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Erie PA News and Events for Wednesday February 20, 2008
Posted by Dennis on February 20, 2008
After the 1936 Johnstown Flood, Pennsylvania placed a “temporary” 10 percent tax on liquor to help pay for the costs. Harrisburg loves a tax so it’s still there. In fact it’s grown to 18 percent. The tax now takes in about a quarter of a billion dollars a year which goes into the general fund.
House Bill 2018, with 45 co-sponsors, would put the tax revenue from the 1936 Johnstown Flood Liquor Tax into a pool for municipalities where tax exempt properties are over 17 percent of all assessed value. In Erie, tax exempt properties account for around 40 percent of properties. As it stands now, the dollar amount Erie would receive would be about $11 million. Erie City Council will figure out a way to spend the $11 million, plus extra, and need a tax increase.
Missed it by a day, but…
Feb 19, 1934: Comedian Bob Hope and Delores Reade were married in Erie, PA. That’s what the Hope’s told everyone. Records at the courthouse show that he married a Grace L Troxell a year earlier. In the 1993 book “The Secret Life of Bob Hope”, Arthur Marx states that Hope married Grace Louise Troxell on Jan 25, 1933 in Erie. Troxell was his live-in girlfriend and former vaudeville partner.
Birbiglia has performed stand-up in Erie a number of times. Needing a small city that people have heard of, he put an Erie reference in his act.
Some towns are so small they shouldn’t have zoos. Like in Erie, Pennsylvania I went to the zoo and it was just the guy in town with the most animals. He was like, “These are the penguins.” And I was like, “That’s a dog.” “And this is the hammerhead shark.” And I was like, “That’s a half a can of tuna fish.”The next time Birbiglia was in Erie, Scott Mitchell gave him a private tour of the zoo. Birbiglia loved it - Mike Birbiglia gives the Erie Zoo a second look, decides it’s awesome. However just after the visit, the polar bear died. His blog entry I did not kill the Erie Zoo polar bear is a classic. The tame controversy has given him national exposure and increased his popularity. He knows it. Mike Birbiglia has sponsored exhibits and donated money to the Erie Zoo.
The Manufacturers’ Association announced the winners and nominees of the 2008 Patrick R Locco Scholarship Awards. The award was created 35 years ago by the Manufacturers’ Association to recognize outstanding high school students who distinguish themselves in pursuit of technical and academic excellence. Students must apply and be nominated by a teacher to be considered. Each school narrows the nominees to their top candidates who are interviewed by local businesspeople to choose the winners. Winners are: Aleksey Balabanov, City of Erie Regional Career and Technical School; Joel Grace, Corry Area Career and Technical Center; Phoebe Sturey, Crawford County Area Vocational-Technical School; and Tina Raeke, Erie County Technical School. Nominees include: City of Erie Regional Career and Technical School students Shawn Nelson, James Nosant, David Pope and Jeffrey Prue; Corry Area Career and Technical Center students Joe Leofsky, Chase Moats, Robert Wills and Dustin Yoder; Crawford County Area Vocational-Technical School students Michelle Huffman and Michael Reichart; and Erie County Technical School students Nate King, Sean Peters, Mike Ragen and Cole Schweigert. “So often we hear that today’s youth are not adequately prepared to meet the challenges of an increasingly complex world,” said Gerald Eighmy, chairman of the Association’s Board of Governors and president of American Turned Products. “The winners and nominees of the Locco Scholarship Awards have recognized that knowledge is power, and they have distinguished themselves among their peers in pursuit of academic and technical excellence. We are thrilled to be able to honor these students and help them with their future educational pursuits.” The award winners each receive a $1,000 scholarship to apply toward their advanced education and their names are permanently inscribed on a plaque prominently displayed at their respective high schools. Awards will also be presented to the nominees. In addition, the winners and nominees will be recognized at the Association’s 103rd Annual Event, to take place in June.
