Columns
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Guns In America: The Status Quo Promises More of the Same
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Another school shooting in America, and rather than argue over politics in death’s aftermath, let’s for a few moments acknowledge what these shootings mean. More young children dead.More teachers and adults who cared for those children dead.More empty offers of thoughts and prayers. More candlelight vigils.More weeping families and parents.More promising lives cut short. More communities left…
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Do Not Ask for Whom the Piano Falls
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While I was in Mexico City over spring break, I had a beer at a brew pub called The Falling Piano. The name spoke to me. It’s how I talk about the D-word. Instead of saying, “when I die,” I say, “when I’m crushed by a falling piano.” It turns my demise into a cartoon,…
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The First-Time Gardener
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To the new homeowner that inherited a stalk-filled and abandoned garden or the new home with a blank canvas for new landscaping, where to begin can feel overwhelming. You could be in desperate need of a landscape makeover, or you simply need to add some curb appeal. Whatever the situation, I have some good gardening…
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Have You Ever Considered a Life Coach or Retirement Coach?
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Now that I have “retired” and am living in an over-55 active adult community, the subject of retirement, and all its joys and trappings, has become a much more talked about topic. It’s talked about at the dog parks, church, cafés, restaurants, golf courses, pickleball courts and just about everywhere else here in our private paradise…
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A Golden Opportunity: One of the State’s Top Day Hikes Is Just a Short Car Ride Away
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Sometimes a day hiking trip is just what the doctor ordered, and we in Centre County are lucky to be a short drive from what the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources says is one of the best day hikes in the whole commonwealth, the Golden Eagle Trail. With the trail’s beautiful views and…
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Ironmasters on the Canal Wharf: Centre County and the Pennsylvania Canal
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In 1848, the first canal boat—the “George Crane”—arrived at Bellefonte from Milesburg with a celebratory crew of locals and board members of the Bald Eagle and Spring Creek Navigation Company. The board members included owners and partners representing Eagle Iron Works, Valentine and Thomas Iron Works, Howard Furnace, Centre Furnace and Milesburg Iron Works (Linn…
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Nature’s Ways: Sycamore, the Streamside Sentinel
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Sycamore trees stand like tall sentinels lining sections of Penns, Spring and Bald Eagle creeks — protecting their banks from erosion, shading the stream and providing cover for wild brown trout. In fact, stately sycamores guard all of Pennsylvania’s rivers and larger streams. Sycamores have been protecting streams for a long time. Fossil records indicate…
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‘Paper Ceiling’ Campaign Gives Much Needed Attention to Workers Without College Degrees
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Penn State’s spring break is over and the students are back in Happy Valley. Penn State’s wrestling season is over – with another national team title, two individual titles and eight All-Americans. (All hail Cael!) Penn State’s basketball season is over – with their first NCAA tournament victory since 2001. Penn State’s men’s hockey team…
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Wear Green, but Don’t Drink It
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It is finally March and we have almost made it through the long, cold Pennsylvania winter. It is time to celebrate the upcoming thaw, and Saint Patrick’s Day is the perfect day to think about greener times. Now, I am not Irish, nor have I ever been to Ireland, but I sure do enjoy Saint…
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America: We and Us Prevails over I and Me
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For hundreds of years, people around the world have pointed to the United States as a land of opportunity. A land born with the ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. A land with the aspirational desire that began with the words that “all men are created equal.” The fuse that lit the…