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Erie PA News and Events for Thanksgiving Day, Thursday November 24, 2005
Posted by Dennis on November 24, 2005
Mayor Rick Filippi presented his proposed 2006 budget to Erie City Council yesterday. It calls for 63 layoffs and a number of increases in fees. The budget is currently about $7 million from being balanced. Fees would increase about $2.7 million and cuts would be about $4.3 million. Council has until December 31 to figure out what cuts they want to make and pass a budget. A property tax increase wasn’t proposed. The CIty of Erie is already at the legal limit for property taxes and would need court permission to raise them.
I love how people who don’t live in the city want property taxes raised. Firefighters union president Joe Walko said the city should raise property taxes rather than consolidate police and fire dispatchers which would put 10 fire dispatchers out of work. Walko lives in the suburbs and pays 36.2 mills in property taxes to his municipality. City residents already pay 97.1 mills.
The Commonwealth Court of Appeals unanimously upheld the decision by the Millcreek Zoning Board to let Waldameer Park and Water World to build the Ravine Flyer II. The Ravine Flyer II would be a wooden roller coaster. The coaster would traverse Peninsula Drive (State Route 832). Brian Candela, owner of Sara Coyne Campground, has fought against the coaster.
If Candela doesn’t appeal to the State Supreme Court, construction could begin in the Fall of 2006. The ride could be open with the start of the 2007 season.
Jake Lybrook of Girard PA is featured in the November issue of Cosmopolitan magazine as part of Cosmo’s Bachelor Blowout 2005. Lybrook was chosen to represent North Carolina, where he was stationed at Camp Lejune. The article included his email address so he’s got a couple thousand emails to answer. Lybrook is currently serving in Husaybah, Iraq, near the Syrian border.
I love how some little story gets a bit bigger as the details come out. Last Friday, some teenage thug got shot in the leg. No bid deal until yesterday. Revrend Willie Sanders Jr was charged with the shooting. Sanders kid got into a fight with another kid. Sanders found the teen and his friends. He wanted his kid to beat the other kid while he stood guard with his handgun. A warning shot Sanders fired into the ground struck a 16 year old kid in the leg. Sanders Jr is a minister at Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church in Erie.
Paulette Di Angi, PhD, RN, has been appointed visiting professor for Villanova University’s graduate program in nursing. Di Angi received her bachelor of science in nursing from Villa Maria College in Erie, PA. Villa Maria is now a school of Gannon University.
The Erie Runners Club is still planning on having their annual Turkey Trot today. As of 5 am the race was still a go. Check their site before you go to see if it’s still on. There will be a 10K run, a 5 K run and a 5 K competitive walk.
A longstanding Erie Thanksgiving tradition continues tonight as the Erie Otters face the Belleville Bulls at 7:30 pm at the Tullio Arena. The Box Office will open at 5 pm. This game usually sells out so if you don’t have tickets, get there early.
The Mercyhurst College men’s hockey team lost to the Yale Bulldogs 6-3. The Elis, as Yale is also known, won their first game of the year. The Hurst falls to 7-4. Why Elis ? It was to the Greek city of Elis that the athletes came to train before the Olympic Games.
Former Erie Otters forward Geoff Platt has signed an NHL contract with the NHL Columbus Blue Jackets. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Platt is currently with the AHL Syracuse Crunch, where he has 12 goals and 5 assists in 14 games.
Jovon Johnson was named to the first-team all-Big Ten football team as a cornerback. Johnson, a 5-9 senior from Erie, Pa, finished fourth on the team with 63 tackles and intercepted three passes. He’s one short of tying the school-record of 18 set by Nile Kinnick and Devon Mitchell. Johnson earned first-team recognition from the media and second team from the coaches. Ed Hinkel, also an Iowa Hawkeye from Erie, earned honorable mention team honors from the coaches and media.
Jay Robison was recently named as the new wrestling coach at Washington and Jefferson College. Robison was a three-time NCAA Division I 197-pound All-American at Edinboro and most recently the top assistant coach at Clarion.
Class AAA District 10 champion General McLane faces Pittsburgh Perry at 12 pm Saturday at Slippery Rock University’s Thompson Stadium. Also, Erie Cathedral Prep will play McKeesport Saturday, November 26th, in the PIAA Class AAAA football at 6 pm at Slippery Rock.
Posted by Dennis at November 24, 2005 7:31 AM
Comments
Happy Thanksgiving, Dennis! Don't eat too much turkey or you'll be shoveling somethin' else up with the snow. ;)
Posted by: Rachel at November 24, 2005 9:15 AM
Joe Walko is the ultimate union hack. It's really no big surprise that Walko would make such an outrageous statement (calling for the city to raise taxes to protect dispatcher jobs).
I've listened to Walko's statements for a long time in television interviews and at city council meetings. This man cares about two things, and two things only-protecting as many firefighter jobs as possible, and making sure every firefighter has as much salary and benefits as possible.
It makes no difference to Joe Walko if the city goes bankrupt in the process, of if we are needlessly duplicating services (like the dispatchers) at a cost to city taxpayers. He could really care less.
And why hasn't the Times Publishing Company or any other media outlet ever challenged Joe Walko to justify the fact that Erie's Deputy Fire Chief Tom Lawson actually has a DRIVER who drives him around town???
That's right. We just got rid of what was it, 12 firefighter jobs, yet we retain a 'driver' for the Deputy Chief??? And this driver is paid a full firefighter salary and benefits!
Posted by: Matt at November 25, 2005 12:08 AM
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