Long before I was elected to federal office, I always regarded the Memorial Day weekend as something more than a commencement of summer festivities.

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It’s like kissing your sister…

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They float!

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  The Erie County United Way kicked off its 2009 fundraising campaign today.  The agency hopes to match last year’s contributions of 5.7 Million dollars, but the sagging economy may constitute a problem.  The fund drive runs through November.  33 agencies and 100,000 people were served last year. On Tuesday, employees with the Mental Health [...]

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Well, I think at this point we can call the Christmas holiday over – bad news for the local economy is flying left and right. Troyer Farms recently sold to Bickel’s Snack Foods (Hanover Foods) and promised the sale would not result in layoffs. Someone had their fingers crossed behind their back because yesterday the [...]

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Bob at Erie’s Groceries posted this weekend that Troyer Farms is in the process of being sold to Snyder’s of Hanover. If this indeed the case, we hope that Snyder’s will keep the plant open and the people there employed. If we might also make one more request – bring back the smaller crinkles on [...]

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Last week, we blogged that we’re going to open up the blog to local candidates. We offered them the opportunity to make one final case as to why they deserve their vote and why they are the best candidate for the job. Our caveat to everyone was that we didn’t want personal attacks or other [...]

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Former President Bill Clinton will visit Erie today to campaign for Barack Obama. He will appear at McDowell Intermediate High School at 4:15 p.m., with doors opening at 3:30 p.m. Tickets to the event aren’t required, but if you want to attend you should RSVP at the Obama website here. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney [...]

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Happy Halloween!  Please be careful when driving this evening and make sure to keep an eye out for the little kiddies. Feel free to send us any leftover candy you might have. Alaska Governor and Vice-Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin spent part of the day yesterday in Erie. First, she held a National Security Roundtable at [...]

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MSNBC is expected to roll into Erie today in its Green Machine–a Ford Escape hybrid heavily equipped with camera’s and wireless internet to send video back to New York–to report on election news. Since Pennsylvania is considered a battle ground state, the MSNBC crew has been making the rounds in various cities across the state. [...]

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The third and final congressional debate was held last night. The debate was broadcast on WQLN TV and radio as well as WJET Channel 24. You know what, we thought long and hard about how to make a funny here, but we failed. So, let’s play some Match Game. Post the completion of this thought [...]

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The PA Supreme Court has ruled that Steven Porter will not be on the ballot this November.  Porter had appealed a lower court’s ruling that 1,500 of the signatures on his nominating petitions were invalid.  Despite having campaigned numerous times, Porter violated PA election law by completing information for voters.  Porter says he will run [...]

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Research 2000 released a new poll yesterday in the 3rd District Congressional race. The new poll of 400 likely voters showed Kathy Dahlkemper to have a 7 point lead over incumbent Phil English, 48% to 41%. The poll had margin of error of 5 points.  Research 2000 conducted the poll for Daily Kos, a liberal [...]

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WICU reported on the validity of rumors circulating that the community activist organization known as ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) has been engaging in voter fraud in Erie County.  According to WICU, ACORN has not had a presence in Erie for the last 15 months and the Erie County Elections Office has stated it [...]

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We blogged back on Sep. 27 that former mayor of New York City and presidential candidate Rudy Guliani will be in town to campaign with Rep. Phil English. We now have a date: October 20 at a $100 per ticket fundraiser at the Manufacturer & Business Association.  We’ll post other appearances when they become available. Presque [...]

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Last night congressional candidates Kathy Dahlkemper and Phil English held a debate on the campus of Allegheny College. WSEE will broadcast the debate later this week, and C-SPAN will have coverage as well. An hour after the debate was over, we received a press release from the Dahlkemper campaign claiming victory. Not once during the [...]

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Erie Renewable Energy has submitted a new emissions plan to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Don’t expect a permit from the DEP for many months as they review all the information. There is considerable resistance to the plant locally. The US House of Representatives passed the “Bailout Bill” yesterday. The plan was signed by [...]

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In case you missed it, Wednesday we published a comprehensive guide to October events around the Erie area including haunted houses, corn mazes, and more. We keep adding events so please keep checking. If you know a friend or family member looking for something fun to do, use the “Share This” link and email the [...]

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In case you lost track of time, today is October 1st. Where did this year go? Shana Tova! Rosh Hashanah concludes today. Happy New Year to our Jewish readers! This past weekend we mentioned that there hasn’t been a poll conducted for the Dahlkemper-English race for Congress for a few months now. Roll Call has [...]

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The US House of Representatives did not pass the bailout bill yesterday afternoon. The already shaky markets responded by closing down 777 points. Ouch, babe. Rep. Phil English voted against the bill yesterday. He released a statement saying, in part: While I support the need for congressional action to stabilize the credit markets, the legislation [...]

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The annual North East Wine Country Harvest Festival continues today and will conclude tomorrow, Sunday the 28. This is the 27th year the wine festival will be held, drawing about 15,000 visitors every year. You will find 5 wineries in the wine tent this year along with music and dancing, over 75 booths of arts [...]

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15-year-old Daquan Crosby was murdered by an unknown assailant earlier this week. Daquan’s brother, Jovon Johnson, is returning to Erie from Winnipeg, Manitoba where he plays for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. An arrest has yet to be made. Majorie Diehl-Armstrong is now refusing psychotropic drugs as part of her treatment [...]

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It was bound to happen sooner or later. Thomas Brletic of the Gaming Control Board’s Bureau of Investigations and Enforcement, has testified before a grand jury proceeding yesterday that is largely being kept secret. The investigation is focusing primarily on former state House Democratic Whip Mike Veon and back room deals with casinos and the [...]

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The Center for Political Participation at Allegheny College will host a debate for the candidates for U.S. Congress, Pennsylvania District 3, on Wednesday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m. in Ford Chapel. The 70-minute debate between Democratic candidate Kathy Dahlkemper and Republican candidate Phil English will be co-moderated by Allegheny College Professor of Political Science Daniel [...]

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High School Football Scores (slightly soggy) Sharpsville 35 Conneaut Lake 22 (Thurdsay) Seneca Valley 38 McDowell 33 (Thursday) Strong Vincent 61 Central Tech 6 Maplewood 27 Seneca 18 Fariview 38 Northwestern 6 Linesville 35 Kennedy Catholic 0 North East 27 General McClane 14 Iqoruius 56 Harborcreek YS 0 West Middlesex 27 Mercyhurst 19 Union City [...]

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Tom Ridge spoke last night at the Republican National Convention (you can read his speech here). The convention concluded with the acceptance speech of John McCain. Congressman Phil English did not attend the convention. 59 days until the general election. PA lawmakers are again considering charging townships that rely on state police for protection instead [...]

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Lots of stuff going on this weekend: Key West Phest, the St. Paul’s Italian Festival, Footloose at the Erie Playhouse, and so much more. Get out there and have some fun. Yesterday afternoon, a few funnel clouds were spotted over Lake Erie. Meterologist Ray Petelin has some pictures on his blog. More news from National [...]

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The City of Erie School District preliminary budget calls for a spending increase of about $6 million to $129.3 million. All members of the school board are tax and spend Democrats. The figures don’t include money to rehab or rebuild Roosevelt Middle School which might not be funded until next year. WSEE TV posted two [...]

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Paul “The Pittsburgh Kid” Spadafora was arrested AGAIN for violating a PFA order. Police found him with Nadine Russo who has a PFA against him. He was arrested last summer for violating the same order. Spadafora served 13 months in jail for shooting Russo. He has a professional boxing record of 41-0-1 and would be [...]

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