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Erie PA News and Events for Thursday January 31, 2008
Posted by Dennis on January 31, 2008
Erie County Executive Mark DiVecchio still hasn’t resigned or been arrested. DiVecchio has been accused of a laundry list of improprieties of misuse of government employees and assets.
Workers began moving into the $14 million Erie County Public Safety Building campus. The county will house 911 call center operations, county communications and emergency service operations at the Taj Mahal.
T-Mobile went before the Millcreek zoning board asking for a variance to build a cell tower at Grubb and Sandalwood. Many of the areas residents, that must have arrived by horse and buggy, were opposed to the variance. Better cell (and broadband) coverage is essential to the future of Erie.
High wind downed the cross above St Mary’s Church, 315 E 9th St. The 75 year old cross fell onto the roof and the concrete base fell through the roof and landed in the aisle between the pews.
The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry released the latest state Civilian Labor Force data. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for Erie County was 5.2 percent for December 2007. The non-seasonally adjusted rate was 4.9 percent. The seasonally adjusted rate for December 2006 was 5.0 percent.The unemployment rate went up from last year but there were 200 more people this year in the labor force. A growing labor force is a sign of growth.
Officials at Erie Indemnity Company (Erie Insurance) of Erie, Pa agreed to adopt worker protection policies based on sexual orientation and gender identity at the urging of New York City Comptroller William C Thompson Jr and the New York City Pension Funds.
The state announced 29 small businesses across the state will receive
more than $186,000 in Small Business Advantage Grants to conserve and reduce energy waste. Three grants went to companies in Erie County - Reel Entertainment Video - $7,500 for a high-efficiency, rooftop
air-conditioner and upgraded lighting to conserve energy; Jordan Heating and Air Conditioning - $7,500 for high-efficiency HVAC and office lighting systems to conserve energy; and Grapevine Laundry Inc - $7,500 for high-efficiency laundry equipment to conserve energy. (Is Reel Entertainment Video still in business?)
Sgt. Jeremy Ireland of Erie, Pa is serving as a civil affairs specialist with the Army’s 3d Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment in Khidr, Iraq.
Registration is now open for the six-week spring session of Allegheny College’s Co-Motion movement and music program for babies and toddlers. Registrants will have their choice of morning or afternoon sessions: Wednesdays from 10 to 10:45 am or Thursdays from 4:15 to 5 pm. The sessions, which are held in the basement dance studio of the college’s Montgomery Gym, run from March 26 to May 1. Hannah Cosdon is the program’s instructor. Co-Motion is for children aged 6 months to 36 months and their caregivers. The cost for the entire spring session is $40 for one child and caregiver and an additional $30 for a sibling. Co-Motion uses music and motion to explore rhythm, echo, speed, shape and body awareness to stimulate language, motor and social skills. The program offers a mix of structured group activities and free play with instruments, gym balls, scarves, balloons and more, followed by a period of relaxation and gentle stretching. Children move at their own pace, with guidance from their caregivers and the teacher. Co-Motion is co-sponsored by Creating Landscapes, Allegheny College Dance/Movement Studies Department, and Thurston House/Penncrest School District. For more information or to register, email Hannah Cosdon or call (814) 333-6268.
Lauren Gompers will become a member of the Wheeling (WV) Park High School Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday. Her basketball honors included All-Valley captain, first-team OVAC and four-time OVAC All-Academic Team member. As a freshman, she started on Park’s state championship team. In soccer, Gompers was a member of four state championship squads. In 2002, she captained the All-Valley team and was named first-team All-OVAC. Following high school, Gompers played at St Francis University, leading the Red Flash to three Northeast Conference crowns. She is currently pursuing a degree in pharmacy at LECOM School of Pharmacy in Erie, PA.
The Edinboro men’s basketball team moved to 4-0 in the PSAC West with a 94-68 win over Clarion on Wednesday night at McComb Fieldhouse. The victory kept the Fighting Scots tied with California (Pa) for first place in the Western Division. Edinboro is now 14-4 overall and has won eight straight games and 18 in a row at home. Clarion falls to 10-9 and 2-3 in the PSAC West.
The Behrend College men’s basketball team crushed Mt Aloysius 93-54.
Eighteenth ranked College of Wooster (d3hoops.com) proved too much for the Allegheny College men’s team to handle, as the Gators (8-10, 3-6 NCAC) fell 78-61 to the visiting Fighting Scots (15-3, 8-1 NCAC) in conference action on Wednesday night.
