Website Ranks Centre Area Transportation Authority 8th In Nation For Per Capita Usage

Counties constituting the Happy Valley Region of Pennsylvania (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

STATE COLLEGE, PA — Steven Maria caught a few rays of Wednesday afternoon sunshine while waiting for his ride.

Maria, a 19-year-old Penn State student, sat on a bench along Beaver Avenue in front of the Centre Area Transportation Authority office — the nerve center for one of the nation’s busiest transit systems.

“I use the bus all the time to get home,” he said.

He’s one of the thousands of riders each day who prove that just because State College is a small town, it doesn’t mean it can’t hold its own with a major metropolis.

Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/2014/08/06/4294887/website-ranks-cata-8th-in-nation.html?sp=/99/264/&ihp=1#storylink=cpy

Vespa Sculpture Parks In Downtown State College

Counties constituting the Happy Valley Region of Pennsylvania (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

STATE COLLEGE, PA — Sydney Britton didn’t know what she was looking at when she took a break from her morning run Saturday.

“What the heck is it?” she asked.

She then took a step back to get a better view.

“Oh, I get it,” she said. “That’s actually kind ofcool.”

A 2-D version of a 16-foot sculpture of a Vespa is a new attraction in downtown State College next to the S&T Bank at the intersection of Fraser Street and Beaver Avenue.

Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/2014/08/02/4289581/vespa-sculpture-parks-in-downtown.html?sp=/99/116/#storylink=cpy

Big Spring Distillery Soft Opening Helps Prepare For Grander Version In Bellefonte

Counties constituting the Happy Valley Region of Pennsylvania (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note:  The distillery movement is really starting to take off in Pennsylvania.  I keep running across these popping up around our great state.

Vana Dainty sat down with Kevin Lloyd to help him coordinate the final details of the grand opening for his Bellefonte distillery in two weeks.

Dainty, the borough’s Keystone Community development coordinator, said the Match Factory distillery, named Big Spring Spirits, will be good for the borough.

“Kevin has been a delight to work with, and this should really be a great part of Bellefonte that brings in new tourists and a part of the turning point for our economy,” Dainty said. “It’s different than anything else in Centre County.”

Lloyd said he has seen the value of a helping hand not only from Dainty, but from dozens of others as he opens his new business.

Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/2014/07/24/4278398/big-spring-distillery-soft-opening.html?sp=/99/116/#storylink=cpy

State College Police: Criminal Activity Down Again On State Patty’s Day

Counties constituting the Happy Valley Region of Pennsylvania (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

STATE COLLEGE, PA — Police activity on the Penn State student-created drinking holiday State Patty’s Day was down for the third consecutive year, State College police Lt. Bradley Smail said Sunday.

Police said late Sunday that initial numbers indicate total crime was down 47 percent and arrests decreased 61 percent. Smail said the activity was more in line with a typical football weekend than the normally damaging day of drinking.

“We didn’t have a whole lot of destructive behavior,” Smail said anecdotally, in comparison to previous years.

Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/2014/03/02/4064212/state-college-police-criminal.html#storylink=cpy

Keystone Krunch: Pennsylvania May Not Be In The Super Bowl But Its Snacks Will Be The Life Of Many Parties

Although the Steelers and Eagles didn’t make it to the Super Bowl this year, Pennsylvania and Penn State will still be represented on game day — on your plate.

Penn State experts have had a hand in developing, or evolving, many of the Keystone State’s famous finger foods.

While Nittany Lion alumni will represent Penn State on Feb. 2 at MetLife Stadium, Pennsylvania food industries’ wares will be served at Super Bowl parties nationwide. Companies from around the commonwealth — referred to as the snack-food belt — supply many of the Sunday afternoon munchies enjoyed while calling plays from the couch.

If your potato chips are from Utz, Middleswarth, Martin’s, Snyder’s of Hanover or Snyder of Berlin — just to name a few — the snack came from some region of Pennsylvania.

Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/2014/02/01/4013019/keystone-krunch-pa-may-not-be.html#storylink=cpy

Penn State Reports 16-Percent Increase In Applications From Prospective Students

Counties constituting the Happy Valley Region of Pennsylvania (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Penn State is seeing a boom in the number of undergraduate applications for admission in the next academic year.

As of Monday, the university had received almost 46,000 applications from prospective baccalaureate students, a figure that is more than 7,500 ahead of the number of applications received at this time last year. The count is more in line with the number of applications received at this time in 2010 and 2011.

From this applicant pool, the university has made 11,000 offers.

Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/2013/12/11/3937867/number-of-students-applying-to.html#storylink=cpy

Incumbents Ousted In Penn State Trustees Election

Counties constituting the Happy Valley Region of Pennsylvania (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In what one newly elected member called a referendum on the Penn State board of trustees, alumni chose three new members and ousted veteran members Paul Suhey and Stephanie Deviney.

Endorsed by the family of former head football coach Joe Paterno and vocal alumni critical of the board’s response to the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal, the election winners emerged from a field of 39 candidates, including the two incumbents.

