The big news of yesterday was the passing of John Kanzius. Kanzius, 64, worked at WJET for many years, including serving as the station’s general manager. For the last several years, he had been developing a technology for killing cancer cells using radio waves. He began developing this technology after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. You can read more about this Kanzius RF Therapy here.
Kanzius is survived by his wife, Marianne and his two daughters. Our thoughts are with them in this difficult time. According to JET, the Duskus-Martin funeral home on Sterrettania Road in Millcreek is handling the funeral arrangements.
Lou Baxter of WJET has a nice story on Kanzius and his connection to Erie.
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Senator Bob Casey released this statement:
I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of John Kanzius, a man who dedicated his life to finding a cure for cancer. Kanzius believed that nothing was more important and more urgent than finding a humane treatment for the terrible disease. Kanzius and his work will be greatly missed, but it is my hope that someone else will be able to pick up where he left off. My thoughts and prayers are with Kanzius and his family.
While it’s a loss for Erie, Kanzius’ work has deep roots for our area. Work will continue on his treatment, and hopefully will reach human trials in the next few years. Plans were in place to eventually develop the machine in this area once it was approved for use—creating the machines here has the potential to bring billions of dollars (and jobs) to our area. So, though he’s gone, his legacy will be felt in our area for decades to come.
If you’d like to support the John Kanzius Cancer Research Foundation, you can visit their website here. Peter Panepento also posted a nice remembrance of Kanzius.
Mike Kerner, director of administration at RM Kerner Company, has announced he’ll be seeking the Republican nomination for Erie County Executive in the May primary. He’ll face fellow Republican Gil Rocco for his party’s nomination, while current County Executive Mark DiVecchio will face a challenge from former state senator Buzz Andrezeski on the Democratic side.
Teens Katie and Karleigh Santry of Erie were quoted in a USA Today article discussing the music group, the Jonas Brothers. Katie and Karleigh are responsible for starting the fan website jonasbrothersfan.com and have been to more Jonas Brothers concerts than most people go to all concerts combined in their entire life.
MTR Gaming Group announced that it will issue its financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2008 on Thursday, March 12, 2009 after the stock market closes. MTR will conduct a conference call focusing on the financial results and recent corporate developments at 4:30 p.m. on March 12 and those interested can listen in by dialing (888) 559-4229 (conference ID # 83126116). The conference call will also be webcast live via the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website.
During a PA House Appropriations Committee meeting, Representative John Evans put the heat on Acting Community and Economic Development Secretary George Cornelius about the state bailout of department store Boscov’s and the potential for other private businesses to come begging for public money. Cornelius acknowledged that this is a possibility but that the state would be selective and the business asking for a handout would need to present a compelling case.
Representatives John Evans and Michele Brooks, along with Senator Bob Robbins have done the people of Conneaut and Linesville right. The trio announced that the long-standing tradition of feeding bread to the carp at the Pymatuning State Park Spillway will continue for the foreseeable future. You can just hear the fish at Pymatuning breathing a sigh of relief.
Sports
The Erie Otters play the Windsor Spitfires tonight, the Saginaw Spirit on Friday, and the Plymouth Whalers on Saturday. All are away games. The Otters won’t be back until Saturday, February 28.
The Erie BayHawks play an away game against the Sioux Falls SkyForce on Saturday, February 21. The ‘Hawks play another away game on Monday, February 23 against the Iowa Energy before returning to Erie on Thursday, February 26 to play the Dakota Wizards. Get your tickets here.
Events
Upcoming Erie Concerts and Shows:
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)
Gannon University’s Schuster Theatre’s next show, “The Trachinae,” a fiery Greek tragedy, will be shown 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.
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.
