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Erie PA News and Events for Wednesday November 8, 2006

Here’s the 2006 election results for the major area races:
Ed Rendell defeated Lynn Swann for Pennsylvania Governor.
Bob Casey, Jr defeated Rick Santorum for US Senate.
Phil English defeated Steven Porter for US House of Representatives.
Patrick Harkins defeated Christine Pontoriero for State House, 1st District.
Flo Fabrizio was unopposed for State House, 2nd District.
John Hornaman defeated Matthew Good, for State House, 3rd District. (upset)
Curt Sonney was unopposed for State House, 4th District.
John Evans defeated Jason White for State House, 5th District.

Erie Insurance stock hit an intra-day all-time high and finished up $1.47, over 2 1/2 percent, with the company company gaining over $100 million in value, after the company announced 150 jobs in the Erie Family Life division will be eliminated. Most employees will move to other positions within the company. The reason for the job losses is an eventual agreement with Perot Systems to upgrade technology at Erie Family Life. The gripe with agents and Erie Insurance employees is that the company is way behind other carriers in technology. This should help. The move is expected to save the company $7 million annually.

New York State Trooper Donald Baker Jr, who was shot by fugitive Ralph ‘Bucky’ Phillips on Aug 31, will be flown today to the Albany Medical Center. Baker has been at Hamot Medical Center. His wife must be some kind of special lady. She has rarely left his side and the hospital for the past 10 weeks.

An empty tractor trailer driven by Miguel Cosme of Erie PA caught fire and snarled traffic for hours on I-80 near Fairfield New Jersey. A tarp blew off a pick-up truck and got caught underneath the tractor trailer. Cosme was unhurt but the vehicle was a total loss.

Royal Ahold has put 73 Tops Markets in Pennsylvania and New York up for sale. Giant Eagle, Weis, A and P, Hannaford or a private investor could be possible buyers.

Steelers fans and Browns fans can go head to head this week to compete for a 4 pack of tickets to the Steelers/ Browns game in Pittsburgh on Thursday December 7. The tickets are valued at more than $1000. Fans can come to the Erie Community Blood Bank all this week and donate on behalf of their team. The team with the most donors is the winner and one member of the winning team will be chosen at random to win a 4 pack of tickets to this night game! Winner to be chosen on Monday November 13. There will be other great prizes too, including signed prints of both the Browns and Steelers stadium generously provided by nationally known artist Kevin-John Jobczynski. The Erie Sport Store has donated five $20 gift cards to be raffled off 1 per day and they are providing other NFL prizes too. On Deck restaurant will be providing food for lunch everyday too. All 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 9 am-12:30 pm. Photo ID required.

Almost forgot about this, from some who moved recently: He had Verizon phone and DSL. He easily switched his phone service over the internet but couldn’t move internet service over the internet.

Gerald J Malys has benn named to the Board of Directors of National Coal Corp (Nasdaq: NCOC). Malys was appointed Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Apex Silver Mines Limited in June 2006. Malys has a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Gannon University, is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

The Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League get back at it tonight at the Tullio Arena when they host the Guelph Storm in 7:30 pm start. The Otters (3-13-0-2) will be looking to break out of a five-game losing streak. The team signed overage goaltender Jonathan Laniel who is expected to start at least one game this weekend.

Dr David Frew will speak on the “Gales Of November” as part of the Shipwreck Lecture Series at the Erie County Historical Society Erie Planetarium, 356 West Sixth Street, from 7-8:30 pm today, Wednesday November 8. Hear tales of Lake Erie shipping disasters and awe-inspiring stories of survival. Fee is $6 for adults and $4 for kids.

