Gazette The Centre County
www.CentreCountyGazette.com
Holiday hosts
The State College Area High School girls’ basketball team came up short in overtime but bounced back to capture third place at the Kiwanis Holiday Classic last weekend./Page 14
January 2-8, 2014
Volume 6, Issue 1
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O’Brien’s fate remains uncertain By CHRIS MORELLI
editor@centrecountygazette.com
UNIVERSITY PARK — As Centre County flipped the calendars to 2014, Penn State University prepared to lose its head football coach. As of presstime Tuesday, O’Brien was being courted by the Houston Texans of the National Football League. There are currently six head coaching openings in the NFL, but the Texans appear to be the front-runner for O’Brien’s services. Chris Mortensen of ESPN reported on Monday’s “NFL Live” that a deal between O’Brien and the Texans was “imminent.” The Texans have also interviewed former Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith. Texans owner Bob McNair declined to interview San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator and former Arizona head coach Ken Whisenhunt after the Chargers made
the postseason. If O’Brien leaves, there will be a number of candidates to choose from to lead the Nittany Lions into 2014. Some of the names that have been mentioned include former Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano, who was fired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday after two seasons. Another name that has circulated is Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin. Penn State might make a run at former Nittany Lion Mike Munchak, although he is still employed as head coach of the Tennessee Titans. O’Brien drew interest from the NFL last year, but turned down all offers. During his first two seasons as head coach, he compiled a 15-9 record in spite of NCAA sanctions and scholarship limitations. In 2012, the Lions went 8-4. This past season, they finished 7-5 but posted signa-
ture wins over Michigan at Beaver Stadium and Wisconsin in Madison. There have been conflicting reports about O’Brien’s intentions. On Saturday, the Harrisburg Patriot-News reported that Erik Hackenberg, father of Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg, said that he believed O’Brien was staying put. “Coach has talked to Christian and they’ve had their own conversation,” Erik told the Patriot-News. “He asked Christian for it to stay between to the two of them so that’s what’s going to happen. He’s talked to Bill and we’re comfortable with where it stands.” One of O’Brien’s top recruits for next season, defensive tackle Thomas Holley of Brooklyn, N.Y., talked to reporters at the Penn State website Lions247.com on Saturday. He told them O’Brien wasn’t headed to Houston. O’Brien, Page 5
State College woman publishes her ‘love story’
Centre County VA office in need of drivers By CHRIS MORELLI
editor@centrecountygazette.com
BELLEFONTE — If you have some time on your hands during the day, the Centre County Veterans Affairs office could use your help. The Centre County VA office is in dire need of drivers to take Centre County Veterans to the VA Hospital in Altoona. According to Gerald Lyons, the number of drivers has dwindled through the years. “We just need volunteer drivers to transport the men and women to doctor’s appointments or dental appointments, whatever they need to do,” said Lyons, who also oversees the Veteran’s Assistance Fund for Centre County Vets. The Centre County VA office supplies the van and the gas, Lyons said. “We have a gas card,” he explained, “so there’s no cost to the driver at all.” Drivers have to be trained before they are cleared to drive the van, however. “Training isn’t hard. (Drivers) have to get a physical just so they know you’re fit to drive (the van),” Lyons said. “It’s really pretty simple.” Drivers, Page 3
By BRIANNA BLAIR correspondent@centrecountygazette.com
Opinion ............................. 6 Health & Wellness ............. 7
Typhoon, Page 4
Story, Page 5
Submitted photo
Bellefonte native rode out Philippines’ typhoon as Peace Corps volunteer By SAMI HULINGS
CHRIS MORELLI/The Gazette
ate strong friendships and global awareness about the way other people live and the challenges they face.” During Clouser’s application process, she was able to state preferences about where she would like to volunteer in the world, but she didn’t have a preference. Instead, she simply wanted to go wherever she would be the most useful. She was originally nominated for sub-Saharan Africa, but the official invitation she received listed the Philippines as her assigned location. This was the perfect fit, as Clouser has ties to the country. “I think I would have been happy with any country in the world, but the Philippines was especially exciting since my cousin was adopted from the Philippines,” she said. “Turns out my site is only about two hours from where he was adopted.”
STATE COLLEGE — Time is precious and true love is rare. Whether it’s early or later in life, love can take you by the hand and lead you on an unexpected journey. For Kathy and Chris Brown, of State College, their love story was one that was tragically cut short. However, as Kathy will tell you, love never dies. Chris worked at Penn State University as the director of network operations and data systems technology information manager at the graduate school. He also served in the Air Force and the Army National Guard, and he had an affinity for KATHY BROWN placing objects inside bottles to create works of art known as “impossible bottles.” Chris also was a skilled athlete and guitarist, and had a passion for extreme sports, including his avid involvement with the Happy Valley Skydivers. At the age of 52, Chris was fatally injured during a skydiving accident in which his main parachute became tangled and his emergency chute did not deploy. Following Chris’ death, Kathy wanted to make sure that his cherished bottle hobby would not be forgotten. She recently published a combination of a how-to book and a love story called “A Love Story of Impossible Bottles.” Kathy is originally from China and has lived in the United States since 1986. She is currently the IT manager at Penn State University. Chris and Kathy were married for only seven months. Chris’s mother, Joy Brown, said she saw the love Chris and Kathy had for each other. “I believe they had in seven months what some people may never have in a
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Bellefonte native Melissa Clouser joined the Peace Corps and traveled to the Philippines to teach. She said she never realized the impact she’d have on children’s lives.
shulings@centrecountygazette.com
CALLING ALL DRIVERS: According to Gerald Lyons of Lyons Kennels in Bellefonte, the Centre County Veterans Affairs office is in dire need of drivers to take veterans to medical appointments.
TIM WEIGHT/For The Gazette
WANTED MAN: For the second consecutive season, NFL teams have come calling for Bill O’Brien. O’Brien was 15-9 in two seasons at Penn State.
Melissa Clouser, a 24-year-old Bellefonte native and Penn State art education graduate, has always been interested in different cultures. A study abroad experience in Florence, Italy, fueled this desire to explore the world and its people. This, combined with her wish to assist those who are not as privileged as most Americans created a post-graduation goal — help those in need around the world. So, during her senior year, Clouser decided to join the Peace Corps. “I was in my last year of college at Penn State and figured post-graduation would be the perfect time to give two years of my life to serve in a developing country,” she said. “By living and working in a different culture where we’re able to learn all about another group of people, we’re able to cre-
Education .......................... 8 Community .................. 9-11
Centre Spread ............ 12, 13 Sports .......................... 14-16
Arts & Entertainment .17, 18 What’s Happening .......... 18
Group Meetings .............. 19 Puzzles ............................. 20
Business ...................... 21, 22 Classified ......................... 23