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Erie PA News and Events for Wednesday April 30, 2008
Posted by Dennis on April 30, 2008
The Center for Workforce Information and Analysis at the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, released the latest state unemployment figures. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the Erie area dropped from 5.6 percent in February to 5.5 percent in March. Of the 140,700 person civilian labor force, 132,900 were employed and 7,800 were jobless.
As Americans across the country continue to feel the pain at the pump, US Rep Phil English is championing a new initiative that will provide immediate price relief for consumers at the pump and increase domestic supplies of traditional energy in the market in the near-term. Yesterday, English, joined by local community members, unveiled the Affordable Fuel for Consumers Act (press release) at a press event at the Sheetz Gasoline Station in Hermitage, Pa. The bill calls for a temporarily roll back the 18.4 cent federal excise tax on gasoline for 60 days, responsible and environmentally sound drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and the Artic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), creates an investment tax credit and expensing for in-situ oil shale extraction and requires the US Department of Energy to conduct an annual study on the energy bottlenecks and barriers in the US and repealing federal anti-trust exemption for OPEC.
Bill O’Reilly on FOX’s O’Reilly Factor featured a video of the Swartout family, a family of a local Iraq War veteran, that were attacked by protestors at a peace rally in Edinboro. Yes, attacked at a peace rally. The Swartouts are being cited for harassment while the attackers have yet to be charged.
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, announced it will receive a $100,000 grant from Verizon to support academic enrichment experiences for middle and high school students in northwestern Pennsylvania, most notably in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills development. The grant was made possible by Verizon’s participation in the state’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program, administered by the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED). Inaugurated in 2001, the program authorized $75 million in tax credits to businesses that make contributions to approved scholarship organizations, educational improvement organizations or pre-K educational programs. Nine of Penn State Behrend’s outreach programs are approved to receive funding through EITC:
Susan R Crandall, PhD, has been named Director of Workforce Innovation for the Keystone Research Center in Harrisburg. In addition to her work in Harrisburg, Dr. Crandall will spend considerable time in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Erie, in the offices, respectively, of United Way of Southeast Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Foundation, and the Erie Community Foundation.
If you can believe the sign in the front widow, The Salvation Army Family Thrift Store in Meadville on Route 322 will open on May 15.
The Erie SeaWolves won their fourth consecutive game on Tuesday night with a 7-4 victory over the Akron Aeros at Canal Park. Wilkin Ramirez had two home runs for Erie. The SeaWolves and Aeros meet in game two of a three-game series at Canal Park on Wednesday night…7:05 First Pitch. RHP Andrew Kown (2-2, 6.95 ERA) takes the mound for the SeaWolves and RHP Kevin Dixon (0-3, 7.11 ERA).
The Penn State Behrend Lions hosted the Washington and Jefferson Presidents at the Behrend baseball field on Tuesday, April 29. The blue and white fell 10-6 in the nine inning game.
The Mercyhurst College men’s hockey team will compete in the inaugural Alaska Goal Rush hockey tournament Oct 17-18 in Fairbanks.
Penn State Behrend junior pitcher Julie Koman (McKees Rocks/Montour) has been named the AMCC Softball Pitcher of the Week for April 28. Koman picked up three wins in four appearances over the week, including two complete game efforts.
Dr Charisse Nixon will present “Navigating the Turbulent Waters of Adolescence” today, April 30 at 7 pm at the Villa Lecture Hall on Villa Maria Elementary School’s campus. The event, hosted by The Ophelia Project, is free and open to the public. “Navigating the Turbulent Waters of Adolescence” will provide those involved in the lives of adolescents insight into the development challenges they are facing. Nixon will also address what adolescents need during this time, whether their outbursts are normal and more. Dr. Nixon is an assistant professor of psychology at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. To RSVP, e-mail or call 456-5437. Villa Lecture Hall on Villa Maria Elementary School’s campus is located at 2551 8th Street, Erie, PA 16505. United Way of Erie County, Healthy Youth Development and Villa Maria Elementary School are supporters for this event. The Ophelia Project is a national nonprofit organization headquartered in Erie, Pa. Recognized as a leader in assessing social conditions and advocating healthy, safe relationships, the organization partners with educational, civic and community leaders to educate and empower kids and adults across North America.
