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Erie PA News and Events for Thursday December 29, 2005
Posted by Dennis on December 29, 2005
Erie City Council passed it’s $54.8M 2006 budget on Wednesday. Current City Councilman and mayor-elect Joe Sinnott, Jim Thompson and Pat Cappabianca fought till the end for a higher property tax increase. What a bunch of bastards. Only a token effort was made to cut costs throughout the entire budget process. Fiduciary responsibility is a concept they can not grasp. While dozens of police officers and firefighters were let go, there were very few job cuts at City Hall. The Traffic Court office with 4 or 5 employees will be closed and the work shifted to the District Magistrates. The city hall cleaning crew/custodians were let go and work will be contracted out to a private firm. A couple of people in the streets department and the parks department were let go. That’s it. Zero administrative jobs were cut. No middle management jobs were cut.
There was a suspected arson fire in the middle of Crack Alley in the 500 block of East 24th Street. One of the residents of the house, Bret, who appeared to be in his early 20’s said it was arson to every camera he could find. He couldn’t wait to talk to the cops.
In 1922, Hal Roach inaugurated a new series of short film comedies called Hal Roach’s Rascals. The first film was titled “Our Gang.” The series of shorts ran until 1938. The TV prints, which debuted in 1955, were known simply as “The Little Rascals.” Most of America has heard of Spanky, Alfalfa, Darla and Buckwheat. Bet you didn’t know that the original Darla was from Erie PA. Marge Long of Long’s School of Dance in Erie played Darla. Long passed away yesterday.
Nordstroms and Banana Republic are two of the new retail stores that will be going into the new plaza being built on Interchange Road near the Millcreek Mall. Construction on the Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar, which I think is the only one to actually announce there are building there, is flying along.
The Community Blood Bank ends the biggest promotion in its 38 year history on Saturday December 31st. That is the final day to donate blood and enter to win the Life Drive in 05, an event that teams up with New Motors to give some lucky blood donor a New Car! New Motors has generously donated a 2 year lease for a beautiful red 2005 Volvo S40. All blood donors are strongly encouraged to donate at the Community Blood Bank, 2646 Peach Street. Community Blood Bank is open from 9-6 Monday through Friday and until 7:30 pm Tuesday night and Saturday, New Year’s Eve from 9 am-12:30 pm. Photo ID required.
PSB Industries Inc will create 21 new jobs within one year and retain 45 existing employees by renovating several bays at its West 12th Street facility in Erie. The company has also purchased new computer equipment and is expanding its working capital to accommodate new sales in its core dryer business. PSB Industries manufactures large custom gas purification equipment that is sold worldwide. The company also provides warehousing, sandblasting and painting services. The Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership assisted PSB Industries in obtaining a $1.45 million package through DCED that includes a $751,500 loan through the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority, $450,000 in Enterprise Zone Competitive funding and up to $250,000 in Enterprise Zone Tax Credits. The expansion project is expected to cost $2.8 million.
The Librarian of Congress named 25 films to the National Film Registry on Tuesday. Among the films selected by James H Billington for inclusion in the registry are the 1933 Barbara Stanwyck film “Baby Face,” whose racy content inspired the Hays Production Code which changed movie making for the next thirty years. An uncensored version of the film was discovered last year, and that was the one selected for the registry. With Stanwyck in the title role as a slutty bartender from Erie PA, “Baby Face” helped pave the way for the industry’s self-regulatory Hays Production Code, which curbed all nudity and racy language.
MTR Gaming Group, which applied for a license for the horse racing track it is building near Erie, dropped its plans Wednesday to seek a slot machine license in Pittsburgh. The racino, currently being built in the Erie suburb of Summit Township, will be called Presque Isle Downs.
The opening round of the 32nd annual Porreco Cup will be held tonight at the Hammermill Center. Lake Superior State plays Quincy at 6 pm while host Gannon takes on Daemen at 8 pm.
The Highmark Quad Cross County Ski and Snowshoe race will be held January 8, 2006 at 1 pm on the Upper Golf Course of Peek ‘n Peak. The cross country ski race is 5 miles and the snowshoe race is 2.5 miles. This is the final event of the 23rd Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Quad Games season.
