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Erie PA News and Events for Thursday October 26, 2006
Posted by Dennis on October 26, 2006
Let’s see if I can write about this without getting a phone call at work like I did at the end of September because of this post. It took me a week to get over the apprehension of starting my car.
There was a huge stipulation with the granting of the license. MTR Gaming had to sever ties with Greg Rubino and his company, Tecnica Development Corporation. MTR paid Rubino and Tecnica about $4 million to get out of their contract. Rubino was a member of the Presque Isle Downs management group after putting the deal together for the property. Tecnica was to received 3 percent of revenues. I’ve seen estimates of revenues easily topping $200 million a year. Construction of Presque Isle Downs is currently taking place 24/7 at a site in Summit Township, about 2 miles out of the City of Erie, at the intersection of Route 97 and I-90 (Exit 27). The quarter billion dollar facility was have 2,000 slot machines, thoroughbred horse racing, and a number of bars and restaurants. Slots should be operating in February with racing starting by Fall.
The City of Erie was ordered by arbitrator Richard W Dissen to re-hire 6 Firefighters Local 293 union fire dispatchers. The six also received back pay. Cost to the city - $400,000. They were laid off when the city consolidated police and fire dispatchers. Did nobody check the fricking contracts to see if they could actually legally do the consolidation? Isn’t that the city solicitors job? Greg Karle is City Solicitor and Jerry Villela is Deputy Solicitor. And Mayor Joseph Sinnott is an attorney too. Was Contracts an elective at law school?
I hope the lack of cooperation and combative nature of the unions is remembered during the next contract negations. But the unions helped get the mayor and council elected. They’re buddy-buddy come contract time. And the taxpayers suffer.
The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) gave the City of Erie $300,000 in lieu of taxes. The city is going around asking, begging, for money from property tax-exempt organizations such as colleges, churches and non-profits. The city has a deficit of about $12 million.
LECOM is the nation’s largest medical college in the US with more than 1400 medical students, mostly connected with the Erie Campus. The School of Pharmacy has another 390 students and a Post-Baccalaureate medical and pharmacy program brings another 100 students into Erie. The college creates more than $60 million dollars annually in economic benefit to the community.
The Board of Directors of Parker Hannifin Corporation announced the appointment of Robert P Barker to the newly created positions of Senior Vice President, Operating Officer. Bob Barker started his career in 1973 as a controller for Metal Bellows Corporation, later acquired by Parker in 1987, with a degree in Accounting from Gannon University. Barker has held a number of key positions within Parker’s Aerospace Group, including General Manager of the Air and Space Division, Vice President and General Manager of the Control Systems Division, and since 2003, President of the Aerospace Group. Parker has increased its annual dividends paid to shareholders for 50 consecutive years. The company employs more than 57,000 people in 43 countries around the world.
Shanna Cotti has assumed responsibilities as Chief Technology Officer of Charles River Laboratories. Ms Cotti is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State Erie, The Behrend College, where she received a bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems.
The Erie Advertising Club is having their Annual Auction this evening at the Maennechor Club, 1607 State Street, Erie PA. All proceeds benefit local Student Scholarships and on-going educational programs sponsored by The Erie Advertising Club. The event starts with a silent auction at 6:30 pm and live auction 7:30. Please rvsp if you plan to attend.
David Hale, an expert in the economies of China and other developing Eastern countries, will speak today at Behrend College at 7:30 pm at McGarvey Commons in Reed Union Building. Admission is free and open to the public. Hale will offer his “insights into the Erie community,” Kris Motta Torok, series director, said. “China’s economy greatly affects our own, so it’s vital that our students have access to the
latest economic trends and forecasts,” Torok said.
The Erie Zoo 18th annual Zoo Boo runs through October 30, 6-9 pm nightly. Admission is $4.50 for adults (ages 12 and up), $3 for kids 2-11 with children under 2 admitted free.
The Port Farms Pumkin Farm Harvest Festival takes place through Oct 31. Hours are Mon-Fri Noon-6 pm, Sat 11-7 and Sun Noon-7. Ticket are $3 for adults, $5 for kids 3-18 with kids under 3 admitted free.
“The Producers, the new Mel Brooks musical” plays the Warner Theater in Erie tonight. Tickets run $57.75, $47.75, $37.75.
