Columns
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How the Sinkhole Stole Christmas
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Think back to Christmas 2022. After a couple of single-digit days, the temperature in State College tops out at 16 degrees. Imagine you’re home doing all those cozy, Christmas-y family things – gifts, feasts, football. You’re at the kitchen sink, prepping dinner, when the water stops running. As you check for frozen pipes, you notice…
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Athlete or Athletic Supporter?
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When we “retired” to South Carolina in September, I didn’t realize it would mean I was coming out of retirement as an athlete. Well, sort of an athlete, or a very loose description of what that once meant. I’ve joked for years that I’m no longer an athlete, just an athletic supporter. Pun intended. Last…
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The Backdoor Roth IRA: A Very Little Key May Open a Very Heavy Door
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Charitable donations and contributions to IRAs are well-worn entryways when it comes to offsetting taxable income, but as a high earner, you may not realize that you can also take advantage of the tax diversification offered by Roth IRAs – even if you earn more than IRS contribution limits technically allow. Reviewing Roth A Roth…
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Local Pastor Dan Nold Offers Observations from His Visit to the Asbury ‘Outpouring’
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What are we to make of the event that began on Feb. 8 at Asbury University? Call it what you will — a “revival,” an “awakening” or “a renewal” (Asbury calls it “an outpouring”) — the explosion of spiritual fervor at the small Christian college in Wilmore, Kentucky was downright remarkable. It all began with…
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Opinion: Why Penn State Should Build a New Football Stadium
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Feb. 8, 2023 was a red-letter day for tens of thousands of Penn State football fans. That was the last day to renew your season tickets for the upcoming slate of home games in Beaver Stadium this fall – the marquee matchup of the season being on Nov. 11 against Michigan. And the season also…
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Lifelong Loyalty to State College Schools Prompts Montovino’s Continuing Service
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I cannot imagine anyone in our community who boasts a wider, deeper and longer-lasting knowledge of the State College Area School District than Mary Kay Montovino. She is a woman who studied in our public schools from kindergarten through 12th grade. Then she sent her own children to those schools. Meanwhile she served as an…
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Live from THON on Saturday Night: A TV Showcase of Penn State’s Best
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About eight years ago, Penn Stater Doc Sweitzer approached me to try getting Penn State’s Dance Marathon (THON) on TV. He wanted to highlight the most important event that takes place on our campus. We also thought a TV broadcast would drive donations and awareness. But mostly, we wanted to showcase Penn State’s incredible students…
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Drone vs. Pickle Jar: The Ukraine War Rages On
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Soon after Russia invaded Ukraine last February, a woman out for a smoke on the balcony of her high-rise in Kyiv spied a drone hovering in the night sky. Certain it was up to no good, she hurled a jar of pickled tomatoes at the offending object. Her aim was true. The drone shattered. Or…
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THON On: Lasting Memories and an Enduring Impact
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It’s here, that time for a wonderful, magical weekend when everyone puts aside their differences and truly unites for a common cause. It’s the annual Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon Weekend that benefits the Four Diamonds Fund to fight pediatric cancer, and it’s been going on since 1973. It is the world’s largest student-run philanthropy…
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IRA 101: What to Know About Individual Retirement Accounts
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Individual retirement accounts come in two flavors: Roth and traditional. They are mirror images of one another when it comes to taxes. Both a traditional IRA and a Roth allow money to grow tax-free. While inside the accounts, there is no taxation on dividends, interest or gains on the holdings. The contribution limits in 2023…