Spring has finally arrived, but you might still be paying the price for the colder-than-usual winter. Some customers under variable rate electricity agreements saw major spikes in their bills after the polar vortex in January. More than fifty thousand have since switched back to their default energy providers. WPSU's Kate Lao Shaffner reports on what caused the electric bill spikes
This week on Take Note, we'll talk with congressional candidates Thomas Tarantella from Renovo and Kerith Strano Taylor from Brookville. They're seeking the Democratic Party nomination to represent Pennsylvania's 5th Congressional District, a seat that's currently held by Glenn Thompson.
For National Poetry Month, poet and frequent BookMark contributor Marjorie Maddox reviews Jerry Wemple's newest poetry collection, The Artemas Poems. The linked poems about a man named Artemas are set in small-town Pennsylvania.
What do you get when you mix a Masters of Fine Arts and a Medical Doctor? The answer is Dr. David Teplica, a Penn State alumnus who uses his unique combination of talents in the Fine Arts and Plastic Surgery to bring about a better understanding of human anatomy. We'll talk with him about how photography has made him a better surgeon, and vice versa, about the need for gender-specific plastic surgery, and about what he's learned from his decade's long study of identical twins.
In the summer of 2012, I had a lot for which to be grateful. My husband and I were expecting our first child in early September. As an anxious mother-to-be I spent those early summer months devouring books, movies, articles and just about anything I could find about babies and those first crucial weeks. I was thrilled and terrified imagining what it would be like in a few short months. Never once did I think that I might not be there to experience it myself.
Today's guest, Jeffry Wert, is a historian and author who specializes in the American Civil War. He's written nine books about the Civil War. His book, Gettysburg--Day Three, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award. Wert also taught at Penns Valley Area High School for more than three decades. WPSU's Kate Lao Shaffner talked with him about his career as an author and teacher.
Centre County Reads is an organization that encourages county residents of all ages to read and discuss the same book. This year's pick is Mary Roach's Packing for Mars. Our reviewer, Hannah Burks, is this year's undergraduate intern for the Center for American Literary Studies at Penn State.
Each year, WPSU holds our "Art for the Airwaves" contest. And our panel of judges selects a winner, whose work is made into a limited edition poster print offered during our fund drive. WPSU's Kristine Allen visited Smethport to talk with this year's winner.
Bob Zellner's story starts about as far as you can get from where it ended up. Born in lower Alabama, his father, uncles and grandfather were robe-wearing members of the Ku Klux Klan. In his inspirational memoir, "The Wrong Side of Murder Creek: A White Southerner in the Freedom Movement," he chronicles his journey to become one of the first white southerners in the early civil rights movement.
"Mitch, why are you such a knucklehead?" my dad says as he follows me out of our house and into the front yard. "Only a complete idiot would do something this stupid. Sometimes I wonder what goes on in that head of yours" SLAM! My dad's voice is suddenly cut off by the reassuring thunk of my car door. I jam the key into the ignition and start the engine. Before my dad even has a chance to finish his sentence, I'm turning out of the driveway, leaving him behind. I lift the clutch and hit the gas; first gear, I can feel the stress starting to melt away as the RPMs increase. Second gear, what was the stupid thing I did again? Third and fourth, a smile starts creeping across my face, and by the time I hit sixth gear, I'm completely at peace; no upset parents, no problems. It's just me, my WRX, and the open road.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In October, we stopped at the Old Gregg School in the Penns Valley town of Spring Mills. Penns Valley Conservation Association president Jim Zubler and the new executive director, Andrea Ferich, talk to Tom Doman, one of the early leaders of PVCA, about its importance to the Penns Valley community.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In October, we stopped at the Old Gregg School in the Penns Valley town of Spring Mills. Robin Bastress talks with Penns Valley Elementary School teacher and cross-country and basketball coach Terry Glunt about coaching and teaching in Penns Valley for 25 years.
Renowned futurist and New York Times best-selling author Peter Diamandis advises the world's top CEOs on how to make the most of what he calls exponential technologies. April 1, he'll be the keynote speaker at Penn State's Shaping the Future Summit on the Impact of Innovation. WPSU's Patty Satalia finds out why he's so optimistic about the future.
Longtime State College resident Cindy Wolf reviews Notes from Inside a Burst Bubble: Penn Staters on the Sandusky Scandal. The collection of essays, blog posts, and news articles is edited by Sheila Squillante and Dave Housley.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In October, we stopped at the Old Gregg School in the Penns Valley town of Spring Mills. Sandra Yohe talks with her mother Marie Breon about her life, and how she met her husband.
WPSU's Beyond the Classroom examines innovative student learning that isn't bound by university walls. Penn State University is embracing this concept in an initiative it's calling "Engaged Scholarship." WPSU's Kate Lao Shaffner reports the inaugural Engaged Scholarship Symposium was held at the Nittany Lion Inn yesterday.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In October, we stopped at the Old Gregg School in the Penns Valley town of Spring Mills. Jim Zubler and Andrea Ferich talk to Nicholas Brink about his time in central Pennsylvania starting with when he moved here in 1970 to take a job at Penn State. Brink had already been active in the civil rights movement while he was working on a PhD at UCLA.
WPSU's Beyond the Classroom is our series featuring students engaging in hands-on experiences outside university walls. Today, WPSU's Kate Lao Shaffner takes us to Lock Haven University, where a group of students are traveling abroad as a class. The university will soon require all students to fulfill a global awareness requirement.
Why is hunger still a widespread problem in a world of plenty? WPSU's Kate Lao Shaffner talks about that with activist and journalist Roger Thurow. He's the author of Enough: Why the World's Poorest Starve in the Age of Plenty and The Last Hunger Season. Thurow visited Penn State's School of International Affairs in February.
In case you were wondering what Ethiopian Pop music of the 60's & 70's would sound like blended with jazz and funk - . wonder no more! WPSU's Kristine Allen says the answer can be found when Debo Band plays a concert in the Juniata Presents Series at Juniata College in Huntingdon.
It's 6 am. I peel myself off the bed. I drag myself to the shower. I get dressed. I grab my lunch, my coffee mug, my gym bag. I get into the car. For the next 15 minutes as I drive to work; suddenly it's not a Monday morning any longer. And it's not freezing January outside. I am engulfed in the wonderful, crazy, scary, challenging world of a book I am listening to on my smartphone.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In October, we stopped at the Old Gregg School in the Penns Valley town of Spring Mills. Mary T. Hosterman asks her husband Orvil about his life growing up on a farm outside of Aaronsburg.
Nearly 35 million Americans claim Irish ancestry. That's seven times more people than currently live in Ireland! No wonder Saint Patrick's Day has evolved to celebrate all things Irish! We'll talk with Cahal Dunne, the Cork-born singer/songwriter, and now, self-published author. He's been sharing his musical heritage with American audiences since immigrating here in 1983.
Lauren Ostberg reviews Carter Sickels' The Evening Hour, a novel set in a West Virginian coal town. Sickels earned his MFA from Penn State. He will be visiting Penn State University Park on March 20 as part of the Mary E. Rolling Reading Series.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In October, we stopped at the Old Gregg School in the Penns Valley town of Spring Mills. Curt Bierly and his son Stan talk about the family business, Stanley C. Bierly, in Millheim.
Across the country, budget cuts continue to cripple libraries. For WPSU, Melissa Bierly reports on one Central Pennsylvania community's effort to keep their library open.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In October, we stopped at the Old Gregg School in the Penns Valley town of Spring Mills. Longtime friends Pauline Zerby and Jerelene Reish talk about growing up in Millheim.
We remember Col. Gerald Russell, a decorated Marine commander and devoted community volunteer. He died February 24, 2014, at age 97. We share our last interview with him from May, 2007. Plus, historian Jeffry Wert on the significance of Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural address, which he delivered 149 years ago this week. Some say it's his greatest speech.
Universities are testing the boundaries of online education with MOOCs, or Massively Open Online Courses. The courses are free and open to anyone and everyone who wants to take part. WPSU's Emily Reddy takes a look at a Penn State MOOC that's just wrapping up, about a year after the university first decided to try out this new educational format.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In October we stopped in the Penns Valley town of Spring Mills. Don and Peggy Myers talk about the bicentennial celebration in Spring Mills in 1976 and about Don's memories of growing up on his family farm.
Today marks 149 years since Abraham Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address, just over a month before the end of the Civil War. WPSU's Kate Lao Shaffner talks with historian, author, and Centre Hall native Jeffry Wert about why the speech has lasting significance.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In October, we stopped at the Old Gregg School in the Penns Valley town of Spring Mills. Susan Haney talks to her friends Ina Bechtol and Tess Hartle, sisters who grew up in Spring Mills during the Great Depression.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In October, we stopped at the Old Gregg School in the Penns Valley town of Spring Mills. Doug Bierly talks to Vonnie Henninger, an historian who's given hundreds of presentations about the history of central Pennsylvania.
Yesterday, WPSU's Kate Lao Shaffner reported on Centre County's Out of the Cold and Hearts for the Homeless programs. Today, we'll hear about the year-round reality of homelessness in State College, a town where many might assume homelessness isn't a concern.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In October, we stopped at the Old Gregg School in the Penns Valley town of Spring Mills. Greta Haney speaks with Carl Gaffron, her high school English teacher. He retired from teaching a few years ago.
For many of our listeners, the worst a colder-than-usual winter can bring is an expensive heating bill. But for the homeless, the frigid temperatures could be a matter of life or death. WPSU's Kate Lao Shaffner talks with Centre County residents about how those without homes get out of the cold.
The more than year-long search for Penn State's next President has come to an end. The Board of trustees has chosen Dr. Eric Barron to lead Penn State as the University's 18th President. Currently the president of Florida State University, Dr. Barron is no stranger to Happy Valley. He spent more than 20 years here
Cancer. For most, hearing this word sends a shiver down their spine. For some, it brings to mind a loved one who has passed away because of the horrific disease. Cancer. But when I hear this word, I think of a family brought together with a stronger bond of love than they would have ever otherwise experienced. Cancer changed my life, but it changed it for the better.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In October, we stopped in the Penns Valley town of Spring Mills. Doug Bierly speaks with Betty Strouse about her life with her husband, Walter.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In October we stopped at the Old Gregg School in the Penns Valley town of Spring Mills. Wife and husband Mary Kay and Greg Williams talk about renovating the Cooke Tavern in Spring Mills.
Today is Valentine's Day and you might be thinking about plans to spend time with a loved one. Some couples like to go to the movies or out for a romantic dinner, but for Claudio Frumento and Beverly Crow a night out donating platelets is more their style. For five years, the couple has been donating together at the State College Red Cross Blood Donation Center. Danielle Matalonis met up with the couple during a recent donation.
Dr. Daphne Miller is a family physician who sees a link between sustainable farming and integrative medicine. Her latest book is titled "Farmacology: What Innovative Family Farming Can Teach Us About Health and Healing." WPSU's Kristine Allen spoke with her after her appearance at a conference of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture in State College.
Daphne Miller is an family physician who practices integrative medicine and an associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the Univeristy of California. Her most recent book is "Farmocology: What Innovative Family Farming Can Teach Us about Health and Healing." It shows how lessons from sustainable farming can be applied to medical practice. And we talk with Brian Snyder, the head of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, about recent changes to food safety laws and what those changes mean to the small-scale farmers he represents.
This week WPSU is taking a look at water issues in central Pennsylvania. To outdoor enthusiasts, the 62-acre Millbrook Marsh in Centre County is one of the area's crown jewels. Penn State Professor Rob Brooks says the benefits of this unique ecosystem are far more than recreational. WPSU's Patty Satalia visited the marsh with Brooks and learned how this special environment prevents flooding and protects and filters our drinking water.
WPSU's Emily Reddy, who usually hosts BookMark, reviews Dave Isay's Ties That Bind. It's a collection of interviews about love and gratitude celebrating the first ten years of radio's StoryCorps.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In October, we stopped in the Penns Valley town of Spring Mills. Angela and her husband Troy discuss their life together in Millheim, Pennsylvania.
Hearts for the Homeless, a drop-in day center located in downtown State College, opened its doors for the first time yesterday. WPSU's Kate Lao Shaffner reports.
This week WPSU is taking a look at water issues in central Pennsylvania. Today, WPSU's Emily Reddy explores the massive task of supplying and cleaning the water used by students, faculty, staff and visitors at Penn State University.
This story takes us to Philadelphia, where a volunteer effort is trying to change the way storm water passes through the city. And as WPSU intern Maria Bryant reports, for the student volunteers, it's about more than just helping out. They're turning classroom learning into a real life hands-on experience.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In October, we stopped at the Old Gregg School in the Penns Valley town of Spring Mills. Debra Heller talks with her mother-in-law Byrd Futhey about her life.
Acclaimed State College photographer Bill Coleman died last week at 88. He was known worldwide for his exquisite photographs of the Amish. We'll share our last interview with him dating back to 2008. We'll also hear about the recently completed stream restoration project at the Rothwell Farm in Centre County. Landowner Sally Rothwell and Clearwater Conservancy's wildlife biologist, Katie Ombalski, say the improvements impact water quality all the way to the Chesapeake Bay!
I was born weighing 2 pounds and 4 ounces. I was small, even for a newborn in a big world. While in the womb, the doctor gave my brother and me a low chance of survival because the umbilical cord was struggling to support us both. Despite this, we were born with no severe handicaps. By the time I was nine, however, I realized I was different from other kids my age.
Joel Rubin is the Director of Policy and Government Affairs at Ploughshares Fund, a foundation dedicated preventing the use and spread of nuclear weapons. We'll talk with him about the recent Iran nuclear weapons deal and why Americans should be concerned about the state of nuclear weapons today.
