The upcoming elections for College Township Council will determine who will oversee College Township’s efforts to mitigate any harms caused by the soon-to-open Happy Valley Casino.
Three candidates are running for two open seats. This is an off-year election, so voter turnout will likely be low. Your vote will make a difference!
Candidate interviews discussing the casino are available here:
Steven Lyncha – see 4:00-4:37, 5:14-7:43, and 9:14-10:14 at https://videoplayer.telvue.com/player/GNduNoua2rBThhw6N4PRP9OCSPf6B2ru/media/974238
Gretchen Brandt – see 6:00-9:11 at https://videoplayer.telvue.com/player/GNduNoua2rBThhw6N4PRP9OCSPf6B2ru/media/974239
Eric Bernier – see 8:58-11:22 at https://videoplayer.telvue.com/player/GNduNoua2rBThhw6N4PRP9OCSPf6B2ru/media/974244
Additionally, since Eric Bernier has been on the Council from before College Township failed to opt out of potentially hosting a casino until now, his past actions can provide additional insight into his future approach to the casino:
- 12/7/2017 – Voted NOT TO OPT OUT of possibly hosting a casino
- 8/16/2021 – Spoke IN SUPPORT OF CASINO at Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) public hearing
- 10/6/2022 – Voted AGAINST SHARING COMMUNITY FEEDBACK WITH PGCB
- 10/3/2024 – Indicated to Penn State Student Media he believes OPPOSITION TO CASINO IS OVERBLOWN
- 5/1/2025 – Voted to pay Convergence Strategy Group (CSG) to conduct independent casino impact study DESPITE CSG’S PRIOR BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP WITH HAPPY VALLEY CASINO BUYER SARATOGA CASINO HOLDINGS
More information about concerns regarding the casino is available at https://saynocasino.org.
Please inform yourself and vote on Nov. 4!
Andrew Shaffer,
State College
The Kepler Barn: A Legacy Worth Remembering
On behalf of the Historic Barn and Farm Foundation of Pennsylvania, I’d like to offer the following statement:
The Historic Barn and Farm Foundation recognizes the Kepler Barn as a significant example of Pennsylvania’s agricultural and architectural heritage. While we regret its removal, we understand that such decisions often involve complex considerations. We remain committed to documenting and preserving the legacy of barns like Kepler through research, education, and public engagement. HBFF encourages all institutions and property stewards to explore alternatives to demolition and to consult preservation professionals early in the decision-making process. We welcome continued dialogue with Penn State and others to ensure that Pennsylvania’s rural heritage is honored and remembered.
October 13, 2025, is a sad day for all who value our state’s historic barns. The Kepler Barn stood as a testament to generations of stewardship, and its loss is deeply felt. We extend our sincere gratitude to Vicky Kepler Didato, the Kepler family, and all those who advocated for the barn’s preservation. HBFF deeply appreciates your dedication, passion, and tireless efforts to protect this historic structure.
In keeping with our mission, HBFF will continue to document the Kepler Barn’s history and architectural significance. We are also grateful that select elements of the barn will be preserved through Penn State’s Land and Legacy Exhibit at the Pasto Agricultural Museum, allowing its story to continue as part of their educational outreach. Together, we honor the legacy of this remarkable structure and the community that fought for it.
The Kepler Barn lives on—in pieces, in memory, and in the hearts of those who stood for its preservation.
Priscilla deLeon
President, Historic Barn and Farm Foundation of Pennsylvania
Retain Pa. Justices and Judges
Since Pennsylvania’s constitution and its laws protect many of our rights better than their federal counterparts, it is essential that we have judges and justices in our state courts that protect those rights. In the November 4 election, three Supreme Court Justices—Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht—Superior Court judge Alice Dubow and Commonwealth Court Judge Michael Wojcik are up for retention.
I enthusiastically recommend YES votes for all five as well as Court of Common Pleas judge Katie Oliver and Magisterial District judges Donald Hahn and Steven Lachman. Oliver, Hahn and Lachman are smart, fair and judicious. Our statewide judges and justices have defended our rights, here I speak of voting rights.
