Columns
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Penn State’s 4-0, No. 4 Formula for Success: What the Players Say
in Columns, Local & Penn State Sports, Local News, Penn State, Penn State Football, Penn State Sports—
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A year ago at this time, Penn State was 0-0. (Its first game in Pandemic 2020 was played Oct. 24, 2020 at Indiana – and the Hoosiers are next up this Saturday.) In that truncated 2020 season, Penn State only had four wins in nine games. Their last four games. Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford…
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Uncertainty Surrounds Chinese Stocks
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Our markets have been on an uptrend with very little volatility since the “pandemic recession” of March 2020. So far this year, the S&P 500 is up significantly and showed no signs of stopping until September. (Not to mention, historically, September has the worst track record of any month.) Volatility returned in September, with the…
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Penn State Football: Franklin Not a ‘Huge Fan’ of the Transfer Portal…but So Far in 2021, It Has Its Advantages
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For a guy who is admittedly not a big fan of the transfer portal, James Franklin and his Nittany Lions are certainly reaping its rewards three games into the 2021 season. “Even though we have had success with the portal, I wouldn’t say necessarily I’m a huge fan and believer in it,” Franklin said this…
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One Solution to Pennsylvania’s Future Road Funding Dilemma, and It Can Start Now
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A few months ago I saw a Facebook post by a woman who uploaded a video of a man vandalizing her Tesla automobile in a parking lot. She posted the video in an attempt to find the vandal and bring him to justice. My first thoughts were probably similar to those of everyone else who…
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What Does New Penn State OC Mike Yurcich Bring to the Table? Everyone’s ‘Eating’
in Columns, Local & Penn State Sports, Local News, Penn State, Penn State Football, Penn State Sports, Sports—
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On Jan. 8, 2021, James Franklin announced that he was swapping his first-year offensive coordinator/quarterback Kirk Ciarrocca for Mike Yurcich. Ciarrocca was fired just 54 weeks and a 4-5 record into his job. Kardashian marriages have lasted longer. Now, three games into Yurcich’s tenure as Penn State’s fourth OC/QB coach in five seasons, the results…
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Lamentations & Vaccinations: Pastor Dan Nold Offers Perspective for Tough Times
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I don’t know anyone better qualified than Pastor Dan Nold to offer helpful insights to Happy Valley residents who have struggled during 2020 and 2021. Nold holds both a master’s degree and a doctorate from Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He’s one of our community’s most senior pastors, having led Calvary Church for more…
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Unity Has Gotten Us Through the Toughest Times. We Need It Again
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Last Saturday in a quiet Pennsylvania field on a blue-sky sunny late summer day a former president rose to speak on the 20th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks. President George W. Bush spoke words that we needed to hear. Certainly, the mere mention of his name will drive many to reactions one way…
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Groundhogs and Squirrels and Skunks, Oh My!
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Have you noticed, those of you who live in houses, that your backyard has turned into a wildlife park? When I was a kid growing up on Long Island, we peacefully coexisted with squirrels and the usual backyard birds. At my place in State College, the squirrels are joined by a rotating cast of rabbits,…
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One Fan’s Early Season Reflections on the Return of Penn State Football
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Well folks, we are two weeks into the college football season and things are looking mighty fine in Happy Valley. Penn State is off to a solid 2-0 start with a surprising road victory over an always tough Wisconsin Badgers squad and a very business-like victory over defending MAC champion Ball State. After what seemed…
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Penn State Football: James Franklin is Feeling His Oats. For Good Reason
in Columns, Local & Penn State Sports, Local News, Penn State, Penn State Football, Penn State Sports—
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James Franklin is feeling his oats these days. And he should. (The expression dates back to the early 19th century, used for the frisky, energetic movements of a horse when it has a belly full of oats, according to the Wall Street Journal. The earliest example recorded by the Oxford English Dictionary comes from the Boston…