ErieBlogs.com: Erie PA News and Events for Thursday April 26, 2007

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Erie PA News and Events for Thursday April 26, 2007

Posted by Dennis on April 26, 2007

Valerie Cantu, a former Gannon student, was arrested for making terroristic threats. Cantu called a current Gannon student and told her not to go to classes because there was going to be a massacre. Erie Police were notified of the threat. They called the FBI. The anonymous called was easily traced. Police called Cantu and told her to turn herself in, which see did. DA Brad Foulk also said she will be paying restitution for all the manpower that worked the case. Gannon notified students about the threat but classes went on as scheduled but Gannon officials never issued a press release about the incident. They need to hire a PR person.

Did you hear the City of Erie had an opening for 101 positions on the 5th Floor of Erie City Hall? One female was hired. (Someone passed that along to me. Made me laugh.)

Spectrum Control was named in the Motley Fool article “5 More Top Growth Stocks” with a 5 year estimated growth of 20 percent a year.

For the week of April 16-22, Presque Isle Downs and Casino reported wagers of $36,692,065 and payouts of $34,237,697. Total wagers to date since the February 28 opening are about 1/3 of a billion dollars.

At the Neighborhood Watch Council meeting, they idea of a having skate park as brought up. A show of hands was that it was unanimous. This included Mayor Sinnott. Skate Erie has information on the ongoing effort to build a skate park in Erie.

Students of history and sailing will have the perfect opportunity to learn both this summer through a special arrangement with the Erie Maritime Museum and the University of Pittsburgh and Edinboro University. Two college-level history courses with credit are being offered aboard the U S Brig Niagara. The courses will offer a unique perspective on the history of the War of 1812 because the students will live, work and sail onboard a traditional, 19th century replica naval warship. Edinboro’s three-credit course, “Maritime History,” runs May 31 - June 21. The Pitt class, “Maritime History of the Great Lakes,” is a four-credit offering and runs July 12 - Aug 2.

Raymond J Sobina, superintendent of the State Correctional Institution at Forest, is the recipient of the Pennsylvania Prison Wardens Association 2007 Warden of the Year. Sobina has a BS in criminal justice from Gannon University in Erie PA and a masters degree in corrections administration and treatment from Youngstown State University.

The Mercyhurst College Institute for Intelligence Studies (MCIIS) has been recognized yet again as a world player in the intelligence field by being named a “principal partner” in the International Relations and Security Network (ISN), an organization devoted to promoting a better understanding of the strategic challenges we face in today’s changing security environment. Based in Zurich, Switzerland, the ISN provides resources to encourage the exchange of information among international relations and security professionals worldwide. One of those resources, the new Mercyhurst-ISN Intelligence Briefs, is being furnished by MCIIS, the newest principal partner in a group of 130 that includes the Royal Institute of International Affairs, the United States Institute of Peace and the Council of Foreign Relations to name a few. The briefs, intended to offer foresight into issues that are likely to dominate news headlines and policy agendas, will appear every Friday.

The Erie SeaWolves and the Akron Aeros will play a doubleheader today with the first pitch at 9:35 am.

Four members of the Erie Otters were among the 210 players in North America included on the National Hockey League Central Scouting Service Final List for the 2007 NHL Entry Draft being held June 22nd and 23rd in Columbus, Ohio. Zack Torquato (61st), Nick Palmieri (66th), Josh Kidd (79th) and Anthony Peluso (183rd) all landed on the final list of players eligible for the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

The Mississauga IceDogs are relocating to St Catharines. The team will be known as the Niagara IceDogs. The last OHL team in the area was the Niagara Falls Thunder which relocated to Erie more than a decade ago.

Senior Joe Schember (Erie Mercyhurst Prep) of the RIT men’s tennis team was named the Rochester Area College Athletics (RACA) Male Athlete of the Week.

Erie East wide receiver Mike Mathis is being recruited by a number of Division I schools. He’s 6’ 4” and quick.

