Outside Erie

… the death of Eight Belles at the Kentucky Derby will have any impact on the new horse racing track at Presque Isle Downs
… the ridiculously high gas prices will help or hurt Erie’s summer tourism market
… the same ridiculously high gas prices will encourage people in Erie to finally use public transit
… the recent […]

The past year brought some huge new developments to the Erie region.
The ribbon was cut on the new bayfront convention center, which during the coming year will bring big events such as the General Electric Co.’s shareholders meeting and the Pennsylvania ImPAct Conference to town.

Lake Erie Biofuels began production at the old International Paper Co. […]

Happy New Year, everyone.
The past year has been an eventful one in Erie. It marked the opening of the new casino and convention center, arrests in the Brian Wells case, and progress on the airport runway extension.
It also brought some pretty intense debates about a new tires-to-energy plant, a community college, and the prospect of […]

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 […]

George Vietze is a true believer in Erie. He moved here last year from San Diego because he believes Erie is a community worth investing in.
He sees Erie as a place with tremendous potential — a place where he can make money.
If more people are willing to take that risk, Erie has a strong chance […]

This has been the year of major new attractions in Erie.
2007 has brought the opening of Presque Isle Downs and the new bayfront convention center.
Both projects were highly anticipated and are designed to be anchor developments that will bring in visitors and new business.
Both are impressive in their size and scope.
But now that they are […]

Our comment of the week comes from Ann Marie Bliley, an Erie native who moved out to Colorado a couple of years ago.
Bliley addresses a topic that has spawned some debate on the site in recent days — the choice many people make to leave Erie to pursue other opportunities.
Like many of those who […]

With one massive stroke of generosity, the mystery donor who is giving $100-million to the Erie Community Foundation has the potential to do much more for Erie’s future than the new horse-racing track or the bayfront convention center.
How?
Well, consider that it will take Presque Isle Downs eight years — at $11 million per year — […]

Apparently Presque Isle Downs is doing a much better job of impressing out-of-town writers than it is at winning the praise of writers with Erie ties.
Stan Grossfeld, the fantastic photojournalist/writer for the Boston Globe, gives major props to the new track — and to Erie itself — in a story and photo package that appears […]

The early reviews on Presque Isle Downs were not very favorable for Erie.
But now that the track is officially open, I’m curious to hear what regular people think.
The track drew some big crowds during its opening weekend — and I’m sure some Outside Erie readers were there placing their bets.
If you were there, I’d like […]