THE CENTRE COUNTY
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GAZETTE www.CentreCountyGazette.com
The State College Spikes opened the 2013 season this week. There are plenty of new names and faces as the club changes its affiliation from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the St. Louis Cardinals./Page 17
June 20-26, 2013
Volume 5, Issue 25
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Parking rates set to change in August By NATHAN PIPENBERG correspondent@centrecountygazette.com
STATE COLLEGE — Come August, downtown shoppers will likely have an easier time finding a parking spot in the evening, but they will find themselves feeding meters for the added convenience. These changes are the result of the State College Borough Council’s Monday night meeting, when council voted to approve an ordinance that will extend meter enforcement to 10 p.m. and increase parking rates in downtown garages to $1 per hour. The ordinance also creates incentives for downtown patrons to park in garages instead of on the street, and enacts higher penal-
ties on those who repeatedly park illegally. The changes include discounts in the parking garage rates, which drop to 50 cents per hour from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m. There will also be a night pass available for the garages, which allow access from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. for $25 per month. Parking rates in the borough lots — the Beaver Avenue lot, the Allen Street lot and the McAllister Deck — will remain the same, as will fines for parking illegally. For anyone with fewer than 24 violations, fines will remain $6 if paid within three days. However, fines for chronic offenders will increase dramatically. After 25 violations, fines increase to $25, and after 50, fines increase to $50. This update is designed to change
the behavior of commuters who racked up countless tickets while treating parking fines as a $6, allday pass, said borough parking manager Charles DeBow. The new parking regulations are the result of a proposal from the Downtown Improvement District and impact studies by the State College Parking office. A primary goal of the new rates is to increase the number of parking spaces available to residents looking to eat dinner or shop in the evening, said council member Ron Filippelli. Currently, parking meters are nearly all in use after 6 p.m., said Debow, citing a study that tracked the use of 50 parking meters using electronic sensors. The
Parking, Page 4
CHRIS MORELLI/The Gazette
PAY UP: Janis Gilham, of Philipsburg, pays for parking at the Pugh Street parking garage in downtown State College.
FaithCentre announces Bellefonte residents plans to open new location rally to save parade By CHRIS MORELLI
By MARJORIE S. MILLER
editor@centrecountygazette.com
mmiller@centrecountygazette.com
BELLEFONTE — Nicole Summers, executive director of FaithCentre in Bellefonte, doesn’t think the need for food assistance will decline any time soon. “I think it’s going to continue to increase,” she said. To respond to growing demands, the nonprofit outreach center plans to open a new location for its food pantry later this year. To be located at 131 S. Allegheny St., the new location will occupy about 6,000 square feet, and will also house the pet food pantry for Centre County. As a special commemoration of the new space, and in honor of its 10th anniversary this year, FaithCentre will host a celebration on June 22 at the South Allegheny Street location, which will feature a worship service and public open house, Summers said. The service will begin at 2:30 p.m., followed by the open house portion of the event, which will feature tours and snacks, and will give the public an opportunity to see what the new food bank will look like, she said. The new location, which FaithCentre purchased on June 3, is anticipated to open in October or November, Summers said. Until then, services will continue at the food pantry’s current location at 110 W. High St. Last month, FaithCentre’s food bank fed 826 peo-
TIM WEIGHT/For The Gazette
GOTTA HAVE FAITH: FaithCentre in Bellefonte is in the process of opening a new location for its food pantry. ple in the greater Bellefonte region, Summers said. “We just didn’t fit all of our different programs in this building anymore,” she said of the decision to expand. “(We) had to find space to accommodate growing storage need.” When Summers joined the organization in 2007, the food bank served an average of 250 people a month, she said. “The need for food assistance has exploded,” she said. Now the food bank assists around 800 people a
FaithCentre, Page 5
BELLEFONTE — When Bellefonte resident Bonnie Leathers realized that the annual Logan Fire Company parade was in jeopardy this year, she knew something had to be done. She started a grassroots campaign to save the parade. “The parade has been a tradition for over 40 years,” Leathers explained. “The kids really look forward to it. I just couldn’t imagine a summer without it.” Now, Leathers won’t have to. The Logan Fire Company normally holds a carnival to help fund the parade. This year, however, there were no amusement companies available to supply the rides. You can’t have a carnival without rides, of course. And without the carnival, there would be no parade. Leathers sprung into action. She collected nearly $300 on her own. Bellefonte Borough gathered $700 in donations and the Logan Fire Station collected $2,600 — including $2,500 from
CHRIS MORELLI/The Gazette
TRADITION CONTINUES: The fire trucks will roll down Bishop Street in Bellefonte again this summer for the Logan Fire Company’s annual parade. an anonymous donor. “It has been absolutely incredible,” said Logan Fire chief Walt
Parade, Page 6
Bellefonte Cruise draws crowd of car enthusiasts By CHRIS MORELLI editor@centrecountygazette.com
TIM WEIGHT/For The Gazette
CRUISE CROWD: The 25th annual Bellefonte Cruise drew large crowds to Centre County over the weekend. Opinion .............................. 7 Health & Wellness ......... 8, 9
Education .................. 10, 11 Community ................ 12-14
BELLEFONTE — This year’s Bellefonte Cruise had a bit of a different feel to it. Last year, the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse trial was taking place in Bellefonte and satellite trucks had to be cleared from in front of the Centre County courthouse so that the annual sock hop and cruise could take place. Following a weekend of cruising, those trucks were back on the diamond. Needless to say, a bit of a dark cloud hung over the cruise in 2012. There were no such worries this year. Perhaps as a result, crowds were larger. An estimated 6,000 to
Sports ......................... 17-22 Arts & Entertainment 23, 24
10,000 visitors strolled through downtown Bellefonte over the weekend to check out the classic cars and motorcycles. And while many of the car enthusiasts were from Centre County, some traveled from all areas of the commonwealth to see what the cruise had to offer. For Joey MacDonald, of Ridgway, the 2013 cruise was her firstever. “I’ve heard good things and I just wanted to check it out,” she said. “I’m a big fan of older cars, so this is pretty incredible. I think it’s just a really nice way to spend an afternoon.” In addition to the cars, MacDonald made a quick trip behind the Bellefonte YMCA to see what the food vendors had to offer. “There’s a little something for
What’s Happening .... 25, 26 Group Meetings .............. 27
everyone back there,” MacDonald said with a laugh. “I can’t come to something like this and not get something to eat. It’s kind of like going to a fair … you go for the rides, but you also go for the food. Here, the food is almost as important as the cars.” Almost. There were more than 300 cars registered for this year’s cruise. Additionally, 100 motorcycles were registered. The weather was absolutely perfect as the cruise celebrated 25 years. While he hasn’t been to every single one, Bob Peternel, of Harrisburg, estimates that he’s been to at least half of the cruises. He said he started coming in the 1990s.
Cruise, Page 5
Puzzles ............................. 28 Business ..................... 29, 30
Classified ......................... 31