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Man Charged with Arson After Setting Trash Pile on Fire Near Downtown State College Apartment Building, Police Say
A State College man is facing charges including arson for twice setting a pile of trash on fire near a downtown apartment building early Monday morning, according to borough police. Benjamin R. Hamby, 41, set fire to part of a large refuse pile near a dumpster outside the building in the area of East Calder Way and Sowers Street at about 4:45 a.m., a State College police officer wrote in an affidavit of probable cause. A borough public works employee witnessed the incident and extinguished the fire with a hose from a street sweeper. The public works employee told police that when...
Penn State Football Positional Previews: Wide Receivers
Penn State football has a tall order ahead of it in 2024 between the expanding Big Ten and the growing College Football Playoffs. With trips to USC and Wisconsin on the schedule and plenty of other challenges along the way there will be a lot of things that play into how the season unfolds. One of them will be a wide receiver group that underperformed in 2023 and is looking to bounce back in 2024. A lot of factors will go into how far Penn State can go this upcoming season, but the receivers will certainly be a big part...
Beaver Stadium Construction Updates: What Student Gate A and the Super Ribbon South End Scoreboard Look Like
Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft, we have learned, doesn’t mess around. And neither do the construction crews and cranes operators that were working on Saturday to feverishly finish some early key elements of the multi-year, multi-hundred million dollar renovation of Beaver Stadium. Time is of the essence. While downtown State College and the central Penn State campus may have been the region’s epicenter on Saturday, just a bit more than a mile to the north crews were at work trying to complete essential punch list items for a renewed Beaver Stadium. The 2024 season is looming. James Franklin’s Nittany Lions were...
Alpha Fire Company Celebrates 125 Years of Serving the Community
This story originally appeared in The Centre County Gazette. STATE COLLEGE — The Alpha Fire Company, first established as the Union Fire Company in 1899, will celebrate 125 years of protecting the Centre Region with a celebration along the 200 block of Allen Street from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 20. The celebration will include fire safety demonstrations, fire truck bucket rides, antique fire engines, historic Alpha Fire Company memorabilia, food trucks, children’s activities — like a bounce house and games — live music and more. “In 1899, 29 residents of State College saw a need to provide fire protection...
Centre County Commissioners OK Repairs and Renovations for 3 Facilities, Centre Crest Project Changes
The Centre County Board of Commissioners recently approved a total of $1.36 million for repair and renovation projects at three county-owned facilities, as well as more than $1 million in change orders for the ongoing overhaul of the former Centre Crest building. Two projects will address repairs needed at the correctional facility and the courthouse, while another will continue renovations of the sheriff's office. The Centre Crest change orders are for work not included in the original scope of the project though are within the budget. CENTRE COUNTY CORRECTIONAL FACILITY The county will enter a contract with SJ Thomas Company to replace the...
Officials React After Trump Injured, Spectator Killed in Shooting at Western Pa. Rally
Updated at 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 14, 2024. Former President Donald Trump was injured and a spectator was killed after a shooter opened fire Saturday at a campaign rally in western Pennsylvania. Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old former volunteer fire chief, died while shielding his family during the gunfire, Gov. Josh Shapiro said on Sunday. Two other attendees at the event in Butler were critically injured. The shooter, who was later identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, was killed by Secret Service agents. Trump's campaign described the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee, whose ear appeared to have been grazed, as...
Great PA News Quiz: Biden Questions, Capitol Cybercrime and Shapiro Rolls Out the Welcome Signs
In this week’s news quiz: The fallout from a Pennsylvania radio interview with President Joe Biden, email threat forces evacuation of state Capitol and Gov. Josh Shapiro rolls out the welcome signs. As always, let us know if you encounter any technical issues. Just email Newsletter Editor Colin Deppen (newsletters@spotlightpa.org) with a heads up. And good luck! BEFORE YOU GO… If you learned something from this article, pay it forward and contribute to Spotlight PA at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results. The post Great PA News Quiz: Biden Questions, Capitol Cybercrime and Shapiro Rolls Out the Welcome Signs appeared first on StateCollege.com.
Centre County Tourism Continuing to Grow, Study Finds
This story originally appeared in The Centre County Gazette. The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau announced during its annual State of Tourism Breakfast on Tuesday, July 9, the economic impact of tourism within Centre County. During the event, the results of the 2023 Centre County Visitor Volume study, conducted by Longwoods International, were revealed. According to the study, 5 million trips to Centre County occurred in 2023, a new record and 3.1% increase from the year prior. “One of the things that I’m most proud about in this community with our stakeholders is our ability to cooperate and work together in synergy. I can...
Pa. Budget Keeps Penn State General Support Appropriation Flat; New Funding Model to Start in 2025-26
Pennsylvania's 2024-25 budget passed by the General Assembly and signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro on Thursday night includes no increase in Penn State's general support funding for the fifth consecutive year. The budget's higher education package does, however, set the table for a new performance-based funding model that Penn State officials are hopeful will boost the university's lowest-in-Pennsylvania per-student funding. A bill supported by the university established the Performance-based Funding Council, which will be charged with developing recommendations for a new process for distributing funds to Penn State and fellow state-related universities Pitt and Temple using performance-based metrics. For 2024-24, Penn...
