AT&T, the largest US telephone company, has agreed to buy Dobson Communications for about $2.8 billion in cash, acquiring the Cellular One brand. Your Cellular One bill should say AT&T by the end of the year. This should be good news if you plan on getting an iPhone.   Developers Diversified (NYSE: DDR) announced [...]

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Spectrum Control of Erie (Nasdaq: SPEC) reported fiscal second-quarter net income of $2.8 million, or 20 cents per diluted share, on sales of $33.6 million, compared to net income of $1.7 million or 13 cents per share on sales of $31.9 million for the same period last year. For the first half of fiscal 2007, [...]

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Tammy Graves was identified as the woman who died at the John E Horan Garden Apartments. The coroner conducted an autopsy. Results will not be available for some time but it appears to be natural causes. They are still trying to figure out the timeline but it appears her 2 year old son was in [...]

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Erie Police responded to a call Sunday evening at Gladstone Court in the John E Horan Garden Apartments. They found the body of a woman who had been dead for possibly a week. Then it gets bizarre. The woman had a two year old boy. The poor child had been going through the kitchen cabinets [...]

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Mike Lueck ran into his Lake City neighbors burning home and pulled Pat Dunn to safety. Dunn, who is elderly, suffered severe burns and is in a Pittsburgh hospital. The only person who doesn’t think Mike Lueck is a hero is Mike Lueck. On sunday afternoon, Indiana state police says the driver of a mini-van [...]

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Today is the deadline for Invest Erie Community Development Corporation to come up with the financing for the grocery store plaza at 19th and Parade Streets. They’ve been working on it for 4 years and have only spent a ton of grant money so far. They do have some funding in place but not nearly [...]

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Officials with Presque Isle Downs held a press conference and released some construction photos and had a number of artist images of what the facilities will look like. They are finally almost done pushing dirt around and are now pouring concrete. They plan on having live racing and the slots going by Fall 2007. The [...]

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In November 2004, Snow Contractor John Allin sold his Erie, Pa based Snow Management Group, one of the nation’s largest snow-removal firms at the time, to Symbiot. Symbiot has been a mess ever since. Allin stayed on with the company as corporate vice president of operations until December 2005, when he left to start his [...]

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Scott Wludyga is leaving WJET-TV and Fox 66. Booo. Scott is taking a teaching position at Pymatuning Valley High School. He’s keeping his home in Erie and driving the 60 miles to Andover, OH each day. That’s going to get old quick. Luke Simons is taking over the weekday sports duties. No word on who [...]

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Kayley M Brabender, a graduate of Villa Maria Academy in Erie, took second place in the Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities’ annual High School Senior Essay Scholarship contest. The 2006 Erie Summer Festival of the Arts at Liberty Park wraps up today. The crowds have been huge. Stop by if you haven’t already. This [...]

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Spectrum Control (NASDAQ: SPEC) skyrocketed 2.19 to $9.53. The 29.84 percent increase came the day after their quarterly earnings were released. Net income for the three months ended May 21 was $1.7 million, or 13 cents per share, compared with $1.3 million, or 10 cents, during the same period last year. The company recorded sales [...]

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NanoLogix (OTC Pink Sheets: NNLX), a nanobiotechnology company engaged in the development and commercialization of technologies for the creation of hydrogen utilizing hydrogen bioreactors, announced that it has signed an agreement for the construction and operation of a prototype hydrogen bioreactor at the City of Erie wastewater treatment plant. This project will utilize the proprietary [...]

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The Erie School Board passed a no tax hike budget. Wow. Maybe the directors are finally learning. The high school taxes have chased families to the suburbs and have kept down property values. Up to 60 staff and teachers could be let go due to budget cuts. The district is teaching fewer kids with the [...]

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The Erie Community Foundation is one of Erie’s best organizations. Where would we be without it? The founders were way ahead of the curve and through the years it’s been very well managed. Other, larger cities wish they had what we have. The Erie Community Foundation’s 70/70 Anniversary Event will be held at the Warner [...]

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National Fuel Gas has some big balls. National Fuel Gas Company announced that they filed a request with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) to increase annual operating revenues by $25,892,000 to cover increases in the cost of providing service to the Utility’s customers in northwestern Pennsylvania. It’s not the fact they asked for an [...]