As part of our occasional series, Pennsylvania Music Makers, WPSU's Kristine Allen visits a group of folks in Altoona who get a lot of joy out of four little strings.
Linda Short reviews Eliot Pattison's latest book, Mandarin Gate. It's a political thriller set in Tibet and the seventh book of Pattison's Inspector Shan series.
(photo above by Michael Wilson) Pianist Jeremy Denk won a MacArthur Fellowship, sometimes called a "genius grant" this past fall. on Wednesday, January 29th, he makes his Penn State concert debut with a program of solo piano music at Schwab Auditorium on the University Park Campus, as part of the Center for the Performing Arts series. WPSU's Kristine Allen speaks with Denk about his performance.
John Sanchez is the only American Indian faculty member at Penn State. A member of the Apache Nation, we'll talk with him about Hollywood's misrepresentation of American Indians, about how those images influence how the entire world perceives them, and about why the use of American Indians as team mascots should be discontinued.
Our ten-year-old son has a variety of hobbies including cello, chess and swimming. But his favorite subject is the NFL. He's learned professional football is a universal language among the males in his life. Whether discussing Red Grange or Tom Brady, his eyes light up. "What if Eli Manning had stayed with the Chargers? What if the American Football League had never merged with the National Football League? These are the sorts of questions he ponders over breakfast. For all of his interest in the sport, his on field experience is limited to touch football with friends and flag football at the Y. Chances are if I tell him he can play tackle football next year, he will suit up in a minute.
Marjorie Maddox's Local News from Someplace Else is a collection of poems about how the tragedies we hear about in the news affect us at home. Amanda Richards reviews.
When I was ten, reading was the last thing I would do for fun. I always finished assigned readings for class, but I never enjoyed them. I had to motivate myself to read. I would choose a book, read for fifteen minutes, and then reward myself with a snack or television show. Reading was the thing I couldn't wait to finish so I could do something else.
WPSU's Kate Lao Shaffner shadows Penn State School of International Affairs students as they participate in a simulation of a UN peace conference centered on a complicated international issue. Photo credit: Paul Sweeney
Martha Freeman's Chickadee Court Mysteries are set in a town based on State College. Shelby Caraway reviews Who Stole New Year's Eve?, the latest installment in the series.
I am ten years old and I can barely contain my excitement as I run down the stairs ready to rip open my presents underneath the Christmas tree. When I reach the tree, I find nothing. Not a single gift in sight, just the raw feeling of disappointment. Unexpectedly, however, my parents are standing behind me with an intangible surprise.
As Penn State's Executive Vice President and Provost, Nicholas Jones has a hand in virtually every aspect of the University. The New Zealand native recently came to Penn State from Johns Hopkins University, where he served as the Dean of the Whiting School of Engineering. WPSU's Patty Satalia talks with him about what enticed him to join Penn State, about the challenges facing higher education in the 21st century, and about his vision for the future of Penn State.
Penn State Reads is a new program that encourages first-year students to read the same book over the course of a school year. The inaugural pick, Eyal Press's Beautiful Souls, explores why people choose to stand up for what they believe is right, even when it's difficult to do so. Our reviewer, Jonathan Marks, is the director of Penn State's Bioethics Program and a senior fellow at the Rock Ethics Institute.
Our series, Beyond the Classroom looks at the college experience beyond bookwork and classes. Two recent college graduates have created a place for students and young professionals with big goals for the future. "Co.Space" opened in downtown State College in August as both a place to live and a place to plan how to make the world a better place. WPSU's Emily Reddy visited the house during a recent internship potluck.
General Norman Schwarzkopf called him "the finest combat correspondent of our generation---a soldier's reporter and a soldier's friend." He was referring to Joseph Galloway, co-author of We Were Soldiers Onceand Young, written with Lt. Gen. Hal Moore. WPSU's Patty Satalia talks with Galloway about his experiences in Vietnam--and more.
This Sunday afternoon, Penn State's Essence of Joy will give a concert that will be broadcast live here on WPSU-FM. WPSU's Kristine Allen reports it will feature the world premiere of a piece written especially for the choir by Raymond Wise. (Photo above: Women from Essence of Joy at rehearsal.)
I believe in Christmas, but not in the way you might think; let me try to explain. I'm not Christian (or Jewish, or Muslim, or Buddhist) or any other religion. I wouldn't say I'm an atheist, though
While it's been over a month since Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines, Penn State students are working to ensure the victims continue to receive support for recovery. WPSU's Kate Lao Shaffner has personal connections to the Philippines. She reports recovery is ongoing, but there's reason to be optimistic. photo courtesy of Dexter Julio
In honor of WPSU-FM's 60th anniversary, we're looking back at how it all began! WPSU's Patty Satalia visited with Sandra Thomas at her home in Foxdale Village retirement community. In 1953, Thomas was a Penn State broadcast student and one of the pioneering members of the "Radio Guild," the club that launched WDFM on December 6th, 1953. The student station was the precursor to today's WPSU-FM.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In August, we gathered stories about farm life at the Pasto Agricultural Museum at Ag Progress Days outside of State College. Sue Smith interviews her husband Ron about life growing up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin.
The station you know as WPSU-FM signed on the air 60 years ago, on December 6, 1953. WPSU's Kristine Allen speaks with two former Station Managers, Joe Krushinstky and Dave Dzikowski about how student radio station WDFM became your NPR station. (In photo above: Joe Krushinsky, PSU class of
The multifaceted poet, rock legend and artist Patti Smith was recently at Penn State to receive the 2013 Institute of Arts & Humanities Medal for Distinguished Achievement. She came by our studios to talk with us about her life's work, her family, and her deep friendship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In August, we gathered stories about farm life at the Pasto Agricultural Museum at Ag Progress Days outside of State College. Eight-year-old Samuel Bachman and 5-year-old Alejandra Bachman ask their grandmother Nancy Bachman to tell them stories from Mudlick Farms, where Nancy's great grandmother Mina B. Clark started a farm in 1884.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In August, we gathered stories about farm life at the Pasto Agricultural Museum at Ag Progress Days outside of State College. Pasto Museum intern Naomi Ulmer interviews Stephen Spencer about the advances he's seen in dairy farming throughout his lifetime.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In August, we gathered stories about farm life at the Pasto Agricultural Museum at Ag Progress Days outside of State College. Leslie Zuck interviews her nieces Vasilia and Jewels Sandoval about visiting her farm in Spring Mills, Pennsylvania, when they were younger.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In August, we gathered stories about farm life at the Pasto Agricultural Museum at Ag Progress Days outside of State College. Susan Gage interviews her father Peter Ferretti about what it was like growing up on a self-sufficient farm during the Great Depression.
They call it the "Red Zone." There are more sexual assaults on U.S. college campuses during this time than at any other time during the school year. WPSU's Emily Reddy talks with the Penn State Center for Women Students programming coordinator, Jennifer Pencekbut first, November is National Caregivers Month. Family caregivers provide an estimated $450 billion worth of uncompensated care to loved ones each year. But family caregiving comes at a cost. Caregivers experience high stress levels that can lead to physical and mental health problems. WPSU's Patty Satalia talks with Dr. Steven Zarit, a distinguished professor and head of the Department of Health and Family Studies at Penn State, about ways to reduce caregivers' stress and improve their health and well-being.
November is National Caregivers Month. Family caregivers provide an estimated $450 billion worth of uncompensated care to loved ones each year. But family caregiving comes at a cost. Caregivers experience high stress levels that can lead to physical and mental health problems. WPSU's Patty Satalia talks with Dr. Steven Zarit, a distinguished professor and head of the Department of Health and Family Studies at Penn State, talks about ways to reduce caregivers' stress and improve their health and well-being.
As we mark the anniversary of President Kennedy's death, some residents of Central Pennsylvania share where they were when Americas daily routine was shattered by a news bulletin.
The time of year that is just wrapping up right now at colleges and universities across the United States is one of the most dangerous for sexual assaults. WPSU's Emily Reddy talked about the "Red Zone" with Jennifer Pencek, the programming coordinator for the Center for Women Students at Penn State.
November is National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month. Ann Kolanowski reviews Donald and Carol Ford's Carol's Alzheimers Journey, a memoir about caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease.
In a time when potential employers are increasingly interested in more than just a grade point average, students are turning to internships, even in disciplines that don't require it
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In August, we gathered stories about farm life at the Pasto Agricultural Museum at Ag Progress Days outside of State College. Naomi Ulmer interviews Darwin Braund about life on a farm and his experiences with draft animals.
Today marks the 150th Anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's most famous speech, the Gettysburg Address. WPSU's Kate Lao Shaffner takes a look at why the speech is so significant to Americans, even today.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In August, we gathered stories about farm life at the Pasto Agricultural Museum at Ag Progress Days outside of State College. Emily Steffensmeier interviews her father Darrell about growing up on a 300-acre farm in Iowa.
Pete Hatemi teaches Political Science, Microbiology and Biochemistry at Penn State. His research explores the complex connection between evolution and our political attitudes. He speaks with WPSU's Kristine Allen.
Dr. Pete Hatemi teaches Political Science, Microbiology and Biochemistry at Penn State. He has also studied genetics, psychology and psychiatry. Hatemi talks with WPSU's Kristine Allen about the complex connection between genes and politics. (You can hear a longer version of the conversation Sunday morning on Take Note on WPSU-FM.)
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In August, we gathered stories about farm life at the Pasto Agricultural Museum at Ag Progress Days outside of State College. Larry Harpster and Kenneth Rudy interview their friend Elwood Homan about growing up on a farm just down the road from Ag Progress Days.
The Bellefonte Borough Council held a special meeting yesterday to vote on the fate of the historic Garman Theatre. WPSU's Kate Lao Shaffner reports the council approved demolition of the Garman in a 5-4 vote.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In August, we gathered stories about farm life at the Pasto Agricultural Museum at Ag Progress Days outside of State College. Marilyn Bloom tells her husband Bob about the story of her grandfather, who came from Canada to start a farm in Michigan.
You could say art is in her blood. Victoria Wyeth is the only grandchild of iconic artist Andrew Wyeth. She's been giving talks about Wyeth art since she was 16, both here in the U.S. and abroad. WPSU's Patty Satalia talks with her about growing up in the so-called "First family of American art" and about the lessons she learned at her grandfather's knee.
Stephanie Powell Watts' We Are Only Taking What We Need is a collection of short stories about African American women in North Carolina. Millheim resident Abby Minor reviews.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In August, we gathered stories about farm life at the Pasto Agricultural Museum at Ag Progress Days outside of State College. Glenn Carter and his wife Doris discuss how it was growing up during the end of the Great Depression and how they met each other at Penn State University.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In August, we gathered stories about farm life at the Pasto Agricultural Museum at Ag Progress Days outside of State College. Pasto intern Naomi Ulmer interviews Edward Buss about growing up in a tough time and place for farmers- in the Midwest in the 1930s.
Pedro Noguera is an internationally renowned professor of education at New York University and the author of seven books, including "The Trouble With Black Boys: And Other Reflections on Race, Equity, and the Future of Public Education." We'll talk with him about education's most pressing problems, about why installing metal detectors isn't the answer, and about why we should assess schools the way we access hospitals.
The conversations you've been hearing from Story Corps Ag Progress Days were recorded at a unique museum. The Pasto Agricultural Museum's "collection" is made up of farming implements from a time when horse power referred to how many animals you hooked up to a piece of equipment. WPSU's Emily Reddy visited the Pasto during the recent Ag Progress Days events to give us a taste of the farming and household innovations of yesteryear housed at the museum.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In August, we gathered stories about farm life at the Pasto Agricultural Museum at Ag Progress Days outside of State College. Billie Thompson interviews her husband Darrell about his life on a farm in southwestern Pennsylvania during the Depression years.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In August, we gathered stories about farm life at the Pasto Agricultural Museum at Ag Progress Days outside of State College. Randy Moore interviews his father Lou about growing up on a farm in Maryland.
We'll find out what college professors can do to turn entitled, self-absorbed Millennial students into Millennial thinkers. Plus, why doesn't "scientific consensus" settle disputes about climate change or other risk issues? We'll talk with a professor from Yale law school who studies how cultural values and group identity impact how we interpret science and perceive risk.
Philip Winsor reviews Stanley Weintraub's latest book, Young Mr. Roosevelt. Weintraub will be speaking about his book at the Pennsylvania Military Museum in Boalsburg on November 6.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In August, we gathered stories about farm life at the Pasto Agricultural Museum at Ag Progress Days outside of State College. Danadee Miller-Boyle talks about her great-grandfather's farm, which he called "Fairyland Farms," and which often hosted country western singers who later became stars.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In August, we gathered stories about farm life at the Pasto Agricultural Museum at Ag Progress Days outside of State College. Naomi Ulmer interviews Larry Harpster. The two have worked as volunteers together at the Pasto Museum.
Poet, musician and artist Patti Smith visited Penn State to receive the 2013 Institute of the Arts and Humanities Medal for Distinguished Achievement. She joined us in our studio just a few hours before the evening's celebration, and her much-anticipated solo performance, to talk with us about her life, art and friendships.
The United States is made up of people from many different cultures and religions. Unfortunately, many people forget their traditions and cultural heritage when they're far from their homeland and they settle in other countries. I believe in embracing my Indian roots.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In August, we gathered stories about farm life at the Pasto Agricultural Museum at Ag Progress Days outside of State College. Gary Petersen is interviewed by his eight-year-old grandson Evan Mellace, about growing up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In August, we gathered stories about farm life at Ag Progress Days outside of State College. Winabelle Deppen interviews her husband Marion about his experiences as a farm boy during the Great Depression and his life-long involvement with Ag Progress Days.