The Gannon University Nash Library book sale will be held Tuesday-Wednesday, April 29-30, 10 am to 6 pm each day. On the first day, hardcover books, videos, and audiobooks will be $2.50, paperbacks will be $1, and pocket paperbacks will be 50 cents. All items will be sold at half price on the second day. Proceeds benefit the library’s book budget.
Every Wednesday is free admission to all four Erie Art Museum galleries from 11 am to 5 pm.
The Moving Wall, the half-size replica of the Washington DC Vietnam Veterans Memorial that has been touring the country for more than twenty years, will be on display in Edinboro, PA May 1-5.
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Walter A. McDougall will speak at Mercyhurst College on Thursday, May 1, at 7:30 pm in Walker Recital Hall. His talk, which is free and open to the public, is in conjunction with the ongoing Teaching American History Grant program organized by Mercyhurst political science professor Dr Michael Federici.
The Directors Circle Theatre will be presenting Rupert Holmes’ comic thriller “Accomplice”, May 1-17. Performances will be held Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm. The Directors Circle Theatre is located at 1001 State St on the second floor of the Renaissance Centre. For reservations please call (814) 451-1153.
A Gannon University professor on Thursday, May 1, will host a discussion on the individual psychology of Alfred Adler. Ken McCurdy, PhD, associate professor, Gannon University community counseling program, will discuss “The Nuts and Bolts of Adlerian Clinical Supervision.” The discussion will be held from 8-10 pm in the Dean’s office on the first floor of Gannon’s Palumbo Academic Center, 824 Peach Street. The event will serve as the monthly TAPTalks colloquium hosted by Gannon University. Gannon’s Community Counseling program, the Gamma Upsilon Chi chapter of Chi Sigma Iota, and the Lake Erie Adlerian Institute are sponsoring the event. The TAPTalks colloquiums present brief, in-depth training experiences focusing on the individual psychology of Alfred Adler. They are designed to help professional counselors, psychologists, social workers, teachers, students, and other human service professionals expand their knowledge and skills through a foundational approach to human growth and development based on the strengths and individuality of each person. RSVPs can be made with Melissa Schmidt, graduate assistant, community counseling program, at (814) 871-5730. The session is free, and two continuing education credits are available for NCE/LPC through the Community Counseling program and for APA through NASAP, for a nominal fee.
The Erie County Bar Association and The Erie Runners Club Law Day 5k Run and Walk will be held Saturday, May 3 at 9 am. The race will start at the Erie County Courthouse.
New Found Glory will perform a concert at the Edinboro University McComb Fieldhouse on Saturday May 3 at 8 pm. Tickets are available online or at the Edinboro University Pogue Student Center SGA Convenience Store.
A public open house on Wednesday, May 7, will introduce the Erie community to the nursing education laboratories at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. The open house is scheduled from 2 until 6 pm in the Benson Building, located on the west end of Penn State Behrend’s campus. Members of the nursing faculty will be on hand to explain the teaching features and equipment found in the college’s nursing technology laboratory and patient simulation center. Admission is free and open to the public.
St Martin Center is offering a free homebuying class that will take place Wednesdays from May 7 - May 28. The class will be from 6-8 pm at St Martin Center, located at 1701 Parade Street. During the four weeks, students will learn how to read loan documents, how to budget, what predatory lending is, how to determine what they can afford, and much more. For required registration, call (814) 452-6113 ext 221.
