An accident last night at the Erie Yacht Club has killed one person and injured six others. A yacht exploded with five people on board after being refueled around 6:30 p.m. Four of the injured were passengers on the yacht and the two others who were injured were employees of the yacht club. None of the victims have been identified at this time, and police continue to investigate.

Joseph and Isabel Prischak have pledged $2 million to create two new scholarships at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. Joseph Prischak announced the gift on Saturday night at a Conneaut Valley High School alumni reunion. With the addition of the Prischak Family Trustee Scholarship and the Joseph and Isabel Prischak Trustee Scholarship, Penn State Behrend has a total of 35 trustee scholarships. The Prischak Family Trustee Scholarship, funded with a $1 million gift, is a need-based scholarship designated for Plastek Group employees and their children and grandchildren. The Joseph and Isabel Prischak Trustee Scholarship, also funded at $1 million, will give preference to students from Conneaut Valley High School, Joseph Prischak’s alma mater, or to students who reside in Crawford County. This is the college’s first such scholarship for this specific demographic and will support academically talented Penn State Behrend students with a demonstrated financial need. During the For the Future campaign, Penn State Behrend’s goal is to raise $32 million to support its students and has secured $26 million to date. The college’s scholarship goal is $8.5 million; with the Prischaks’ gift, $6 million has been raised for scholarships since this campaign began in January 2007.

Gannon University students, faculty and staff will help feed less fortunate Erie residents through a new initiative called the Goodwill Garden Project. The Gannon group will grow fresh, organic produce that will be donated to the food pantry at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Paul, 134 West 7th St. The Goodwill Garden Project is made possible by a $5,000 grant to Gannon by Constellation Energy Group, Inc.
Michelle Homan, Ph.D., associate professor, environmental science at Gannon, wrote the grant proposal along with Gretchen Fairley, the University’s director of service-learning, and Galen Adams, custodial supervisor. Last year, Adams developed a small garden plot on University property that yielded approximately five bushels of tomatoes, peppers and squash. Adams began growing the garden primarily to reward his staff for their hard work. “Giving them vegetables was a way to show my gratitude for everything they do – a small, added benefit,” he said. Adams also gave produce to residents of the neighborhood. As successful as the garden was, he wanted to work with the University’s Green Committee to expand it. The Goodwill Garden project thus was born. Volunteers from both Gannon and from the community will help maintain the garden. During the project’s first year, organizers are hoping to grow and then donate 500 pounds of tomatoes, lettuce, squash, carrots, cucumbers, herbs and edible flowers.

The grant from Constellation Energy will be used in several ways, Homan said:
· To construct a small greenhouse at the site of Adams’ garden, located on West 4th Street.
· To construct six raised bed gardens, each measuring 8 feet by 8 feet, at the site. Raised bed gardens can produce yields twice as great as conventionally grown gardens.
· To purchase rain barrels as well as the necessary equipment and tools for growing and maintaining the garden.
· To develop a second garden plot between Gannon’s Waldron Campus Center and the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Paul. Like the garden that Adams planted last year, the second garden also will be organic.
Homan, Adams and the other project participants are excited about the Goodwill Garden Project for several reasons:
· In recent years, local food banks and food pantries have seen sharp increases in the number of requests for assistance.
· The fresh produce will be beneficial in that obesity and poor eating habits tend to be more common among individuals living at or below the poverty line.
· Organic produce generally is more expensive relative to conventionally grown items.
· Organic produce is more difficult to find in convenience stores and grocery stores located in urban areas.
· Some food banks and food pantries only distribute canned or dried food items and are not equipped to handle perishable items and fresh vegetables.
· A master gardener will lead educational sessions, open to the general public, on sustainable gardening techniques.

Sports

The Erie SeaWolves are at the Binghamton Mets today through Thursday. The Wolves will return home this weekend to face the Harrisburg Senators.

Events

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In June 2010, Corey and Jennifer Hoover held a blood drive to honor their son, Michael, whom they had lost at 36 1/2 weeks gestation due to a blood incompatibility disorder called anti-e sensitization that caused him to become severely anemic. That same blood drive was also to honor the pregnancy Jen was able to carry to term, thanks to blood donors who generously and anonymously gave blood to the
general blood supply so that it would be there when it was needed. Corey and Jen knew another pregnancy would be risky, and once again, severe anemia had set in. Baby Caleb received 4 blood transfusions in womb, and was born 5 1/2 weeks early in December 2009. He needed many more blood treatments at birth, including 2 full blood exchanges, 5 platelet transfusions and 2 blood transfusions while in the NICU. Caleb is now approaching his 18-month birthday and doing fabulously. The Hoovers are holding another blood drive on Saturday, June 4 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Sparrow Pond Campgrounds, 11103 Rt. 19 in Waterford. Donors do not need an appointment; they may simply walk in to the bloodmobile to donate. Donors must be at least 17 years old, or 16 with a signed Community Blood Bank parental permission form; weigh at least 110 pounds and be in general good health; Photo ID is required.

