Opinion
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Letters: Support for School Board, PSU Trustee Candidates; Trump’s Real Agenda; Who Does GT Represent?
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Please join with me and endorse Jen Black’s candidacy for the School Board of the State College Area School District. Jen will bring to the SCASD Board a willingness to engage in open dialogue with the public on issues being addressed by the board. She listens. She researches the issues. She articulates clearly her reasoning…
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‘Abandoning Our Soul Should Not Be an Option.’ Closing Campuses Isn’t the Only Answer to Meeting Penn State’s Challenges
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In recent days, the fate of Penn State’s Commonwealth Campus system has come to the fore. There is genuine concern regarding the future of these campuses, and it has sparked a period of uncertainty and trepidation. It is undeniable that Commonwealth Campus enrollment has declined over the last 10 to 15 years. Some of the…
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The ICE Man Cometh to Penn State
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Jack is an international student at Penn State. I’m not going to tell you his real name, where he’s from or what he’s studying because I don’t want to reveal anything that might make his situation more precarious than it already is. Last week, Jack received an eviction notice from the landlord of us all,…
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Hook: Why Tax Day Is My Least Favorite Day of the Year
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Today is my least favorite day of the year. It’s April 15 – Tax Day. Today is the day when federal individual income tax returns for calendar year filers are due. What that means in plain English is that most of us have a deadline tonight. According to the IRS, our income tax returns are…
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Open Bigotry on Display Today a Product of Weak-Minded People Given Permission to Act on Hatred
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Monday night on X (formerly Twitter) a guy posted a video showing a packed cruise ship pool deck filled with an overwhelmingly Black crowd dancing and having a good time. His caption/question was “Name something you’d rather do than take a vacation on this cruise ship.” Now maybe his question was about the fact that…
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Hook: Closing the Department of Education Might Have Some Financial Positives, but With a Big Catch for Schools Like Penn State
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Let’s talk about education. Education is one of those great bipartisan issues in this country in that everyone agrees it is a good thing, right? And here in Happy Valley, education is what pays the proverbial bills. The name of the town is “State College” for gosh sakes. Since its founding in February 1855 as…
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Opinion: State College Town Hall Stories Show Need to Work Together in Opposing Trump Policies
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On Saturday, people gathered at a town hall at the State Theatre in State College. They shared stories of worry about the Trump regime with former Congressman Conor Lamb as well as our Centre County Democratic state representatives and county commissioners and other local leaders. I walked away more convinced that we must use our strengths, focus on issues,…
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Arts Review: Acting Excellence, Plot Shortfalls Mark ‘Evan Hansen’ at Penn State
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Updated 5:19 p.m. March 28. Evan Hansen lies. The high school senior lies to his classmates, his friends, his mother, even dream girl Zoe Murphy. Before long, his lies rocket across the internet, propelled by social media and internalized by peers forever tapping their screens. But for as much as “Dear Evan Hansen” is said…
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Bring the Noise: The Art of Picking Closer and Walk-Up Songs
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Major League Baseball’s official opening day is today and hope “springs” eternal for fans of our nation’s pastime. From Fenway Park to Dodger Stadium and everywhere in between a new season will carry us from the chill of early spring through the heat of summer to the drama of October baseball. One of the best…
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Battista: It’s a DOGE Eat DOGE World
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Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE): Its stated goal is “modernizing federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity”. I’m going to cut right to the chase and provide the solution to the national debt crisis right up front. “What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It’s the only thing that there’s…