The parents of Gregory Jacobs have filed suit against Hamot Medical Center.  Their son, 18, suffered a brain injury while snowboarding at Peek ‘n Peak Ski Resort in New York and believe doctors at Hamot ended Jacobs’ life early and intentionally so they could harvest his organs. They are seeking $5 million for medical bills, pain and suffering, funeral expenses, plus punitive damages.

Sgt. Bryan Ruf was a guard at the Albion prison and was on duty the night Malcolm Keysor escaped. After the escape, Ruf was fired from his job. An arbitrator says that Ruf was “lazy” and didn’t check containers leaving the jail, but because the PA Department of Corrections hadn’t fired a guard in connection with an escape before, Ruf is entitled to his job back and must be rehired. That cheer you heard was from the other inmates in Albion who are no doubt planning their escapes now.

Harborcreek officials have purchased the former Harborcreek Mall and the dilapidated structure will finally be torn down. The demolition should take place sometime in the next 75 days. Sadly, this will include the old Loblaws building. Which was cooler? Loblaws or Super Duper? I swear somewhere I have one of those old plastic tags that matched up with the tub that held your groceries. No word yet on what will eventually be constructed at that location. We vote for Super Duper.

Over 2 weeks after we blogged about VisitErie’s video that had an error about Erie’s founding date, the Erie Times-News is getting in on the action with a report on it. Better late then never we guess, but the story was a bit harsh on VisitErie, who just wanted to do something nice for the region and bring some people here to spend their money.

Legislation prohibiting discrimination on the bases of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression in housing, employment, and public accommodations was introduced in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives yesterday. Rep. Dan Frankel (D-Allegheny County) introduced the bill, House Bill 300, which would amend the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act to include “sexual orientation” and “gender identity or expression” as protected classes, with a record 79 co-sponsors from both parties and from across the commonwealth. Thirteen Pennsylvania municipalities have already enacted civil rights laws including protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. These municipalities are Allentown, Easton, Erie County, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Lansdowne, New Hope, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Scranton, Swarthmore, West Chester and York.

Sports

Ryan O’Reilly and Shawn Szydlowski scored special teams goals in the third period to lift the Erie Otters to a 3-1 win over the Owen Sound Attack in an Ontario Hockey League game played last night in front of 2,721 at the Tullio Arena. O’Reilly struck shorthanded seven minutes into the third to tie the game at one followed by a power-play goal from Szydlowski six minutes later that turned out to be the difference in the game. Brandon Biggers added an empty netter and Sean Jones collected two assists as the Otters secured a post-season position for the first time since 2005. Erie improved to 31-28-3-1 on the season.

The NBA Development League, Erie BayHawks will take on the Tulsa 66ers in their first ever School Kid’s Jam, Thursday, March 5, at 11:00 am, at the Tullio Arena. The team expects over 2500 school children from around Northwest Pennsylvania to attend this special game.  The NBA Development League Erie BayHawks will host a Cleveland Cavaliers Affiliate Night for their game, Friday, March 6, at 7 p.m at the Tullio Arena versus the Sioux Falls Skyforce. The BayHawks will don traditional wine colored Cavaliers’ uniforms for this special occasion. The game will feature performances by the “Cavalier Girls Dance Team” and Cavalier’s mascot, Moondog, with appearances by Cleveland’s arena host, Ahmad, and the Cavs hip hop dancers – “The Scream Team.” Get your tickets here.

The Gannon men’s basketball team remained No. 1 for the second consecutive week in the latest NCAA Division II Atlantic regional rankings released Wednesday afternoon. The top seed will host the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional, which includes the first three rounds of the national tournament. The latest rankings only considered games played through Sunday, March 1 and did not include Tuesday night’s 89-75 victory over Edinboro in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Quarterfinals at the Hammermill Center.

The Erie RiverRats are proud to announce their partnership with Snap Fitness. Snap Fitness has 5 area locations including, Erie, Edinboro, North East, Fairview, and Conneaut. Snap Fitness is a 24 hour fitness club providing a convenient way for RiverRat players and the ErieSistables Dance Team to include daily workout routines into their busy schedules.

Events

Under the direction of Dr. Scott Tomlison, the 20-member Gem City Jazz Ensemble will offer its annual Winter Concert on Tuesday, March 10th from 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church Parish Center on 23rd & Peach Streets. Selections will include Basie Straight Ahead, Things Ain’t What They Used to Be, A String of Pearls, and April in Paris. The performance is free and open to the public; free-will donations for the church will be accepted. There is plenty of off-street parking – including spaces for retirement home vans and buses – and wheel-chair accessibility. For more info, visit online at www.gemcitybands.org or phone 814-899-8467.

Mercyhurst North East will be filled with Irish spirit as MNE Music Director Patti Sullivan will host her annual St. Patrick’s Day concert on Sunday, March 15, at 2 p.m., in St. Mary’s Chapel. Sullivan will be joined by the Rev. Bill Sutherland, barbershop chorus Lake Erie Sound, and Irish Step Dancers Rince Na Tiarna for an afternoon of entertainment. A reception will follow. Free and open to the public. Call (814) 725-6277 for more information.

Upcoming Erie Concerts and Shows:

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.