Among his many achievements, he was a decorated fighter pilot in Vietnam, an aerospace engineer, and a corporate leader, but above all, Guy Bluford is best known as the first African-American to fly in space. He was also a 1964 graduate of Penn State. We'll talk with him about his career, about his experiences in space, and about the future of space exploration.
Pennsylvania native Dan McNichol is traveling around America in partnership with CASE Construction to highlight the country's ailing infrastructure in a project he's calling "Dire States." The clincher? He's driving the 10,000 miles in a 1949 Hudson Commodore. WPSU's Kate Lao Shaffner reports he stopped in State College this week to speak at an event with Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation Barry Schoch.
Scientists who do research in Antarctica are feeling the effects of the US government shutdown. That includes researchers from Penn State, could lose a whole season's worth of work studying glacier melt and climate change. Dr. Sridhar Anandakrishnan teaches in the Geosciences Department at Penn State. WPSU's Emily Reddy talked with him about the effects of the National Science Foundation's freeze on Antarctic research.
Gold, Barbara Crooker's latest book of poetry, deals with themes like loss and aging. Reviewer Marjorie Maddox is a poet, herself. She teaches at Lock Haven University.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In August, we gathered stories about farm life at Ag Progress Days outside of State College. Betty Jane Mincemoyer talks about what it was like to grow up on a farm in Blair County during the Great Depression.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In August, we gathered stories about farm life at Ag Progress Days outside of State College. Nancy Hatch talked with her husband Cordell about growing up on a farm in Tennessee and how he decided to leave the farm to go to college.
The health insurance exchanges, that are part of the Affordable Care Act, opened for business on Tuesday. WPSU's Kristine Allen reports that Penn State Extension has created a website, designed to provide a broad range of information about the health care law
I believe in dirty shoes. I believe in wearing shoes until there are holes in them, and then wearing them some more. Although my practice might seem extreme, I got this habit from BOTH of my parents. Ever since I can remember, my dad has said, "There is no hole in my shoes that some duct tape can't fix." My mother, on the other hand, has always encouraged me to date my shoes
Penn State announced today that employees who take part in the Take Care of Your Health Initiative will receive a cash reward. WPSU's Kate Lao Shaffner reports.
"Beautiful Souls," by Eyal Press, tells four stories about people who did what they considered the right thing under extremely trying circumstances. A Swiss border guard smuggled Jews into Switzerland against policy, a Serbian misidentified Croats to save their lives, an Israeli soldier refused to continue to guard what he felt were illegal settlements and a broker blew the whistle on a Ponzi scheme. The book was chosen as the inaugural text for the Penn State Reads initiative.
2013 is a year of major anniversaries: as we look back on the events of the civil rights struggle 50 years ago, like the March on Washington. As WPSU's Kristine Allen reports, Penn State presents a play that recalls the turbulent times of the 1960's.
Penn State's Second Annual Conference on Child Protection and Well-Being took place Wednesday. WPSU's Emily Reddy says it focused on helping child victims of abuse work their way through the legal system.
Johnstown, Pennsylvania isn't exactly a multicultural mecca, but every summer since 1977 Indian adoptees and their parents have gathered there for a heritage camp. The camp pulls families from Florida to Maine to Illinois who have adopted Indian children. This year marked the 30th anniversary of the camp. WPSU's Emily Reddy reports on the camp and how it found an unlikely home in Johnstown.
For Banned Book Week, Andrew Bode-Lang reviews Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers. Books from the Captain Underpants series were the most frequently challenged titles in the country last year.
Penn State's Faculty Senate passed a resolution addressing controversial university health care changes in a special meeting yesterday. WPSU'S Kate Lao Shaffner reports.
The New York Times called her ""The Green Power Broker." We'll talk with Majora Carter about the revitalization and community improvement projects she's leading in her South Bronx neighborhood. We'll also talk with her about her efforts to stop the placement of polluting industries in low-income or minority communities.
I believe in pottery. Pottery is an art of possibilities, a perfect union of form and function. While people create other types of art purely for decoration, ceramic art isn't made to be hung on a wall. Rather, ceramics can be used for everything from storage to gardening to cooking to drinking. Pottery adds an element of beauty to the most routine aspects of life. Drinking your morning coffee? It will probably look and taste better in a custom-made, wheel-thrown mug with a perfectly trimmed bottom and a marbled glaze.
Penn State President Rodney Erickson says the university will suspend the $100 a month surcharge for employees who don't participate in the controversial Take Care of Your Health initiative. WPSU's Kate Lao Shaffner reports.
Rebecca Kuensting reviews Horse People, Cary Holladay's collection of short stories. Holladay will be visiting Penn State University Park on September 24 as part of the Mary E. Rolling Reading Series.
Last night, the group that has conservatorship of Bellefonte's historic Garman Theatre stuck with its original recommendation -- to sell the Garman property to a State College developer, rather than back a local group's efforts to rehabilitate it. WPSU's Kate Lao Shaffner reports.
On September 11th, the State Theatre in State College,will present a musical theatre piece created by Richard Biever in response to the attacks of nine eleven. The show uses Broadway songs and texts from survivors and spiritual leaders from many traditions around the world. WPSU's Kristine Allen visited a rehearsal for "The New Normal".
Penn State's Faculty Senate met yesterday for the first time this academic year. The university's controversial new health plan was at the forefront of the agenda. WPSU's Kate Lao Shaffner reports many spoke out against the changes.
It's been about a month since Penn State rolled out its controversial new wellness initiative, which includes a surcharge for failure to participate. In a recent conference call, Penn State officials said the initiative is meant to keep costs down and representatives from Highmark discussed research that points to savings. Today, WPSU's Kate Lao Shaffner looks into how much money the wellness initiative might save.
Like most people, I get to feeling bad from time to time about one thing or another. Things don't always go my way, and the march of daily disappointments often leaves me in the dumps.
As summer draws to a close, many gardeners are turning their attention to end-of-the-season projects and taking note of their successes and failures. Hear from the experts about what you should be doing in your garden. (Today's Take Note is an encore presentation of "Conversations LIVE: Get Your Garden On!")
WPSU's Kate Lao Shaffner reviews the winner of this year's Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The Orphan Master's Son, by Adam Johnson, is an epic novel set in North Korea.
Today is the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and Martin Luther King Jr's "I have a dream" speech. At the StoryCorps oral history recordings in Bellefonte in 2010, one pair talked about that day. Ted Graef talked with his father Leslie about taking part in the March on Washington in 1963 50 years ago today.
I knew something was different about my daughter Lucy by the time she turned one. She couldn't bear weight on her arms or legs. She hadn't started crawling or pulling up on things, and she wasn't talking at all. Her hands made odd motions in the air, and she didn't always respond when we called her name.
Penn State's Faculty Senate Council met yesterday for the first time since the controversial changes to employee healthcare benefits were announced last month. The meeting was not open to the public, but afterward WPSU's Kate Lao Shaffner spoke with the Faculty Senate Chairman and Penn State's Vice President for Human Resources.
As NPR reported earlier this week, libraries around the country are building their collections of E-books. WPSU's Kristine Allen spoke with one local library about the trend, and how they're helping their customers stay on top of it.
My dad is a Lutheran minister, and I'd never heard him use the "f"-word till he tried to fix our bathroom plumbing. He had never trained, apprenticed, or even been acquainted with a plumber that I knew of. Yet he took on the leak under our sink armed with thriftiness, a Reader's Digest book on home repair, and a five-gallon bucket of good intentions.
It's been 80 years since the first drive-in movie opened in Camden, New Jersey. At its heyday, there were more than 4,000 drive-in movie theaters across America. Now there are fewer than 400. The latest challenge for drive-ins everywhere is Hollywood's switch to digital film distribution. Kate Lao Shaffner visited a drive-in along Route 322 in Clearfield County.
First, a Q & A with Penn State's VP for Human Resources about the university's new "Take Care of Your Health" program. Employees who do not participate in the three-part plan will be charged a $100 a month surcharge. Then an encore conversation about water fluoridation and just why it's so controversial. (photo by Jessica Paholsky)
At Shaver's Creek Environmental Center, summer campers contemplate the decline of the little brown bat, and learn about white nose syndrome. WPSU intern Lauren Ostberg visited the camp to find out more.
According to the CDC, contaminated foods cause 3,000 deaths a year in the US. In response to large-scale and highly-publicized contaminations in recent years to foods like spinach and peanut butter, the government has created the Food Safety Modernization Act. But WPSU's Emily Reddy talked with one advocate who worries the bill will hurt smaller farms.
Penn State is introducing changes to its employee health insurance benefit plans. WPSU's Kate Lao Shaffner met with Penn State's Vice President for Human Resources, Susan Basso, to ask some questions.
Penn State has rolled out a new health program called the "Take Care of Your Health" initiative. Employees who do not participate in the three-part plan will be charged a $100 a month surcharge. This is the first of a series of changes to employee health insurance benefits. WPSU's Kate Lao Shaffner has the story. (photo by Jessica Paholsky)
I believe in playing horseshoes on a sunny summer day on the 110th street beach in Stone Harbor, New Jersey. Playing horseshoes on the beach is a family tradition that dates back long before I was born. It began when my Great Grandfather built a house in Stone Harbor back in 1960. Over the years he passed down the tradition to my grandfather and then to my mom and aunts and uncles.
A new gardening concept is sprouting in Central Pennsylvania. Woody Wilson, a graduate of Penn State, took an idea he entered in an agriculture competition and made it his business. Wilson's Home Farms gives State College area residents another way to bring local vegetables to their kitchen tables. WPSU intern Jessica Paholsky went along with Wilson to find out more.
The Pennsylvania legislature passed a budget on time but none of the major initiatives proposed by Governor Corbett were enacted. Funding for transportation, state pension reform, and privatization of liquor sales were victims of the political process. WPSU's Greg Petersen talks with Mary Wilson, Capitol Bureau Chief for Pennsylvania Public Radio about legislative news.
This is Morning Edition. I'm Mel DeYoung. At the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts in State College last weekend, most of us were there to shop and enjoy the entertainment. But, WPSU's Kristine Allen reports, some 300 artists were there to make a living
The trees of Cook Forest State Park survived the clear-cutting of Pennsylvania more than a hundred years ago. Now the virgin old-growth hemlocks in the park are threatened by a pest that has plagued trees from New England to Georgia. This spring, WPSU's Emily Reddy tagged along with a group headed out into the forest to save the hemlocks.
Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report has become a household name, and not only because he's funny. Daniel Mallinson reviews Penn State professor Sophia A. McClennen's Colbert's America: Satire and Democracy.
Penn State's national reputation regarding child abuse took a major hit in 2011 with the Jerry Sandusky revelations. One academic response from the university is underway with the first of several new faculty hires. WPSU's Scott Weybright reports.
Beverly McIver is one of the most acclaimed black female painters working today. Her larger-than-life portraits of her family and herself examine race, gender and social identity. We'll talk with her about growing up in the segregated South, about her career as a painter, and about the HBO documentary that chronicles six years of her life as Renee's caregiver.
Dan Batrom, Dick Brown, Pam Cummings, Wes Gleave, Deborah Plackey, Sarah Pollock, and Steve Strouse--eight Pennsylvania artists exhibiting at Arts Fest--discuss memorable projects they completed between first and eighth grade.
Eight Penn State students traveled to Tanzania this summer. They were there for a three-week summer session course called Biology of Eco Health. WPSU's Kate Lao Shaffner took the opportunity to tag along and see what the course is all about.
Alan Matsumoto talks about his sand sculpture for the 2013 Festival of the Arts in State College. The process of creating the sculpture is the highlight of the weekend for Matsumoto and many passersby of all ages.
I am not an artist. Whatever gene my children inherited that allows them to draw, sing, write poetry or play music came from somewhere else on the family tree. Yet I learned early on everyone can enjoy art, even those of us with limited natural talent.
Dave Felice, who plays the role of brigade commander, talks about what it's like to be part of the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg Reenactment.
This week on Take Note, we'll find out what's in store at this year's Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts in State College, and at People's Choice Festival of Pennsylvania Arts & Crafts in Boalsburg. We'll talk with the directors of both festivals. We'll also talk with one of the organizers of BookFest PA, which has been part of Arts Fest for the past four years. It celebrates the written word and offers folks a chance to hear and meet authors!
The 150th Gettysburg Reenactment brings thousands from around the world together to relive and celebrate history. Experience some of the sights and sounds of the event in this video.
It's time for BookMark, the book review show on WPSU. It's been 150 years since the Battle of Gettysburg. For the 4th of July, reviewer Raymond Beal revisits this key event in American history. Civil War historian Allen C. Guelzo's Gettysburg: The Last Invasion, is a narrative account of the three-day battle.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Altoona. Jerry Zolten interviews Jerrone Barnes about his experiences in music and performance.
We'll introduce you to a simple, science-based diet that could get you off the dieting treadmill, but first...Time Magazine labeled those born between 1925 and 1942 as "the Silent Generation." The 1951 cover story described those who came of age in the 1950s as "grave and fatalistic, conventional, expecting disappointment, and for women, desiring both a career and family." What shaped the so-called Silent Generation and why were they not acknowledged? We'll talk about that with our guest, Judith Thompson Witmer, a graduate of Curwensville High School Class of 1955. She's also an assistant professor of education at Penn State-Harrisburg. Her book, "Growing Up Silent in the 1950s," is self-published.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Altoona. Ken Womack interviews his colleague, Lori Bechtel-Wherry, the Chancellor of Penn State Altoona.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Altoona. Mark and Lynn Chaplin talk about the unusual hotel their father ran.
Republican state Representative Matt Gabler represents the 75th district which includes Elk county and parts of Clearfield county. He was elected to the state house in 2008. Greg Petersen talked with him about legislative issues including transportation, privatization efforts and his support of the coal industry and gun-owner rights.
