Today is Friday the 13th.  Good luck, and be careful out there. Avoid black cats and walking under ladders.

The bad luck struck Erie yesterday with serious storm damage caused by strong winds and rain.  Power outages and flooding was reported across the county. FirstEnergy, parent company of Penelec, reported that more than 500,000 of its customers have interrupted service in the states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. In the Penelec service area alone, 108,000 customers were affected and 42,000 are without service.

Several roads were also closed due to fallen power lines, debris, or heavy flooding. Interstate 90 was closed between exits 6 and 9 yesterday morning due to downed utility lines, and upper Peach was closed for a time because the Kwik Fill sign started to come down. An entire utility post and traffic light came out of the ground at 12th and Peach. PennDOT reports that some roads in Conneaut Township and LeBoeuf Township may remain closed until 4 pm today due to flooding, so if you travel in those areas you may need to find an alternate route.

The young man now known as the “East High Shooter”, 15-year-old Felix Velasquez, was arraigned last night in Erie after returning from Massachusetts. He was charged as an adult with aggravated assault, simple assault, and recklessly endangering another person. He is currently jailed on $150,000 cash bond.

Lawn and Landscape reported how snow removal companies are one of the few industries not affected by the downturn in the economy.  With most cities seeing double the normal snow fall, business has been brisk. Some contractors are reporting a 200 percent increase in business over last winter. We certainly wouldn’t mind having someone else plow our driveway.

Fr. Larry Richards was featured in the Western Catholic Report, a Canadian religious publication.  The article discusses how Fr. Richards uses confrontational techniques when evangelizing men.  And speaking of clergy, Fr. John Detish wrote a letter to the editor of the Times criticizing Obama’s attire when he is in the Oval Office.

A rollover crash in Crawford County yesterday was reportedly caused by a lit cigarette. John Graham of Titusville was driving on Route 198 when he tried to flick his cigarette butt out the window. It blew back inside his car and caused him to swerve into oncoming traffic when he tried to retrieve it. He struck a truck and caused it to roll, but luckily the driver and her two passengers were uninjured. Graham and his passenger suffered minor injuries. Double fail–once for flicking the butt out of the car, and the second time for not pulling over once it blew back in the window.

81-year-old Anthony Malone of Erie will compete for the 60th time in the 106th annual U.S. Bowling Congress Open Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada. Malone will become the 10th to enter the 60-year club in the Open.

Sports

The Otters play an away game tonight against the London Knights, and are back in Erie to host the Kingston Frontenacs on Saturday. Get your tickets here.

Michael Machuga of Erie took 8th place in the PBA Lumber Liquidators-USBC Masters.

Eight girls from the Meadville and Sharon high school basketball teams were suspended for one game after a fight broke out at the end of their game Wednesday night. Sharon won in overtime, 68-58, and the suspended girls will miss the first round of the playoffs due to the dustup. We’re sorry we missed all the action.

Events

Gannon University’s Schuster Theatre’s next show, “The Trachinae,” a fiery Greek tragedy, will be shown Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, Feb. 12-14, and Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Feb. 19-22. All Thursday-Saturday performances begin at 8 p.m., Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m. Gannon’s Schuster Theatre is located at 620 Sassafras Street. Ticket prices for the general public are $5. For more information, contact the Theatre at 814-871-7493 or 814-871-7720.

The McDowell Center for Performing Arts will present Arthur Miller’s Tony Award winning play The Crucible on February 12-13-14, 2009 in the Little Theatre (3320 Caughey Road). The play, praised as “A Powerful Drama” by the New York Times, deals with the Puritan purge of witchcraft in old Salem. Yet, the play is more then a story of witchcraft. It is really a statement of bigotry and deceit, which can cripple society and cause chaos among citizens. Directed by Ken Falkenhagen and assisted by Michael Malthaner, The Crucible stars Marie Glaser, Dominic Barbaro, Kristie Bauman, Ryley Nesbella, Alexandra Schwartz, Sean Weese, and Brett Niethamer. Tickets are just $5.00 and will be sold at the door prior to each performance.

If you’re looking for something different to do in celebration of Valentine’s day, you should consider the Erie Planetarium’s Valentines Dinner Under the Stars. There will be two shows with dinner from 6:30  – 9 p.m. on February 12 & 13. and 5 – 9 on February 14. For more information call (814) 454-1813, ext. 0.

Erie Celebrates the 200th Anniversary of President Lincolns Birth at the Battles Museum of Rural Life in Girard on Saturday, February 14, 2009 from 12 – 2 p.m. The Erie County Historical Society, Girard Borough and the Civil War Consortium present a rededication of the Civil War Monument in downtown Girard. Dedicated on November 25, 1865, the monument is considered one of the first to honor fallen Civil War soldiers. President and Mrs. Lincoln, Dan Rice and members of the 11th, 83rd and 145th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry are included in the rededication ceremony at the monument site in downtown Girard. Three students from the Girard Elementary School will be selected to read their winning essays about why President Lincoln is one of our country\’s most memorable presidents. A reception at the Girard Methodist Church will immediately follow the ceremony.

The Erie Philharmonic presents The Piano Man – A Tribute to Billy Joel on February 14, at 8 p.m. For more information call (814) 455-1375 or visit the website.

The SeaWolves are looking for enthusiastic, outgoing individuals of ALL ages to join their team. The ‘Wolves will be hosting their second annual Job Expo on Saturday, February 14, 2009 at the Erie Civic Center from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. We are filling positions for our “Wolf Pack” promotional team, ushers, concession stands, mascots and other exciting game day jobs. The job expo will be located in the Civic Center suites and interested parties can enter at entrance B near the southeast corner of the arena. Perspective game day employees will fill out applications and interview for positions on the spot. For more information about the 2009 Erie SeaWolves Job Expo, contact (814) 456-1300 or visit www.seawolves.com.

Upcoming Erie Concerts and Shows:

Feb. 13: The Temptations, Warner Theatre (tickets)
Feb. 19: Jerry Seinfeld, Warner Theatre (tickets)
Feb. 22: Rain (Beatles Cover Band), Warner Theatre (tickets)
March 7: Motley Crue w/ Hinder, Last Vegas, Theory of a Deadman, Tullio Arena (tickets)
March 22: New Kids on the Block, Tullio Arena (tickets on sale 1/24)
March 29: Comedian Lewis Black, Warner Theatre (tickets)

View this past Sunday’s comprehensive Erie events list to see what’s coming up for the week and months ahead. If you would like your event posted here, please contact us via our online form.