Outside Erie

Picker-blogger Dale Hannah went to Erie County Executive Mark DiVecchio’s town hall meeting in North East last night and offers a report on What If?
Hannah is also looking to post some more in-depth reports on the blog in the coming days.

Jim Russell’s CleveBurgh Diaspora has an interesting critique of the leaders of so-called Rust Belt cities.
It seems the critical comments (which he attributes to colleague Richard Herman) frequently thrown at Erie’s political leadership extend into neighboring cities, as well.
Two excerpts worth noting here.
The first:

In defeat, and afraid to compete globally (immigrant talent—bad, free trade —- […]

Dale Hannah reports on the opening night of the Rust Belt Bloggers Summit on What If?
An excerpt:
Some of the initial discussion focused on technique, gaining credibility, changing the “underdog” attitude that seems to permeate the minds of residents of the Rust Belt cities and towns. The power of the blogging world to reach those […]

Pittsburgh City Paper has taken note of this weekend’s Rust Belt Bloggers Summit in Erie — and is pointing to this Web site as an example of the type of discussions that are taking place on locally themed blogs in the Rust Belt region.
Here’s the opening to the piece, which is online today:
Looking quickly at […]

While you were out grilling hot dogs, watching fireworks, and enjoying the sunny holiday weekend, the world did not stop.
It might have slowed down a bit. But it certainly didn’t stop.
Here’s what you might have missed:
1. A comprehensive list of the board members of Erie authorities, business groups, and nonprofit organizations. We hope this page […]

I’m pleased to announce the latest addition to the GlobalErie Network — Rob McGahen.
Some of you might remember McGahen as the fresh-faced college student who won a seat on the Harbor Creek School Board back in 2003.
Today, he is living and working in St. Louis and, like many of us, he is looking to relate […]

Erie native Douglas Derda has a great blog for those (like yours truly) who enjoy craft beer.
The blog, called Should I Drink That?, has been getting quite a bit of national attention of late following a feature story in DRAFT magazine. SIDT’s podcast was also a finalist in the food and drink category in the […]

Jack Tirak’s family has posted a message to the Erie community on his Erie Media-Go-Round blog.
As you can expect, it has been a difficult time for the Tiraks in the days following his unexpected passing and, through their grief, his survivors have been trying to decide what to do with his popular media blog. It […]

My Outdoor Places — a Web site for outdoor enthusiasts — has posted a nice profile of Presque Isle State Park.
“Drive around the 3,200-acre peninsula and experience seven miles of sand surf beaches, eleven miles of hiking trails and 13.5 miles of biking, in-line skating and jogging trails. Watch thousands of migratory birds, over three […]

My weekend visit to Miami for the Investigative Reporters and Editors annual conference has me thinking quite a bit about the future of journalism — and whether the Fourth Estate will be better or worse off after the seismic shifts that are transforming the industry are over.
It shouldn’t surprise you that I’m a firm believer […]