Gem City Jazz Ensemble will be offering FOUR free performances during the next two weeks. We hope to see you at one or all of them! Under the direction of Jim Caspar, the Gem City Jazz Ensemble will offer four performances. Bring a chair or blanket to enjoy the free concerts, which are open to the public. Selections will include Corazon, How High the Moon, Four Brothers, Earth Wind and Fire’s Fantasy, and Almost Like Being in Love. The dates for the four concerts are:
– Saturday, June 4, 6:00-7:00 pm – Erie SeaWolves Opening Entertainment, Jerry Uht Park Gates, 10th Street
– Tuesday, June 7, 7:30-9:00 pm – “Strawberry Jazz” Outdoor Concert at St. Mark’s, 4701 Old French Road
– Friday, June 10, 7:00 – 8:30 pm – Outdoor Concert at Colony Plaza, West 8th Street
– Monday, June 13, 7:00 – 8:00 pm – City of Erie Sounds of Summer Outdoor Concert at Villa Maria Apartments, 819 West 8th Street
For more info, visit online at www.gemcitybands.org or 814-899-8467.

Erie County Public Safety Director Todd Geers will be the guest speaker at the Manufacturer & Business Association’s upcoming Eggs ’n’ Issues briefing starting at 8 a.m. Wednesday, June 8 at the Association’s Conference Center, 2171 West 38th Street at Pittsburgh Avenue. Geers’ presentation will discuss the steps taken to restore the confidence in his department’s ability to respond to the more than 100,000 emergency calls it receives annually. “Equipment and technology are great assets to our county’s first responders, but, as with any organization, their most important assets are their people,” said Association President Ralph Pontillo. “And when seconds count, it’s the swift and efficient action of the person taking the call that makes a difference. We look forward to hearing from Mr. Geers about what he and his department are doing to make us all safer.” To register for this briefing, contact Ann Miaczynski at 814/833-3200 or 800/815-2660. Cost is $30 for members, $60 for nonmembers.

The Mother ATS Fest, a bellydance gala show and weekend of workshops, is scheduled for July 8-10. The gala show will be the evening of Friday, July 8 at the Bel-Aire Hotel Ballroom. Workshops will be held Saturday and Sunday, July 9 and 10, at Long’s School of the Dance. Lake Erie Belly Dance is offering early bird registration for this event until June 1, which will include a price reduction. For more information, visit the Mother ATS Fest website.

The Erie Art Museum and Lyons Den Productions are teaming up for a night of music, art, and filmmaking, Friday, June 3, 2011, from 6:30-9 p.m. The Museum will host its final Open Stage Night of the summer, and any group or individual can sign up for a short set (two pieces, or eight minutes, whichever is shorter) starting at 5:30 p.m. Original work is encouraged, and visual artists can get in on the act, too, by bringing digital images on DVD or jump drive. During the event, the cast and crew of Lyons Den Productions will film a scene in the Museum’s lobby and main gallery for filmmaker John C. Lyons’ latest feature, There Are No Goodbyes. The scene is an exhibit opening for Raina Kowl, a lead character in the film played by actress Jennifer Hooper. The exhibit will feature photography and objects from Erie’s industrial past and is the work of area artist Ian Wallace. Visitors to the museum that evening will be extras in the scene, and will be required to sign a consent form with Lyons Den Productions. There Are No Goodbyes is a fictional story about choices and finding purpose in one’s life in the context of the current sociopolitical climate of blue-collar America. Scenes for the film have already been shot in Poland, Czech Republic, and Ireland and production is currently taking place in Erie, PA. The feature film is expected to premiere in 2012 and stars Matthew King, Jennifer Hooper, Frederick Williams, and Don Kirsch. The Museum will be free and open to the public for Open Stage Night and the filming, with a suggested $5 donation. A cash beer & wine bar will be available in the lobby. For more information about Open Stage Night, visit erieartmuseum.org or contact Kelly at 459-5477 or folkart@erieartmuseum.org.