The art galleries of Allegheny College will present “The Educated Brush,” “Asian Influences in Contemporary Ceramics” and “Asian Prints from the Allegheny College Collection” now through Wednesday, Dec 6. The exhibit and events are free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday, 12:30-5 pm; Saturday, 1:30 to 5 pm; and Sunday, 2-4 pm. The Art Galleries are located in Doane Hall of Art, which is connected to the Campus Center on the Allegheny College campus, just east of North Main Street between College and John Streets in Meadville. The Art Galleries are wheelchair accessible. Gallery tours are available to groups by request. For more information, phone (814) 332-4365.

The Erie Art Museum invites singers and non-singers alike to a throat singing workshop with internationally touring Tuvan throat singers Chirgilchin on Wednesday, November 8 at 7 pm in the Erie Art Museum Annex. Cost is $5 per person. Workshop attendees will receive a $5 off tickets to Chirgilchin’s Nov 9 performance. Throat singing is an extraordinary vocal form in which one singer produces two or more voices at the same time, one voice harmonizing with the others. A performance is scheduled for Nov 9 at 8 pm in the Erie Art Museum Annex. Tickets are $15 for general admission, $12 for Erie Art Museum and Jazz Erie members and $10 for students and seniors. For more information on the workshop or performance call the Erie Art Museum at 459-5477.

Potato Battery will be at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center Thursday, November 9 from 7pm - 9pm for the Cool Jazz Series. Jazz music lovers will enjoy great music along with an assortment of light hors ‘d’oeuvres. BYOB - Bring Your Own Bottle of wine or beer to top off the evening. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $7.50 each at the Nature Shop and Gallery or at the door for $10 each. Call (814) 833-6050 for more details. Upcoming Cool Jazz performances in the series include: November 30th - Cats a Bear and December 14th - Marty O’Connor and Friends. Support for these programs is provided in part by the Presque Isle Partnership, WQLN and the Erie Arts Endowment of the Arts Council of Erie.

The Allegheny College Playshop Theatre continues its 2006-2007 season with Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town.” The play will be performed on Nov 9, 10 and 11 at 8 pm and Nov 12 at 2:30 pm in the Playshop Theatre, located in Arter Hall on the Allegheny College campus. Mark Cosdon, assistant professor of theatre and performance studies, directs the production. Tickets for are $7.50 for adults; $5 for non-Allegheny students, senior citizens and Allegheny employees; and free for Allegheny students with identification. For more information or to order tickets contact the Playshop Theatre Box Office at (814) 332-3414.

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 Trans-Siberian Orchestra perform at the Erie Civic Center Tullio Arena on Friday, Nov 10. Some tickets still remain.

William Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors,” a rollicking tale of mistaken identity and witty dialogue, will be the fall Studio Theatre performance at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. Performances will begin at 8 pm on Friday Nov 10, Saturday Nov 11, and Wednesday Nov 15 through Saturday Nov 18. A 2 pm matinee performance will be held on Sunday, Nov 12. Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for students; reservations can be made by calling 814-898-6304.

The rock band Lareau will play at Docksiders located at 1015 State Street in Erie on November 10. Admission is $5. The band has just completed filming its first music video with Producer’s/Director’s James Pizzaro and Aaron Doonan . The song is the title cut from their debut Rust Records release entitled ‘Changes’. Lareau is working on their second album with producers Darrin Payne and Anthony Brown at All Sound Recording Studios in Warren PA.

This weekend, Nov 11-12, Pittsburgh will host a Podcamp. It’s a Free UN-CONFERENCE for people who create, enjoy or are interested in learning more about the following: blogs, vlogs, audio podcasts, web video, content networks and new media monetization.

The Erie area FIRST LEGO League Robotics competition sponsored by Lord Corporation and the Millcreek School District will be held on November 11 at 9 am at Walnut Creek Middle School, 5901 Sterrettania Rd. The event is open to the public. Students age 9 - 14 years old from Erie and the surrounding tri-state area build, program and then compete in a task driven competition. Using LEGO bricks and other elements such as sensors, motors, and gears, teams gain hands-on experience in engineering and computer programming principles as they construct and program their unique robot inventions. For more information send email to allen_platz@lord.com

The Annual Veterans Day Parade steps off at Vets Stadium on November 11 at 9:30 am and travels south to the Erie VA Medical Center. At 11 am the Annual Veterans Day Ceremony will be held at the Armed Forces Reserve Center, Old French Road. The community is encouraged to attend to honor our nation’s heroes.

