Outside Erie

Thanks to Julio Reyes for pointing out the Erie Times-News story on the departure of Monica Brower.
Brower, as many of you might know, has been working for the Economic Development Corp. of Erie County for the past 10 years — most recently as its chief executive officer. She is leaving the organization to take a […]

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 […]

The Erie Times-News’ George Miller offers some interesting analysis of the city of Erie’s loan program for businesses.
The story points out, quite correctly, the problems with big loans to the IFP juice plant and Koehler Brewery Square. In both cases, the city floated big loans for projects that weren’t backed with much by the way […]

Nice work by Erie Times-News photographer Rob Engelhardt, who captured a point-of-view video of the new Ravine Flyer II at Waldameer.
Of course, you can’t ride the coaster just yet. But the GoErie video gives a virtual preview of what it’s like. The views look fantastic.
Here it is:

If you’re looking for info about Barack Obama’s visit to Erie today, GoErie.com is live blogging the event.
And they’re doing a nice job of giving the flavor of the visit.

The Erie Times-News’ three-part series on General Electric Co.’s grant to the school system in Louisville is worth checking out if you care about Erie and its future.
The series, which kicks off today and runs through Tuesday, shows how the company’s grant has impacted students in Louisville.
Why does this matter to Erie?
The reason is simple. […]

The Erie Times-News today has its annual list of the Top 10 stories of the year.
The newspaper clearly had a lot to choose from in 2007 — with the opening of several new projects, the biggest philanthropic gift in Erie’s history, charges in the Brian Wells case, and the publication of results of tests on […]

A couple of cool things have come through my e-mail box this week that are worth pointing out.
First, my former colleague at the Erie Times-News, Robb Frederick, is the author of a new book You Haven’t Lived Here If You Haven’t — a collection of his quirky essays about places, people and experiences that are […]

The Erie Times-News reports this morning that the city is likely to extend its controversial amusement tax.
Not much surprise there.
Governments often have a hard time getting rid of proven moneymakers — even if they only net about $225,000, which is the anticipated revenue from the 3 percent tax on tickets to concerts and theater […]

GoErie.com reports this morning that the city, county and Millcreek Township have agreed to a deal that clears the way for the airport extension project to finally get off the ground.
There are still some obstacles — mostly procedural — that stand in the way.
But this does represent progress, and it also shows that local government […]