Erie Times-News (Erie, PA) articles from August 2001

Erie Times-News (Erie, PA) archives from August 2001

Bank to Build Expansion to Erie, Pa., Office Building.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Peter Panepento Aug. 1--First National Bank of Pennsylvania will break ground next week on a 7,500-square-foot expansion to its 3 1/2-year-old office building at 711 State St. The addition follows what First National CEO...

Buffalo, N.Y.-Based Utility to Cut Natural Gas Rates for Erie, Pa., Customers.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Peter Panepento Aug. 1--National Fuel Gas Distribution Corp. announced Wednesday that it is cutting its residential rates for the next year by 24 percent -- a move that offers a measure of relief to natural gas customers who have...

Erie County, Pa., to Model Broadband Plans after Cary, N.C.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Peter Panepento Aug. 2--Fed up with the high cost and low reliability of the region's broadband system, Erie County economic development officials are looking at an effort underway in Cary, N.C.-- population 90,000 -- as the...

Erie Times-News, Pa., People on the Move Column.
August 5, 2001... Aug. 5--SHEILA LAU, executive director of Verizon Communications' western region, will soon be moving her home base from Erie to the Irving, Texas, company officials said this week. Lau has been in Erie since she was appointed as general...

Erie, Pa., Airport Buys Neighboring Mobile-Home Park.
August 8, 2001... Byline: Jim Carroll Aug. 8--Erie International Airport now owns the Orchard Park Estates mobile home park. "We closed on Monday," said Airport Director Kelly Fredericks, referring to Erie International's purchase of the Millcreek...

Coal Continues to Play Large Role in Pennsylvania's Energy Plan.
August 8, 2001... Byline: Jim Martin Aug. 8--The energy of the last century could prove to be the energy of this century as well. Coal taken from the mines of West Virginia, Kentucky and Pennsylvania heated millions of homes in the early 20th century...

Stung By Telecommunications Slump, Firm Closes Two Plants in Erie, Pa., Area.
August 8, 2001... Byline: Peter Panepento Aug. 8--With the slumping telecommunications market showing no signs of a rebound, Spectrum Control Inc. is closing its two manufacturing plants in Elizabethtown in an effort to cut costs. The decision will not...

Northwestern Pennsylvania Tool Firms Asked to Help Build Case against China.
August 8, 2001... Byline: Jim Martin Aug. 8--The United States government is willing to challenge China on the tool-and-die issue, but it needs help. Robert L. Holste, an assistant to U.S. Rep. Phil English of Erie, R-21st Dist., told a gathering of...

Erie Times-News, Pa., People on the Move Column.
August 12, 2001... Aug. 12--Mary Daly, vice president of public affairs and secretary to the board of trustees at Mercyhurst College, has been named senior assistant to the president for board relations and special events. In this new, cabinet-level position,...

Sales-Tax Holiday Brings Out Computer Buyers in Erie, Pa., Area.
August 12, 2001... Byline: Jim Carroll Aug. 12--Temperatures have been sizzling in the Erie area over the past week, and so have computer sales. Retailers say Pennsylvania's third sale tax holiday on retail computer purchases has once again brought out...

Energy Company Pulls Plug on Union Township, Pa., Power Plant.
August 14, 2001... Byline: John Bartlett Aug. 14--FPL Energy effectively pulled the plug on a proposed power plant in Union Township last week, withdrawing its request for connection to the PJM Interconnection system. "It was decided at this time it (the...

Rent-Way Pledges to Release Delayed Quarterly Reports Next Week.
August 14, 2001... Byline: Peter Panepento Aug. 14--The next step in Rent-Way Inc.'s effort to rehabilitate its image will likely come next week, when the rent-to-own company will announce the financial results from its three most recent quarters. ...

Erie, Pa., Native Looks to Cash in on Cellphone Craze.
August 16, 2001... Byline: Douglas Oathout Aug. 16--An Erie native who once toured the country as Johnny C in an Elvis Presley review and then ran television's "American Gladiators" for nine years has reinvented himself again -- this time as a businessman...

Ames Store at Erie, Pa., Mall to Close.
August 17, 2001... Byline: Peter Panepento Aug. 17--Ames Department Stores Inc. is closing its Interchange Road department store, ending its brief two-year run as one of the anchor tenants at the Millcreek Mall Pavilion. The Erie store is one of 47 Ames...