Andrew Blum's Tubes: A Journey to the Center of the Internet is a behind-the-scenes look at how the internet works. Blum is a featured author in this year's BookFest PA. Amanda Minchin reviews.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Altoona. Travis and Krista Etters interview their grandmother, Hilda Heacox, about her husband, her career, and Depression-era Pennsylvania.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Altoona. Jon Yon talks with his mother, Naomi Yon about her childhood and her career as a nurse.
To celebrate Father's Day, we talk with two poets whose writing is strongly influenced by their relationships with their fathers. First we have Marjorie Maddox, whose book of poems Transplant, Transport, Transubstantiation focuses on her father's unsuccessful heart transplant. Todd Davis's newest book of poetry, just out this month from Michigan State University Press, is In the Kingdom of the Ditch. Davis's poems have been featured on Garrison Keillor's "The Writer's Almanac."
Environmentalists aren't the only ones who want to know the effects of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, on water quality. The drilling process pumps water and chemicals into shale rock deep underground to extract natural gas. Some worry those chemicals could make their way into local water supplies. A Pennsylvania group called the Shale Network, gathered recently to pool data on samples gathered from water wells and streams in drilling areas. WPSU intern Lauren Ostberg has the story.
"You got time to lean, you got time to clean." That was my boss's favorite motivational quote. I started working at Leo's Steak Shop when I was 14. The small kitchen was unbearably hot at times, and the walk to the freezer 40 feet out back was unbearably cold at times. But just as fast as the workdays began, they ended. And the long days were somehow always so satisfying, even if I was only making $5.15 an hour.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Altoona. Paula Pimentel interviews her father, Benjamin Root. He talks about his childhood and his community involvement.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Altoona. Robert S. Donaldson interviews his parents, Connie and Robert I. Donaldson. They talk their family bakery and growing up in Altoona during WWII.
Arthur Goldstein describes himself as a pianist, composer and teacher. Audiences describe him as not just versatile, but highly accomplished in a wide variety of musical styles including classical, jazz and rock-
Athletes from across the state participate in a variety of competitive events during the 2013 Summer Games at Penn State. The Special Olympics brings together the hard work and support of more than 2,000 athletes.
Becky Aikman's memoir, Saturday Night Widows, is about how she pursued healing after her husband's death. Aikman, originally from Brookville, PA, is a featured author at this year's BookFest. Reviewer MIschelle Marie (also known as KC O'Day) is a morning radio host at WALY 103.9.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Altoona. Cathy Griffith talks with her friend Kaitlin Farnan. They were brought together by cancer.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Altoona. Annie Clay interviews her husband (and WTAJ news anchor) John Clay about being a father and about what's important to him in their relationship.
Democratic state Representative Mike Hanna. Hanna represents the 76th district which includes Clinton county and parts of Centre county. WPSU's Greg Petersen talked with him about legislative issues including transportation infrastructure, privatization efforts, health care, and education.
With all due respect to the more serious nature of most "This I Believe" essays I believe I'll have a beer! If you enjoy sharing a crisp, hoppy pils with your friends and neighbors, then I raise a glass to you!
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Altoona. Amy McCall talks with her father, Richard Walker, about his father's work in construction, including helping build the Squirrel Hill Tunnel in Pittsburgh.
On Memorial Day 2013 in Boalsburg, a city that bills itself as the birthplace of Memorial Day, celebrations included Civil War reenactors to entertain the crowds.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Altoona. Lisa Purcell talks with her sister Kathy Seiler about their family history and about growing up in Lewistown.
USA Today described him as "the closest thing to a rock star" in the graphic design world. Chip Kidd is a book jacket designer for Alfred A. Knopf Publishing. He's also a Penn State alumnus. Among his many creations is the iconic T-Rex skeleton for Michael Crichton's "Jurassic Park," which became one of the most iconic images of the 1990s.
Sarah May Clarkson reviews Charles Todd's An Unmarked Grave, a novel that piqued her interest because it's been likened to PBS series Downton Abbey. Charles Todd is one of the featured authors of this year's BookFest, PA.
In State College, Corl Street Elementary School Principal Scott Mato organized the second annual Tour de Corl Street to promote health, safety and fun during this year's National Bike Month. On Wednesday, May 22, the event brought together first to fifth-grade students, their teachers and their families. An avid biker, Mato said he believes community events like this can encourage healthy lifestyle changes.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Altoona. Robert Reese talks with his friend Brent Ottaway.
Just hearing someone mention "The Great Gatsby" is enough to evoke vivid images of the roaring twenties--elaborate parties, flappers and booglegging gangsters! But how much do we know about the man behind Gatsby? F. Scott Fitzgerald and his contemporaries form a cohort of some of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. Literary expert and Penn State Professor Linda Patterson Miller is the editor of "Letters of the Lost Generation." She talks with us about the authors of The Lost Generation, about what their letters reveal, and about how real life is often more interesting than fiction.
Thirteen medical students just wrapped up their third year of medical education at the Penn State College of Medicine Regional Medical Campus located at University Park. Created in partnership with Mount Nittany Medical Center, the goal of the program is twofold: training the next generation of physicians and improving access to medical care in Centre County. The hope is that, after graduation, some of the graduates will choose to stay and practice in the community. WPSU's Patty Satalia begins her report with a visit to Mount Nittany Medical Center.
I just made it over the last hill. The hardest part is over and it's exhilarating. My cheeks are red, but my breathing is leveling off. I can feel my bangs flying out of my headband. I try to focus on my feet hitting the ground at a consistent "step step, step step" pace.
Pamela Synder-Etters talks with long-time Altoona Symphony Orchestra member Shirley Pechter. Pechter is 92 and has been with the symphony since it was founded in 1928.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Altoona. Brenda Jennings talks with her friend and neighbor Jan Housman about growing up Jewish in the 1950s.
State Senator Jake Corman has represented the 34th district since 1999. WPSU's Greg Petersen interviews him about legislation to privatize liquor sales, his lawsuit to keep the NCAA fine levied against Penn State in the commonwealth, and other topics of note in the state legislature.
Former Penn State professor Josip Novakovich is a finalist for the Man Booker International Prize, which is awarded every two years to a writer for his or her body of work. Jessica Matzko reviews Navokovich's book, Infidelities: Stories of War and Lust.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Altoona. Hiro McNulty talks with his grandmother Bridget McNulty about growing up in Pittsburgh.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Altoona. Robert Donaldson talks with his wife Carolyn about how they met thirty years ago when Robert's friend Mickey introduced them.
What will it take to avoid war with Iran? According to our next guest, the real obstacles to successful nuclear diplomacy with Iran lie in Washington, not Tehran. We'll talk with Flynt Leverett, co-author of the controversial new book, "Going To Tehran, Why the United States Must Come to Terms with the Islamic Republic of Iran." Leverett is a founding member of Penn State's School of International Affairs.
A group of State College-area residents who share a passion for locally sourced food is in the process of starting a cooperative grocery store. They've called it the Friends and Farmers' Co-op. WPSU's Kate Lao Shaffner has the story.
When I was a couple of months old, I had pneumonia and I stopped breathing. My mom called for an ambulance and immediately began to pray. The ambulance arrived minutes later, and the EMT performed CPR on me. That day, I was the first baby the EMT had ever "brought back to life."
The University Park Airport has a brand new installation. It's not a new escalator or body-scanner. It's a living plant wall. WPSU intern Orent Paddy went to the airport to find out more.
Charles Figley has spent more than thirty-five years studying trauma and its effects on both victims and caregivers. His work has led to innovations in psychology, psychiatry, and social work. We'll talk with him about the field of traumatology, about what he means when he says there's a cost for caring, and about his personal experiences with "compassion fatigue." Figley is a professor and Distinguished Chair in Disaster Mental Health at Tulane University.
Jennier Haigh's latest book, News from Heaven: The Bakerton Stories, is about the residents of a fictional coal mining town in Pennsylvania. Reviewer Kirk Weixel has long been an admirer of Haigh's work. He's known the author since she attended high school with his children.
This year's winner of WPSU's Art for the Airwaves contest is a photographer. WPSU's Kristine Allen reports she photographed a tree on Penn State's University Park campus. The tree has been a prominent feature of the landscape for many decades.
Today, Take Note takes a look at two locally made films. The first is by a Penn State film major who hopes to spread awareness of the problem of rape on college campuses with her documentary, "Unreported." The second is by Gregory Collins, a filmmaker from State College. He talks about his new feature film, "A Song Still Inside," about an under-employed father struggling with parenthood and with his wife's success.
I look down at the screen of my ringing iPhone and it clearly states that the caller is my best friend of eight years, Chelsey. I have some time to chat between classes, but as usual, instead of picking it up, I let it ring, ring, ring until it goes into voicemail.
Just a day after the explosions at the Boston Marathon, more than 100 people gathered for a vigil following the Jeremy Herbstritt 5k memorial run. The race is held annually to honor the Penn State grad who died in the Virginia Tech shootings. WPSU intern Danielle Matalonis has the story.
Penn State's Centre for the Performing Arts is focused this week on music of the 18th century. Tonight, the orchestra Tafelmusik will give a concert of baroque music, and Thursday night, the orchestra will join Canada's Opera Atelier to present a fully staged opera at Penn State. WPSU's Kristine Allen reports they'll present "The Magic Flute" by Mozart.
In 2011, Chuck Felton organized a reunion for the Cresson TB Sanatorium. The retired aerospace engineer now living in Texas, spent 16 months at the state-run tuberculosis facility that was located on a remote mountain top outside of Cresson. For more than 50 years, Felton kept his experience there mostly to himself. Then, in 2009, he decided to create a website to share his story with his two grown children. To his surprise, other TB survivors, staff, and children of patients who died at the facility, came out of the woodwork to reminisce, share stories, and
This year's pick for One Book Bradford is Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain. It's a novel about family, aging, and death--told through a Golden Retriever. Reviewer Cheryl Bazzoui lives in Bradford. She is a pet owner, registered nurse, and author.
A number of privatization initiatives have been proposed in Pennsylvania in recent years. A combination of state and local budget crises has prompted these so-called public-private partnerships that seek to transfer ownership of public assets or services to the private sector in exchange for lump sums of money. Everything from the state lottery to liquor sales and even prisons are up for grabs. The belief among proponents of these deals is that the private sector can do many things better
Since the Newtown tragedy in December, the issue of school violence has been a focus of national attention. Penn State's World Campus and Social Science Research Institute partnered with area school districts this past Monday night to sponsor a panel discussion on the issue. The program was held in the lobby of the Outreach building at Penn State, University Park, with participation from live and online audiences. Before the event, WPSU's Kristine Allen spoke with one of the panelists for whom combatting school violence is a full-time job.
Many people say "I'll believe it when I see it," But I believe touching things is what makes them real: Feeling the water soak into my shoes after I step into a puddle Makes the rain real. Brushing my fingers over the imprints of the words pressed into a friend's letter Makes their meanings real. Compressing all the tiny air pockets In my bed's memory foam pad with the weight of my body Makes my end-of-the-day exhaustion very real.
The State College Borough Council unanimously passed a resolution to oppose the Penn State pipeline during last night's council meeting, which lasted over four and a half hours. The council agreed to advise the Borough Manager to deny a construction permit for the pipeline as part of the resolution. WPSU's Kate Lao Shaffner reports.
Penn State University Park plans to convert its on-campus power plant from coal to natural gas. The move is part of an effort to meet new US Environmental Protection Agency air pollution standards. But there's been a community backlash. A high-pressure gas pipeline required for the conversion is slated to run right through the Highlands neighborhood south of campus. WPSU's Kate Lao Shaffner has the story.
When Stacy Parks Miller was sworn into office in January of 2010, she became the first woman to serve as district attorney in Centre County, easily defeating Republican Incumbent Mike Madeira, who served only one four-year term. Parks Miller talks about what the district attorney's office does, how the Jerry Sandusky trial affected day-to-day operations, and about the greatest challenges facing Centre County's office of DA.
Since 2010, Penn State's Center for American Literary Studies has paired with Centre County Reads to present a program in which the entire community--on and off campus- -is encouraged to read a single novel. This year, the selection is Sandra Cisneros' Caramelo. Reviewer Shannon Brace is a student intern at the Center for American Literary Studies.
The Centre Crest nursing home in Bellefonte is currently run by Centre County. But because of financial concerns, the County Commissioners are considering making Centre Crest a nonprofit, outside of County control. At a public meeting Wednesday evening, March 27th in Bellefonte, the Commissioners will talk with citizens about the proposed change. As WPSU's Kristine Allen reports, some citizens are uneasy about the county transferring control of Centre Crest.
We talk with two of the speakers in this year's Penn State TEDx conversation series about their "ideas worth sharing." Dannah Gresh is a leader in the evangelical chastity movement. She says the hottest sex is between monogamous married partners. Plus, Penn State professor Nichola Gutgold says it will take imagination, not image, to elect the first woman president.
It all seems like a blur looking back on it. One minute I was throwing my graduation cap in the air and the next minute a moving van was driving away from the place I had called home for more than a decade. My parents had retired and were moving to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, a ski town they had fallen in love with years ago.
State Rep. Kerry Benninghoff has represented the 171st district for 16 years. WPSU's Greg Petersen interviews him about legislation to privatize liquor sales in the Commonwealth, infrastructure funding, and other topics of note in the state legislature.
First-grade teacher Sue Shaffner has read thousands of children's books. She reviews a new personal favorite: Jon Klassen's This is Not My Hat, this year's Caldecott Medal winner.