The Gannon men’s basketball team (23-3) rolled to a 82-61 win over Tiffin. Vince Mosley led all scorers with 26 points, hitting 11-of-12 shots. The senior forward also recorded six rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Tyler netted 20 points. Gannon is ranked 13th in NCAA Division II and third in the Great Lakes region. The Golden Knights conclude the regular season Saturday, February 23 against local rival Mercyhurst at the Hammermill Center. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm. Tickets for Saturday’s Gannon and Mercyhurst doubleheader are currently on sale at the Gannon Athletic Offices, located through the 3rd and Peach Streets entrance of the Carneval Athletic Pavilion. Tickets are available 8:30 am until 4 pm through Friday or until the game sells out.
Six players scored in double figures to lead Edinboro to a 101-53 win over visiting Penn State Greater Allegheny on Tuesday night. The victory was the fourth in a row and 13th in the last 14 games for the Fighting Scots, as they improved to 19-5.
The Gannon women’s basketball team (15-11) lost to Tiffin 68-56. Kristina Freeman and Allison Rothlisberger each had 12 points for Gannon.
Mike Machuga of Erie is in 100th place after the first block of 9 games at the PBA Tour’s Denny’s World Championship.
Behrend women’s basketball standout Julia Andrus (Corry/Corry) has been named to the ESPN The Magazine All-District Academic Third-Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Andrus has averaged 12.8 points and 3.9 rebounds a contest while starting in all 23 of Behrend games to date in her senior campaign. Andrus has recently entered the top-ten all-time scoring list at Behrend with a career total of 933 points. Off the court, Andrus carries an impressive 3.88 grade point average with a major in biology.
The Kent State Women’s Gymnastics Team (7-3) improved to 22nd in the nation. Junior Rachel Stuck (Erie, Pa./Fairview) leads the team on floor exercises with a regional-qualifying score of 9.765.
The Mercyhust College Women’s Hockey team was ranked 7th in the USA Today/USA Hockey Division I women’s poll
The Gannon women’s lacrosse team is ranked 8th and Mercyhurst 10th in the first Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) poll of 2008.
Every Wednesday is FREE admission to all four Erie Art Museum galleries from 11 am to 5 pm.
In January, asteroid 2007 TU24 came within 300,000 miles of Earth—a safe distance, but one that reminds us that ours is not the only chunk of rock hurtling around the sun. Nearly 1,000 potentially hazardous asteroids, or PHAs, orbit the sun in the vicinity of Earth; one, Apophis, will be the subject of the next Open House Night in Astronomy at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. Darren Williams, an associate professor of physics and astronomy at the college, will present the one-hour program “Asteroid Apophis: Will it Hit the Earth?” at 7:30 pm on Thursday, February 21, in 101 Otto Behrend Science Building. His FREE lecture is intended for a non-technical audience and suitable for children at least 8 years of age; astronomical observing at the college’s Mehalso Observatory will follow, weather permitting.
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.
The Erie Art Museum Contemporary Music Series presents Rachel Z in concert at the Erie Art Museum Annex, 423 State Street, on February 21 at 8 pm. Admission to this concert is FREE; suggested donation $10. Rachel Z and her piano trio mesmerized audiences at the Erie Art Museum Blues & Jazz Festival in 2003. She ll play to a more intimate crowd along with Bobby Rae on drums and Maeve Royce on bass.
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.
Dr Alexa Canady, the first woman and first African American to become a neurosurgeon in the US, will deliver the keynote address for the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine Student National Medical Association (SNMA) Black History Month celebration on Saturday, Feb 23. The public is invited to this event, which will take place from 4 to 6:30 pm at the East High School auditorium, 1001 Atkins Street, Erie. Tickets can be purchased at Nathan’s Salon 321, 325 W 26th St; Michael’s Hair Salon, 12 E 11th St.; Shiloh Baptist Church, 901 E 5th St.; Greater Calvary Full Gospel Baptist Church, 2624 German St; and St James AME Church, 235 E 11th St. Tickets are $4 for students, $6 for adults and $8 at the door. Dr Canady also will hold a book signing after the presentation. The book, “Women of Hope: African Americans Who Made a Difference,” will be available for a special price of $10. Dr Canady works to change the perspective of how African Americans, both as patients and physicians, are being presumed and perceived in our culture. She claims the major medical problem for blacks stems from the scarcity of research targeting their specific health concerns and needs. Canady believes the issues will be better addressed now that medical schools are diversifying their student bodies and their faculties. She feels very optimistic about the changing face of American medicine. She knows that her own accomplishments are helping to inspire the dreams of a younger generation. Dr Alexa Canady became a neurosurgeon in 1977 at age 26. Raised in a family of intellectuals who valued education highly, she drew inspiration from her grandmother, who became a school teacher at age 16, and her mother, who completed college at age 19. Dr Canady’s appointments include the Peter Scotanus Professor of pediatric neurosurgery at Wayne State University, Chief of Neurosurgery Children’s Hospital of Michigan, and Chairman of the Neurological Devices Panel of the Food and Drug Administration.
