The Erie Redevelopment Authority received a $950,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency for the Mercantile Building revitalization project. Plans call for retail space on the first floor, offices on the second and third floors and residential condos on the top 2 floors. The Erie Redevelopment Authority took over the building earlier this year [...]

Read the full post

The best argument against democracy is five minutes of an average Erie City Council meeting. However, they did pretty well last night electing Joseph Schember to fill the counicl seat caused by the resignation of Dr Lonnie Gatlin. Gatlin resigned for ‘health reasons’ which was a polite way of saying the actual reason which everyone [...]

Read the full post

Erie City Council yesterday held a meeting to talk about the city amusement tax. The tax raised about $36,000 for the four month period of June through September. Council had thought the tax would raise $500,000. It would have raised that amount if there were 56 months in a year. There are in fact 12 [...]

Read the full post

I don’t think the people of Erie realize how bad the Buffalo area got hit with snow. There are 390,000 people without power. The Erie hotels are packed with refugees from WNY and cars are streaming down I-90 for food, gas, generators and batteries. On a realated note.. There is now a severe blood shortage [...]

Read the full post

The Erie Times-News repoted today that Dr Chuck Rosenthal and his brothers, Peter and James, have filed a lawsuit against former Mercyhurst College President William Garvey and Mercyhurst board of trustees chairwoman Marlene Mosco. Chuck Rosenthal was the first to publically accuse Gavey of sexually assualting him. A number of others, think the number is [...]

Read the full post

Erie County Executive Mark DiVecchio submitted his proposed 2007 budget on Friday. It doesn’t call for a tax increase but it’s $1.7 million more than anticipated revenue. The money to balance the budget would be taken from a reserve account. The reserve fund was designed to be used for emergencies. Not being able to cut [...]

Read the full post

Grand River Village, Ohio Mayor Chris Conley will be Columbus today to hear that a proposal to bring an international ferry terminal to the village is viable. Conley expects state and federal grants of $50 million which should attract an additional $150 million to $250 million in private investment. The village would build docks for [...]

Read the full post

  The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board unanimously approved licenses for five locations but not Presque Isle Downs, under construction in the Erie suburbs. The decision on a license for Presque Isle Downs was delayed “for further investigation.” Board members wanted “adequate time to review testimony and personal notes taken at that applicant’s Suitability Hearing.” The [...]

Read the full post

  After being on the run for more than five months from when he escaped from a Buffalo area jail, career criminal Ralph “Bucky” Phillips was captured near Akeley PA in Warren County, just south of the New York-Pennsylvania border. Phillips is the main suspect in the shooting of three police officers. On June 10, [...]

Read the full post

The Federal Bureau of Investigation in conjunction with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York; United States Marshal’s Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and the New York State Police announced that Ralph Buckey Phillips has been placed on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list. The reward [...]

Read the full post

The US Marshals have added Ralph “Bucky” Phillips, the main suspect in the sniper-style shooting of two NY troopers, to their top 15 list. Police are searching from him in Chautauqua County and Cattaraugus County in NY and Warren County in Pennsylvania. The case will be featured on America’s Most Wanted this Saturday night at [...]

Read the full post