The election results came during a meeting Friday on the University Park campus, where the board voted to adopt sweeping changes as Penn State University continues its effort to revamp procedures following Sandusky’s conviction last summer for molesting 10 boys.  Sandusky is serving 30 to 60 years in state prison.

The winners in the monthlong election, which saw nearly 34,000 alumni cast ballots, are Edward “Ted” Brown III of State College, Barbara Doran of New York and William F. Oldsey of Basking Ridge, N.J.

Read more:

http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-penn-state-trustees-election-20130503,0,1472995.story

Nearly 5,000 Pennsylvania State Workers Paid $100,000-Plus

HARRISBURG – Nearly 5,000 Pennsylvania state employees earned at least $100,000 last year, and more than one-third worked for one of the 14 state-owned universities or the system that oversees them, a newspaper reported Monday.

The number of employees with six-figure earnings has more than quadrupled since 2002, when 1,176 people fell into that category, The Patriot-News said in stories posted on its website.

“What you see is pretty much how recession-proof that (state government) sector may be,” said Lonnie Golden, a professor of economics and labor studies at Penn State University‘s Abington campus.

In the newspaper’s analysis of data from the state-government transparency website PennWATCH and the state courts, payouts for severance and unused leave time as well as job-related, non-salary income were counted as part of employees’ earnings.

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=458306

Voters Saddle Governor Corbett With Dismal Midterm Grade

Standard of the Governor of Pennsylvania http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us-pa.html#gov (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Since a 1968 constitutional revision allowed Pennsylvania governors to seek a second term, every one of them has, and all five have been successful.

Gov. Tom Corbett has said he intends to keep the two-term tradition alive, but poll numbers released last week underscore the possibility that he could break that winning streak.

A Public Policy Polling survey noted that voters gave him some of the lowest approval numbers of any incumbent the organization has tested across the country.  Although his decision to sue the National Collegiate Athletic Association over the draconian sanctions it imposed on Penn State University has proved popular with the state’s voters (despite widespread condemnation by editorial boards), the support for his legal decision has not translated to a boost in his personal popularity.  According to the archives of the Franklin & Marshall College Poll, his midterm job performance numbers were the lowest approval of any recent Pennsylvania governor.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/state/voters-saddle-gov-corbett-with-dismal-midterm-grade-670203/#ixzz2Huxy3OZJ

Jerry Sandusky Sentenced To At Least 30 Years In Prison

BELLEFONTE, PA – Jerry Sandusky was sentenced today to at least 30 years in prison — effectively a life sentence — in the child sexual abuse scandal that brought shame to Penn State and led to coach Joe Paterno‘s downfall.

A defiant Sandusky gave a rambling statement in which he denied the allegations and talked about his life in prison and the pain of being away from his family.

Three victims spoke, often fighting back tears. One looked Sandusky in the eyes at times.

The 68-year-old former Penn State assistant coach was found guilty in June of 45 counts of child sexual abuse, convicted of molesting 10 boys over a 15-year period. Witnesses said Sandusky used the charitable organization he founded for troubled children as his personal hunting ground to find and groom boys to become his victims.

His arrest 11 months ago, and the details that came out during his trial over the summer, transformed Sandusky’s public image from a college coach who had been widely admired for his work with The Second Mile charity into that of a reviled pervert who preyed on the very youngsters who sought his help.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=419736

Officials: CO2 Emissions In US Drop Because Of Plentiful Natural Gas

PITTSBURGH (AP) — In a surprising turnaround, the amount of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere in the U.S. has fallen dramatically to its lowest level in 20 years, and government officials say the biggest reason is that cheap and plentiful natural gas has led many power plant operators to switch from dirtier-burning coal.

Many of the world’s leading climate scientists didn’t see the drop coming, in large part because it happened as a result of market forces rather than direct government action against carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere.

Michael Mann, director of the Earth System Science Center at Penn State University, said the shift away from coal is reason for “cautious optimism” about potential ways to deal with climate change.  He said it demonstrates that “ultimately people follow their wallets” on global warming.

“There’s a very clear lesson here.  What it shows is that if you make a cleaner energy source cheaper, you will displace dirtier sources,” said Roger Pielke Jr., a climate expert at the University of Colorado.

Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/officials-co2-emissions-in-us-drop-because-of-plentiful-natural-gas-1.1359789

Penn State Punishment: 112 Wins Vacated, 4-Year Bowl Ban, $60 Million Fine, Lost Scholarships

English: National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) logo. Source: http://www1.ncaa.org/eprise/main/Public/mlp/promotions_special_events/pe_web/promo_manual/memos/identity.pdf Converted by User:King of Hearts from :Image:National Collegiate Athletic Association logo.png using Inkscape. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA slammed Penn State for the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal today with an unprecedented series of penalties, including a $60 million fine and the loss of all the school’s victories from 1998-2011, knocking Joe Paterno from his spot as major college football’s winningest coach.