POW/MIA Veteran Tribute Taking Shape at Grange Park
This story originally appeared in The Centre County Gazette. CENTRE HALL — The People’s Choice Festival is here, and while visiting Centre County Grange Encampment Park, guests may notice a new memorial taking shape on the fairgrounds. A local family has been working to implement a memorial to honor Centre County veterans, including those missing in action and prisoners of war. The POW/MIA and Tribute Courtyard that will be situated near gate four at the Grange Fairgrounds is close to being completed. Bellefonte native Deb Burger and her siblings have been raising funds for the project over the last year. “This project has been a...
Budget Sends $500M More to Pa.’s Poorest Schools, Falling Short of What Some Say Is Needed
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — After weeks of tense, secretive negotiations on Pennsylvania’s budget, the legislature has approved a $47.6 billion spending deal that falls short of the investment in public schools Democrats first proposed and is far more than Republicans wanted to spend. The plan features more than $1 billion in new K-12 education spending split among multiple budget lines. That includes a $225 million increase in basic education funding, $100 million more for special...
Compromises on Education Spending, Tax Cuts and Transit Headline Pa.’s $47.6B Budget
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Gov. Josh Shapiro has signed a $47.6 billion budget that increases public education spending, funnels new dollars into economic development, provides a one-time boost for transit systems and creates a new college scholarship program. Education defined budget conversations more than any other issue this year, as lawmakers grappled over how to handle a state appellate court ruling that found the commonwealth unconstitutionally underfunds public school districts. The final deal boosts K-12 education...
Centre County Man Found Guilty of Assaulting Officers During Jan. 6 Capitol Riot
A Centre County man was convicted of felony and misdemeanor charges on Thursday for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Terry L. Allen, 65, was found guilty on seven of eight counts, including a felony charge of assaulting law enforcement with a deadly or dangerous weapon, by U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta following a bench trial. He was acquitted of a second assault charge. Allen was arrested in July 2023 after the Department of Justice said he used a flagpole to attack officers during the riot that disrupted the joint session of Congress to certify the...
Penn State Football Positional Previews: Tight Ends
Penn State enters the 2024 season looking to find a new sense of explosiveness and lethality in the passing game under new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. With new and returning talent joining the tight end room, there should be plenty of options for Kotelnicki to work with this year and beyond. Here's a preview of Penn State's tight end group. Last Year: Penn State fielded a formidable one-two punch at tight end last season between Theo Johnson and Tyler Warren, with others waiting in the wings. Johnson proved to be an every-down pass catcher and one of the most reliable weapons...
State College Little Leaguers Dominate District, Seek Sectional Title
State College’s 12-and-under Little League All Star baseball players could almost be forgiven if they enter Sectional play next week with a nonchalant attitude. After all, they cruised to four victories on the way to the District 5 title, outscoring their opponents 48-1 and dominating rival Bellefonte 25-1 and 6-0. And as I survey the stats, I see nothing but State College dominance in the four District games. The pitchers gave up just six hits and 10 walks—yes, for four games. The fielders made just one error—yes, we’re talking about Little League. And as for the hitters, wow. State College batsmen accumulated...
Local Governments Could Save Millions if Public Notice Requirements Change. Newspapers Oppose the Move
This story first appeared in The Investigator, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring the best investigative and accountability journalism from across Pennsylvania. Sign up for free here. STATE COLLEGE — As newspapers print less frequently in some communities and close in others, local government groups want the legislature to change a state law that requires municipalities to publish public notices in a community’s paper of record. Two bills introduced in the state House and Senate would allow digital public notices. Both are strongly opposed by the organization that lobbies for Pennsylvania’s newspapers. Public notices are legal advertisements that detail the workings of government agencies. They...
The Frame Factory Moving to Bellefonte After 50 Years in State College
A local framing business is moving to downtown Bellefonte after 50 years in State College. The Frame Factory & Gallery will close its 426 Westerly Parkway shop at the end of July and open at 137 W. High St. in late August or early September, owner Bill Ebken said. The former tenant of the High Street storefront, Bellefonte Print Shop, moved to 101A N. Allegheny Street in June. Ebken's longtime shop in State College is the last remaining business in the older buildings on the east side of the Westerly Parkway Plaza. The New York-based real estate group that owns the property...
State College Sets Public Hearing for Buffalo Wild Wings Liquor License Transfer. Here’s How Similar Recent Requests Have Played Out
State College Borough Council will hold a public hearing on Aug. 5 for a request by Buffalo Wild Wings to transfer a liquor license for its first Centre County location. The national restaurant and sports bar chain is planning to open a location in the Maxxen, 131 Hiester Street in downtown State College. The restaurant liquor license would be acquired and transferred from the former Don Patron Mexican Grill, which closed its restaurant 1653 N. Atherton St. in Patton Township in 2017 and has held the license in safekeeping. Buffalo Wild Wings appears as if it would occupy two levels at the South...
To Certify Election Results on Time, Pa. Looks to Set New Deadlines for Legal Challenges
This article is made possible through Spotlight PA’s collaboration with Votebeat, a nonpartisan news organization covering local election administration and voting. Sign up for Votebeat's free newsletters here. In a bipartisan effort to avert a potential crisis in certifying November’s election results, the Pennsylvania House passed a bill Tuesday that would cement the timelines for resolving post-election legal battles and prevent delays in finalizing the state’s electoral votes. A federal law passed in 2022, the Electoral Count Reform Act, set a strict deadline for states to certify slates of presidential electors: Dec. 11. But Pennsylvania doesn’t have its own set of deadlines to meet that target,...
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