Columns
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Thinking of Moving to Canada? Not So Fast
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HORNBY ISLAND, BRITISH COLUMBIA – Every small town has its kaffeeklatsch – a gathering of geezers who devote an hour of their morning to solving the world’s problems over a cuppa joe. In Jamestown, California, where I got my start in the news biz in the 1980s, the gents at the Jimtown Diner humbly called…
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State High Class of 2000 Creates Memorial Fund to Support Mental Health Programs
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For alumni who attended State College Area High School through the late 1990s, it’s easy to look back through rose-colored glasses. Relative peace and prosperity enveloped our youth. Seismic upheavals — the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic — were years away. Plus, cell phones had yet to…
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Hook: Why Tax Compromises Left Me Dissatisfied With Trump’s Big Bill
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“A good compromise is when both parties are dissatisfied”― Larry David I should note that I’m not a Larry David fan, and have watched only a few minutes of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” over the years, but it’s enough of a cultural touchstone that many people will know who and what the reference is. It’s doubly…
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Call Him James Franklong: Penn State’s Football Coach Has Been a Model of Consistency
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When he was hired on Jan. 11, 2014, James Franklin was Penn State’s fourth head football coach in 28 months. Since then, he’s been the model of consistency and longevity — not just for Penn State, but in all of major college football. Call him James Franklong. As he heads into his 12th season at Penn…
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Local Historia: The Story of Robber Lewis Sherman
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In 1860, a cunning thief’s violent actions, dramatic capture and audacious escape from a Bellefonte jail became the stuff of local legend.
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Battista: There Is Always Hope
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If you follow my columns, you know that I gave up all of my social media, except for LinkedIn, which I have only kept for business purposes. My self-imposed digital detox has been in place since Christmas break of 2020 (You can read about it here). I am a big advocate of “JOMO” – the…
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Penn State Wrestling, Women’s Volleyball Fuel No. 16 Ranking in Final Learfield Cup Standings
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A national title in a return-to-glory season for women’s volleyball. ANOTHER national championship in wrestling. Impressive Final Four appearances by men’s ice hockey, men’s lacrosse and football. In several ways, the 2024-25 sports season was elite and memorable for Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics. In other ways — i.e., the annual Learfield Directors’ Cup standings that…
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It’s Time for a College Sports Constitutional Convention
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Amos Alonzo Stagg was one of THE established coaches in major college football at the University of Chicago. That university was one of the powerhouse programs in the Western Conference, which became the Big Ten. In 1927 he published the book “Touchdown” covering the history and challenges of major college football at the time. Almost…
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State College Man Leaves Bubble
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“America this is quite serious.” – Allen Ginsberg SAN FRANCISCO – O what a sheltered life I lead. I’ve been in San Francisco for two days and, bumpkin that I am, have spent much of the time gawking: In a nice bit of symmetry, I am here to help my son move to California 30 years…
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Op-Ed: Allow Local Governments to Publish Notices Where People Are Looking
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The Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors’ executive director calls for legal reforms to allow local governments more flexibility in how they publish public notices beyond traditional print newspapers.