Today at 11:30 a.m. EST, Senator Barack Obama will be inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States. Pretty much every channel on TV will be carrying it, and you can also watch it live online at Hulu.com and uStream.tv. In fact, here’s a stream from Hulu:

If you park your car on the street in Millcreek, it would behoove you to move it. If you don’t, the township will tow it. They need to clear all the streets and need the snowbirds (the cars that don’t move for weeks on end) to be moved so plows can get through.

Also, the Coast Guard asks you don’t go ice fishing near Misery Bay. The ice had to be broken near there to help the 2 ships that were stuck and it needs more time to re-freeze before people are back out there.

18 year-old Sabrina Houser died yesterday as a result of a head on automobile collision in North East Township. She was driving east on Route 20 when she lost control of her vehicle, crossed the center lane, and hit an oncoming car in the other lane. Houser was wearing a seatbelt but was attempting to pass a vehicle when she lost control of her car.  The other driver was not seriously injured. Note to all drivers, please have patience driving in this weather.

The Irish Times is reporting that Mercyhurst College is going to establish a presence in Dungarvan, Ireland. Dr. David Livingstone was in Ireland last week. The college will use temporary space for classes for the time being, but hopes to build a campus there eventually.

Forensic anthropologist Dennis Dirkmaat of Mercyhurst College assisted state police in trying to identify the remains of a human body found December 29 at a construction site 50 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. The remains are believed to be that of a 30 to 40 year old black woman who was shot and dismembered 3 to 10 years ago. Her name remains unknown.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has revealed that David Eckhart, the head of Investment Management Advisory Group of Pottstown (“IMAGE”), made a number of donations totaling more than $400k to state officials and political committees and in turn, his business has received a number of projects from the state. The FBI has been investigating IMAGE for “pay-to-play” practices — making donations and in turn, receiving contracts from the state. IMAGE is involved in the lawsuit the Erie School District brought against J.P. Morgan involving swaps and associated exorbitant fees. IMAGE was the “independent adviser” that persuaded the school district to go with J.P Morgan all without disclosing the fees it received which resembles more like kickbacks.

Sports

The Cleveland Indians will be in town today.  See our Events section for more information.

Craig Barnett, director of athletics at Mercyhurst College, resigned yesterday. Assistant Director Aaron Kemp will assume his duties as interim director until a replacement is found.

The BayHawks return to Erie for three games beginning this Thursday against the Sioux Falls Wizards.  Get your tickets here.

The Erie Otters will be away for four games and won’t return until next weekend.  Here’s the away schedule: Friday the 23rd against host Kingston Frontenacs; Saturday the 24th against host Belleville Bulls; Sunday the 25th host Ottawa 67s, and; Thursday the 29th against host Niagara IceDogs.

Events

Upcoming Erie Concerts and Shows:

Feb. 3: Harlem Globetrotters (tickets)
Feb. 19: Jerry Seinfeld (tickets – use presale code HCFUNNY)
March 7: Motley Crue w/ Hinder, Last Vegas, Theory of a Deadman (tickets)
March 22: New Kids on the Block (tickets on sale 1/24)

The Ophelia Project will present the first of four installments of “Mind, Body and Spirit: Turning Aggression into Hope,” January 21, 2009 from 3:00-4:30 p.m. at the McGarvey Learning Center at St. Vincent Health System in Erie, PA. The panel presentation is sponsored by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and is free of charge and open to the public. The community forums, “Mind, Body and Spirit: Turning Aggression into Hope” will be a mechanism for providing parents, educators and youth leaders with necessary information and resources to help youth address bullying and relational aggression. It will bring together experts from a variety of fields in order to discuss ways in which developmental assets, values, normative beliefs, self-image and physical health contribute to relational aggression and develop strategies for combating this national epidemic. For more information contact The Ophelia Project at 814-456-5437. St. Vincent Health System is located at 232 W. 25th Street, Erie, PA.

The Cleveland Indians Winter Caravan will be held at the Gertrude Barber Center today beginning at 6:30 p.m. The event features a ballpark dinner, remarks by the players and coaches, an auction of team memorabilia and game ticket packages, and autographs for all the kids. Tickets are $8 per person, and are available in advance at the Barber National Institute, or at the door the day of the event. For information, call 453-7661. Last year the event drew more than 600 baseball fans.

The Allegheny College Art Galleries will present “Materialisms” and “Sometimes a Fantasy”—two exhibitions featuring diverse works by 13 regional artists—beginning today and running through March 4. In conjunction with the opening reception, two of the artists will present slide lectures about the process, materials and content of the works they created for the shows. The lectures will begin at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 20 in the Art Galleries, with the reception continuing until 9 p.m.

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. From his base in New York City, Powell has published nine books, including “Be a Father to Your Child: Real Talk from Black Men on Family, Love, and Fatherhood,” “Someday We’ll All Be Free” and his newest, “The Black Male Handbook: A Blueprint for Life.” He has written for such publications as Esquire, Newsweek, the Washington Post, Essence, Rolling Stone, the Amsterdam News and Vibe. Powell is a Writing Fellow for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and a Phelps Stokes Fund Senior Fellow.

The American Cancer Society is pleased to kickoff the 36th Daffodil Days campaign on January 22, 2009 at Bel Aire Hotel at 12 p.m. The American Cancer Society invites anyone interested in being a pre-sale coordinator to get information to start their campaign at their company, school or organization. The fundraiser, which historically coincides with the coming of spring, is expected to raise $89,000 locally and more than four million dollars in the state of Pennsylvania. For more information call the American Cancer Society office at 814-866-5174. Over 200 Erie residents will volunteer to help distribute and sell flowers during Daffodil Days. Colleen Moore Mezler and Carolyn Bauman serve as co-chairpersons for the event. Pre-orders start now until Monday, February 23; daffodils will be delivered the week of March 16-22, 2009.

Pennsylvania Senior Deputy Attorney General Darrel Vandeveld, J.D., of Erie, who resigned his appointment as a U.S. military prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay over ethical concerns last fall, will bring his unique perspective to Mercyhurst College on Tuesday, Feb. 3, during a panel discussion on “The Intersection of Traditional Notions of Justice and International Prosecutions in the Age of Terrorism.” The event, which is free and open to the public, begins at 6 p.m. in Mercy Heritage Room of Sullivan Hall.

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.