theatre on Sunday, November 23, 2008 at  p.m.  Performance will feature world class fiddle & violin player and comedian Randy Newman, vocalists, as well as the the renowned Ozark Band.  For tickets call (814) 864-5681.

Galleries downtown and throughout Erie will host a holiday-themed Gallery Night on Friday, December 5th, from 7-10 pm. Participating galleries include Accents By The Bay, Allen Stoneware Gallery, Artworks, Bayfront Gallery, Cummings Gallery at Mercyhurst College, Geary’s Studio 7 Gallery, Glass Growers Gallery, Kada Gallery, Ralph Miller Jewelers & Gallery, Urraro Gallery and the galleries at the Erie Art Museum. Visitors will have a chance to get a start on their holiday shopping, and may even win a $50 gift certificate.

On Saturday, December 13, “TREC The Halls” will be held from 10 am to 4 pm at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center in Erie. Breakfast with Santa will be served 10 am to 1 pm and is just $6.95 per person (Ages 2 and under are free). The holiday movie “The Muppet Christmas Carol” will be shown on the Big Green Screen at 12 pm and 3 pm. at no cost.

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.