Most classical musicians refer to the Three Bs as Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms, but an upcoming performance at Mercyhurst College will showcase another Three Bs: the beloved American composer Leonard Bernstein, Eugene Bozza of France, and the Italian Ferruccio Busoni. The program concludes this year’s Faculty Recital Series sponsored by the D’Angelo Department of Music. It will feature Geoff Wands on clarinet and Nathan Hess on piano and is scheduled for Thursday, April 26, at 8 pm in Walker Recital Hall. The program is free and open to the public.

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 with all proceeds helping to fund continued research. For more information call Mercyhurst at (814) 824-3000. Preliminary research at both the Anderson Center and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center has shown promising results. The next step, if federal approval is granted, would be testing on human patients. Three testing centers are envisioned, including one in Erie PA.

The Mercyhurst College Sportsmedicine Student Association will sponsor a 5K (3.1-mile) Run/Walk on Saturday, April 28, to benefit Connor Geddes, the 14-month-old son of Pete Geddes, Mercyhurst’s director of athletic maintenance, and his wife, Carrie. Born with a severe heart defect, Connor received a heart transplant at just 13 days old, and proceeds from the run will help defray some of Connor’s medical expenses. Registration is at 9 a.m. and the race begins at 10 at the athletic center. Cost is $15 to register, although runners are encouraged to seek sponsors. Student organizers are suggesting that runners ask for pledges of $5 to $10 per mile. Participants can register on the day of the race or in advance by contacting Sportsmedicine department director Brad Jacobson, bjacobson@mercyhurst.edu.

KillerWolf Films will hold auditions for “Fist of the Vampire” on Saturday April 28 from 3-8 pm at the Erie Playhouse Rehearsal Hall, 919 State Street in Erie, Pa. Sides will be provided and it is preferred that all auditioners have no script material before the audition date and that all auditioners read cold. HOWEVER, if you want to prepare a monologue etc, please feel free to do so. The monologue could be anything you desire (comedy, horror, drama….whatever you like). Filming dates are Saturday July 14 through Sunday July 22, with a premier this fall.

On Saturday, April 28, Penn State Behrend will host its annual Undergraduate Student Research Conference from 8 to 11:30 am. The conference will have a record number of 172 students participating from 10 western Pennsylvania colleges and universities, including Gannon, Penn State Behrend, Allegheny, Edinboro, and Mercyhurst, plus Grove City College, Penn State Altoona, Penn State DuBois, Penn State Shenango, and Westminster College. The conference is sponsored by Penn State Behrend and the northwest Pennsylvania chapter of Sigma Xi, an international, multidisciplinary research society, and will be held in Nick Building and Roche Hall, both of which are part of the college’s School of Science complex. Student presentations are from 8 am and 11:30 am, and are free and open to the public.

Reservations are still being accepted for April’s Executive Coffee Talk. Please join yep! (Young Erie Professionals) for insight from Dr Andrew Landor, Associate Vice President for Technology and Communications at Edinboro University will lead a roundtable discussion on community leadership and professional development. He will share some of his own professional journey, including defining moments and mentors who helped him become one of our community s most respected leaders. He will also share personal philosophies on leadership and answer your questions. The presentation will take place on April 30 at 5:30 pm at the Mary Porreco Hall (Building 1) at the Edinboro University in Erie, The Porreco Center. Seating is limited, please RSVP to Amy Price or call (814) 454-7191.

“Darkness Visible,” a dramatic play that follows men forced to work in the crematorium at Auschwitz, will receive a staged reading by Penn State Behrend faculty and students on Wednesday, May 2. The event will begin at 7:30 pm in the college’s Studio Theatre and be followed by an open discussion. Both are free and refreshments will be provided.

The Erie Art Museum Contemporary Music Series presents Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem in concert on Friday, May 4, 8 pm in the Erie Art Museum’s Annex, 20 East 5th Street. Tickets are $12 for non-members, $10 for Museum and JazzErie Members and $6 for students and seniors.

