Erie Times-News (Erie, PA) articles from October 2007

Erie Times-News (Erie, PA) archives from October 2007

County budget a mystery.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Kevin Flowers Oct. 1--Erie County government's 2008 budget has its unveiling today. County Executive Mark DiVecchio will announce its details at an 11 a.m. news conference at the Erie County Courthouse. Members of Erie...

Treasurer: Erie County Fair 'did better'.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Kevin Flowers Oct. 1--WATTSBURG -- The Wattsburg-Erie County Fair's treasurer is calling this year's fair a success -- although officials are holding off on releasing financial details before the fair board's annual meeting on Nov....

Can you sell golf course?
October 1, 2007... Byline: George Miller Oct. 1--The city of Erie is turning to a real estate agent to sell the Erie Golf Club -- as a golf course, not a real estate development. The city will receive proposals Oct. 23. Mayor Joe Sinnott said Friday...

Knock, knock, it's fundraising time.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Erica Erwin Oct. 1--Maree Fitzpatrick knew what was happening even before the three boys reached her front steps. "What are you selling?" she asked as she cracked the door open. Not so long ago, that question had a simple...

English seeks fixed funding for Presque Isle sand.
October 2, 2007... Byline: John Guerriero Oct. 2--Perhaps you've heard this story before -- the effort to get federal funding for sand replenishment at Presque Isle State Park. But this story comes with a twist. Instead of enduring the annual...

EMG questions arise.
October 2, 2007... Byline: Jim Martin Oct. 2--A week before a planned ribbon-cutting at Lake Erie Biofuels, parent company Erie Management Group seems to be in the middle of a makeover that could result in fewer jobs and new leadership. High on the list...

Early county budget asks for tax hike.
October 2, 2007... Byline: Kevin Flowers Oct. 2--There is money for libraries, a public-safety dispatch center and salary increases. A property-tax hike, retiree benefits and a new prison pre-release center are also factored in. But a big pot of...

Judge tells PennDOT to repair curb ramps.
October 2, 2007... Byline: Ed Palattella Oct. 2--The state Department of Transportation has failed to reduce the number of faulty curb ramps it must repair in Erie and Meadville. A federal judge has rejected Penn-DOT's request to limit the number of...

Transformation grows.
October 2, 2007... Byline: George Miller Oct. 2--The Erie Redevelopment Authority is acquiring two more properties near Griswold Park, adding key pieces for the proposed revitalization in that area. The pending purchases come as three architectural firms...

Percentage of people out of work rises in region.
October 2, 2007... Byline: Jim Martin Oct. 2--The unemployment rate is inching up. The unemployment rate rose in 65 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties in August, said Lauren Nimal, a state analyst. On a list of the state's lowest unemployment rates, Erie...

Sun warms train riders.
October 25, 2007... Byline: Jim Carroll Oct. 25--What a difference a little daylight makes -- at least to Erie railroad passengers. Amtrak reported ridership at Erie's Union Station shot up by 21.6 percent in fiscal 2007 -- the first year that Amtrak's...

New college site offered.
October 25, 2007... Byline: George Miller Oct. 25--Edinboro University of Pennsylvania is pitching its Porreco Center in Millcreek Township as a possible location for Erie County's proposed community college. University President Jeremy D. Brown and Louis...

DiVecchio, Edinboro officials discuss community college.
October 26, 2007... Byline: George Miller Oct. 26--Erie County Executive Mark DiVecchio has favored a partnership with Mercyhurst College to establish a county community college. But he also plans to meet with the leaders of the other local colleges and...

Facts steel English's thunder.
October 26, 2007... Byline: John Guerriero Oct. 26--U.S. Rep. Phil English of Erie and others from Congress' steel caucus criticized the use of 60 Chinese-made pipes for the U.S. -- Mexico border fence in Arizona. But it turns out that a Millcreek company...

State license at issue.
October 27, 2007... Byline: Kara Rhodes Oct. 27--Nearly a year has passed since the founder of the Broken Arrow Animal Sanctuary was found guilty of a summary count of cruelty to animals. Despite the conviction, Sally Chavez-Casler, of Millcreek Township,...

Little people bring their big event here.(Conference news)
October 27, 2007... Byline: Steven M. Sweeney Oct. 27--There are some people who have never heard of the Little People of America. And then there is Mary Ellen Little, one of more than 200 LPA members who came to Erie for a regional conference this weekend....

Redoing D.I.D.: What will it do now?
October 27, 2007... Byline: George Miller Oct. 27--Bike Night, Buggin' State Street and weekly block parties. Those are some of the offerings of the Downtown Improvement District, a nonprofit that seeks to revitalize Erie's downtown by improving its...