The Junior League of Erie Spooktacular Night of Comedy with headliner Steve Schaffer will be held at Jr’s Last Laugh Comedy Club on Thursday, October 26. Happy hour starts at 5 pm with a showtime of 7:30 pm. Tickets are $15. They will have a 50/50 Drawing, Raffle Baskets and Prizes for best costume. Come dressed in a costume and receive $5 worth of FREE raffle tickets. Contact: Jodi Farr (814) 725-3048 for tickets. The Junior League of Erie is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.
The 22nd annual meeting of the North East Forensic Anthropology Association (NEFAA) takes place at Mercyhurst College in Erie PA the weekend of Oct 27-29. Hosts for the occasion are Mercyhurst forensic anthropologists Dr Steven Symes and Dr Dennis Dirkmaat. The event is free and all are welcome. Typically, the NEFAA conference includes presentations and workshops by forensic anthropologists, law enforcement, researchers, coroners, police, professors and students. This year’s attendees will present on Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm in Walker Recital Hall of the Audrey Hirt Academic Center. A workshop, “Transition Analysis: A New Means of Estimating the Age of Adult Skeletons” conducted by Dr George Milner of the Penn State Department of Anthropology and Dr Jesper L Boldsen of the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the University of Southern Denmark, will be featured on Sunday from 9 am to noon. For more information, please contact Mercyhurst graduate student Nick Passalacqua at (517) 862-9957; e-mail npassa77@mercyhurst.edu.
The second annual Teaching and Learning Expo, hosted by the Mercyhurst College chapter of Kappa Delta Pi education honor society and the Council for Exceptional Children, takes place Saturday, Oct. 28, from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm in the Audrey Hirt Academic Center on the Erie campus. The expo is open to interested education majors from all local colleges and universities. The fee is $5 and includes lunch. Distinguished education and business professionals will conduct sessions on how to interview effectively, integrate math and literacy, use the computer creatively in the classroom, and make learning meaningful through thematic units. For more information or to register, contact Mercyhurst’s Dr Ruth Auld, 824-3370; rauld@mercyhurst.edu.
On Saturday, October 28, 2006, bring the family to the Tom Ridge Environmental Center for a day of Halloween fun and discovery. The event is free and all are welcome. From 10 am to 6 pm, there are things to excite the imagination, unexpected eerie creatures to encounter and mysteries to solve. The whole family can trek through TREC during a spooky scavenger hunt. Visit stations throughout the Center to learn more about nature’s tricks and treats at Halloween - collecting “treats” along the way. There is even a costume contest for children ages three - twelve. Come as your favorite Halloween-y animal and compete for a prize. Or stop by the face painting station for a pumpkin, ghost or other favorite painted Halloween character. The science of chocolate will be bigger than ever on the BIG Green Screen. The original “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” starring Gene Wilder will be playing throughout the day. Showtime’s are at 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm. Movie tickets only are $ 4 each. Moviegoers will also take part in a search for the “golden ticket” with fun and prizes sponsored by Sam’s Club.
The Lakeshore Marching Band Association 22nd Annual Competitions take place at Erie Veterans Memorial Stadium on October 28 from 2:30 pm until 10:30 pm. It features 25 regional high school marching bands competing for first place in their class. Gates open at 1 pm. Admission: Adults $8, Child/Senior/Student $6.
The Mercyhurst College Dance Department will present The Mercyhurst Dancers in “Dances for Dave, Hip Hop and Moore” on Saturday, Oct 28, at 2 and 7 pm, and Sunday, Oct 29, at 2 pm in the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12.50 for seniors and students, and $5 for youth under 15, and can be purchased through the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center box office, 824-3000.
Classy 100 is holding an 80’s Halloween Thriller dance at Rainbow Gardens on Saturday, October 28th from 9 ‘til 1. Memories in Motion will be playing the music, and they’ll have a costuime party. Tickets are $10 in advance ($12 at the door) and can be purchased at Quizno’s on E 38th Street, The Amish Buggy on upper Peach Street and at Classy 100’s studios at 471 Robison Road.