Other sanctions include a four-year ban on postseason games that will prevent Penn State from playing for the Big Ten title, the loss of 20 scholarships per year over four years and five years’ probation. The NCAA also said that any current or incoming football players are free to immediately transfer and compete at another school.

NCAA President Mark Emmert announced the staggering sanctions at a news conference in Indianapolis. Though the NCAA stopped short of imposing the “death penalty” — shutting down the Nittany Lions‘ program completely. But the punishment is so severe, it’s more like a slow-death penalty.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=402015

Sandusky Convicted Of 45 Counts, Plans To Appeal

Counties constituting the Happy Valley Region of Pennsylvania (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

BELLEFONTE, Pa. — Jerry Sandusky was convicted of 45 counts of child sexual abuse Friday night and faces spending the rest of his life in state prison. His attorney said he would appeal the verdict.

Sandusky’s attorney, Joseph Amendola, asked Judge John Cleland to allow Sandusky to be released on house arrest, but Cleland summarily rejected the request, saying: “Bail is revoked. Mr. Sandusky is remanded to the custody of the sheriff.”

Sandusky was immediately led out of the courthouse in handcuffs as a large crowd of onlookers cheered. Sentencing was set for late September.

Read more: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/22/12363955-sandusky-convicted-of-45-counts-plans-to-appeal?lite

Former PSU President Spanier Lands Job In National Security

Editor’s note:  Anybody else find this ironic?

Former Penn State University President Graham Spanier, who was forced from office in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal, is working in Washington on a national security project.

A Penn State spokeswoman confirmed on Wednesday that Spanier, who is listed in the university’s online directory as president emeritus, took on the project during a year-long sabbatical from his post as a tenured professor in Penn State’s College of Health and Human Development.

“The project is an effort to continue to bridge the gap between our nation’s national security agencies and other entities,” said Penn State spokeswoman Lisa Powers.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-psu-graham-spanier-new-job-20120412,0,5217661.story

Joe Paterno Viewing And Funeral Schedule

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STATE COLLEGE, PA — Former Penn State coach Joe Paterno will be buried Wednesday, and his family has scheduled three days of public memorial events this week.

Paterno died Sunday at age 85, less than three months after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

Click here for schedule: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2012/01/joe_paternos_funeral_scheduled.html

Second Mile Charity To Close

Second Mile has decided to throw in the towel due to founder Jerry Sandusky‘s involvement in the Penn State Child Sex Abuse Scandal.  The charity has decided to transfer their programs to other non-profit organizations according to CEO, David Woodle.

More Contradictory Revelations From Penn State

This case just gets weirder and weirder.

Jerry Sandusky breaks his silence to proclaim his innocence but admits he had a lapse in judgement showering with kids (no duh Jerry).  This revelation in light of the fact that two eyewitnesses claim they saw Sandusky having sex with young boys in 2000 and 2002. 

There is an email supposedly floating around, penned by Mike McQueary, in which McQueary states he did not run away, he “stopped it” and “did the right thing”.  So did Mike see “horseplay” and “towel snapping” as Jerry puts it OR did Mike see something else.  I don’t think sodomy falls under horseplay.

One has to wonder when we will get to the truth in all of this.  Right now it seems like a great deal of posturing with a heapin’ helpin’ of CYA thrown in for good measure.

Moody’s Investors Service Reviewing Penn State Bond Rating For Possible Downgrade

More bad news for Happy Valley!

Due to the charges against Jerry Sandusky, a major credit agency is reviewing Penn State’s Aa1 bond rating for a possible downgrade.  Moody’s Investors Service stated on Friday they have put Penn State’s bond rating under review due to the damage of the university’s reputation by the child sexual abuse scandal.

Moody’s will assess things like lawsuits brought against the university, enrollment decline, loss of donations and any change in the university’s status with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Needless to say, this action could negatively impact Penn State and the university’s ability to recover from the scandal.  Penn State is a major employer in Pennsylvania.  According to Wikipedia,”The university is now the largest in Pennsylvania, and in 2003, it was credited with having the second-largest impact on the state economy of any organization, generating an economic effect of over $17 billion on a budget of $2.5 billion.”

Penn State Child Abuse Scandal Fallout Continues

The fallout at Penn State continues.

In addition to Jerry Sandusky, JoePa, Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, Mike McQueary and Graham Spanier, you can add Second Mile charity CEO Jack Raykovitz to the growing cast of characters.  Mr. Raykovitz resigned Sunday after 28 years at the helm.  So far all the victims were boys in the Second Mile program.  Second Mile has retained Philadelphia law firm Archer & Greiner as its counsel.

Mike McQueary, on paid administrative leave, is apparently consulting with the Harrisburg law firm of Strokoff and Cowden, who specialize in employment law.  McQueary received death threats and is reportedly in hiding.  

McQueary is being handled differently than the others because he is a witness in the case and he also may fall under Pennsylvania’s whistleblower law.  The law includes protection for the whistleblower against firing, demotion or punishment.  McQueary’s status under this law is still being determined.