Rabbi Sydney Schwarz, named by Newsweek magazine in 2007 as one of the 50 most influential rabbis in America, will present the annual Samuel Schick Lecture at Allegheny College on Tuesday, Feb 26 at 7 pm in the Tillotson Room of the Tippie Alumni Center at Cochran Hall. Schwarz will speak on “Religion, Social Justice and the Common Good: A Jewish Perspective.” The presentation is FREE and open to the public.
Documentary filmmaker Christopher Quinn and John Bul Dau, one of three Lost Boys of Sudan profiled in Quinn’s prize-winning feature film God Grew Tired of Us, will visit Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, in February as part of the college’s Speaker Series. Quinn and Dau will speak at 7:30 pm on Thursday, February 28, in the Reed Union Building’s McGarvey Commons. Additionally, the film God Grew Tired of Us will be shown at 7 pm on Wednesday, February 27, in 117 Reed Union Building, and at noon on Friday, February 29, in the Samuel P “Pat” Black III Conference Center in the college’s Research and Economic Development Center. Admission to all three events is FREE and open to the public.
The Allegheny College Playshop Theatre continues its 2007-2008 season with Diana Son’s deeply moving play “Stop Kiss” under the direction of Assistant Professor of Theatre Mark Cosdon. “Stop Kiss” will be performed at 8 pm on Thursday, Feb 28, through Saturday, March 1, and at 2:30 pm on Sunday, March 2, in the Playshop Theatre, which is located in Arter Hall on the Allegheny College campus. Terri Clark, master’s degree of public health, will lead a discussion following Friday’s performance. “Stop Kiss” is a contemporary love story centered on two young women. Their deep, intimate friendship moves tentatively toward love, when suddenly the two are the victims of a particularly heinous hate crime. In the maelstrom of ensuing media scrutiny, the two women are forced to reevaluate their commitment to each other. “Stop Kiss” features a talented ensemble of Allegheny performers, including Lizzy Pecora (Pittsburgh, Pa) as Callie; Carrie Miller (Pittsburgh, Pa) as Sara; Shaun Hayden (Wilmette, Ill) as George; Brian Henderson (Wilmington, Del) as Peter; Katy Grant (Pittsburgh, Pa) as Mrs. Winsley/Nurse; and Corey O’Connor (Pittsburgh, Pa) as Detective Cole. Marianne Broome (Pittsburgh, Pa) serves as the production’s stage manager. Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre Ellen E Jones designed sets and lights. The costume designer is Gail Kralj. Jim Sumerfield is the sound designer. Tickets for “Stop Kiss” are $7.50 for adults; $5 for non-Allegheny students, senior citizens and Allegheny employees. Admission is free for Allegheny students with identification. Audiences should note that “Stop Kiss” contains language and situations some may find offensive. For more information or to order tickets, contact the Playshop Theatre Box Office at (814) 332-3414.
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. Too late. Classes are filled.
The Aspen Ensemble, a mixed quintet of flute, piano and strings drawn from the famed Aspen Music Festival, will perform at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, on Thursday, March 6. Aspen Ensemble appears at the college as part of Music at Noon: The Logan Series. The performance will begin at noon in the McGarvey Commons of the Reed Union Building; admission is FREE and open to the public.