Celebrate Halloween at the 46th annual Holiday Festival and Spaghetti Dinner sponsored by the Dr Gertrude A Barber National Institute on Sunday, Oct 29 from 11 am - 5 pm. Kids and families will love “Barber Boo,” a celebration of free activities such as games and crafts, hay rides, and trick or treating through the Barber National Institute. Bingo, games of chance, theme basket raffles and Christmas crafts for adults. A spaghetti dinner with all the trimmings; tickets just $6 for adults, $3 for children ages 4-12 and free for youngsters under age three. For information, call 453-7661.
The jazz quartet “Sonic Openings Under Pressure” will perform at the Erie Art Museum on Sunday October 29 at 8 pm as part of the Museum’s Contemporary Music Series. The performance follows a 7 pm “Meet the Composer” session with members of the quartet and also concludes an artist residence at the Museum. Tickets are $12 for general admission, $10 for Museum and JazzErie Members and $6 for students and seniors.
The Erie Federal Credit Union and the Millcreek Kiwanis are holding a blood drive for the Community Blood Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania on October 30 from 2-6 pm at the Erie FCU branch at 5500 Zuck Rd. Donors will be eligible for giveaways and prizes.
Chelsea Sexton, who helped General Motors market the EV1 battery-electric car of the 1990s and is featured with celebrities Tom Hanks and Mel Gibson in the documentary “Who Killed the Electric Car?,” will be at Mercyhurst College Wednesday, Nov 1, to introduce the film and answer questions afterward. An offering of the Guelcher Film Series at Mercyhurst, the documentary will be shown at 2 and 8 pm in the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center. Sexton will also speak at noon to members of the Erie Rotary Club.
The Technology Council of Northwest Pa and the Penn State Behrend Sam and Irene Black School of Business will present Mr Toshihiro Nagamatsu, President of Shingijutsu Consulting on Wednesday, November 1, from 6-7 pm. Mr Nagamatsu, a pioneer in the field of lean manufacturing, was the project leader for lean production implementation at Toyota. He will be speaking for 30 minutes and taking questions for 30 minutes. The event will be held in the McGarvey Commons at the Reed Union on the campus of Penn State Behrend. Please RSVP with brenda.borgia@technwap.org .
“Wristcutters: A Love Story” will be shown at the Edinboro University Louis C Cole Memorial Auditorium on Wednesday, November 1 at 7:30 pm. Meet and Greet with director Goran Dukic (confirmed) and actors Shannyn Sossamon (invited) and Shea Whigham (confirmed). Tickets are $5 with Edinboro students attending for free. Tickets the day of the show are $7.50. The Student Art League of Edinboro University of PA and Lyons Den Productions are coordinating/ promoting the event. Click here for more info.
The 2006-2007 Silberman Recital Series at Allegheny College will continue with pianist Alec Chien playing “A Solo Recital of Old Favorites” on Friday, Nov 3. The concert, which begins at 7:30 pm in Ford Memorial Chapel, is free and open to the public. Chien will perform works by Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Frederic Chopin and Franz Liszt.
The students of Toni and Guy in Erie, 930 Peach Street, are holding a fund raiser on November 4 from 9 am - 4:30 pm called “Healing Hands for Hunger.” This event is to raise money and donations for the Second Harvest Food Bank. For every five pounds of food you bring in you get a free five minute chair massage, also for every $5 you donate you also will receive a five minute chair massage. ALL proceeds go to the Second Harvest Food Bank. All massages will be done by students that will be supervised by their instructors.
Gannon University will host a workshop on play therapy to be presented by Richard E Watts, PhD, a nationally known author, researcher, and clinician. “Counseling with Toys” will run from 9 am to 4 pm Friday, Nov 10 at the Avalon Hotel, 16 West Tenth Street. It will be hosted by the Gannon University Community Counseling Program and is co-sponsored by the Gamma Upsilon Chi chapter of Chi Sigma Iota, the Gannon Social Work program and School of Education, the Pennsylvania Association for Play Therapy, the North American Society for Adlerian Psychology, and the Lake Erie Adlerian Institute. Participants can qualify for six continuing education credits (CEUs) and ACT 48 hours. The cost is $50 (pre-registration by Nov 2), or $20 for students. A discount is available for members of Chi Sigma Iota. For more information or to obtain registration material, contact Kenneth McCurdy, PhD, assistant professor, community counseling, at 814-871-7791.
The Goo Goo Dolls will play a concert at the Warner Theatre in Erie Tuesday December 5. Tickets are on sale now.
Posted by Dennis at October 26, 2006 7:08 AM
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