Edinboro women’s basketball head coach Stan Swank can only hope he doesn’t have to look back at Wednesday’s 76-64 loss to Clarion at McComb Fieldhouse as one that left his Fighting Scots on the outside looking in at the PSAC Playoffs. The loss dropped Edinboro, ranked seventh in the East Region, to 11-7 overall, but more importantly, 1-3 in the PSAC West. Clarion is now 13-6 and 3-2, respectively.
The Behrend Lions women’s basketball team suffocated the Mounties offense on Wednesday in the Junker Center and handled Mt Aloysius 60-44
Allegheny guard Brittany Bell (Greensburg, Pa/Hempfield) hit 6-of-8 three-pointers on her way to a career-high 20 points as the Gators (6-12, 3-6 NCAC) snapped a four-game losing streak with a 65-48 win at Wooster (6-11, 3-5 NCAC) on Wednesday night.
Junior sprinter Kristen Curtze (Edinboro, PA/General McLane) of the RIT women’s swimming and diving team was named the Empire 8 women’s swimming and diving Athlete of the Week on Monday for the week ending January 27, 2008. Curtze won five individual events and swam on two winning relays in a 1-1 week for RIT.
The first regional rankings for the 2007-08 NCAA Division II men’s basketball season have been released. Gannon (17-2) was ranked 3rd in the Great Lakes Region while Edinboro (13-4) was ranked 5th in the East Region.
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference has announced its 2008 and 2009 football schedules, highlighted by the return of the PSAC Championship game for the first time since 1987. The move comes one year after the league made history when it expanded its membership for the first time since the conference’s inception in 1951. Gannon University and Mercyhurst College, both located in Erie PA, accepted full-time membership, while C W Post Long Island University will participate as an associate member in football and field hockey. Gannon and Mercyhurst will participate in the conference’s Western Division while C W Post will participate in the Eastern Division. Shippensburg, a long-standing member of the West, will shift to the East. The new format features a 10-game mandated schedule, with seven division contests and three games in which teams will “crossover” to play the opposite division. The first two weeks of the schedule are crossovers, followed by divisional play over the next seven weeks. The last week of the schedule is the final crossover contest. Unless originally scheduled to face one another, the top teams in each division will be removed from the schedule and will face one another in the championship game. In that event, the teams’ original opponents will fill their schedule void by squaring off against one another.
The Mercyhurst men’s lacrosse team was ranked No 2 in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) 2008 Division II Coaches Preseason Poll, released Thursday. Mercyhurst advanced to the NCAA Division II national Championship game for the first time in program history a year ago, finishing with a record of 13-2.
Two Penn State Behrend students, David Koerbel, a junior from Central Catholic High School, and Josh Fyffe, a sophomore from Sharpsville High School are among an elite list of Division lll Players to Watch in Collegiate Baseball Magazine. The Behrend Lions finished with a record of 27-12 a year ago.
Your Day In Court: An Internet Security Workshop features William Shore of the Pittsburgh FBI office. The workshop will be held Noon-3 pm on Thursday, Jan 31 at the Ambassador Hotel and Conference Center; 7792 Peach Street in Erie. After a security breach, it is often too late to back track, recreate and document the environment in which the security breach occurred. From a strategic management viewpoint, this pitfall is often fatal. In court proceedings, the lack of defendable evidence can impact the success of litigation and create liability issues for your organization. This workshop is specifically designed to explain what steps should be taken following a security breach. Click here to register. This event is sponsored by: Software Technology Concepts, eBizITPA, the FBI and the Technology Council of Northwestern Pennsylvania.
The Young Erie Professionals (yep!) Professional Leadership Development committee will host an Etiquette Dinner on Thursday, January 31 from 5:45 pm - 8:00 pm at the Colony Banquet and Catering facility, 3014 West 12th Street. Cathy Mester, senior lecturer in speech communication at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, will discuss dinner etiquette and appropriate conversation. A three-course meal will be provided by the Colony Pub and Grille. Dinner choices are Prime Rib, Apricot Chicken, and Broiled Sole. The dress code is business casual. Seating is limited and advance registration is required. The charge for the presentation, meal, and gratuity is $25 for yep! members and $35 for non-members, payable by credit card, cash, or check made payable to Young Erie Professionals. Contact Phil Gallagher for additional information or to make a reservation.
The Erie Art Museum’s First Fridays program for preschool kids ages 3 to 6 is slated for Friday, Feb 1, 10-11 am at the Erie Art Museum, 411 State Street with activities inspired from the Museum’s Zoo.Logic exhibit. First Fridays is a special program for 3-6 year olds and their families. Led by Museum staff, children and adults explore the art right in the galleries with storytelling, art-making and music. Cost is $5 per child and free for families with an Erie Art Museum family membership. Participants meet at the Erie Art Museum Annex, 423 State Street. Space is limited. Please call ahead to reserve a place, (814) 459-5477.