The Erie Philharmonic presents Made In America at the Warner Theatre on Saturday, Nov 11 at 8 pm. John Morris Russell, Music Director Candidate, will be the Conductor.

The Mercyhurst College Institute of Geography Education will host its third annual Geography Challenge for eighth grade students enrolled in Erie County schools on Saturday, Nov 11. Preliminaries will be held on campus in various classrooms beginning at 10 am, with the 10 finalists set to compete at 1 pm in Taylor Little Theatre, an event that is free and open to the public. The winner and runner-up will be flown to Space Camp at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala, where they will participate in some of the same training as the shuttle astronauts.

The All American Hot Dog and Chili Party will be held November 12 from 1-5 pm at the Huzar Club, 1122 East 10 St. This is open to the public. Hot dogs and a variety of chili’s to try. Games, Chinese auction, basket raffles, 50/50’S and fun. Proceeds benefit 12-year old Kristina King, Student Delegate of Harbor Creek. She will be going to Washington, DC April 2007 for the People to People World Leadership Forum.

The Allegheny College Jazz Band and Trombone Choir will present a concert on Sunday, Nov 12 at 3:15 pm in the lobby of Henderson Campus Center. Pre-concert music by Jim Froman and Friends will begin at 2:30. The event is free and open to the public.

Box of Light Theatre brings its multi-dimensional stage performance of “Pavlov’s Clown” to Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, on Tuesday, Nov 14. The one-hour lunchtime show will begin at 12:30 pm in the Reed Union Building’s Bruno’s Cafe. A presentation of the college’s Rhythms of Life cultural series, “Pavlov’s Clown” is free and open to the public. A full menu of hot and cold lunch items will be available for purchase at the cafe.

The 20-piece Gem City Jazz Ensemble will present a concert on Tuesday, November 14 at 7:30 pm in the Blasco Library HO Hirt Auditorium. Under the direction of Tim McKinney, the jazz ensemble will perform many great jazz standards and big band favorites such as New York, New York, ‘Lil Darlin’, and Killer Joe. More modern charts will include a remake of the classic I’ve Been Workin’ on the Railroad by Tom Kubis, a jazz rendition of St Louis Blues, and Santana’s Smooth. The concert is Free and open to the public; free-will offerings will be accepted.

The opening reception of “Victorian Holidays: A Holiday Heritage Festival” will be held November 16 at the Erie County Historical Society Watson-Curtze Mansion, 356 W 6 St, from 6-9 pm. Cost is $20, from reservations call (814) 454-1813. Victorian Holidays is a multi-faceted exhibit which has been annual tradition for the Erie County Historical Society for more than 25 years. The 2006 exhibit, titled a Holiday Heritage Festival, features traditional seasonal decorations from several ethnic-oriented groups. Exhibit runs through December 31.

Gannon University’s Erie Chamber Orchestra, Conducted and directed by Bruce Morton Wright, will perform on Friday, November 17. The performance will feature the Edinboro University Singers. It is free and open to the public and will begin at 7:30 pm at the Erie Central High auditorium, 3325 Cherry Street.

The Goo Goo Dolls will play a concert at the Warner Theatre in Erie Tuesday December 5. Tickets are on sale now.

The movies for the Holiday Film Series at the Big Green Screen Theater are The Lion King (Dec 5), The Incredibles (Dec 12), the excellent 1961 version of 101 Dalmations (Dec 19) and Toy Story (Dec 26).

Posted by Dennis at November 8, 2006 7:04 AM

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Posted by: Justin Kownacki at November 8, 2006 9:22 PM

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