ErieBlogs.com: Surprise

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Surprise

Posted by Dennis on August 3, 2005

Mike and RichardZ invited me to join them so from today on the content you found on Erie PA and Life will now be found here. Surprise.

Former Erie City Councilman Mario Bagnoni is in failing health and has been taken off life support. Bagnoni, a retired police officer and the one time safety director at Gannon University, spent 28 years on council.

Groundbreaking for the the Erie Bayfront Convention Center was held last evening. Construction will begin on August 11 and should be finished by Spring of 2007.

The state releases the unemployment figures for June 2005. The seasonally adjusted rate for the Erie area was 5.4 percent which was up from the May figure of 5.2 percent. For the City of Erie itself the unemployment rate was 6.4 percent while the rate for Millcreek Township it stood at 4.7 percent. Click here for the complete Pennsylvania employment data in pdf format.

The Erie Zoo will be having its annual Senior Citizen’s Day today, Wednesday August 3 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. They are offering seniors and their grandchildren free admission, free lemonade, free popcorn, free carousel ride and free blood pressure screening. Vendors will be stationed on the zoo grounds to offer information to seniors and their grandchildren.

The Erie Community Blood Bank, 2646 Peach Street, is helping to celebrate “Back to School” all month long by having great weekly promotions. Each week the CBB will be giving away a “Back to School” makeover kit and a haircut generously donated by Ambridge Rose Spa and Salon and another great gift provided by a local business. Donors all week long can enter to win dinner for 2 to Calamari’s and a pair of Calamari’s T-shirts. The Erie Community Blood Bank is open from 9-6. Monday through Friday and until 7:30 pm Tuesday night and Saturday 9 am-12:30 pm. Photo ID required.

The McDowell and Cathedral Prep Alumni football game will be held on Friday August 5 at 7:30 pm at Gus Anderson Stadium. This could be a good time.

The Misery Bay Sports Car Club is hosting its annual Drive Against Hunger at Penn Sate Behrend benefiting the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwestern PA. This Solo II event and autocross will be held on August 6-7, 2005. Registration opens at 8:30 am and closes at 9:30 am. Solo2 events are driving skill contests that emphasize the driver’s ability and the car’s handling characteristics. This is accomplished by driving a course that is designated by traffic cones on a low hazard location such as a parking lot.

For the third consecutive year, hundreds of firefighters from across the United States and Canada will converge on the streets of downtown Erie, Pa to compete in the Firefighter Combat Challenge on Lake Erie Friday, September 9 and Saturday, September 10.

Josh Koscheck, the former Edinboro wrestler, will face-off with Patrick Cote in an Ultimate Fighting event live on Spike TV from the Las Vegas Cox Pavilion Saturday, August 6, 2005. Erie Blogger Ron said he saw Josh fight on TV this past weekend and he destroyed his opponent.

The Edinboro University football team was picked to finish fourth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division Coaches Poll. We’ll see if there is a football season. PSAC coaches have approved a strike. A retroactive pay raisesand health care costs are the main issues.

There is a great story in the DesMoines Register on Erie native and Iowa Hawkeye star wide receiver Ed Hinkel. He listens to country music and is a Tony Stewart fan. By the way, there are six Erie guys playing in the Big Ten this season with only one on the Penn State roster.

Tigers prospect Justin Verlander had to leave his start for Double-A Erie after three innings Tuesday night because of tightness in his right (pitching) shoulder. He didn’t allow a hit in the three innings he pitched and lowered his ERA to 0.28. Altoona beat the Erie SeaWolves 5-2. The Curve and SeaWolves will continue their four-game series Wednesday night at Uht Park in Erie. Altoona will send right-hander Jason Roach to the mound to extend the club’s winning streak to 11 games against Erie righty Preston Larrison (1-1, 3.60) for the 7:05 pm contest.

The Dayton Bombers have signed speedy centerman Geoff Platt. Platt was highly sought-after in this year’s push for free agents. The 20-year old from Mississauga, Ontario was voted the fastest skater in the OHL last season and should provide some offensive punch for the Bombers this season. The former Erie Otters star had 45 goals and 34 assists in 68 games. He got on the ice with the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies of the ECHL for just two games at the tail end of last season, logging two assists in two games.