Melanie Rae Thon, once named a Best Young American Novelist by Granta magazine, will give a public reading from her works on Thursday, March 6, as part of the Creative Writer’s Speaker Series at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. Thon will read at 6 pm in the Larry and Kathryn Smith Chapel; a reception for her will begin at 4:30 pm in the chapel’s ground-floor meeting room. Both events are free and open to the public.
Erie County Judge Michael Dunlavey will speak about international and Middle Eastern relations on Thursday, March 6, at 7:30 pm, in Mercyhurst North East’s Alex Theater, 16 W Division St, North East. Dunlavey is a retired two-star general in the U.S. Army Reserve and a Vietnam veteran with 30 years of military intelligence experience. He was put in charge of global anti-terrorism operations by US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld after the Sept 11 terrorist attacks, and oversaw interrogations at Naval Base Guantanamo Bay in Cuba from March to November 2002. The presentation is free and open to the public. Call (814) 725-6277 for more information.
Get into the Irish spirit at the “Patti Sullivan and Friends Irish Concert,” Sunday, March 9, at 2 pm, in St Mary’s Chapel on the Mercyhurst North East campus, 16 W Division St., North East. Sullivan, MNE’s music director, will be joined by barbershop chorus Lake Erie Sound, the Rev Bill Sutherland, and Irish step dancers Rince Na Tiarna for an afternoon of entertainment. The performance is free and open to the public, and refreshments will follow. Call (814) 725-6277 for more information.
Learn how to create Old World Easter eggs at “Easter Eggstravaganza!” a hands-on workshop, on Wednesday, March 12, at 7:30 pm, in Miller Hall 116 on the Mercyhurst North East campus, 16 W Division St, North East. Larry Kozlowski, director of student life at MNE, will share his expertise and talent in this ancient, beautiful art form. The workshop is free and open to the public. Call (814) 725-6277 for more information.
Gannon University’s Small Business Development Center is presenting the first annual WILD Conference on Thursday, March 13 from 8 am to 2 pm. The Conference will be held at the Ambassador Conference Center located at 7792 Peach Street, Erie, PA 16509. The Conference will involve “women presenting to women” and focus on the areas of: wellness, leadership and personal development. It is anticipated that 150-300 women from Northwestern Pennsylvania will attend this unique event. The nationally prominent Keynote speakers highlighting the day are: Soni Dimond, Publicist, Speaker, author of Life’s A PITCH! As well as CEO of Soni Dimond Media; Jean Gatz, author of Mama Said There’d be Days Like This: Stories and Strategies for Less Stressed Life. The First Annual WILD Conference Chairwoman is Leah Elizabeth Humphries, Owner and President of the following companies: Apple Creative Group, Leah Elizabeth Jewelry, and My Heart Ties. In addition, women businesses will exhibit their products and services throughout the day and there will be several opportunities to learn from seminars, panelists and individual speakers focusing on the knowledge, passion and energy of women helping women. Limited seating. Tickets $75 (includes breakfast, lunch and gift bag). Make your reservations now. Call (814) 871-SBDC (7232) or toll-free (877) 258-6648.
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.
Calling all artists and those who love art! A community art show, “Throughout The Spectrum: Exploring Autism Through Art,” will be sponsored by the Barber National Institute in commemoration of Autism Awareness Month. The show, which provides an exciting opportunity to come together to discover all aspects of autism through various forms of artistic expression, will be held April 4-9 at the Barber National Institute. Who can submit art work include: Children and adults with autism spectrum disorders who want to share their creative work; Family members or professionals whose lives are touched by autism; and Artists from the community who want to show their support for autism. Entries will be accepted on Friday, March 14 and Monday, March 17 from 9 am - 4 pm, and on Saturday, March 15 from 9 am - noon in the north lobby of the Barber National Institute. The art show will be open for public viewing in the north complex of the Barber National Institute on Friday, April 4, and Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, April 7, 8, and 9, from 9 am - 4 pm, and on Sunday, April 6, from 1-4 pm. Admission is FREE - all are encouraged to attend! For more information about making a submission, including an entry form, please call (814) 878-5903, or click here.
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 February 20, 2008 7:02 AM
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