This evening, right after the sun slips below the western horizon, an unusual sight will be visible, if the weather permits. WPSU's Kristine Allen reports it's a visitor from the far reaches of our solar system. It's a comet.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called community water fluoridation one of the great public health achievements of the 20th century. But critics say fluoridated water is not as safe and not as effective as we've been led to believe. They argue for a consumer's right to choose. Why is water fluoridation controversial? WPSU's Patty Satalia talks with Michael Connett, special projects director of the Fluoride Action Network, a group that opposes water fluoridation. (The PA Dental Association and the PA EPA declined our invitation to talk.) In the second half of the show, WPSU's Kristine Allen talks with NPR's Guy Raz about the expansion of the TED Radio Hour.
The buyer of Hilltop Mobile Home Park, Trinitas Ventures, finally presented its request to the College Township Council to rezone the park to allow for the development of student housing. WPSU's Kate Lao Shaffner reports it was standing room only last night as the council voted to keep the rezoning request alive.
Eat better, feel less stressed, become more productive at work, have more patience, and use your credit card less!? All these things and more have happened to me. Are they the result of having a regular exercise routine as new research I've read claims? I can't prove it, but I believe it! And believing something will work is necessary to making a habit stick, this too according to research.
A candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania stopped in State College Monday evening, to chat with volunteers at the Centre County Democratic Committee office. WPSU's Kristine Allen reports he's a young Bradford County Commissioner.
NPR's Guy Raz, former host of Weekend All Things Considered, debuts this weekend as host of The TED Radio Hour (heard Sunday afternoon at 3:00 on WPSU-FM). WPSU's Kristine Allen speaks with him about this latest twist in his eventful career.
For Black History Month, Eric Ian Farmer reviews The Amistad Rebellion, an account of the slave rebellion at sea that proved pivotal to our country's notions of freedom.
Democrat John Hanger's campaign for Pennsylvania governor began last November, a full two years before the 2014 race. The candidate stopped by Penn State yesterday to speak to a group of student Democrats. WPSU's Kristine Allen was there.
This weekend, revelers celebrated the annual student-created drinking holiday "State Patty's Day." But this year a partnership between the State College borough and some Penn State students and alumni attempted to combat drinking. The partnership paid 34 local bars $5000 each to close their doors Saturday and also implemented some other community initiatives. WPSU intern Cynthia Hill has more.
Where do life and art intersect? We'll talk about that, but firstif you resolved to diet in January, but have already lost interest, you're not alone. Research shows that dieting is a short-lived New Year's resolution. We'll introduce you to a simple, science-based diet that could get you off the dieting treadmill. Our guest is Dr. Barbara Rolls, professor of nutritional sciences and the Helen A. Guthrie Chair in nutrition at Penn State. She's creator and author of The Ultimate Volumetrics Diet, a #1 New York Times Bestselling Diet book.
This is Morning Edition. I'm Mel DeYoung. It's February, Black History Month. And this afternoon, Penn State Altoona is hosting a homemade journey through diversity. WPSU's Kristine Allen reports the Tunnel of Oppression is an interactive exhibit, designed to give the viewer greater awareness of prejudice and intolerance.
I believe that English proficiency is important in my life. I'm from China. English is an important part of our schooling from grade school to university. Some students not only study English in school, they also attend training courses and watch English television. Others just regard it as a task and study it carelessly.
Penn State's annual IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, or THON, concluded yesterday with another record-breaking year. The proceeds benefit Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital's Four Diamonds Fund. WPSU intern Cynthia Hill reports.
The two-time Grammy winning singer Kathy Mattea has never been afraid to push the creative envelope. Her newest albums, "Coal" and "Calling Me Home," are her most personal and daring. Both records pay tribute to her rich alto and to the folk music of her native Appalachia. We'll talk with her about the power of music, her fight to end mountain top removal, and about facing Alzheimer's disease head on.
Rep. Scott Conklin, has represented the 77th district since 2006. WPSU's Greg Petersen interviews him about funding for education, transportation funding, his bill to shrink the size of the Penn State Board of Trustees and other legislation in Harrisburg.
State College Community Theatre will present the muiscal Legally Blonde this weekend. WPSU's Kristine Allen reports as the curtain goes up tonight, a new era begins for the theatre group.
Tonight at Penn State's Eisenhower Auditorium, an internet project becomes a Musical, starring members of the Gay Men's Chours of Los Angeles. WPSU's Kristine Allen reports the show brings a message of hope to teenagers who are bullied because of their sexual orientation.
Terrible things happen in the world. But it's easy to believe bad things only happen to other people, in other places. On December 14, 2012, I lost that naivety. When a shooter walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School, my heart broke.
The state of Pennsylvania has a long history, including housing the one-time capital of the United States. That means many important historical artifacts in the state are very old, and not all are in good shape. That's why the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts has developed a new program called Pennsylvania's Top 10 Endangered Artifacts. WPSU's Emily Reddy talks with the Conservation Center's executive director Ingrid Bogel about the program.
In 1975, Tyrone Werts was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Then, in 2010, after 36 years as a model prisoner, his sentence was commuted by former-Governor Ed Rendell. Today, Werts is a consultant with the Philadelphia Public Defenders Association and with Temple University's Inside-Out Prison Program, a nationally renowned program that takes college students inside prisons to examine crime and justice issues alongside inmates. WPSU's Patty Satalia talked with Werts about his long road out of prison, about Pennsylvania's "life means life" policy, and about his views on our criminal justice system.
Muchacho, by LouAnne Johnson, tells the story of how a boy with a troubled past begins to realize his potential. Our reviewer, Joan Papalia-Eisert, lives in Youngsville, where she grew up with the book's author, LouAnne Johnson.
A play that opens in Altoona tonight deals head-on with the issue of same sex relationships, intolerance and violence. But WPSU's Kristine Allen reports, the play is also a a powerful and touching love story.
Jackie Schoch talks with Anita McDonald. Both women have held the top job at Penn State DuBois. McDonald is just retiring from the chancellor position. Schoch held the position from 1978 to 1990, when it was called Chief Executive Officer. Schoch talks about growing up in DuBois and the challenges she faced while leading the Penn State DuBois campus.
Joe Paterno supporters braved single digit temperatures Tuesday night to mark one year since the former Penn State coach's death. WPSU's Emily Reddy reports several hundred fans attended a vigil to remember Paterno.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In October, we stopped in DuBois. Paula Giffin talked to her mother Joanne Giffin about how she met Paula's father.
The Nittany Valley Symphony gives a family concert this Sunday afternoon in State College. WPSU's Krisitne Allen reports the concert includes a mystery story for narrator and orchestra, written by novelist Lemony Snicket.
Yesterday (Thursday, January 17th), we had a world class pianist, Christopher O'Riley, speaking and performing just outside of WPSU's studios here in the lobby of the Outreach Building at Penn State! WPSU's Kristine Allen reports that tonight (Friday, January 18th) O'Riley will give an eclectic concert, with cellist Matt Haimovitz, in Penn State's Center for the Performing Arts Series.
Bombshell examines the stories and motives of female terrorists. Our reviewer, Paige Deckert, is a PhD candidate at Penn State University Park. She's also a research assistant at the International Center for the Study of Terrorism at Penn State.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In October, we stopped in DuBois. Jenny Lisak talked with Carol Houser, her best friend of 51 years, about their time together in Catholic school, their time working in predominantly male professions, and their current fears about fracking in their town.
In 1975, Tyrone Werts was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. After 36 years as a model prisoner, his sentence was commuted in 2010 by former-Governor Ed Rendell. In part two of our two-part interview, WPSU's Patty Satalia talks with Werts about the men and women serving life terms in Pennsylvania's prisons and about his work with the Philadelphia Public Defenders Association and with Temple University's Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program.
In 1975, Tyrone Werts was convicted of second-degree murder, as an accomplice, and sentenced to life in prison without parole. He spent 36 years at Graterford State Correctional Institution before his sentence was commuted in 2010 by then-Governor Ed Rendell. In part one of a two-part interview, WPSU's Patty Satalia talks with Werts about his long road out of prison, about Pennsylvania's "life means life" policy, and about his thoughts on our criminal justice system.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In October, we stopped in DuBois. Yola Sekula talked with her son Paul about her parents and about how she met the love of her life.
Jerry Sandusky's lawyer is asking for a new trial. He says the defense didn't have adequate time to analyze the more than 12,000 pages of documents from the Attorney General's office and the Grand Jury. WPSU's Emily Reddy reports.
This week at the Pennsylvania Farm Show hundreds of cows, goats and pigs will be shown off. And while you can tell the humans in the winner's circle to "say cheese," it's harder to get the animals to look their best. At last year's Farm Show WPSU's Emily Reddy learned the tricks to photographing livestock from a pro.
I believe hardship presents opportunity. I am a father to three boys, a loving husband to a beautiful wife, and an educator with the awesome responsibility to instruct our youth. But my life hasn't always been so pleasant.
A statewide law requires cars and trucks to give four feet of clearance when passing a bicyclist. Known as the 4-Foot Safe Passing Law, it went into effect this past April. But who really knows about it? WPSU's Patty Satalia hits the road to find out.
WPSU's own Emily Reddy usually hosts BookMark. Today she reviews a book that could be just the thing to help you with your New Year's resolutions: Learn Something New Every Day: 365 Facts to Fulfill Your Life, by Kee Malesky.
On January 2nd, at Penn State's University Park Campus, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett faced questions about the timing of his lawsuit against the NCAA. WPSU's Kristine Allen reports.
Some Stones Shine, by Joseph C. Tarone, follows four brothers who find work in a coal patch after the death of their father. Our reviewer, R. Thomas Berner, is a 9th generation Pennsylvanian from the coal region where the book is set. He's also a retired journalism professor who taught at Penn State for 28 years.
Should Pennsylvania privatize its state-run liquor stores? Supporters say such a move would improve product quality, reduce costs, and help close the state's budget deficit. Opponents say the move is short-sighted; while it would provide a one-time financial boost, it would lead to large-scale layoffs and loss of revenue.
When I first get to know someone, I ask them what type of tea they like. It sounds like a strange icebreaker, I know. But there's more to the subject than meets the eye.
State representative Scott Conklin of Centre County is offering up four bills he says will increase accountability and transparency at Penn State. WPSU's Emily Reddy reports they have the support of at least one member of Penn State's Board of Trustees.
From December 26th to January 7th, nineteen Penn State students will be in Ghana; they'll be working on a water project with a local community. WPSU student intern Kate Lao Shaffner has the story.
We continue our PA People series with a new and intimate profile of one of the people who makes Pennsylvania so interesting. WPSU's Patty Satalia talks with longtime state legislator Camille "Bud" George. The feisty lawmaker retired at the end of November after representing Pennsylvania's 74th district for nearly four decades.
Saturday night, WPSU presents the 2nd annual Winterfest concert, with The Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra, conducted by Douglas Meyer. WPSU's Kristine Allen reports the orchestra will be joined by an accomplished young choir, and a harpist with a fascinating resume.
Residents of Hilltop Mobile Home Park will have to wait a little longer to find out whether they might be able to stay in the park. Last night, about 80 people gathered at the College Township building hoping to hear a verdict on the rezoning of Hilltop. WPSU intern Danielle Matalonis reports the buyer asked for the hearing to be rescheduled.
Residents in two mobile home parks in State College have been told they have to move out. It seems to be a done deal at one of the parks, but residents at the other mobile home park hope they can find a way to stay put. WPSU intern Danielle Matalonis reports.
Major Erik Orient has been a Marine for 22 years. He works for Penn State's Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps. Major Orient reviews After Action: A Cobra Pilot's Journey, by Dan Sheehan. Sheehan is a fellow Marine who came back from Iraq carrying the lingering impacts of war.
Pennsylvania's Governor Tom Corbett faces a December 14th deadline over whether to create a state-run health insurance exchange program -- or leave it to the federal government to create. A requirement of the Affordable Care Act, the online marketplace will help Pennsylvanians compare and buy individual health insurance policies. WPSU's Patty Satalia talks with Antoinette Kraus, the project manager of the Pennsylvania Health Access Network, about what's at stake.
If you tell Frank Warren your secret there's the chance he'll share it with a whole lot of people. Warren is the founder of the website "PostSecret." He was on the Penn State campus last night to talk to students as a part of the Penn State Student Programming Association's Distinguished Speakers Series. WPSU's Emily Reddy spoke with Warren before the event.
According to my parents, I was obsessed with her from the start. My little sister was born just two years and eight months after I was. To me, her arrival didn't mean having to share my parents with someone else; it meant having a friend whenever I wanted.
I believe walking is a natural act, far beyond exercise. While visiting French relatives in March, I twisted my leg skiing and spent the next three weeks limping around Paris. The limping isn't important to this story. The walking is.
Coal is king when it comes to electricity generation in Pennsylvania, and worldwide. But a new book confronts the fuel's supremacy when it comes to human health! WPSU's Patty Satalia talks with the author of The Silent Epidemic: Coal and the Hidden Threat to Health. Author Alan Lockwood is a neurologist and board member of Physicians for Social Responsibility.
Where We Once Gathered: Lost Synagogues of Europe by Andrea Strongwater contains descriptions and colorful illustrations of synagogues destroyed on or around Kristallnacht. The book is reviewed by Linda Short, a Jewish history lecturer at Penn State University Park.
In 2008, college students played a significant role in electing Barack Obama president. WPSU's Kristine Allen went to Penn State's University Park Campus on Election Day to check on turnout.
The Obama and Romney campaigns brought some star power to Central Pennsylvania this weekend to fire-up their volunteers for the final days of the campaign. WPSU's Kristine Allen visited the Obama and Romney campaign offices in State College to hear some high-level campaign surrogates.
The 171st Pennsylvania House District is made up of parts of Centre and Mifflin Counties. The seat has been held by Republican Kerry Benninghoff since 1997. WPSU's Emily Reddy reports this year a Democratic candidate with a famous lineage is trying to win the seat.