In celebration of The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2008 Preservation Month theme, “Place Matters,” the Erie Center for Design and Preservation is hosting a lecture, seminar and walking tour on May 9-10. All three events are FREE and open to the public. The internationally-known founder of the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation, Mr. Arthur Ziegler, will be the featured speaker at the Erie Center for Design and Preservation’s first public event. Ziegler’s lecture, “The Good Works of Historic Preservation,” will be delivered Friday, May 9 at 7 PM in the Orientation Theatre of the Erie Maritime Museum, adjacent to the Blasco Memorial Library on Erie’s Bayfront. Ziegler says “historic preservation should be looked upon as both a cultural and economic development tool, leading to community revitalization, local investment, jobs, and a better quality of life.” On Saturday morning, May 10, the Erie Center for Design and Preservation (ECDP) will sponsor a seminar on historic preservation. Topics include: an overview of the National Register of Historic Places, the economics of preservation, and the tax credits afforded to property owners who rehabilitate historic buildings. The seminar will be held Saturday, May 10 from 9 AM to Noon at the Erie Art Museum Annex, 20 East 5th Street. On Saturday afternoon, May 10 , Mr Jeff Kidder AIA of Kidder Wachter Architecture will offer a 90 minute architectural walking tour of lower State Street and Perry Square. Kidder will meet members of the tour on the front steps of the Erie Art Museum, 417 State Street at 1 PM. Kidder will discuss the history of the City of Erie, neighborhood changes and attributes of the remaining historic structures. Kidder believes that “historic preservation in Erie is an effective tool for managing growth, revitalizing neighborhoods, fostering local pride and maintaining community character while enhancing livability.” Kidder serves on the City of Erie Planning Commission, the Downtown Improvement District board, the Erie Center for Design and Preservation board, and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission Historic Preservation board.
The Gannon University Small Business Development Center along with Paulsen Productions are sponsoring “From Service To Success”, a seminar for entrepreneurial veterans. It will be held May 20 at the Gannon Yehl Ballroom, 124 West 7th St in Erie. Cost is $15 and registration is required.
KillerWolf Films is holding meetings/open auditions for their new feature film “Warriors of the Apocalypse” on Friday May 23 and Friday May 30. They will be held at the Playhouse Rehearsal space on 950 State Street in Erie from 6-9 pm both days. Shooting commences Saturday July 19 and wraps Sunday July 27, with filming being in the Northwestern PA area and possibly a few dates on the NJ/PA/NY border. KillerWolf Films latest release, “Fist of the Vampire”, is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com and is to be released worldwide July 8 from Maxim Media International/Brain Damage Films. KillerWolf Films is co-owned by Erieite Len Kabasinski and Meadville,PA native Lisa McQuiston.
The charity bellydance event, “Shimmy for a Cure”, will be held May 31 at the Erie Playhouse in downtown Erie, PA. This event will benefit the John Kanzius Cancer Research Foundation.
Head Coach John T Reilly of Gannon University will conduct three sessions of basketball camp this summer. Sessions will be held June 9-13, June 23-27 and August 4-8. His coaching staff, area high school coaches and several of his players will serve as camp instructors. The sessions are designed as teaching camps that emphasize the fundamentals of the game of basketball. The camps are for students in Grades 3-10.
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 April 30, 2008 7:07 AM
Comments
I don't understand why all these politicians keep pushing for a holiday on the gas tax. $.18 a gallon at the pump isn't going to be saving many people very much money (unless you're a trucker) and will only serve to put this country further in debt. That tax money gets put to use for public services such as road building/repair. Get rid of it and where are those billions of dollars going to come from?
I haven't heard much on McCain's part, but I don't remember hearing his plan for making up the lost tax revenue. Clinton wants a windfall profits tax. Sure, that sounds good in theory, But if you were these oil companies and the government basically said we're going to take 50% of your profits above a certain level, don't you think they're going to try and spend that money somehow to stay below that level all while improving their infrastructure?
Posted by: Steve at April 30, 2008 9:35 AM
That gas tax holiday is idiotic. The American Road and Transportation Builders Association estimates more than 300,000 jobs could be at risk as highway improvement project are put on hold because of the lack of $9 billion dollars.
Is $10/month worth that? And happens when prices jump .18+ when the holiday ends?
As hard as it is to swallow (and I commute 100+ miles a day) the only way the energy policy that has us married to our worst impulses is going to change is by prices continuing to go up.
I'm not the first one to suggest these ideas, I realize, but I guess no one ever went un-elected by assuming the American public won't think things through.
Posted by: Dittman at April 30, 2008 10:46 AM
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