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Erie PA News and Events for Tuesday October 30, 2007

Erie Central Tech High School has been declared a “dropout factory” by researchers at Johns Hopkins University as less than 60 percent of their incoming freshmen make it to graduation. That’s less than 6 in 10 for those of you that are dropouts.
Erie School District Superintendent James Barker had his contract extended for 5 years in March by the Erie School Board. He`ll get a 3 percent salary increase each year plus cost of living adjustments. His salary for the 2007-08 school year will be $197,400. Remember this next Tuesday when you are voting for members of the school board. Neither the superintendent nor the board are addressing the problem adequately.
The dropout rate would fall to near zero if eligibility for welfare and food stamps was tied to graduating from high school or receiving a high school diploma or equivalency certificate.

The Critical blood shortage that started last Wednesday continues. The supply of all types of blood remains critically low. The Erie Community Blood Bank was able to ‘import’ 175 units from Texas but those units went to the hospitals this weekend and have already been transfused. Based on the inventory it is like they were never here. Blood use has been extraordinarily heavy. “This usage remains extremely heavy,” says Dan Desrochers Director of Marketing and Community Relations at the Community Blood Bank. “We have no single event to point to, just a bunch of different patients needing lots of blood.” The blood bank is hoping for a solid week of donors to put the local blood supply back on track. All donors are strongly encouraged to donate at the Community Blood Bank, 2646 Peach Street. The Erie 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.

The Erie bomb squad joined a state police EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) unit which was flown in from Harrisburg after an explosive device was found at Exit 62 of I-80. It was so poorly made, they tried to detonate the device and couldn’t. They gathered the pieces up as evidence.

For the week of Oct 22-28, Presque Isle Downs and Casino reported wagers of $37,856,191 and payouts of $34,618,584.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) will conduct informational public meetings along the Interstate 80 corridor to share information and answer questions regarding the tolling of I-80 so money can go to Philly. The dates and locations are: Clarion on Nov 7, Clearfield on Nov 7, Bellefonte on Nov 8, DuBois on Nov 8 and Grove City on Nov 19.

The Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League announced at a press conference last evening that Robbie Ftorek has been named the team’s new Head Coach. Ftorek takes over for Peter Sidorkiewicz, who, are after seven seasons as an Assistant Coach with the Otters, was promoted to Head Coach prior to the 2006-2007 season. Sidorkiewicz, Mike Stapleton and Mike Nelson are all expected to remain as members of Ftorek’s support staff. The coaching change was made after the Otters dropped their eighth and ninth straight games over the weekend in Owen Sound to sink to 3-12-0-0 on the season. The 55 year-old Ftorek comes to the Otters with more than 35 years of coaching and playing experience. Ftorek’s coaching career began in 1985-86 with the New Haven Nighthawks of the American Hockey League and included stops as a National Hockey League Head Coach in Los Angeles (1987-89), New Jersey (1998-00) and Boston (2001-03). In 443 NHL games Ftorek posted a winning percentage of .581 with a 229-157-44-13 (W-L-T-OTL) record. Ftorek also served as an assistant coach with the New Jersey Devils and Quebec Nordiques at the NHL level and as a Head Coach in the AHL with Halifax, Utica and Albany, where he was named AHL Coach of the Year in 1994-95 and 1995-1996. The next Otters home game takes place this Saturday when the Plymouth Whalers visit the Tullio Arena for a 7:30 pm start.

The Detroit Tigers traded former Erie SeaWolves RHP Jair Jurrjens and minor league outfielder Gorkys Hernandez for 5 time all star SS Edgar Renteria.

Erie won’t be getting a team in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) for the 2008 season. The league updated the list of teams in the league and Erie wasn’t one of the 10 new teams.

Trick-or-treating hours are 6-8 pm nearly everywhere. The exception being Oil City which held their’s on Saturday during the day as they have since the 1992 murder of 11 year old Shauna Howe.