Erie, Pa., Officials, Travel Agents Await Word from US Airways About Plan.
August 17, 2001... Byline: Jim Carroll Aug. 17--The new strategic plan unveiled by US Airways this week has raised questions in Erie, but airline officials said it may be months before any of those questions are answered. Officials at US Airways -- the...

Last DC-9 Jet Leaves Town from Erie International Airport.
August 18, 2001... Byline: Jim Carroll Aug. 18--Flying out of Erie International Airport won't be quite the same after today -- not without a DC-9 flight on the schedule. DC-9s have carried passengers from Erie's airport for 32 years, but that era will...

Erie, Pa.-Area Stripper Wells Continue to Produce Oil.
August 19, 2001... Byline: Jim Martin Aug. 19--The term "stripper" well seems to suggest a well on the verge of collapse, squeezing oil from the ground a barrel or two at a time. In northwestern Pennsylvania, most oil producers consider that to be...

Kmart Launches Self-Checkout Terminals at Erie, Pa., Store.
August 20, 2001... Byline: Jim Carroll Aug. 20--Sharen Garofalo had a cart full of merchandise, and not much time. "I'm here on my lunch hour," explained Garofalo as she hurried through a checkout at the Kmart at 2873 W. 26th St. Garofalo didn't...

Meadville, Pa., Businesses Unhappy with Post Office Policy.
August 20, 2001... Byline: John Bartlett Aug. 20--MEADVILLE, Pa.--Dan Leech, president of Leech Carbide, says a Meadville post office policy is costing his company and many other businesses. Business owners and postal service officials said the post...

Sales of Insulation, High-Efficiency Furnaces Are at Peak in Erie, Pa., Area.
August 21, 2001... Byline: Jim Martin Aug. 21--A long, hot summer is drawing to a close, but some homeowners apparently haven't forgotten winter's cold temperatures or high heating bills. Consumer interest in insulation and in high-efficiency furnaces...

Erie, Pa.-Based Rental Company to Release Three Quarterly Earnings Reports.
August 21, 2001... Aug. 21--Rent-Way Inc. will release its earnings for the first, second and third quarters during a Wednesday conference call. The reports -- which outline the company's revenues and earnings and are filed with the Securities and Exchange...

Railroad Company No Longer Seeks Pennsylvania Approval for New Line.
August 23, 2001... Byline: John Bartlett Aug. 23--The Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad wanted to reach a deal with the Northwest Pennsylvania Rail Authority for 42 miles of railroad from Meadville to Corry, but now it says no deal is necessary. ...

At Last, Erie, Pa.-Based Rent-to-Own Firm Submits Tardy Earnings Reports.
August 23, 2001... Byline: Peter Panepento Aug. 23--Rent-Way Inc. posted record sales during the first nine months of its 2001 fiscal year -- even as it struggled through the most trying episode of its 20-year history. That fact has buoyed the outlook...

Erie Times-News, Pa., People on the Move Column.
August 24, 2001... Aug. 24--The Human Resource Management Association of Northwest Pennsylvania recently inducted its officers for the 2001-2001 term. --ALAN WALDINGER, human resource manager for MacDonald, Illig, Jones & Britton, was named president. ...

New High-End Hotel to Open in Erie, Pa.
August 24, 2001... Byline: Jim Carroll Aug. 24--The list of amenities reads like something from an apartment or high-end college dorm -- equipped kitchen, sleeper sofas, phones with data ports, oversized work desks, hair dryers and ironing boards. But...

Airlines Reduce Commission Fees Paid to Travel Agents.
August 24, 2001... Byline: Jim Carroll Aug. 24--Local travel agents are bracing for another financial blow as airlines once again cut back on the commissions the agents can make on ticket sales. American Airlines and TWA started the latest round of...

Report Says Employment Outlook Bleak for Erie, Pa.
August 28, 2001... Byline: Peter Panepento Aug. 28--Erie's unemployment rate -- down by .2 percentage points in July -- could soon be heading up again, as employers predict more layoffs than hires through the end of the year, according to Manpower Inc.'s...

Pennsylvania's Erie Coke Wins Trade Battle Against Chinese Dumping.
August 29, 2001... Byline: Jim Martin Aug. 29--The International Trade Commission made official Tuesday what Erie Coke President Robert Bloom said he knew all along. Chinese producers have been dumping foundry coke into the United States at below their...

Erie, Pa., Airport, Loses One Flight School, Maybe to Gain Another.
August 30, 2001... Byline: Jim Carroll Aug. 30--One flight school has closed at Erie International Airport, but another is getting ready to take its place. Quest Air Services, the company that offered flight training and plane rentals at Erie...