Outside Erie

Phyllis Kuhn at the Lake Erie Research Institute reports this morning that the Hirtzel Foundation has given her organization a $250,000 grant to purchase a confocal microscope that can be used by medical and academic researchers in northwestern Pennsylvania.
Penn State Behrend has also provided more than $100,000 to house the instrument and employ technicians to […]

Nice to see news that Congress could soon be giving $500,000 to researchers who are testing John Kanzius‘ cancer treatment theory.
Cynics will note that it took Rep. Phil English until the eve of a hotly contested reelection campaign to make this project a priority.
But the motivation isn’t what’s important here.
This project is vitally important to […]

This weekend’s thread about authorities in Erie prompted me to do some poking around to take a closer look at who is serving on the boards of directors of Erie’s various authorities. I also spent some time researching the makeup of the boards of directors of several Erie business groups, nonprofit organizations and foundations.
You can […]

You might have missed this story, but it could ultimately have a big impact on the way nonprofits run in Erie.
The United Way of America is going to be shifting its strategy over the next decade to put a much greater emphasis on programs that improve the health, education and finances of working families. Since […]

So, the Pennsylvania State Senate had to spend time this week discussing a potential Constitutional amendment to outlaw gay marriage in the commonwealth.
Uh, so glad we’re spending time talking about outlawing a practice that isn’t even legal.
What, exactly, would such a move actually accomplish? Would it make Pennsylvania more competitive? Would it cure the commonwealth’s […]

60 Minutes looks like it’s ready to air its profile of Millcreek’s John Kanzius this Sunday.
John sent me a short e-mail late this afternoon saying that the piece is finally on target to air.
I look forward to seeing how the story gets treated by the world’s preeminent news magazine.
Here’s a preview from the show’s Web […]

Erie has a right to be proud of John Kanzius’ effort to develop an effective new treatment for cancer.
But if it doesn’t get its act together, it could soon lose out on an opportunity to be on the short list of cities that is hosting the human trials.
News reports out of both Florida and Erie […]

Lost amid the hubub about rising gasoline prices and the falling stock market is a reality that is likely to hurt checkbooks in Erie and elsewhere in 2008.
Health-insurance costs are expected to rise by about 25 percent for many workers and retirees in 2008, according to a report in the The Buffalo News.
The lucky ones […]

I spoke with John Kanzius earlier today and he confirmed that research at MD Anderson Cancer Center that centers on his radio-frequency treatment for cancer is about to be published in a major medical journal.
In fact, he confirmed that it will be published in the December edition of Cancer.
The publication of this manuscript could turn […]

Erie’s economy grew at a rate faster than the national economy in 2004 and 2005, according to newly released figures by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
But it is still well behind the rest of the country in terms of economic growth through the first half of the decade.
Where does this analysis come from?
Well, the […]