Mother Nature cooperated this year and there is plenty of fresh powder at Peek N Peak and it’s just in time for the annual lift ticket giveaway! The Community Blood Bank wants donors and is enticing them with lift tickets on Tuesday. Peek ‘N Peak Ski Resort has generously donated over $10,000 worth of ski passes to the Community Blood Bank to help save lives in our region. The first 100 donors at the blood bank on Tuesday get an adult all day weekday lift ticket. The blood bank is open from 9am to 7:30pm on Tuesday and no appointments are needed.

Michael Golde was sworn in as superintendent of the Millcreek Township School District in a ceremony yesterday.

Kenneth Gibson (aka the Carhartt robber guy) was ordered held without bail by a federal magistrate in Cleveland. No shocker there, really. A grand jury will get the case next.

The heat is getting turned up on the Erie Coke Corporation. State environmental officials fined Erie Coke last June a whopping $6.1 million dollars and now the federal government is getting into the action. There have been a number of environmental infractions by the company and state and federal investigators are are scrutinizing the plant and its operations.

More local job losses, this time at Route1a, a local advertising agency.

GE Drivetrain Systems has entered into an agreement with A-Power Energy Generation Systems of China to a) supply them with 900 2.7 megawatt wind turbines and b) to start a joint venture to produce a wind turbine gearbox assembly plant.

The Ruckus Society, a non-profit group that teaches non-violence, will hold protests around the country on Wednesday to bring attention to a shooting tha theppened New Years Eve in Oakland, Ca., where a 22 year old man was shot by a police officer. There is multiple angles of the video and it looks that the man, Oscar Grant, was shot in the back while being subdued by an officer. The incident has led to multiple protests, mostly non-violent, in the Oakland/Bay area. Locally, the event will be held at Greater Bethlehem Temple Church, located at 4103 Washington Ave.

Charles R. Walczak has been named the new administrator of the Shriner’s Hospital in Erie. He was previously at Hamot Medical Center as vice president of operations and most recently was at the University of Pennsylvania hospital. Welcome home, Mr. Walczak.

Three Miami University students have been released from Hamot after injuries stemming from a crash of a school van last week. The crashed after the driver of the fan fell asleep.

The Manufacturer and Business Association has announced that proceeds from the 2009 Roar on the Shore rally will benefit returning Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans and their families. The four-day event is planned for July 16 – 19, 2009

An expose piece published on the alternative media website The Public Record has a critical take on the Bush Administration that includes discussion of Erie County Judge Mike Dunlavey and his involvement with torture operations . The article details events that took place involving former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Dunlavey–who was placed in charge of interrogations at Guantanamo.

Karen Jeffreys is set to make her debut this fall in Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera in the show My Way. She previously was in productions at the Erie Playhouse and the Riverside Inn and Dinner Theater in Cambridge Springs, and sang for the Dave Stevens Big Band. The new show will be a tribute to Frank Sinatra and will run from February 12 through May 10.

A research project conducted by Mercyhurst College intelligence studies students on the impact of disease on U.S. economic, political, diplomatic, and military interests has scored high marks and a big vote of confidence from the National Intelligence Council (NIC). The NIC, which advises President Barack Obama and senior policymakers on foreign policy issues emanating from the intelligence community, is charged with producing National Intelligence Estimates (NIE), which are authoritative written judgments on national security issues and the likely course of future events. You can read the Estimate here.

Sports

The Otters will hold a players appearance at at McDonald’s Millcreek Marketplace today from 6:30 – 7:30.  This Friday the Otters play the Niagara IceDogs and Saturday the Sarnia Sting at the Tullio. Get your tickets here.

Tomorrow night the Erie Bayhawks play the Anaheim Arsenal at the Tullio.  Get your tickets here.  This Friday and Sunday games will be against the Dakota Wizards in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Jovon Johnson will return to play for the Erie RiverRats this season. The Erie native played last season for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League. He went to Mercyhurst Prep and also played in 2 games for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006.

For the first time this season, the No. 4 Mercyhurst College women’s hockey team swept the weekly awards from College Hockey America as junior captain Meghan Agosta and sophomore Melissa Lacroix were named the CHA Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week while freshman Jess Jones earned the title of CHA Rookie of the Week.

People are asking whether Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback should even continue playing during the play-offs. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Rothlisberger sustained not just a concussion but a spinal concussion in a game against the Cleveland Browns in the last game of the regular season. Big Ben stated that he couldn’t feel pin pricks immediately after the injury but later regained feeling after being taken to the hospital.

Edinboro University’s Renee’ Brown (Pittsburgh, PA/Mount Alvernia Catholic) has been named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Freshman of the Week for the fifth straight week. The 5’11” forward was recognized for her play this past week as the Fighting Scots picked up road wins at Kutztown and East Stroudsburg. This marks the fifth time that Brown has won the honor, and the seventh time in eight weeks that an Edinboro freshman has been recognized, with Micki Cerchiaro recognized twice.

The Allegheny men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams returned from winter break with wins over Hiram on Monday. The Gator men won, 129-91, while the women’ were victorious, 145-89.

Events

The Erie Playhouse presents The Music of Stephen Schwartz tonight at 7:30 p.m. Schwartz is known as the composer and lyricist of the Broadway musical Wicked. Tickets are $13.00.

Ken Springirth will present “Make Way for the Trolley,” a history of public transportation in Erie, tomorrow, January 14, at 7:30 p.m. in Mercyhurst North East’s Alex Theater, 16 West Division Street, North East. Springirth has published a number of books on railroads and trolleys. The presentation is free and open to the public. Call (814) 725-6277 for more information.

The Manufacturer and Business Association presents New Trends in Spam and the Emerging Threats of Spyware, with speaker John Vedrody of Barracuda Networks tomorrow from 8 – 9:30 a.m. This presentation will review the latest spam and spyware attacks, and how to protect against them. Pre-registration is required to attend and the event is free and open to the public.  For more information including registration visit the event website.

Gannon University on Wednesday, Jan. 14 will host a free financial aid workshop designed to help high school students and their parents better navigate the sometimes complex financial aid process. The workshop is open to the public and will begin at 6:30 p.m. in room 1200 of the University’s Palumbo Academic Center, 824 Peach St. It will include an overview of the entire financial aid process, including a step-by-step review of the questions on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It also will cover definitions of terms parents and students should know, the various aid programs available, and tips on how to apply and the application process. For more information, call 814-871-7337 or 1-800-GANNON-U, or visit http://www.gannon.edu/admiss/undergrad/finaid/workshops.asp

In a combined celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the inauguration of President Barack Obama, Allegheny College will host a week of special events, Jan. 18-23. Political activist and writer Kevin Powell will offer the week’s keynote presentation on “Dr. King, Civil Rights, Hip Hop and Barack Obama” on Wednesday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. in Ford Chapel. Powell was on the very first MTV Real World way back in the day.

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.