Darkwood Consort, the world’s only touring viola and bass clarinet duo, brings an impressive repertoire spanning 10 centuries of music to its February performance at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. Darkwood’s concert takes place at noon on Thursday, February 7, in the McGarvey Commons of the college’s Reed Union Building. The performance is sponsored by Music at Noon: The Logan Series and admission is FREE to the public.
The Chautauqua-Lake Erie Wine Trail Wine and Chocolate Weekend will take place 10 am to 5 pm, Feb 9-10. Tickets, which can be purchased online or by phone, are $21 a person. None will be sold after Friday Feb 8. If you are unable to get tickets to the event, you can still visit the wineries for wine tastings, but you won’t get to sample the goodies and get the recipe cards.
The 6th annual “Spirit Against Cancer” Dance and Cheerleading Competition is scheduled for February 9 at 10 am in the Junker Center. “Spirit Against Cancer” was created in memory of Becky Hubler Decker. Her commitment to the community included serving as dance coach at Penn State Behrend, cheerleading coach at Edinboro University, she was captain of the Invaderettes dance team, and a member of the Buffalo Bills (Jills) dance team. All proceeds from this special event will benefit the American Cancer Society. For more information, please contact Assistant to the Director of Athletics, Stacy Pondo at (814) 898-6240 or by email at slp15@psu.edu.
Mark your calendars for Sunday, February 17 from 12:30-3:30 pm and/or 8-11 pm and get ready to “rock and bowl” with the Erie Playhouse Family at Eastway Lanes, 4110 Buffalo Road. The cost for a Family/Team (4 or 5 bowlers) for one session is $80. Individual bowlers are welcome - Adults $20 and $15 for children 12 and under. Teams registering by Feb 14 will recieve a $10 discount. The cost includes 3 games, shoes (no discount if you bring your own) and unlimited pop and pizza. A cash bar and additional food will be available. Contests and games of chance throughout each bowling session.
The 2008 Erie Home and Garden Expo will be held February 21-24 at the Erie Bayfront Convention Center. Hours: Thursday 4-9 pm, Friday 2-9 pm, Sat 10 am - 8:30 pm and Sun 11 am to 5 pm.
Want a cure for the winter blahs? Got cabin fever? Come to the Community Board Game Night at Community United Church on Saturday Feb 23. Doors open at 7 pm, Games begin at 7:30 and end at 10 PM. Admission Donation: $2. Snacks and beverages will be provided. Under 18 years old must have guardian. This is an alcohol and smoke free event. Open to the public. We will play board games for groups such as Scruples, Pictionary, etc. Want to save on the admission? Bring grocery bags of empty recyclable aluminum beverage cans. For each bag, the admission will be reduced by 25 cents.
The 2008 Erie Outdoor Sport and Travel Expo will be held February 29 - March 2 at the Erie Bayfront Convention Center. Hours: Noon-9 pm Friday, 10 am-8 pm Saturday and 10 am-5 pm Sunday.
Erie CareerLink is hosting Crystal Reports Training in both introductory and advanced sessions on March 3-6. Info and Registration form. Crystal Reports is a business intelligence application used to design and generate reports from a wide range of data sources. Several other applications, such as Microsoft Visual Studio, bundle an OEM version of Crystal Reports as a general purpose reporting tool. Crystal Reports became THE report writer when Microsoft released it with Visual Basic.
Pennsylvania Sea Grant is sponsoring a FREE one and a half day workshop March 13-14 at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center in Erie. The workshop will provide an update and overview of current ballast water policy, legislation and research as it applies to the Great Lakes. Scientists, legal experts, legislators, industry personnel and agency staff will discuss the current state of ballast water policy, pending legislation, proposed ballast water treatment methods and evaluating the current risk of introduction and spread of AIS to Great Lakes ports by foreign and domestic ships. For Registration form email Karla Kaczmarek, or Marti Martz.
As the signature event for Young Erie Professionals (yep!), the Generation-E Leadership Awards recognize young professionals who are paving the way to the future of Erie, Pennsylvania. Yep! has honored 34 individuals over the past three years who not only have chosen to live, work, and play in the Erie area, but who have made a lasting impact on our region. The 2008 winners will be recognized the evening of Friday, March 28 at the Ambassador Banquet and Conference Center.
The GE (NYSE: GE) 2008 Annual Meeting of Shareholders will be held on April 23, 2008 in Erie, Pennsylvania at the Erie Bayfront Convention Center.
There will be a Rust Belt Bloggers Summit on July 11-12 in Erie. People from Youngstown, Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and other area cities will be attendance to discuss economic development issues in the region.
Posted by Dennis at January 31, 2008 7:03 AM
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