The Seventh annual Black Bass Workshop, sponsored by Pennsylvania Bass Federation, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and a host of other agencies, and fishing and conservation groups, is set for May 4 at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center in Erie. Professional angler Joe Balog will present a program on the latest techniques for catching smallmouth Bass in Erie. A limited attendance fishing outing is scheduled slated for May 5. The workshop is open to the public. For more information, call 814-833-7424 or e-mail lwoznicki@state.pa.us.

The Chautauqua-Lake Erie Wine Trail will host a “wine and cheese weekend” May 5-6, with 15 wineries participating.

After four years of work on land and at sea, Daniel Barnard’s full 10 movement “Requiem for a Sailor” will be publicly sung in its entirety for the first time on Sunday, May 6. “Requiem” grew out of research undertaken after Barnard, a member of the music faculty at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, decided to create the first major musical effort that honors Erie’s maritime heritage. To underscore the piece’s celebration of community, Barnard invited the voices of the Behrend College Choir, the Erie Philharmonic Chorus, the Edinboro University Chamber Choir, the Harbor Creek High School Choir, and soloists from Mercyhurst College to perform the 40-minute work under his direction. Fittingly, the concert will take place in the H O Hirt Auditorium of the Erie Maritime Museum, 160 E Front St. A composer lecture with Barnard will begin at 3:30 pm, to be followed by the performance at 4 pm; both are free and open to the public.

The Salvation Army in Erie will be celebrating National Salvation
Army week starting May 14. Throughout the week The Salvation Army will have several events ongoing to bring attention to the Erie Community of the many services and programs they provide. One of the major events that week will be the Kettles for Kids campaign. The recognizable Red Kettles will be located at numerous entrances of the Millcreek Mall. All proceeds from this fund-raising event stay in the Erie area, which will allow them to send less fortunate children to summer camps. The Salvation Army is looking for members of the community to help with this campaign by volunteering their time and standing with the Red Kettles. The Camp for Kids campaign kicks off on Monday, May 14 and continues through Saturday, May 19. They offer 2 separate shifts for individuals; they encourage large groups and organizations that have many volunteers to take a location for the entire day. Should you have any questions, please contact Dan Hanson at The Salvation Army at (814) 454-6497.

The Tragically Hip play the Warner Theatre in Erie, Pa on May 18. Reserved seat tickets are $31.50.

Penn State Behrend’s popular College for Kids returns this summer with over 150 weeklong classes to educate, entertain, and inspire young people ages 6 to 18. College for Kids courses begin June 11 and continue through August 10, with the exception of Fourth of July week. Classes are organized by age and held during morning or afternoon sessions, with before- and after-care available for an additional fee. Returning classes include past favorites in guitar, golf, knitting, word processing, PowerPoint, model rocketry, acting, sign language, and scrap booking instruction; World War II history, “Engineering MythBusters,” and “Dinosaur Discovery.” New courses this year: “Storm Chasing 101” taught by WJET-TV meteorologist Tom Atkins; two finance classes, “Kids and Money” for the younger student and “Show Me the Money” for teens; “Let’s Cheer,” “Conversational Spanish,” “Introduction to Chess,” “Star Wars and the Roman Empire,” “Crafts from the Beach,” “Space Camp: Return to the Moon,” and an investigation of the paranormal called “X-Files.” “We also have a very special opportunity this year for kids ages 12 to 18—a chance to paint a mural on the fountain in Perry Square under the direction of local artist AJ Noyes,” Mary Trott, College for Kids program coordinator, noted. “Because of the significance of this community service project, this will be one of the rare College for Kids classes that meets for a full day.” Perry Square fountain painting will take place the week of July 23. For artists not old enough to participate in the mural project or unable to commit to a full-day class, Noyes also will teach College for Kids courses in hand-sewing and beading, craft painting, nature drawing and painting, and portrait drawing. Costs vary by course but start at $70 per weeklong class. Before- or after-class supervision is available for an additional $10 per week. Schedule and registration information will be distributed through area schools and also is available by calling 814-898-6212 or clicking here. Mail and online registration will begin in early May. Participants are encouraged to register early for best class selection.

Dennis Weed