Beyond pumpkins: Mason Farms pumps up Halloween as destination experience.
October 27, 2007... Byline: Robb Frederick Oct. 27--Poor Linus, waiting in the pumpkin patch, laughed at by the "Peanuts" gang. How crushed he was when the Great Pumpkin didn't come. Today it wouldn't matter. Today he'd fight a crowd, jockeying for a...

High-rise back on bay?
October 27, 2007... Byline: George Miller Oct. 27--A plan for a $25 million residential high-rise building on east Dobbins Landing is being revived. The project that once called for a 14-story high-rise for condominiums saw new life Friday when its...

Erie Times-News, Pa., business buzz column.(Column)
October 28, 2007... Byline: Michael Regal Oct. 28--Zabaware, an Erie-based company that specializes in artificial intelligence technology, recently won first place for the "most human" computer at the 17th annual Loebner Prize Competition for Artificial...

County issues: gaming, airport, college.
October 28, 2007... Byline: Kevin Flowers Oct. 28--From slots revenue to Erie International Airport's runway project to plans for a community college, the candidates vying for seats on Erie County Council have strong and different opinions. Four County...

Contest winners get inside look at GE.
October 28, 2007... Byline: Kara Rhodes Oct. 28--It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. An invitation to go behind the gates of Erie's largest employer and take a ride on what's made inside. Who could say no to that? Not Bonnie Hess, Clarence Rupp,...

Jam-packed Peach Street.
October 28, 2007... Byline: Jim Martin Oct. 28--You'll still find splashes of green in the asphalt world of upper Peach Street. You might see them as reminders of the rural road it used to be, or hints that Erie's commercial corridor still has room to...

Recipe for success.
October 28, 2007... Byline: Jim Carroll Oct. 28--OIL CITY -- Fifty years ago Sam Sanfilippo chose food over the law. And old friends and patrons who crowded into his Villa Italia Ristorante at 904 E. Second St. in Oil City last week were glad he did. ...

Violators: You're forgiven.
October 28, 2007... Byline: George Miller Oct. 28--James T. Stumpo was buying an Erie apartment building in 2006 when he discovered it had been illegally converted from two units to four. Based on his discussions with the city, he believed he could obtain...

Campus makes room for growth.
October 29, 2007... Byline: Erica Erwin Oct. 29--NORTH EAST -- Enrollment is growing at Mercyhurst North East -- and so is its campus. Mercyhurst College has entered into an agreement to buy the First National Bank building at 5999 Station Road in North...

Michigan woman becomes 3rd to win $100K jackpot.
October 30, 2007... Byline: John Guerriero Oct. 30--Mary Sutton won $2,000 on a slot machine at Presque Isle Downs & Casino. She was just warming up. She won a $100,000 jackpot on the same day -- the third time that a gambler has won a $100,000 prize...

Residents mourn historic cider mill.
October 30, 2007... Byline: Erica Erwin Oct. 30--A trip to Fuhrman's Cider Mill & Bakery always kicked Bill Gunther's senses into high gear. The smell of Cortlands and Ida reds, thousands of them, hung thick in the air. Sound of heavy machinery --...

Good sign in jobless rate?
October 30, 2007... Byline: Jim Carroll Oct. 30--Ringing school bells brought teachers back to their classrooms in September, and that boosted service employment in Erie and Crawford counties. But while service jobs were up, both counties lost more...

Untiring efforts rewarded.
October 30, 2007... Byline: Jim Carroll Oct. 30--Opponents of the $150 million waste-tire-to-energy plant proposed for the east side might get more municipal allies as they step up pressure against the project. Lawrence Park Township and Wesleyville have...

Anglers get new access to Walnut Creek.
October 31, 2007... Byline: John Guerriero Oct. 31--Anglers soon will have another public place to fish. Millcreek supervisors unanimously approved an agreement to allow anglers free public access to Walnut Creek from its new Cassidy Park in southwestern...

Sweet end to grape season.
October 31, 2007... Byline: Jim Martin Oct. 31--NORTH EAST -- It didn't rain too much. It certainly didn't snow, and the dreaded multicolored Asian lady beetles were a no-show. In short, all the stuff that could go wrong with this year's grape crop...

Park the car; grab a bite.
October 31, 2007... Byline: Kevin Flowers Oct. 31--The owner of a well-known waterfront restaurant and bar plans to open a sister eatery in the parking garage at the $100 million bayfront convention center and hotel complex. Tim Sedney, co-owner of Rum...

Antenna planned for Bicentennial Tower.
October 31, 2007... Byline: George Miller Oct. 31--The Bicentennial Tower has long been a tourist attraction. Soon it might also help cell-phone callers and even provide panoramic webcam views of the bayfront. The new uses could result from a request...