The Attorney General race has had all the plot points of a great pulp novel: unproven allegations of a scandal within a scandal, blatantly false attacks and hints of cronyism. At the center, reports Mary Wilson, are two well-pedigreed candidates.
Simple physical tasks have always been difficult for me. Running the bases in softball, climbing the basement stairs, even reaching for something on the top shelf. I couldn't do these everyday activities, because for as long as I can remember I've always had some sort of pain.
On the final day of the Penn State Sexual Abuse Conference, Elizabeth Smart gave the audience a message of hope. WPSU intern Danielle Matalonis reports.
In his latest work, renowned photographer and researcher Richard Ross opens our eyes to the harsh realities of America's juvenile justice system. For his new book," Juvenile In Justice," Ross photographed and interviewed more than 1,000 youths over a five-year period, in juvenile detention facilities across the country. The result is powerful and haunting. WPSU's Patty Satalia talks with Ross, a professor of art at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Foreign policy and American security overseas have taken a more prominent role in this upcoming presidential election, especially the US mission attack in Benghazi, Libya. WPSU intern Kate Lao Shaffner spoke with former ambassador Dennis Jett, a professor in Penn State's School of International Affairs, about key foreign policy issues and about his experiences as a diplomat.
What's left of hurricane Sandy is headed for Central Pennsylvania. WPSU's Kristine Allen speaks with meteorologist Aaron Tyburski of the National Weather Service in State College.
Dead End in Norvelt won the prestigious John Newbery Medal for children's literature in 2012. Our reviewer, Steven Herb, chaired this year's committee to select the companion prize, the Randolph Caldecott Medal for Illustration. He's also a child of the 60s, which is when today's book is set.
A candidate for Vice President recently campaigned in Central Pennsylvania. No, it wasn't Paul Ryan or Joe Biden. It was Cheri Honkala, Vice Presidential candidate from the Green Party, who stopped by our studios to speak with WPSU's Kristine Allen.
The 23rd district in the Pennsylvania Senate includes Bradford, Lycoming, and Sullivan counties and parts of Susquehanna and Union counties. An upstart candidate in Williamsport hopes opposition to fracking will help her knock off an incumbent who's a big supporter of gas drilling. But the task won't be easy for Luana Cleveland. She's running as a Democrat
With the presidential debates in full swing, WPSU-FM will shift focus for one hour on a contest that hits closer to home. Two-term Republican incumbent Glenn Thompson and Democratic challenger Charles Dumas face off in the race for the 5th Congressional district. Who are the candidates? What have they accomplished? And what do they stand for? WPSU's Patty Satalia begins the hour with Democratic challenger Charles Dumas--and we'll be back in the second half of our program to talk with Congressman Glenn Thompson who is seeking a third term in office.
Waterproof, a historical fiction by Judith Redline Coopey, paints the story of a woman who survived the Johnstown flood of 1889. Our reviewer, Denise Holliday Damico, is a professor of history at St. Francis University near Johnstown. Damico specializes in water history and has assigned class projects on the flood.
Jerry Sandusky has been sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison. WPSU's Emily Reddy reports Sandusky continued to maintain his innocence during sentencing.
Sentencing begins Tuesday for Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State football coach who was convicted of molesting ten young boys. Matt Bodenschatz is a 39-year-old Penn State student who became public about his childhood sexual abuse shortly after the Sandusky scandal broke. He talked with WPSU intern Danielle Matalonis about the good and the bad that came out of the scandal.
Sentencing begins this morning for Jerry Sandusky, the former assistant Penn State football coach who was convicted in June of 45 counts related to molesting young boys. WPSU's Emily Reddy reports a de-facto life sentence is expected.
This month marks the 50th anniversary of Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring." The book changed the way we think about pollution and human health and led to the creation of the EPA and to a ban on DDT. What would the Pennsylvania native have to say about hydrofracking? WPSU's Patty Satalia poses that question to biologist, best-selling author and cancer survivor, Sandra Steingraber, who is sometimes referred to as the "new Rachel Carson."
Hearings continue today on the fate of Pennsylvania's controversial new voter ID law. Critics say acquiring a valid ID can be difficult or even impossible for some. For Penn State students the solution could be as easy as a sticker. But WPSU's Emily Reddy says many students don't even know the law exists or what they'll need to vote.
A forum last night on Penn State's University Park campus encouraged Penn State students to vote. WPSU's Kristine Allen reports the evening had plenty of star power.
In October of 1962, the United States was held rapt by the Cuban Missile Crisis. This book tells the story of Navy members who held a little-known, but important job. They took aerial reconnaissance photos over Cuba.
Where can you find Beethoven, banjos, Shakespeare and tap-dancing? In the Center for the Performing Arts Series on Penn State's University Park Campus. WPSU's Kristine Allen has a few highlights of the coming season.
The 2012-2013 season of the Penn State Center for the Perfoming Arts includes a generous helping of classical music, especially chamber and orchestral music by Beethoven. George Trudeau, Director of the Centre for the Performing Arts joins WPSU's Kristine Allen to listen to some of the performers and the music that will be heard this season on Penn State's University Park Campus.
"If you're gonna play all-stars you have to be dedicated." That's what my dad said to me after I found out I made the State College National All-Stars Baseball team. I didn't really know what he meant, but I replied, "Yes, Dad," to appease him.
Small town America is changing. Linda Short reviews Nude Walker, a book about the challenges in one Pennsylvania town when a group of soldiers returns from war. The author, Bathsheba Monk, lives in the Lehigh Valley.
The coming season of concerts by the Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra will include two soloists who are father and daughter, a story about bullying set to music, and PLENTY of Mozart! WPSU's Kristine Allen has this preview.
Around three forty-five on a rainy Saturday morning, I was startled awake by the sound of my pager beeping. As a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician, I can never count on a full night of sleep. I groggily pulled myself out of bed and staggered toward the desk to grab my radio. Our crew was being dispatched to a nearby home where a man was in cardiac arrest.
Joe Posnanski had unprecedented access to Joe Paterno in the last two years of his life. Posnanski set out to write a biography and stumbled on a scandal. This book outlines Paterno's life, including the last turbulent months before the longtime Penn State coach died of lung cancer. State College resident and Penn State grad Jonathan McVerry reviews the book.
Without a queen bee a colony can't produce. For the past several years Colony Collapse Disorder has killed off roughly a third of bees every year. That means a lot of beekeepers who need new queens for their hives. Many of those queen bees are bought by mail-order from breeders in the south. But WPSU's Emily Reddy reports a group of researchers at Penn State wants to see if local bees might be a better idea.
Penn State has announced it will host a national conference on child sexual abuse at the end of October. The event is entitled "Traumatic Impact, Prevention, and Intervention." WPSU's Emily Reddy talked with Kate Staley, a researcher in Penn State's Justice Center for Research and the co-organizer of the conference. (Photo by Patrick Mansell)
Former Penn State President Graham Spanier and his lawyers spoke-out yesterday about the Sandusky scandal and the Freeh Report. WPSU's Kristine Allen has the story.
At a press conference Wednesday, local Democrats charged the Romney/Ryan presidential ticket plans to cut education funding.WPSU's Kristine Allen spoke with Centre County Comissioner Mike Pipe, and Charles Dumas, a Penn State Professor who is the Democratic candidate for US Congress from Pennsylvania's 5th District.
I believe in the movies. I believe in silent films, in talkies, in grainy foreign documentaries. I believe in the Marx brothers, Doris Day, John Wayne, even Tom Cruise.
This is Morning Edition. I'm Mel DeYoung. Yesterday, we took a look at the resurgence of Main Street in Milheim, Pennsylvania. Today, WPSU's Kristine Allen visits a church in the town that has become a recording studio for some local musicians, working to re-imagine songs of a bygone era.
Pennsylvania's controversial voter ID law has passed its first legal challenge. A Commonwealth Court judge has upheld the measure, paving the way for implementation before the November general election. Mary Wilson reports on the polarizing new requirement and the debate that preceded the court opinion.
Marcellus Shale drilling is a subject of interest for many people in Pennsylvania. Our reviewer, Ray Beal, lives in an area that has seen some changes as a result of gas drilling. He reviews an author's account of real people that take on every angle concerning the issue.
Congressman Glenn Thompson and the President of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, Carl Shaffer, hosted a Barnyard Discussion on agriculture policy Tuesday afternoon on the first of Penn State's Ag Progress Days. WPSU intern Danielle Matalonis reports.
Penn State trustees held a meeting last night by conference call. They discussed President Rodney Erickson's decision to accept NCAA sanctions. WPSU's Emily Reddy reports trustees on the call overwhelmingly supported Erickson's actions.
Pennsylania's new Voter ID law has created some confusion for voters. WPSU's Kristine Allen speaks with a Central PA voter grappling with the new rules, and a State Representative trying to help his constituents get up to speed on the law.
The Olympics wrap up on Sunday. Treasure Lake resident Ray Beal shares an ode to a sport that is featured at the games. The Olympics wrap up on Sunday. Treasure Lake resident Ray Beal shares an ode to a sport that is featured at the games.
Last August, Chuck Felton organized a reunion for the Cresson TB Sanatorium. The retired aerospace engineer now living in Texas, spent 16 months at the state-run tuberculosis facility that was located on a remote mountain top outside of Cresson. For more than 50 years, Felton had kept his experience there mostly to himself. Then, in 2009, he decided to create a website to share his story with his two grown children. To his surprise, other TB survivors, staff, and children of patients who died at the facility, came out of the woodwork. They contacted him through letters, emails and phone calls---eager to talk about a subject that had been shrouded in silence too long. WPSU's Patty Satalia attended "The San Reunion," which brought together more than 150 people to reminisce, share stories, and
In 1955, Chuck Felton was seventeen, president of his senior class at Towanda Valley High School in northeastern Pennsylvania, with plans to attend Penn State. Then he was diagnosed with TB--tuberculosis
Lisa Genova has a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard University. In her second novel, she explores a real psychological condition called "left neglect." Our reviewer, Cheryl Bazzoui, explains how the main character deals with losing awareness of the left side of her body.
A State College company has launched a survey to get a look at the core values and priorities of the Penn State community. WPSU's Emily Reddy says the company's CEO hopes the survey will help community leaders and administration figure out how to move forward.
I believe in being a kid. Today's world is full of over-eager parents and competitions to cross the finish line. But where is that finish line? Life is not about breaking through the red ribbon or lapping your peers on the race track. I believe life is about enjoying what you have while you have it.
The Penn State Board of Trustees met last night in State College to discuss NCAA penalties levied against the University. WPSU's Emily Reddy reports after meeting for more then three hours the trustees appear to have come to terms with the sanctions.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Huntingdon. Sue Querry talks with her niece, Zoe Babe. The two talk about what it was like to grow up on a farm in Warriors Mark.
The NCAA handed down penalties against Penn State yesterday morning. It's not the so-called "death penalty," but WPSU's Emily Reddy reports sanctions are severe.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Huntingdon. Pam Grugan talks with her daughter, Cecilia. Pam shares one of their family's many treasured stories about Cecilia's father, Scott, who died of a heart attack seven years ago.
There's now an empty concrete alcove where the statue honoring longtime Penn State football coach Joe Paterno once stood. WPSU's Emily Reddy says the statue was removed early Sunday morning with no advanced warning from University administration.
The beach is a place to enjoy sun, surf, and sandcastles, but what happens when a dragon arrives? Babs Bengtson reviews this playful children's book by Boalsburg author Jodi Moore.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Huntingdon. Nancy Shedd, talks with her brothers, John and Charles Swigart. The siblings reminisce about growing up in Huntingdon and how different life was back then.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Huntingdon. Leo Steinbeiser talks with his older brother, Skip. They reminisce about growing up on a farm in Sinking Valley.
Altoona is having financial problems. Without help, from the state, the city is at risk of not making payroll for city workers. Two political newcomers say they have what it takes to help the city overcome its money issues. They're fighting for a seat in Pennsylvania's 79th District, located in Blair County. WPSU's Patty Satalia begins her report with a look at the situation in Altoona and an introduction of the candidates.
Pennsylvania Dance Theatre will present an unusual, unsettling dance piece at the State Theatre in State College Thursday, July 12th, as part of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. Earlier this week, WPSU's Kristine Allen sat-in on a rehearsal for this powerful performance.
On the eve of the release of the Freeh report, the Paterno family shared an op-ed yesterday they say was written by Joe Paterno less than a month before he died. WPSU's Emily Reddy reports that in the column Paterno defends the integrity of the Penn State football program he guided for decades.
As you whiz by in your car, you may see me. Just a glimpse in your rearview mirror of a middle-aged woman moving up a hill on her bicycle. I say "moving" because it's just as likely that I will be pushing it as riding it. I say "moving" because I will be doing just that
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Huntingdon. Dana Harris talks with her friend, Heidi Averill. Despite their 19-year age difference, the two bonded through their battles with cancer.
The long-awaited Freeh report will be released online Thursday morning at 9 o'clock. WPSU's Emily Reddy says the report explores whether football coach Joe Paterno and other top Penn State officials took steps to conceal that former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was a child molester.
Stanford Lembeck talks with his friend Holly Mollo. Lembeck and Mollo are a part of the synagogue, Agudath Achim of Huntingdon. The two friends helped to create The Center for the Study of Jewish Life in Central Pennsylvania. It's a collaboration of Agudath Achim, Juniata College, and the Juniata College Hillel Association. These groups are collecting and recording stories of Jewish history in central Pennsylvania.
Mischelle Marie, aka KC O'Day, is a local morning radio personality at WALY 103.9. She reviews the debut novel by author Gale Martin, Don Juan in Hankey, PA. Martin will be featured at Schlow Library's upcoming Bookfest PA on July 14th.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Huntingdon. Ross Rager talks with his wife, Michele. The young Huntingdon couple talks about Ross's family, and what he learned growing up on a small farm in Jackson Township.