Presque Isle State Park has planned a couple of guided snowshoe hikes: Jan 14, how animals survive in winter; Jan 28, tree and plant identification; Feb 15, winter magic; and Feb 25, tracking animals in snow. All the hikes run from 1-3 pm. Also, on Jan 18 and Feb 15 there will be a night hike from 6-8 pm. Snowshoes are available free of charge to those who make reservations and register. There’s no registration required for those who bring their own equipment. For information, call 814-833-7424 or 814-833-0351.
IUP Athletic Director Frank Condino said Tuesday that the university search committee has narrowed the coaches to replace their football coach to 3 candidates: Edinboro head coach Lou Tepper, IUP assistant Tom Rogish and Princeton offensive coordinator Dave Rackovan. Tepper’s decision to apply for the job is considered a shock because Edinboro is the chief rival of IUP. Tepper in known on the national stage for his five-plus seasons as head coach at Illinois from 1991 to 1996. After being fired at Illinois, Tepper took two years off before becoming defensive coordinator at LSU. Following two seasons there, he took over Edinboro where he has a 40-26 record in 6 seasons.
The United States Equestrian Federation announced the four athletes who have been named to the 2006 USEF ParaEquestrian Advanced Rider List. The rider/horse combinations include Rebecca Hart of Erie, Pa and her horse Nordkap, a Bay Hanoverian gelding.
The Pensacola Ice Pilots announced that forward Derrell Upton has signed with the team. Upton played for the Erie Otters during the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons.
Posted by Dennis at December 29, 2005 7:08 AM
Comments
Why do we even need that huge shopping center they're building? They took out all of those trees and took over that land, for what? Some more crappy restaurants to compete with the other ones already in place?
What a boost to our economy....more minimum wage jobs!
Posted by: Ron at December 29, 2005 9:34 AM
Dennis,
If they haven't announced yet, how do you know for certain that Nordstrom's and Banana Republic are coming to Erie?
Posted by: CJ at December 29, 2005 10:03 AM
Nordstrom's and Banana Republic both have job listings for Erie. :)
Posted by: Dennis at December 29, 2005 10:27 AM
"Pandering Pat" strikes again! I wasn't the least bit surprised with Pat Cappabianca's shameless grandstanding that he pulled last night as he tried to suck up to the police union.
Jim Thompson's stance really wasn't a surprise either. Actually though, Jim Thompson is much more closely-tied to the fire union than the police (although Thompson is close to both).
If anyone thinks Jim Thompson could ever be 'objective' about the Fire Department, they should have watched him during the budget sessions.
Thompson's daughter Ruth Delio (the former Ruth Thompson) is married to Erie City Firefighter Brian Delio. So it was comical watching Thompson during the budget sessions 'pretending' to be objective (what a laugh) as he sat hext to the two Fire Chiefs. Jim might as well be a paid lobbyist for the Fire Department!
So there was never any chance that Jim Thompson (even as President of Council) was going to show any objectivity at all when it came to the Fire Department. He kissed their butts and also resisted the the consolidation of dispatchers that will effect Fire Department jobs.
Posted by: Matt at December 29, 2005 10:41 AM
Nordstrom? Nordstrom?? In Erie? So much for my theory that they were sneaking in a Super-Wal-Mart. Watch a Pottery Barn come too, just when we're moving away.
I love how council cut what were probably little more than minimum wage jobs, the custodians, while keeping the higher-paid and more useless white collar jobs. Seems their concern for the everyday citizen is just lip service. Is anyone suprprised? Oh well, the custodians can get jobs at the new Nodrstrom.
Posted by: eden at December 29, 2005 11:08 AM
I am surprised at the reaction to the politics of the area. This is what happens when elected officials are chosen based on their party lines. If you want to stop this nightmare, start voting for the person THAT CAN DO THE BEST JOB. Just because you have an R, a D or an I after your name on the ballot does not make you competent or honest. Would you consider hiring employees this way?
Posted by: John at December 30, 2005 7:00 AM
That would be a Nordstrom Rack. That's Nordstrom's outlet store. There is no way on Earth, Nordstrom would ever build a store in Erie, PA Not nearly enough money and not nearly large enough.
Posted by: Marty at December 30, 2005 6:56 PM
Add a
link and graphic to your site to show that you're from Erie. Meet new peeps, share you thoughts on our fair city, do whatever you like.