The Supreme Court’s decisions on redistricting, both for U.S. Congress and for two houses of our legislature, have made it so that our elected representatives are more accountable to their voters. Before these decisions, our congressional and legislative districts were heavily gerrymandered and left too many Pennsylvania voters with representatives who ignored their interests. Other decisions have preserved our right to mail-in voting, which has worked quite well and had previously worked well in states as diverse as Oregon and Utah.
All of this has occurred as the Justice Department and the U.S. Supreme court have all but abandoned voting rights. Please vote YES to retain all judges and justices up for retention.
Jesse Barlow,
State College
Retain Our Best Judges
We have been very fortunate to have good judges in our Centre County court, and, in the upcoming election, we need to make sure we retain one of our best judges.
Judge Katie Oliver is one of the best judges I have observed in my 53 years as a Centre County lawyer. She was an excellent trial lawyer before she became a judge and she brings that courtroom expertise to the bench. Our lawyers and their clients appreciate her fair and balanced manner.
Judge Oliver is very aware that those who come to her courtroom are people: people in difficult situations, troubled people, worried people, anxious people. Her understanding and compassion for those who come to court are demonstrated by her leadership. She facilitated the creation of the Children’s Space in our courthouse, a designated space for children who are required to spend time for court proceedings. She leads Centre County in our Supreme Court’s Behavioral Health Initiative and she heads the DUI court team, where problem drinkers have the opportunity to turn their lives around.
Judge Oliver comes into her courtroom prepared, she knows about the case and she understands the legal issues to be resolved. She brings extensive knowledge of the law together with incisive reasoning to guide the lawyers and their clients.
Judge Oliver is one of our best judges and we need to keep her on our court, so vote YES to retain her on November 4.
Alfred Jones Jr., Esq.,
State College
The Case for a 20-Second Hug Club
Modern society faces a crisis of disconnection. Loneliness, mistrust and polarization fuel anger, anxiety and violence. Yet one of the simplest ways to rebuild connection and calm conflict has always been with us—the healing power of human touch.
Neuroscientist James Prescott showed that pleasure and violence circuits in the brain act like a switch: when one is active, the other is suppressed. Healthy touch such as hugging activates oxytocin—the “bonding hormone”—which fosters trust, lowers stress and reduces aggression. This is not sentimentality; it is biology’s antidote to fear and hostility.
Longer hugs, especially around 20 seconds, significantly boost oxytocin, lower blood pressure and reduce depression. Children who receive affectionate touch grow up less aggressive; adults who hug more often show better stress resilience and stronger relationships.
A “20-Second Hug Club” could revive empathy in our homes and communities. By normalizing longer, consensual hugs—among families, friends and trusted groups—we retrain our collective nervous system toward calm and care. Organized, transparent settings ensure safety and mutual respect.
The goal is simple but transformative: to make caring connection an everyday norm. There should be no “other”—only we. Supporting this movement means investing in a future that is less violent, more cooperative and healthier—emotionally, physically and spiritually. Let’s start small but think big: share the science, model the warmth and discover what 20 seconds of genuine connection can do.
Doug Keith,
State College
Keep Oliver on the Bench
As I think many readers know, this year’s election ballot will ask voters to decide if judges whose terms are ending should be retained in their positions. One of these judges is Centre County Common Pleas Judge Katie Oliver. I write this letter to express my support for Judge Oliver and encourage voters to cast a ballot to retain her on the bench.
Katie and I worked together as lawyers at the McQuaide Blasko law firm for 20 years. As a lawyer, she was hard-working, smart and fair. She has continued to exhibit all those traits as a judge since she was first elected in 2015.
It’s unfortunate that this year’s retention election has been portrayed in some circles as a partisan political event. All judges take an oath to apply the law fairly and faithfully, without regard to politics. Katie Oliver applies that oath in her courtroom every day, to everyone who appears in front of her. She is not a Democrat judge or a Republican judge. She is a judge for all of us, which is exactly what a judge should be. Please vote on November 4 to retain Judge Oliver on the Centre County bench.
Janine Gismondi, Esq.,
State College