The 19th annual Erie Zoo Boo runs 6-9 pm, October 12-30. Admission is $4.50 for adults (ages 12 and up), $3.50 for children 2-11, and children under 2 will be admitted free.

The Wooden Nickel Buffalo Farm huge cornfield maze which they call “Corn Stalking USA” is now open and runs through the end of November. Hours are Friday through Monday 10am - 10pm. Cost is $8 with kids age 6-12 getting in for $6 and 5 and under entering for free. For details call (814) 734-2833.

The Belle Valley Volunteer Fire Department Valley Of The Ghouls - Haunted House will be held October 25-27 and 29. Admission is just $5. Ghouling begins at 7:30 and lasts until 11 pm.

The Erie Playhouse production of Frankenstein opens Friday Oct 26 and runs through Nov 11.

Zoologist and Emmy-winning television personality Jeff Corwin will share “Tales from the Field” during the next Speaker Series presentation at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. Corwin, best known as host of The Jeff Corwin Experience and Corwin’s Quest on the cable network Animal Planet, will speak at 7:30 pm on Thursday, November 1, in the McGarvey Commons of the college’s Reed Union Building. His presentation is free and open to the public. Corwin will handle live reptiles during his talk, and afterwards will sign copies of his book, Living on the Edge: Amazing Relationships in the Natural World. The book will be available for purchase that evening in Penn State Behrend’s bookstore.

Young Erie Professionals (Yep!) Invites local leaders to network while learning about a new doctoral program in Organizational Learning and Leadership offered at Gannon University. Please join them at the Marketplace Grille, 319 State St, November 1, at 6 pm to learn more about this program while networking with local yep! members. To ensure proper seating, visit the web site for more information on how to register or email Andrew Lincoln. Walk-ins are also welcome. Dr Barker will give an overview of the program, the first and only degree of its kind in northwestern Pennsylvania, answer your questions, and talk about the application and course requirements. Dr Tim Downs, Dean of the College of Humanities, Business and Education will also be on hand to answer questions about other graduate degree programs in leadership, the humanities, business and education.

The Radio Association of Erie meeting will be held on Thursday November 1 at 7 PM at the American Red Cross, 4961 Pittsburgh Avenue off of West Grandview Blvd.

The Venango Digital Film Association will be holding it first Film Festival November 2 and 3. The festival will feature films of all genres, but will focus on local filmmakers and films set within the region. Screenings will be held on November 2nd at the Barrow Civic Theatre in Franklin from 7pm until 9pm and on November 3rd at the Latonia in Oil City from 7pm until 9pm at a cost of five dollars for admittance. Workshops are also being held on Nov 3rd at the Latonia from 9am until 5pm, topics include: lighting, sound, editing, making family dvds and camcorders demystified. The cost is $10 each or $40 for all. Eligibility: Ages 14 to Adult (filmmakers under 18 must include letters of permission from a parent with their submissions) . Filmmaker must live in Western Pennsylvania, or the film must reflect a theme or subject of the region. Film Length and Format: 10 to 30 minutes. DVD submissions are preferred but VHS entries will also be accepted. We cannot accept entries on mini-DV tape, hard drives, 35mm film, or other formats. Entry Fee: $20 per submission, checks or money orders made payable to the Oil City Arts Council. Please note that submissions will not be returned unless accompanied by a pre-paid, self-addressed envelope. Mailing Address: Venango Digital Film Association Film Festival, PO Box 1082, Franklin, PA 16323. Deadline: All entries must be received by Friday, 19 October. Contact: Michael Dittman at simpub@hotmail.com or visit http://www.joannwheelerfineart.com/vdfa/index.html for more details.

Gannon University on Sunday, Nov 4 will host its annual Fall Open House. Students and their parents can attend an optional mass at 11 am in the Mary, Seat of Wisdom Chapel, 512 Peach Street. Registration will begin at 11:30 am in the lobby of the Waldron Campus Center, 124 West Seventh Street. Students can enter Scholarship Contests in eight academic disciplines: English, French, Spanish, German, Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, and Education. Contest winners are eligible for annual scholarships up to $3,000 should they decide to enroll at Gannon. For more information on Fall Open House, contact the Gannon University Office of Admissions at (814) 871-7240, or 1-800-GANNON-U.