I place the wide, flat disc on the turntable, close the dusty lid and press "start." The guitar slowly fades in, followed by a loud bell. Finally, the drums break into a groove. Then, as Brad Delp of the band Boston starts to sing, I close my eyes and slip away.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Huntingdon. Three friends, Cloyd Howerton, Stephen Heine, and Robert Blair Stewart, who are all members of the Huntingdon Park and Road Association, talk about their memories of Blair Park. Stewart is a relative of J.C. and Kate Blair, who originally donated the park to the community.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Huntingdon. Carrie VanPelt talks with her friend, Eda Case. After discovering that farm life in Penns Valley was not for her, VanPelt attended Penn State, and later the University of Pennsylvania, to become a nurse.
The jury has returned its verdict in the child sex abuse case against Jerry Sandusky. WPSU's Emily Reddy reports the former Penn State assistant football coach has been found guilty of 45 out of 48 charges.
The jury continues its deliberations today in the child sex abuse trial against Jerry Sandusky. WPSU's Emily Reddy reports that unbeknownst to them new allegations have come out against the former Penn State coach.
Testimony in the child sex abuse trial against Jerry Sandusky has ended. Sandusky did not take the stand to testify on his own behalf. WPSU's Emily Reddy reports.
State College Area High School student Abby Reese reviews the popular teen series Pretty Little Liars. Sara Shepard, the author of the books-turned-TV-show, will be speaking at Schlow Library BookFest PA on July 14th, 2012. Shepard has surprising ties to State College.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Huntingdon. Gene Hoffman talks with her friend, Bonnie Morningstar. They talk about Hoffman's experiences growing up on a farm in Huntingdon.
Dueling psychiatrists took the stand yesterday in the child sex abuse trial against Jerry Sandusky. They followed a string of character witnesses and Sandusky's wife, Dottie. WPSU's Emily Reddy reports.
The judge in the child sex abuse trial against Jerry Sandusky wrapped things up early yesterday because of "technical difficulties" with a witness. But WPSU's Emily Reddy reports the trial is on track for closing arguments to be delivered Thursday morning.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Huntingdon. David Bowen talks with his wife, Reba. They talk about their work in prison ministry.
The judge in the child sex abuse case against former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky has sent jurors home for the week. WPSU's Emily Reddy reports that after four days the prosecution appears to have called all its witnesses.
Last month, a Penn State faculty member won an international piano competition in Orleans, France. Saturday evening, he'll be the guest soloist with the Penns Woods Festival Orchestra, on Penn State's University Park Campus. As part of our "Music Makers" series, WPSU's Kristine Allen speaks with pianist Christopher Guzman.
The Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse trial is nearing the end of its first week. The judge now says the prosecution will be done with its case ahead of schedule, by Friday. WPSU's Emily Reddy reports three new alleged victims took the stand yesterday. A word of caution, this story contains graphic description.
I believe in writing. Not newspaper reporting, or composing essays for class, or informational writing but inspirational writing. I believe in telling a story.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Huntingdon. Greg Anderson talks with co-worker, Priscilla Gibboney. Anderson and his wife, Jessie, started a popular coffee shop in Huntingdon, called the Standing Stone Coffee Company, where Gibboney is now a barista.
Gerardo Edelstein, Music Director of Music at Penns Woods joins WPSU's Kristine Allen for an hour-long special. It features music from the 2012 season of Music at Penns Woods orchestra concerts.
The first day of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse trial included opening statements and questioning of the first of the alleged victims. WPSU's Emily Reddy reports.
A standoff is underway at the Riverdale Mobile Home Park on the outskirts of Jersey Shore. Just over three months ago residents were told they had to leave. The park has been sold and the new owner plans to put in a water withdrawal facility to service nearby fracking activities. WPSU's Emily Reddy reports the deadline to move has passed, but a few holdouts say they have nowhere to go.
June 16th is a little-known holiday. For fans of classic literature, it marks a day for commemorating Ulysses, a work by James Joyce. Kate Hoffman, a State College Area High School English teacher, has been participating in "Bloomsday" for years. She reviews the book in honor of this year's upcoming celebration.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Huntingdon. Andrew Murray talks with his former co-worker, Liz Widman. In 1985, Dr. Murray founded the Baker Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies at Juniata College.
Late in the day on Tuesday, June 5th, 2012, Venus will pass in front of the sun. This transit will not happen again for more than a century. WPSU's Kristine Allen reports on an alignment of science and art that pays tribute to this rare astronomical event. (For information on transit watch events, please visit the community calendar at WPSU.org.)
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Huntingdon. Annie Wishard talks with her employee, Julie Price. They talk about the Gage Mansion in Huntingdon. Wishard lives in the mansion and runs her business out of it. And she says it's haunted.
I just finished my sophomore year at Penn State. The school boasts thousands of students, hundreds of clubs and an endless number of opportunities. With all those choices, you may wonder how I managed to achieve anything in college. Well I'll tell you how: I'm a firm believer in indecision.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Huntingdon. Siblings Mimi Isett, Charles Stewart and Susan Cipar talk about their mother who died recently at the age of 106 and their uncle who died a few years ago at 101. The three reminisce as they take a break from cleaning out their mother's house.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Huntingdon. Mary Ann Buckley talks with her uncle and aunt, Dean and Betty Grove. They talk about growing up in the Huntington area, and how they met in the local grange, which is an organization for farmers.
There's a World Premiere this weekend at the State Theatre in State College. It's an unorthodox way of presenting favorite songs by Gilbert & Sullivan. WPSU's Kristine Allen reports on the Nittany Theatre Company's new musical comedy.
WPSU's Kristine Allen, our arts and culture reporter, reviews a book about why we do what we do. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg looks at how habits are created and how we can change them.
Douglas Stiffler, a Chinese history professor from Juniata College talks with Mao Xiaoyu who is a student from China. Mao is interested in politics, and has discovered an admiration for a 1950's Chinese student leader named Lin Zhao. The day before coming to America, Mao even took a trip to visit her grave.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Huntingdon. Herman Nagle talks with his son Roy Nagle. They talk about Herman's experience growing up in Altoona during World War II.
I believe in penny loafers, plaid skirts, navy blue stockings and white Oxfords. I used to sigh each morning as I threw on the same school uniform every day, wishing I could wear something more comfortable to school. I never had to worry about dressing to impress in a small all-girls Catholic high school.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Huntingdon. Robert Wagoner talks with his former student Sarah Worley. They talk about Wagoner's years of teaching and his close encounter with medieval Russian icons.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. In March, we stopped in Huntingdon. Eugene Goshorn talks with his wife Alberta Goshorn. They talk about Goshorn's childhood memories with his grandfather, who died of silicosis after years of working in a local brickyard.
Since 1938, the American Library Association has awarded a Caldecott Medal to the year's best American picture book for children. This year, Penn State's Steven Herb chaired the committee that reviewed more than 1,200 books to select this year's winner, a wordless picture book titled "A Ball for Daisy." WPSU's Patty Satalia picks up the story at one of Penn State's child care centers.
I believe that a woman's place is in the home. Now don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting that women shouldn't work or that men shouldn't help out around the house. But I believe that the woman is the one who makes the house a home. No matter how humble or how grand, it's the feminine touch that makes the difference.
WPSU's Patty Satalia CONTINUES her conversation with Penn State alum, Dr. Janet Rosenzweig, the interim executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Pennsylvania. Her new book is The Sex-Wise Parent: The Parent's Guide to Protecting Your Child, Strengthening Your Family, and Talking to Kids about Sex, Abuse and Bullying.
April is Child Abuse Awareness Month. Having the "sex talk" with your kids doesn't have to be a scary or awkward event and could save them from serious harm. WPSU's Patty Satalia talks with Penn State alum, Dr. Janet Rosenzweig, the interim executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Pennsylvania. Her new book is The Sex-Wise Parent: The Parent's Guide to Protecting Your Child, Strengthening Your Family, and Talking to Kids about Sex, Abuse and Bullying.
Since January, Penn State students have worked with members of the State College community to complete the town's newest mural. The Colors of Music community mural will be installed on the side of Jezebel's Boutique, near the intersection of Garner Street and College Avenue. Student intern Rosemary Santarelli reports.
Susan Vreeland's latest novel, Clara and Mr. Tiffany, is this year's selection for One Book Bradford, a community reading event. As part of the event, Vreeland will visit the Pitt Bradford campus on Tuesday, May 1st at 7:30 pm.
The winner of WPSU's annual "Art for the Airwaves" contest this spring is Alyson Leach of Galeton, Pennsylvania. WPSU's Kristine Allen paid a visit to the town where Leach has a home, gallery and studio
Tuesday, April 24th is primary day in Pennsylvania. In Rush Township, Centre County, voters will decide whether a commission should be formed to study the question of adopting a home rule charter in the township. WPSU's Kristine Allen explains the effort began with concerns over Marcellus Shale gas wells.
Welcome to Joe Paterno in his own words. I'm Steve Jones. For 32 years I covered and worked around Joe Paterno including 20 seasons on the Penn State Sports Networkthe last 12 seasons as the play-by-play announcer. What you are about hear are personal interviews and press conferences I saved over the years as well as play-by-play of his greatest moments courtesy of the Penn State Sports Network a property of Learfield Sports.
In June of 2009, I went with my family to Key Largo, Florida for a vacation. We headed out into the emerald waves nearby to go SCUBA diving. As we skimmed across the choppy water, I felt a mix of emotions. I was excited to try SCUBA diving for the first time, nervous to put my skills to the test, and anxious about the possible dangers of diving. Strong gusts of wind greeted our boat as we reached the spot our dive would start. The rapid slap of waves against the hull synced perfectly with my racing heartbeat.
Ever since it became an elected position in 1980, Pennsylvania's attorney general has always been a Republican. David Freed is hoping that doesn't change. The Cumberland County District Attorney is the GOP's candidate for the state's top law enforcement officer. Freed spoke to Pennsylvania Public Radio's Mary Wilson about why he's qualified for the job, and what his priorities would be if he were elected.
Patrick Murphy is one of two candidates this year hoping to become the first elected Democratic state attorney general. The former Bucks County Congressman sat down with Pennsylvania Public Radio's Mary Wilson to explain why he's running for the job, and what is his vision for the office.
Kathleen Kane is a former Lackawanna County prosecutor and one of the Democratic candidates running for the state attorney general. Pennsylvania Public Radio's Mary Wilson spoke to Kane about her candidacy and her qualifications for being the state's next chief prosecutor.
Americans have turned up their noses at the hamburger additive officially known as Lean Finely Textured Beef, now infamously called Pink Slime. Technically it IS beef, just not what consumers generally think of as beef. A celebrity chef's televised expose about the amonia-treated beef scraps set off consumer outcry, prompting supermarkets nationwide to stop selling the stuff. So, what's all the fuss about? WPSU's Patty Satalia begins her report at the meat case in the State College Wegmans.
Our reviewer, Linda Short, is an avid mystery reader. Her latest endorsement in the genre goes to writer Harry Dolan. She reviews his first novel, Bad Things Happen. The sequel, Very Bad Men, is out now.
The judge overseeing the child sex abuse case against Jerry Sandusky has denied requests by the defense that all 52 charges against the 68-year-old former Penn State assistant football coach be dismissed. But WPSU's Emily Reddy reports there are likely to be additional dismissal motions before the trial begins.
The judge in the trial of Jerry Sandusky wants to hold off on debating the merit of charges against the former Penn State assistant football coach. As WPSU's Emily Reddy reports, that's because of investigations that are still underway.
We continue our PA People series with a new and intimate profile of some of the people who make Pennsylvania so interesting. WPSU's Patty Satalia visited the former Centre Hall SPCA to talk with longtime friends and animal advocates, Deb Warner and Cheryl Sharer. The two co-founded Pets Come First, the new SPCA.
When I was 10 years old, my grandfather died. I was so sad and cried for a long time. But then I remembered a promise I made to my grandfather. Even now, I believe that keeping the promise is my duty.
The crowded field of Republican U.S. Senate candidates vying for their party's nomination in Pennsylvania's April 24th primary are trying to prove their conservative credentials. Mary Wilson reports several had a chance to persuade those on hand at this past weekend's gathering of small government activists.
First there's a hushed suggestion. Then, the grandchildren start to whine. As my mother tries to calm everyone, my dad puts down the paper and issues the decree. We hold our breaths, fingers crossed.
A Marcellus Shale Impact fee years in the making is now law. WPSU's Emily Reddy talked with StateImpact Pennsylvania's Scott Detrow, who has been covering the legislation, about what happens now. Centre County Commissioners are expected to vote April 3 on whether to enact the Marcellus Shale Impact fee.
Legendary Irish Singer Mary Black talks to Folk Show host Art Wachter about her new CD "Stories from the Steeples," including her collaboration with Janis Ian and Finbar Furey.
On the eve of St. Patrick's Day, we start a new series on WPSU, called Music Makers. WPSU's Kristine Allen visits an Irish jam session in Central Pennsylvania, and talks with a musician who's helping Irish music thrive in the area.
The author of The Book Thief, Markus Zusak, will speak at the Mt. Nittany Middle School auditorium via Skype video call Tuesday, March 20th, at 7 pm. WPSU's Patty Satalia will moderate. You can find more information about Centre County Reads and other upcoming events at www.centrecountyreads.org.
The Penn State board of trustees released a statement yesterday to further explain their rationale for the dismissal of Joe Paterno as head coach last November. Later in the day the Paterno family issued a response. WPSU's Emily Reddy reports.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. The first stop was in Bradford, in McKean County. Justin Willoughby talks with his friend Josh Hatcher. They talk about Willoughby's long struggle to lose weight, about 600 pounds so far.
