ErieBlogs.com: Erie PA News and Events for Thursday March 29, 2007

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Erie PA News and Events for Thursday March 29, 2007

Posted by Dennis on March 29, 2007

Bill Sesler, the Erie attorney and developer, announced he has given up on taking over the Parade Street grocery store project. Can’t blame him. Invest Erie Community Development Corporation filed a law suit against the city because the city wouldn’t sell them the land. The city says Invest Erie doesn’t have the financing to get the project built. It’s still winding it’s way through the courts. And a $300,000 state grant for the project must be used by June. Invest Erie Community Development Corporation was formed in 1999 for the sole purpose of building a grocery store and plaza. The City gave more than $450,000 in grants. The state and the federal government also contributed. The grants totaled about $1.3 million. Much of the money was spent on salaries for Matt Pisano, the current head of Invest Erie, and Matt Selker, the former head of the group, along with paperwork to get the project going and attorney fees to Eric Yonkin and Buddy Stark. Riesbeck’s Foods has repeatedly said that they will locate a Mor For Less Food Store at the site. All they need is the building to lease.

Yesterday a couple of Erie City Council members said they wanted to reopen Erie Golf Course. They quickly gave up on that idea when Mayor Joe Sinnott told them how much it would cost to open. Good news it the city will maintain it by mowing the grass. Then Rick Filippi, the former member and attorney for a group that wants the city to keep the course and reopen it, filed papers in court seeking to removed the city as trustee for the property. Brilliant move by Filippi.

On this date - March 29, 2000 - The Supreme Court of the United States announced their decision in the case of The City of Erie v Pap’s AM (Kandyland). They said no nude dancing in Erie. Erie enacted an ordinance making it a summary offense to knowingly or intentionally appear in public in a “state of nudity.” To comply with the ordinance, these dancers had to wear, at a minimum, “pasties” and a “G-string.” Pap’s filed suit. The Court of Common Pleas struck down the ordinance as unconstitutional, but the Commonwealth Court reversed. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court in turn reversed and it went to the Supreme Court. The case.

Dan Desrochers has been promoted to Director of Marketing and Community Relations for the Community Blood Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania. This dangerous position makes Desrochers the manager of over 10 employees where previously all he had was the unpaid PR intern. (That’s his line, not mine. He wrote the press release.) Desrochers, a man who likes the sound of his own voice so much so that he posts videos on the website just so he can hear himself talk. (Again, his words, but nail on the head.) Dan was formerly Director of Public Relations for the Erie Community Blood Bank. During his tenure, Desrochers was known for aggressively sucking up to the wonderful, intelligent, and attractive members of the media in Erie and surrounding areas. The Community Blood Bank is the ONLY supplier of blood to all the hospitals in Erie, Warren, McKean, and Elk Counties in Pennsylvania and to all the hospitals in Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Alleghany Counties in Western New York.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board released the gaming figures for the week of March 19-25. Presque Isle Downs and Casino had wagers of $41.1 million and paid out $37.3 million. Month to date figures are wagers of $171.6 million and pay outs of $166 million.

In a case of poor fact checking by Gary Ogle, a reporter for the Bucyrus (OH) Telegraph, interviewing Galion (OH) chiropractor David Haley - story. And yes, story is more appropriate term than article. Ogle should have been suspicious when he heard Haley was a chiropractor. Erie has not expended sewer lines and we don’t have a coyote problem.

Haley shared a story from Erie, Pa., where workers expanding a sewer line found a coyote den underneath an intersection in town. In that den were 51 dog collars.

Area firefighters will be trained in the business end of running a fire station at a Firefighter Leadership Seminar presented by Mercyhurst College Center for Public Safety. The seminar, to be held on Saturday, March 31, from 8 am to 3:30 pm, at the Mercyhurst North East campus, will include a session on how to find and write grants, training in the basics of setting up a spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel, and a session on leadership skills. The class is free, and is limited to 25 firefighters. Lunch will be provided. Register by contacting John Villa at (814) 572-0755 or jvilla@mercyhurst.edu.

Jeffrey A Ludrof, president and chief executive officer, Erie Insurance, was elected to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Board of Directors.

The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) holds its annual spring meeting at Mercyhurst College April 13-14. More than 125 mathematics faculty from institutions throughout western Pennsylvania and West Virginia will meet at the Erie campus.