The Erie Area Film Makers present the First “Films For Food” Drive to benefit The Second Harvest Food Bank of Erie, Pa. The event, being held November 9-10 at the Historical Roadhouse Theater in Erie, PA, features 24 Continuous Hours of films produced by Erie Area Film Makers. Admission to the Theater is simply a Donation to the Second Harvest Food Bank in the form of cash or a non-perishable food item. Films to be featured include “Fist Of The Vampire” by Len Kabasinksi, “Chasing Darkness” by Jason Hull, “Virgin Pockets” by Paul Gorman as well as the World Premiere of “Aspiring Psychopath” by Ryan Cavalline plus films by local favorites Dustin Austin, Monster Mark, Matt Detisch, Lisa Seelinger and many more. Many of the Film Makers will be on hand with members of their cast and crew to accept donations at the Theater. Todd Humes (“Chasing Darkness”), Marie Madison (“Virgin Pockets”) and Shannon Solo (“Wolf At The Door”) will be among the many local Actors and Actresses on hand to accept donations. This event is designed to put focus on the local issues of poverty, homelessness and hunger during the Thanksgiving Holiday when far too many families in our community go without enough food. And absolutely no one will be turned away. The event’s organizer and local Film Maker Paul Gorman explains. “Poverty is one of the issues we’re dealing with locally. If there’s anyone in the community who couldn’t afford to attend a local film during the year, now is a great opportunity to do so. Even with the relatively low cost of ticket prices here in town, many families are still unable to afford tickets to our shows. This is one of the ways the film makers here are offering a remedy. Anyone with a donation of any kind will be let into the screenings. And if someone comes down who just can’t afford a donation, well, they’ll be let in too. Keep in mind that films like Len Kabasinki’s “Swamp Zombies” and Jason Hull’s “Chasing Darkness” sold out during their initial releases here in Erie so here’s another opportunity to see these great films and make a much needed contribution to our community.” The first screening begins at 7:30 pm on Friday November 9th and will continue through 8 pm Saturday night when our last film is screened. After, The Great Lakes Film Association is hosting a Wine and Cheese Reception for the Erie Area Film Makers that’s open to the public, so anyone interested can come meet the Film Makers and learn a bit more about the growing, vibrant film community in Erie, PA. For a complete schedule of films, please visit Films For Food at www.myspace.com/filmsforfood. For more information on the event, or to make a contribution, you may contact Paul Gorman at gmdfilms@verizon.net or by phone at (814) 572-1461. This event is made possible by generous contributions from The Roadhouse Theater, Hagen Business Machines, The Great Lakes Film Association as well as the Film Makers, Casts, Crews and Technicians in the Erie Area Film Community.

“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” will be shown at the Roadhouse Theatre, 145 West 11th St, on Thursday Nov 15 at 8 pm. Proceeds benefit the Great Lake Film Association.

Do you want to know how to expand your sales to the European markets? Learn about product regulatory aspects for goods entering the EU. Understand the importance of Exhibitions in the EU and how trade shows weigh into the overall concept of doing business in the EU. The Northwest Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission is holding a workshop in Mercer on Nov 15. Cost is $35. To register please contact Lori Moore, or phone (814) 677-4800 Ext 104.

The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) Student Scholarship Auction Committee has announced that the College will hold the 14th Annual Student Scholarship Fund Auction at the new Erie Bayfront Convention Center on Friday Nov 16 with the purpose of providing scholarships to their students. The program opens at 6 pm with a silent auction, followed by dinner at 7 pm and a live auction at 8 pm. For reservations contact the LECOM Communications Office (814) 866-8125 or (814) 860-5125. You may also send a request for ticket information by Email: communications@lecom.edu. RSVP by November 2.

Dennis Weed

Posted by Dennis at October 30, 2007 7:02 AM

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