ErieBlogs.com: Erie PA News and Events for Tuesday May 1, 2007

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Erie PA News and Events for Tuesday May 1, 2007

Posted by Dennis on May 1, 2007

Dan Galena filed suit in United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania against the 7 members of Erie County Council saying council violated county rules, the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act and Galena’s First Amendment rights. Council thinks they are above the law and run the county like their own kingdom. Galena called them on it and was thrown out of a council meeting.

KDKA first broke a story Thursday April 26 on a plan by State Senator Sean Logan for Pennsylvania students to attend the 14 state-owned universities for free. State owned schools include Edinboro, Clarion, Slippery Rock and IUP. The money would come from the budget surplus of PHEAA, the state student loan agency. Then in a follow-up story they reported that students who go to state related schools such as Pitt, Penn State and Temple would not get their full tuition paid but would receive more student aid and grants. Then yesterday, they ran a story that the governor has jumped on the bandwagon and it could start being phased in by 2008. The state will offer free college tuition to qualifying Pennsylvania students with a “B” average or higher and a household income under $70,000.

Richard J Cook, president of Allegheny College since 1996, announced today that the 2007-2008 academic year will be his last year of active service as the college’s president. “This decision comes only after much soul-searching and deliberation,” Cook wrote in a letter to the college community. “I continue to marvel at our good fortune in having become part of Allegheny, and the thought of setting aside a daily role in the life of the campus is a difficult one. However, Terry and I have reached a point in our lives where we feel the need to be geographically closer to our families in Minnesota and Michigan.” Since Cook first became president of Allegheny College, the campus has seen remarkable growth, guided by two strategic plans developed with college-wide input. Applications for admission have set records for four consecutive years, the college’s financial endowment has doubled to more than $150 million, and the largest fund-raising campaign in the college’s history raised more than $115 million, with an additional $15 million in federal grants received. Richard Cook is the 20th president of Allegheny College. The 32nd oldest college in the nation, Allegheny will celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2015.

Kristin Franks was named Ophelia Project Volunteer of the Year. “This is just instinct for me,” says the 21 year old Mercyhurst College education major. “I never expected to be recognized for something that is simply a part of the way I live my life.” Kristin has been active in The Ophelia Project since her freshman year at McDowell Intermediate High School, and giving much is just the half of it. Besides volunteering her time, she sheds her own vulnerability to draw on personal, sometimes painful experiences that make that time so valuable to others. Today, as president of the Mercyhurst College chapter of The Ophelia Project, Kristin leads the Westlake Middle School Girl Talk group, where she helps eighth-grade girls.

“At the Copa: The Best of Barry Manilow” will be performed by the Brevard Symphony Orchestra on Monday May 7. The concert and the orchestrations are by producer Eric Borenstein of the Erie Philharmonic. Borenstein toured with Manilow and helped with backup singing.

The Erie Music Awards nominations can be submitted starting today.

MTR Gaming Group (NasdaqGS:MNTG), parent of Presque Isle Downs and Casino, announced the launch of RacelineBet.com, a national account wagering service that offers online and telephone wagering on horse races. Membership is free, and is presently available to US residents in 37 states. RacelineBet’s schedule incorporates races from over 100 harness and thoroughbred tracks worldwide.

Very Reverend David M O’Connell, CM, president of The Catholic University of America, will be the keynote speaker for Gannon University’s May Commencement exercises. The ceremony, which will begin at 2 pm Saturday, May 5 at Tullio Arena, will bring the university’s total graduating class for the 2006-07 academic year to 873 students. May’s 632 degrees, to be awarded by Gannon University President Antoine M Garibaldi, PhD, include one doctoral degree recipient as well as 25 students receiving the doctor of physical therapy degree. The graduates also include 205 students who will be awarded master’s degrees, 369 who will be awarded bachelor’s degrees, and 32 who will be awarded associate’s degrees.

The Erie SeaWolves return to action tonight at Jerry Uht Park in their first meeting with the Reading Phillies; first pitch is set for 6:35. Rightie Dallas Trahern (4-0, 1.42 ERA) takes the mound for Erie while RHP Heath Totten (1-3, 3.28 ERA) is on the bump for Reading.

Two Mercyhurst men’s lacrosse players were honored by the East Coast Conference in the weekly honors. Scott Janssen was named ECC Player of the Week and Jason Lashomb was named Co-Goaltender of the Week, the fourth time he has been awarded the honor this year.

Don Schoendorfer and Mike Bayer of Free Wheelchair Mission are cycling across the United States to raise awareness of the worldwide need for wheelchairs for the disabled poor. They will travel from Ashtabula, OH to Erie, PA today, May 1. Their 3000-mile journey started at Reader’s Digest Headquarters in Pleasantville NY on Friday April 20 and will conclude in Irvine CA on Saturday June 16. Their goal: raise funds for 15,000 wheelchairs or $670,000. To date, Free Wheelchair Mission has given away 220,473 wheelchairs.

“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