The Mercyhurst College baseball team remained fifth in the North Central Region in the latest poll by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America.

The Erie SeaWolves announced that their 2007 Fan Fest will be held Tuesday, April 3 in the center stage area of the Millcreek Mall. Fan Fest is FREE to the public and will go from 6 pm until 8 pm. The 13th season of SeaWolves baseball begins Thursday, April 5 against the Altoona Curve (Pittsburgh Pirates). First pitch is set for 6:35 pm.

The St Martins Center 9th annual Homeownership Expo will be held today, March 29 from 11:30 am - 6:30 pm at the Blasco Memorial Library. There will be information on homes, mortgage products, refinancing options, homes inspections, lead paint issues and more. Admission is free and open to everyone.

Mercyhurst College welcomes noted historian Dr Ralph Ketcham, Emeritus Professor of History, Political Science and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, who will address “Lincoln’s Union: Where it came from, and what it Meant,” on Thursday, March 29, at 8 pm in Walker Recital Hall.

Individuals interested in learning more about Mercyhurst North East are invited to an Open House on Saturday, March 31, from 10 am to noon, at the Michele and Tom Ridge Health and Safety Building, 16 West Division St, North East, PA. Those interested in MNE who are unable to attend one of the open houses are encouraged to call the admissions office at (814) 725-6144 to speak with an admissions counselor.

US Olympic figure skater Emily Hughes will perform at the Gliding Stars of Erie 7th annual ice show on March 31 at 7 pm at Mercyhurst College Ice Arena. Tickets are $5 advance, available by calling (814) 825-5555. Taylor Firth, a US national competitor, will also skate at the show, while Tennessee Back Porch performs. Proceeds benefit Gliding Stars, which provides assisted skating for persons challenged by disabilities.

The Catholic Studies Speaker Series at Mercyhurst College will present noted author Mary Gordon on Wednesday, April 11, for a presentation titled, “Catholicism Through a Literary Lens.” She will speak at 8:15 pm in the Walker Recital Hall. The program is free and open to the public.

Author and actor Peter Coyote will kick off the 2007 Literary Festival at Mercyhurst College with an appearance on Thursday, April 12, at 7:30 pm in the college’s Taylor Little Theatre. The festival, with a theme of “The Arts and the Counter-Culture: Then and Now,” continues April 19 with a visit by novelist Francine Prose and culminates April 25 with an event celebrating student creativity.

The Builders Association of Northwestern Pennsylvania 47th annual Home Show takes place April 12-15 at Family First Sports Park, 8155 Oliver Road.

Alto saxophone sensation Dave Pietro will be joined by four Brazilian musicians to present a special evening of Latin jazz at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, on Thursday, April 19. Music at Night tickets can be purchased at the door on April 19, in advance at the Reed Union Building main desk, or online. Ticket prices are $10 for adults, $8.50 for adults over 60, $5 for Penn State Behrend students, and $4 for kids under 16. In addition to the Music at Night performance, Dave Pietro’s Banda Brazil will perform at noon on Wednesday, April 18, also in McGarvey Commons. This one-hour concert, part of the Music at Noon series, is free and open to the public.

Literary nonfiction writer Marilyn Abildskov will close the 2006-07 Creative Writer’s Speaker Series at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, with a reading on Thursday, April 19. Abildskov will read from her works beginning at 6 pm in the Smith Chapel worship space. A 4:30 pm reception for her in the Smith Chapel living room will precede the reading; both are free and open to the public.

The Erie Micro Brew Festival presented by WQLN will be held April 21 at Union Station at 14th and French Streets. There will be 2 sampling sessions 1-4 pm and 5-8 pm. All proceeds support public broadcasting and all PLCB laws apply. Attendees must be 21. Tickets will be available soon at many Erie area locations. Scheduled to attend are: The BrewErie at Union Station, The Erie Brewing Company, Southern Tier Brewing, Pennsylvania Brewery, Voodoo Brewery, The Flying Bison, Ellicottville Brewing Company, North Country Brewing Company, Hereford and Hops, Sprague Farm and Brew Works, The Buffalo Brew Pub, Magic Hat Brewing and the East End Brewing Company.

John Kanzius and Dr Steven Curley will be holding an informational symposium on the Kanzius cancer treatment on April 28 at 7pm at the Mercyhurst College Mary D`Angelo Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $10. For more information call Mercyhurst at (814) 824-3000.

Dennis Weed