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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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.

Over 100 people – some dressed in green – attended the “Green Forum” in State College Sunday afternoon to hear three experts talk about climate change. Of them was a Pulitzer-prize winning scientist Dr. Richard Alley. WPSU intern Cynthia Hill reports.

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…