Police in Corry have arrested two juveniles after they held an “Ultimate Fighting Championship”-style fight outside of an abandoned elementary school. Both teens ended up bloodied after agreeing to the fight that used moves found on popular ultimate fighting or cage fighting television programs. The two will be charge with simple assault in Erie County Juvenile Court. Backyard wrestling = stunned.

Local officials broke ground yesterday for the $700,000 Griswold Park project, the second phase of the Downtown Revitalization Project. The size of the current park will be doubled, and new landscaping and a fountain will be added. Work on the park is expected to be finished by June. Townhouses are planned across the street from the park, and work should begin on those in the next month.

We’ve added a few more people to the Erie Twitter Guide, including the Millcreek Mall.

The Dog Tavern on West 8th Street was allowed to reopen last night, over two weeks after being shut down as a nuisance bar. In a raid by the Nuisance Bar Task Force, the bar was found to have sewage in the basement, unlit exit signs, and faulty wiring. At the time of the raid, they also found 96 underage patrons, 65 of whom were cited with underage drinking. Owner Kenneth Toglia reportedly spent $8,000 on renovations and clean up while the tavern was closed, and has hired new door staff to help with the underage drinking issue.

Progressive Resorts has stepped up to purchase the Double JJ Resort indoor water park in Rothbury, MI. The unknown group of investors is represented by American Resort Management, based here in Erie. Progressive Resorts investors will not identify themselves until the sale is closed.

William Baxter, a physicist at Penn State Behrend, is quoted in this MSNBC story about ants.

A Meadville man was shot yesterday afternoon at the William Gill Commons housing complex. Richard Willis was shot in the stomach and was transported to Hamot Medical Center for treatment. Police are still searching for a suspect.

Local fire chiefs and company officers will have the opportunity to learn about conducting forensic investigations at a course being offered by the Mercyhurst College Public Safety Institute. The course, which will be held April 13 and 14 at the Erie County Public Safety Building, will cover the state-of-the art investigative tools, chemicals and techniques used at fire and crime scenes to protect and preserve evidence.

The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine Bradenton was honored for its dedication and service to tobacco cessation training in Manatee and Sarasota counties. LECOM Bradenton received the 2009 Excellence Award from the Gulf Coast South Area Health Education Center (GSAHEC) during a luncheon in Sarasota, Fla.

Sports

Come out to the Hammermill Center this evening at 5:15 pm to celebrate the fantastic season of the Gannon men’s basketball team. Gannon University president Antoine Garibaldi will introduce the team as the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and NCAA Division II Atlantic Region champions. This season saw a record-setting 30 victories as the team made it all the way to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.

The Cleveland Indians have sold out their home opener on April 10th. The club has now sold out sixteen home openers in a row, starting when Progressive Field (formerly Jacobs Field) opened in 1994.

Mercyhurst College will honor its first individual national champion on Saturday, April 4th when sophomore wrestler Josh Shields throws the ceremonial first pitch of the Mercyhurst-Lake Erie baseball doubleheader. The College invites all students, faculty and staff to join the Lakers at Mercyhurst Field for the pre-game ceremony, which will begin at approximately 12:45 p.m.

Gannon’s Eric Harpster (Erie, Pa./McDowell) has been named Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division Baseball Player of the Week, becoming the first Gannon baseball player to ever capture the weekly honor.

Events