Good morning and happy Tuesday :)

News

If you didn’t stay up until 4 a.m. last night (or, better said, this morning), you missed out on a fantastic spectacle. The Leonid meteoroid shower was visible in our sky, producing up to 500 meteors an hour during its peak time. (Don’t worry, I didn’t stay up either.)

GE Transportation announced yesterday that it will be manufacturing 300 locomotives assemblies for the CSR Qishuyan Locomotive Co., Ltd. in China. The Evolution engines, “greener” and more fuel efficient with low emissions, will be built here in Erie and shipped to China, and will help sustain over 1,200 high-tech jobs in the U.S.

The two vacant buildings located near the Tinseltown movie theather complex, formerly Erie Sports Store and Wilds Cards Restaurant, are under renovations to house two new businesses: S&S, a Chinese-American buffet to open in December and Planet Fitness, a franchise fitness center (open date yet to be determined).

Sports

The Mercyhurst College women’s hockey team topped the USCHO.com Division I Women’s Hockey Poll for the seventh-consecutive week. The USCHO.com Poll is compiled weekly and consists of 15 voters, including 12 Division I coaches and three women’s hockey writers. Mercyhurst returns to action this weekend with a two-game set at Niagara on Friday and Saturday.

The Penn State Behrend women’s soccer team ended their season as the AMCC regular season champions, earning nine All-Conference selections and a Coach of the Year honor for Head Coach Patrick O’Driscooll. The Behrend Lions advanced to the championship game of the ECAC tournament before losing to Swarthmore by a score of 1-0.  The blue and white ended their season with an overall record of 15-4-3.

The Edinboro women’s basketball team opens the 2009-10 season on Tuesday, November 17, hosting Daemen.

Events

The northwestern PA chapter of Sigma Xi is hosting the second Science Café this Wednesday, November 18 at the Brewerie. Discussions will start at 6:30 pm; the topic will be stem cell research and anyone interested is welcome to attend.

Gannon University’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will host a student-led Talent Show fundraiser for Sandy Zirkle-Trocki, a Gannon coach and alumnus whose husband recently died. The event will begin at 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22 in the University’s Hammermill Center, 620 Peach St., and is open to the general public for a $2 admission. Donations will also be collected during the event.