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Contents: October 28, 2015 From The Editors The local voice for news, Erie at Large 4 kay. Erie misses the boat on some things. But squeezing every last arts, and culture. Schools in Play: The Drama of Funding Education celebratory drop out of each season surely isn’t one of them. Editors-in-Chief: in Pennsylvania So to honor our homegrown Halloween hysteria, we invited Brian Graham & Adam Welsh O “Monster” Mark Kosobucki to run wild with this issue’s cover, harking Managing Editor: Katie Chriest back to old school pulp horror comics. And in his first feature for the Maybe it’s Time to Kickstart Erie 7 Contributing Editors: Reader, Matt Swanseger takes us on a whimsically historical journey Ben Speggen Erie isn’t afraid to invest in food and films – what through some of the lesser-known haunts of Erie County. Jim Wertz about government? Halloween’s roots, meanwhile, can be traced to the ancient Celtic festi- Contributors: val of Samhain. However, the modern interpretation — with its wearing Lisa Austin, Civitas Alex Bieler Harrisburg Happenings 7 of fishnets and mainlining of sugar — shares little with its ancestor. Nev- Mary Birdsong ertheless, traditional Samhain celebrations continue globally to honor Even after 120 days, an agreed-upon budget Rick Filippi the cycles of nature, the end of the harvest, and the transition of life into Frank Garland remains elusive. James R. LeCorchick death. John Lindvay Similarly, Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is celebrated Nov. 1 Bob Protzman Dan Schank Local Filmmaker John C. Lyons Readies the throughout Latin America and increasingly in the U.S. The holiday is an William G. Sesler Ground for Unearth 9 opportunity to honor loved ones who have died, and to recognize life’s Tommy Shannon Ryan Smith The already-funded film’s Kickstarter campaign fleeting nature. Matt Swanseger aims to “take it to the next level” through Nov. 5. Beyond Halloween’s gleefully gaudy ghoulishness is the season’s re- Sara Toth minder of our own connection to nature’s rhythms, and the simple ac- Bryan Toy knowledgement that — all trials and tribulations aside — we’re pretty Cover Illustration: News of the Weird 11 “Monster” Mark Kosobucki damned lucky to be here. No more “Tag” or “Rover Red Rover.” But Photographers: We had a lot of fun with this issue and hope you do, too, however you apparently you can still pray yourself out of a Ryan Smith choose to celebrate the season. Brad Triana crime. Publisher’s Assistant Emily Hanisek Harbor House 13 1001 State St. Suite 901 Just a Thought Erie, Pa., 16501 With three other successful locations throughout [email protected] Erie, the U Pick 6 family welcomes its newest Easing the exhaustion of becoming. member. The Erie Reader is the local voice for recently sat on a panel of com- happy in these fields if they’re well news, arts, and culture, and is Erie’s only munications and arts profes- prepared. And that — despite our independent, alternative newspaper. A Conversation with Dr. Rachel Levine 15 Founded in 2010, the Reader has quick- sionals for sophomores at Fort obsessive worship of celebrities in Pennsylvania’s physician general is scheduled to I ly become the region’s award-winning LeBoeuf High School. Our job was the arts — STEM fields are much speak at Erie’s Biennial Intersections of Equality source for arts coverage, a strong cul- to give students considering simi- more valuable to society. tural compass, and a dynamic resource Conference. for news and opinion. With a dedication lar careers some idea of what our But when we discourage so-in- to long-form journalism and a commit- typical days are like, how we got clined students from embracing ment to provoking thoughtful discus- Best of Erie Winners 17 where we are, and what obstacles the arts and humanities, we dis- sion, the Reader tells the stories of the people and places making and shaping From nominations to final votes, this contest is hindered our paths, especially ear- courage humanity itself. Erie, while highlighting the events and entirely driven by readers. Here’s your chosen few. ly on. I’m not implying that STEM issues influencing life in northwestern Of course, we can’t precisely fields are uncreative. Not in the Pennsylvania. The Erie Reader is pub- lished every other week and distributed know what will get us where we least. Even as we’re chanting Spotlight on Erie 20 at over 250 high foot-traffic locations in want to be — or whether we really “STEAM! STEAM!” to incorporate Pennsylvania from North East to Girard Here we are now. Entertain us. want to be there — until we arrive. the arts and design, we panelists to Edinboro. In addition to appearing in