Published: July 07, 2009 10:52 pm      

In brief: Penelec, union to talk on Friday

ERIE — The 16th negotiating session between Penelec and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 459 will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, company spokesman Scott Surgeoner said Tuesday.

It will be the fourth negotiating session since more than 500 union workers walked off the job May 21, when contract talks over wage and other issues broke down.

The strikers include about 130 workers from Cambria, Somerset and Indiana counties.

Health system wins award for video

The Aster Awards – given annually to recognize medical marketing – recently named Conemaugh Health System a 2009 silver winner in the special video production category.

The hospital was honored for the educational TV show “Conemaugh Connection: A Look Inside Your Brain.”

The show aired in December and featured local patients’ firsthand accounts of conditions such as strokes and epilepsy and treatment options.

“We want to help people by educating them about their health and the health of their loved ones,” said Amy Bradley, Conemaugh’s director of marketing communications. “If the show garners awards in the process, then that’s just an added bonus.”

IUP chooses firm to manage arena

INDIANA – IUP Tuesday selected Global Spectrum, a leading firm for managing university arenas and a subsidiary of Comcast-Spectacor, to manage, market and operate the Ed Fry Arena at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex.

The $53.4 million complex, which also includes an auditorium, conference center, grand lobby, commercial kitchen and offices for IUP athletics, is under construction and is expected to be completed by June 2011.

IUP President Tony Atwater said Global Spectrum has the expertise to attract quality entertainment and cultural fare. The university’s partnership with Global Spectrum demonstrates IUP’s resolve to make the complex a first-rate venue, he said.