A reminder about today’s blood drive from Dan at the Blood Bank:

Jim Thompson was just sworn in for Erie City Council Monday and we are
hoping to have a solid turn out for him at a blood drive held in his honor. The blood drive is this Wednesday January 6th from 11-3pm at 626 state Street, Erie City Hall. Mr. Thompson has received over 50 units of blood as part of his brave fight against cancer. We want to make sure that he and all of the patients get the blood they need. Over 20% of all blood collected by the Community Blood Bank is used by cancer patients. The Community Blood Bank is also the ONLY supplier of blood in Erie County so ONLY blood donated to us will help local patients, like Jim Thompson, who need it.

Calamari’s Squid Row is generously donating all the food so donors can grab a quick bite and rollup a sleeve and help save a life locally. Hope to see you there! Thanks.

Please help and donate if you can.

Felix Velasquez, 16, has been sentenced to 5 years in prison. You might remember Velasquez as the person who opened fire at an East High School basketball game last January. One person was hurt in the shooting.

PA State Sen. Jane Earll is part of a group of legislators working on a table games bill compromise. More info about the bill and the work being done is available here.

A man was shot and killed outside a convenience store on Buffalo Road last night. The victim was identified by WJET as Steven Arrington. Police have arrested a 17-year-old suspect.

Speaking of WJET, they’ve announced that their 10pm newscast on Fox 66 will now be an hour long starting Monday, January 18. Since we ditched our cable a few months ago, the one thing I miss is the local news. I guess thats what the Interwebs are for.

The Flagship Niagara League writes us with this bit of news:

Ahoy, Flagship Niagara Fans and Supporters

Would you be interested in a one-day coach trip to Put-in-Bay, Ohio, to see the island from which Oliver Hazard Perry’s fleet launched the Battle of Lake Erie?

The daytrip would coincide with Niagara’s visit to Put-in-Bay in late May. It would be a unique opportunity to see our ship at that historic location.

We’d depart Erie early in the morning so that we could spend most of the day touring the Perry Memorial area, having lunch, seeing related sights and stopping for dinner on the way home.

The cost would be under $100 per person for members. Round-trip bus service, transportation on the island, tour guides and admission would be included. Lunch and dinner would be the responsibility of participants.

Please indicate your interest by emailing your response by January 17 to: paulette@velocity.net.

We’ll follow up with details if there is sufficient interest. Thanks in advance and Don’t Give Up the Ship!

Congrats to Plastikos, who is a finalist for the 14th annual Processor of the Year, hosted by Plastics News. The winner will be announced March 9th 2010 at the Plastics News Executive Forum in Tampa Florida.

A U.S. Coast Guard Master’s License Course Starts This Weekend at the Bayfront Center for Maritime Studies. Whatever your reason may be, a Coast Guard captain’s license is something to be proud of. Less than two percent of all boaters have obtained one. Why are not more boaters United States Coast Guard licensed masters? Probably because the usual procedure to get a license is difficult and can be quite frustrating. Email the center for more information.

Sports

12 weeks and counting! The Mercyhurst College women’s hockey team retained its top-ranking in both national polls after the release of the USA Today / USA Magazine Women’s Division I Hockey Poll Tuesday afternoon by USA Hockey officials.

Brittany Bell scored 10 of her career-high 24 points in overtime to lead Allegheny over Oberlin 80-69 in North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) women’s basketball action on Tuesday night.

The Gannon women’s basketball team moved up two spots and is ranked fourth in the latest USA Today ESPN Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll released Tuesday afternoon. It represents the program’s highest national ranking ever and is one shy of the school record regardless of gender.

Events

Offer Baruch, a former Israeli Counter Terrorism Agency (Shin Bet) agent who has investigated hundreds of terrorist incidents during his career, will address “The Global Fundamental Islamic Terror” when he speaks to intelligence studies students at Mercyhurst College on Thursday. His talk is at 6:30 p.m. in Taylor Little Theatre.

The Erie Art Museum is the first stop on a state-wide tour of folk arts inPennsylvania. Making It Better: Folk Arts in Pennsylvania Today is on view in the Erie Art Museum’s Main Gallery, 411 State Street, from Jan. 15, through April 11, 2010. A public opening reception will be held during Gallery Night on Friday, March 12, 2010 from 7-10 p.m. To learn more about the exhibit, visit www.erieartmuseum.org or www.folkartpa.org.