print, Erie Reader adds new content dai- As Holly Nowak of Erie Arts and get that. And it is wonderful that ly at ErieReader.com as well social media A Review of Count … The Legend of Dracula 25 Culture told the students, it’s more much-documented classroom dis- sites. All rights reserved. All content © about making one choice after an- crimination against girls in STEM Flagship Multimedia, Inc, 1001 State St., Lake Erie Ballet dances with darkness in this Suite 901, Erie, Pa, 16501. No part of this season’s production. other from your heart, from your subjects is abating. publication may be reproduced without own inner passion. But some of us — regardless permission. The opinions of our colum- Looking at that classroom full of of incentives or scholarships or nists and contributors are their own and do not always reflect that of the edito- A Conversation with Brian Regan 31 mid-teen faces, my heart just melt- special student Visas — can only rial board or organization. Direct inqui- The much-loved comedian will make his sixth Erie ed. It’s been two decades since I es- be content or useful in the arts. ries to 814.314.9364 or contact@ErieRead- appearance just in time. caped high school. I wish I’d gotten What message are we sending to er.com. to hear from a panel like ours back students if we invalidate their pas- then, not to eliminate impending sions before they even graduate? What’s Haunting Erie County? 34 obstacles but to put my younger And in a climate of such employ- A historical retrospectralcle self at ease. Even now, it was heart- ment fluctuation, can we really be ening to be surrounded by these sure one pursuit will be less lucra- Geeked Out 38 folks: people who embrace life’s tive than another? Star Wars: The Force Awakens nonlinear, multidimensional, mo- “We finally die from the exhaus- ment by moment inspiration with tion of becoming,” writes poet Jim excited curiosity. Harrison. ER Sports 42 Today schools sell themselves on We die even earlier from the ex- JRL is on a roll! their ability to deliver in the STEM haustion of becoming what we’re fields. The implication seems to be not. that all students can excel and be October 28, 2015 ErieReader.com | Erie Reader | 3 NEWS & OPINION Erie at Large Schools in play: The drama of funding education in Pennsylvania tion Law Center. This funding gap between what’s needed model distributed state appro- to “properly” educate each priations based on students’ child and what it can afford to needs as well as each school spend grows ever wider, while district’s geographic and de- nationally U.S. taxpayers con- mographic characteristics. Dis- tribute $13,000 more per pris- tricts with low tax bases and oner on incarceration than we larger populations received do per student on education. more money. So did districts The stark reality is that most with larger gaps in education- parents can’t choose a better al attainment or more at-risk zip code, so some kids will youth. Not surprisingly, the interact with digital smart districts that received the larg- boards, while others inhale est funding increase during chalk dust; and some kids will this time also experienced the go to the school psychologist greatest improvement in stu- because their parents took dent achievement. The funding matrix used by the Rendell administra- The city tax rolls are tion was so successful that it so poor that the Erie served as a model for the ma- School District received jority of U.S. states that have AJARI almost 70 percent of adopted what’s now known its operating budget as “sound education funding.” of five enters into rapid-fire verse economic and geograph- That formula accounts for the from the state, making By: Jim Wertz reminiscence about “my favor- ic backgrounds to compete in number of students in each concessions like closing ite teacher,” that person from an increasingly complex fiscal district, community poverty schools, laying off he budget fight in the high school whom everyone and intellectual marketplace. levels, and local taxes, with teachers, and increasing state legislature and its carries in spirit. Some still But the sad reality is that this additional consideration given class sizes to keep the Timpact on local govern- teaching, some retired, some year’s budget crisis isn’t just to districts with large popula- doors open. ment and education has be- let go because the budget de- about the $120 million being tions of people for whom En- come shrouded in drama. So manded action. left on the table for universal glish is a second language. For- School Play, the documentary The characters in the play Pre-K education, or the $400 ty-six states use at least one away their Xbox, while oth- theater production staged Oct.