We continue our Pennsylvania People series with a new and intimate profile of one of the people who makes Pennsylvania so interesting. WPSU's Patty Satalia caught up with Daniel Clemson at the Train Station Office of the Bellefonte Area Chamber of Commerce. Clemson is a leading authority on the world-renowned vocal group, The Mills Brothers, who trace their roots to Bellefonte.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. The first stop was in Bradford, in McKean County. Dick McDowell, the President of Pitt-Bradford from 1973 to 2002, talks with his long time colleague Jim Evans. Evans is currently the Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs at the university. They talk about Tullah Hanley, an early benefactor of the university and quite a character.
This past August, Act 7 of 2011 went into effect in Pennsylvania. The new law bans the sale or possession of synthetic marijuana and other so-called "designer drugs." Last week, State police raided three State College stores and seized thousands of items suspected of containing Schedule 1 Controlled Substances. WPSU's Patty Satalia files this report.
This is the time of year when many Community Supported Agriculture Farms, or "CSA's" are selling shares for the coming growing seasons. WPSU's Kristine Allen visited a CSA Fair in State College this week to get the lowdown on this growing practice.
Our reviewer, Nancy Eaton, helps kick off Women's History Month by sharing a book about a Penn State alumna who worked in the Nixon administration. The book, A Matter of Simple Justice, premiers on March 8th at a Women's History Month event at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.
The Acoustic Brew concert series in State College is celebrating 20 years of bringing folk artists from around the country to perform in Central Pennsylvania. WPSU's Kristine Allen has the story of a community of volunteers who keep the concert series thriving
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. The first stop was in Bradford, in McKean County. Christina Siewe, who was born in Cameroon, talks with her friend Tammy Haley about their experiences volunteering at a health clinic in Siewe's hometown. Siewe helped create the clinic and it's run by her sister.
In 2009, Michael Mann was accused of manipulating research findings to strengthen the case that human activity is causing global warming. Mann, and other researchers, were subsequently cleared of all charges. WPSU's Patty Satalia talks with the Penn State Professor about his new book, The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars. It's a personal account of what he describes as an aggressive and ongoing assault on climate science
I believe in books. Reading books became one of my hobbies on the day my mother led me to the library in our village and introduced me to the librarian. At that time I was a fourth grader and it was my first visit to the library. The librarian showed me a thin red book. The title of the book was "Arbi." At first, I didn't want to read it because it seemed boring. But, I took it home anyway. I didn't have any interest in reading until I got that book. It was so interesting that I couldn't get my eyes from its pages.
Penn State's annual theatre festival, "Cultural Conversations", presents a theatre piece by high school and college students titled Body Language 2012: LGBT Citizens & Allies Asking & Telling. WPSU's Kristine Allen reports that the show uses video, dance, music and monolouges to foster understanding of the gay community.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. The first stop was in Bradford, in McKean County. Cheryl Bazzoui talks with her granddaughter Stephanie Cleveland.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. The first stop was in Bradford, in McKean County. Cliff Hastings talks about some of his childhood memories, including a visit to Bradford by the circus.
Themes of war and peace are at the heart of an exhibit this month at the Bellefonte Art Museum. WPSU's Kristine Allen reports it's an exhibit that combines art and poetry to help us heal from the wounds of war.
Today, a State College Area High School teacher arrives in Antarctica to begin a five-week research project with the environmental outreach program, PolarTREC. Nell Herrmann was one of only 12 U.S. teachers to earn a spot on the research team. WPSU's Patty Satalia visited with Herrmann and her students last week and files this report.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. The first stop was in Bradford, in McKean County. To celebrate Valentine's Day, a story that shows love can strike twice. Marcia Daly McAndrew interviews her mother Rita Daly Hogan about the great loves of her life.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. The first stop was in Bradford, in McKean County. Last week, Robert Fair was interviewed by his wife Tracy Keppel. Now they turn the tables. Tracy talks about her Irish grandparents and her lifelong love of horses.
The Obama re-election campaign opened a new office this week in State College. WPSU's Kristine Allen visits the opening and speaks with the campaign's National Press Secretary, Ben LeBolt.
We continue our Pennsylvania People series with a new and intimate profile of one of the people who makes Pennsylvania so interesting. WPSU's Patty Satalia visits with Thom Brewster, executive director of CentrePeace. Most people know it as a place that restores and sells used furniture, but Brewster sees it as a place that restores prisoner's lives.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. The first stop was in Bradford, in McKean County. Robert Fair talks with his wife Tracy Keppel. Fair started his degree in Psychology at Pitt Bradford, where this recording took place.
Penn State's annual Celebration of African American Music Festival continues Friday and Saturday, February 3rd and 4th, on the University Park campus. WPSU's Kristine Allen has the story of one very influential African American composer whose music will be played in-concert Friday Night.
Semhar Mengisteab, a high school student from State College, recommends a novel that will help you commemorate Black History Month, which begins this week.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. The first stop was in Bradford in McKean County. Cheryl Bazzoui talks with her father, Robert Himes, about his life, including his time in World War Two.
The Penn State Law School's new TV series, "World on Trial," premieres on public television stations beginning January 31st. The best legal minds in the world argue both sides of sharply contested human rights issues and live juries from throughout the globe render their verdicts! WPSU's Patty Satalia talks with Randall Robinson, the acclaimed human rights advocate and law professor who conceived and hosts the ground-breaking program.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. The first stop was in Bradford, Pennsylvania in McKean County. Rebecca Billings talks with her friend Margie Holland about her lifetime involvement in girls' sports.
In State College yesterday, some 12,000 people turned out for the memorial of long-time Penn State football coach Joe Paterno. WPSU's Emily Reddy reports mourners trekked in through the rain to fill Bryce Jordan Center for the memorial.
My mother was a great believer in "paying attention." She didn't need to say, "be careful crossing the street" or "watch out for strangers," or "drive carefully." PAY ATTENTION! covered all situations. The way she said it got your attention, and I still hear her voice in my head, 15 years after she's gone.
Students, alumni and fans gathered to say a final goodbye to a legend yesterday. WPSU's Emily Reddy reports that thousands of people lined the route of Joe Paterno's funeral procession yesterday.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. The first stop was in Bradford, Pennsylvania in McKean County. Fred Young talks with his son Jeffrey. They talk about the first time Fred met Forest Dorn, an oil tycoon in Bradford. It was in the early 1940s.
A public viewing was held for Joe Paterno Tuesday in Pasquerilla Spiritual Center on Penn State's University Park Campus. WPSU's Kristine Allen has this report.
Storyteller and comedian Mike Daisey is in central Pennsylvania for two very different performances. WPSU's Greg Petersen interviewed Daisey about them.
A steady stream of mourners visited the bronze Joe Paterno statue outside Beaver Stadium yesterday. WPSU's Emily Reddy gathered this remembrance from those who went to pay homage to the legendary Penn State football coach.
A South African composer/choreographer , Penn State student dancers, and PSU theatre professor Charles Dumas will collaborate Sunday night to present a story of racism and reconciliation. WPSU's Kristine Allen reports on a new theatre piece with a powerful message.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. The first stop was in Bradford, Pennsylvania in McKean County. Mary Rose Cuiffini talks with her granddaughter Jill Smith. They start by talking about how Cuiffini's family came to Bradford.
Saturday afternoon, January 21st on radio and in select theatres, the Metropolitan Opera will present a new production that's the first of its kind for the Met. WPSU's Kristine Allen gets the inside story from the Met, through a Penn State connection.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. The first stop was in Bradford, Pennsylvania in McKean County. Naomi Carlson talks with her friend Fred Patterson, also known as Buzz. They were childhood friends growing up in Bradford in the 1930s and 40s.
On Martin Luther King Day, actor and playwright Barry Scott brings his one-man show about Dr. King to Penn State, University Park. Scott talks with WPSU's Kristine Allen about the play, and about his own life-changing experience during the Civil Rights Era.
Tony Gaskew talks with his former criminal justice student Timothy Rooke. Gaskew worked in law enforcement for years before becoming a professor at Pitt Bradford. Rooke is now a police officer at the school. Gaskew talks about his early life and how he got his start in law enforcement.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. The first stop was in Bradford, Pennsylvania in McKean County. Richard Marcott talks with his daughter Kimberley Weinberg. They talk about Marcott's father.
Richard Biever is a rofessional actor, singer, composer, teacher and long time State College resident. He's also the new Executive Director of the State Theatre. He talks with WPSU's Kristine Allen about the future of this community arts venue in downtown State College.
In my last year of high school, I had a lot of responsibilities. I could hardly keep my eyes open during my classes because I only slept three hours every night. After school, I had to practice the play, "Mamma Mia!" for my school festival. After that, I went to a special school to cram for the entrance examination for college. I thought I was like a clock: I'd always keep working and never stop. But that year, I learned to slow down and trust others to help me.
State Senator Jake Corman represents the 34th Senatorial District, which includes Juniata, Perry and portions of Centre, Mifflin and Union Counties. Now in his fourth term, he's chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. This past December, WPSU's Patty Satalia talked with him about state funding for Penn State, his legislative priorities and about life in politics.
WPSU is traveling to towns across central and northern Pennsylvania to collect oral history recordings. The first stop was in Bradford, Pennsylvania in McKean County. Mary Rae talks with her friend and former co-worker Patrick Ryan. They talk about their work at Futures, a rehabilitation center that provides sheltered employment to individuals with disabilities.
As a busy college student, I'm realizing free time is a rare gift. I spend my days running from class to class, to my part-time job as a customer service rep, to the radio show I host or to my THON organization's functions. My mind is constantly bursting with thoughts about my obligations, but I always have something to look forward to: my afternoon nap.
Cheryl Bazzoui, an author and Bradford resident, reviews a young adult Christmas novel. Christmas with Tucker, by Greg Kincaid, is about a young boy struggling through his first Christmas after the death of his father with the help of a neighbor's dog.
The boom in natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale has profoundly affected the economy in drilling areas in Pennsylvania. Some locals are finding jobs in the industry. Some have sold their gas rights and become millionaires. And some have been priced out of their homes by an influx of drillers. WPSU's Emily Reddy takes us to a county in northern Pennsylvania that has opened its first-ever homeless shelter.
For as much as I can remember of my 12-year-old life, my family and I have gathered to listen to stories from our Hindu mythology. We get together every other Sunday with members of the Indian community in State College. This "Story Hour" is made to help children, and even adults, stay connected with Indian traditions and culture.
When the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board was established in 1933, its purpose, according to then-Governor Gifford Pinchot, was to "discourage the purchase of alcoholic beverages by making it as incovenient and expensive as possible." In the last 40 years, three governors have tried
Jerry Sandusky has waived his right to a preliminary hearing. He's now headed straight to trial on 52 counts of child sexual abuse. WPSU's Emily Reddy reports.
Paige Cooperstein, a Penn State University Park student, reviews Rebecca Rasmussen's debut novel. Rasmussen received one of her Master of Fine Arts Degrees at Penn State.
Hydraulic fracturing produces vast quantities of salty water called brine. Until recently, a lot of this brine ended up in rivers and streams, where it eventually posed a danger to drinking water. Pennsylvania thought it solved this problem by keeping this waste out of treatment plants. But as The Allegheny Front's Reid Frazier and Ann Murray found, the problem hasn't gone away. Scientists are scrambling to find out why, and what to do about it.
Members of the Penn State Faculty Senate were split yesterday on whether to allow a vote of "no confidence" against the university's Board of Trustees. WPSU'S Emily Reddy reports that while the measure didn't get enough support to proceed yesterday, it will be considered.
I believe in wearing mismatched socks. But it took me a while to get to this belief. When I was in 3rd grade, I had a nagging need to be perfect. It began with my grades, but as I got older I started getting desperate to have a perfect life as well. Needless to say, my socks had to match. By high school my need to be perfect became even more intense.
In the wake of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal, student groups hosted a panel of university administrators on the Penn State University Park campus. WPSU's Emily Reddy reports, university president Rodney Erickson and seven vice presidents answered questions from an all-student audience for two hours.
Looking for a great book about food this Thanksgiving? Anthony Bourdain called this novel, "Outstanding!" Let our reviewer, Sheila Squillante, tell you more about this culinary journey that travels from India to France.
It's estimated that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday. Recent events at Penn State have sparked national attention around this issue, which is typically shrouded in silence and too often unreported. WPSU's Patty Satalia talks with Dr. Andi Taroli of Penn State's Hershey Medical Center. Dr. Taroli is one of the country's very few pediatricians board certified in Child Abuse Pediatrics.
Allegations against former Penn State football coach, Jerry Sandusky, have survivors of child abuse and child abuse advocates speaking out. Peter Pollard of Hatfield, Massachusetts is both a survivor and an advocate. He's the Western Massachusetts Area Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests. And he's the Training and Outreach Director for 1in6. 1in6 works with men who were abused in childhood. The non-profit group gets its name from the number of men researchers estimate are sexually abused before the age of 18. Pollard was motivated by the events of the past weeks to write this commentary.
Penn State Public Broadcasting and host Patty Satalia broadcast a special live one-hour radio program following Sunday's installment of This American Life, which is featuring Penn State in the episode, "Back to Penn State." This is a re-broadcast of the December, 2009 episode, "#1 Party School," with new interviews recorded this past week with Penn State fans and loyalists trying to make sense of the current crisis. Satalia, Michael B?rub?, Damon Sims and Penn State student Rowan Nasser discussed the reactions and responses to the events unfolding at Penn State during the past two weeks and the steps the University will take to move forward.
With the graphic grand jury report and heavy media coverage, it's hard for those in the State College area to avoid details of the child sex abuse allegations against Jerry Sandusky. WPSU's Emily Reddy reports mental health professionals are working hard to help the community