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Rebecca Hart of Erie is a national champion. Hart riding Nordkap (Noble Roi x Este) won the USEF Para Equestrian Freestyle, scoring 78.519 percent, making a clean sweep of the three rounds in the USEF Para Equestrian National Championship at the USET Foundation Dressage Festival of Champions in Gladstone, New Jersey. Hart’s hat trick included [...]

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Jason Dudjak will be returning to family in Erie on Wednesday after a 15 month tour of duty in Iraq. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has a good story about him being reunited with his college class ring. He lost his clas ring from Virginia Military Institute that his father had given him. Shortly after that he [...]

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A 38 foot boat, a Donzi, slammed into 2 Jet Skis on Presque Isle Bay killing both riders. Killed were Andrew Miller and his girlfriend Amber Miller (no relation) both of Washington, PA. The boat was believed to have the right of way. I’m guessing the operator of the Sea Doo was inexperienced and veered [...]

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There was a high speed chase through the city on Wednesday involving a man who exposed himself. A shooting, yeah, chase the suspect. But for a lewd act? It was just luck that not kids riding bikes or playing in the street were seriously hurt. Here is the Erie newspaper story on the incident. And [...]

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Yesterday evening, a young woman was hit and killed by an SUV at East 8th and the Bayfront Connector. She and her friends were attempting to cross against the traffic light. The Tom Ridge Environmental Center at Presque Isle State Park won the top prize in the 2006 Commonwealth Design Awards. The interior is divided [...]

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The Erie newspaper did a story the other day on the pay phones in front of Bradley’s Shur-Fine Food Mart on West 8th Street. Nobody knows who owns them so they could tell them they are in such disrepair – broken glass, graffiti. I went past them yesterday and there are now stickers on them [...]

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Motorcycle riders don’t have to wear a helmet in Pennsylvania. Yesterdays accident involving Ben Roehthlisberger showed it might be a good idea to wear one even if you aren’t forced to. Thanks to Lou Baxter, Brian and and the crew at WJET-TV for the story on Erie Redevopment Authority plans to improve central Erie. In [...]

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A neighbor near the Pennsylvania National Guard Armory at 6th and Parade Streets in Erie said that officials with the School District of the City of Erie toured the property. They could be interested in buying it. The 1st Battalion of the 112th Infantry will be moving from the facility in Erie in a couple [...]

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Former Alaska Commissioner of Fish and Game Jim Brooks recently passed away. Brooks was a native of Erie PA. During his life he was a B-24 Liberator bomber pilot during WWII, Ketchikan dishwasher, Southeast Alaska commercial salmon troller, Alaska Railroad gandy dancer, Willow gold miner, Nenana grease monkey, Kantishna dog musher and a trapper. Portland [...]

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State Represenative Linda Bebko-Jones of Erie introduced a bill that would provide health insurance for all state residents. It would be funded with a 10 percent payroll tax on businesses and a 3 percent personal income tax. Bebko-Jones didnot run for reelection as representative for the 1st District. The City of Easton paid $3,559 to [...]

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Yesterday marked the first direct flight from Erie International Airport Tom Ridge Field to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Delta is offering one daily flight to and from Atlanta. While this is great for the pleasure traveller, this is huge for the business community. The Erie Art Museum announced a $9 million expansion and a renovation [...]

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The Invest Erie Community Development Corporation was founded for one mission. To build a grocery store at 19th and Parade Streets. So far they have failed and wasted over $400,000 in your tax dollars doing so. They also have a stack of unpaid bills. In a more perfect world, this would be illegal and those [...]

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Someone broke into the North East PA Wine and Spirits Store, the state run liquor store with overpaid union workers, and waled out with thousands of dollars of booze. The break-in happend between late Sunday to early Monday morning. Anyone out there planning a big party? The Erie Art Museum has a press conference scheduled [...]

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Congrats to Jenny and Mike on the birth of their son Grady Matthew. Grady was 7 pounds, 9 ounces. Both mother and son are healthy and doing great. Me: When is the Erie Management Group going to start the move to the former Hammermill/ IP plant and have their groundbreaking? Boss man: They have already [...]

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An Erie man drowned in Presque Isle Bay in an apparent suicide. Gerald Michalski of West 8th Street, walked into the water near the foot of Virginia Ave and Ravine Drive near the Erie Yacht Club. Witnesses at Ferncliff Beach said he left some personal items on shore and simply walked in over his head. [...]

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