GAZETTE THE CENTRE COUNTY
Community support
The Penns Valley community turned out in force last weekend to rally around two families that suffered tragic losses this year, raising thousands of dollars that will be placed in trust funds for four boys./Page 13
www.CentreCountyGazette.com October 20-26, 2016 Volume 8, Issue 42 FREE COPY
A courthouse Princess Yellow Lab offers comfort to victims during tough times
By MARK BRACKENBURY editor@centrecountygazette.com
STATE COLLEGE — There is movement that may lead to new life for the dormant former Autoport motel and restaurant property on South Atherton Street. Plans are in motion for a subdivision and lot consolidation involving a 2.75-acre portion of the Autoport property and about 1.5 acres of vacant land owned by the adjacent New Covenant Baptist Church. The subdivision of a portion of the church land requires planning commission review and borough council approval to move forward. No plans have been an-
By G. KERRY WEBSTER kerry.ccgazette@gmail.com
BELLEFONTE — For the last seven years, a four-footed furry friend has been comforting children and adult victims alike at the Centre County Courthouse. Soon, however, the 11 1/2-yearold courthouse dog known as Princess will retire. “Of course we’re going to miss her,” said Centre County District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller, who noted she began her first term as district attorney at about the same time the yellow lab arrived for duty. “Everyone in the courthouse will. She’s been part of this family so long now, it’s going to be odd not having her around. She means so much to so many.” Princess was originally trained to be a service dog to help children with disabilities. She got her instruction at the Cambridge Springs women’s state correctional facility and was assigned to a young boy with disabilities. In just a short time, the boy developed allergies to Princess, and they had to cease their connection. Soon thereafter, Princess was diagnosed with a minor medical condition that required her to
Plan may signal new life for Autoport land nounced for the consolidated land which will be acquired by the owners of the Autoport property. “Obviously, the property owners are going to want to do something with this property at some point,” Pat Ward, of UniTec Consulting Engineers, told the planning commission last month. Ward added, “At the time of development there will be a lot of detail to go into. Until a plan is proposed, it’s a simple subdivision.” The Autoport, at 1405 S. Atherton St., was Pennsylvania’s oldest motel. It closed in December 2015 after financial struggles, Autoport, Page 6
G. KERRY WEBSTER/The Gazette
PRINCESS, the Centre County Courthouse dog, will soon retire as a victim advocate with the Centre County District Attorney Office and Victim/Witness Office. Pictured, from left, are handler and victim advocate Faith Schindler, Princess and Centre County District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller. consume one pill a day, which disqualified her from service dog duty. That’s what brought Princess to Centre County. “We learned quickly upon her arrival that she had two sets of skills,” said Faith Schindler, Princess’ handler and a victim advocate with the county’s vic-
tim/witness program. “She was trained as a service dog, so she can do things like open doors and carry things around, but we also learned she was very comforting around people, particularly victims of crimes, especially children.” Princess, Page 6
MARK BRACKENBURY/The Gazette
A SUBDIVISION and land consolidation plan involving the former Autoport motel and restaurant at 1405 S. Atherton St. may mean new life for the property.
Farmers coping with drought as disaster declared By VINCENT CORSO correspondent@centrecountygazette.com
As we near the end of the growing season and head toward winter, many Centre County farms are still dealing with the effects of a hot, dry summer that left the county in a drought. The U.S. Department of Agriculture last week declared Centre County a drought disaster area because of the losses that farmers sustained from the extreme drought conditions. The declaration allows farmers to receive different types of federal aid depending on the type of losses that they suffered, said Daniel Smeal, the county executive director of the Pennsylvania Farm Service Agency in Mill Hall. “Some are saying these are the worst drought conditions in the county since the ’80s, some say 2012 was just as bad,” said VINCENT CORSO/For the Gazette Smeal. “But either way it has been a long BARRIE MOSER and his daughter Kimberly Chriswell sell their produce at the State College farmers time since we’ve had one like this.” market. The peppers are in, but not of the quality that Moser says he likes, due to the extreme Many of the summer rains were spotty and only hit small pockets of the county, drought this summer. Police Blotter .................... 2 Opinion ............................ 9
Health and Wellness ...... 10 Education ....................... 12
Community .................... 13 Gazette Gameday ........... 19
Sports .............................. 22 Hunting & Guns ............. 28
so there is around a 60 percent drop in production for some, said Smeal. The northern parts of the county were hit the hardest, Smeal said, but there were other parts also hit hard. A very dry June and July had a negative effect on corn and other field crops, said Greg Roth, a professor of agronomy at Penn State. “The drought and high temperatures came at a time of year when corn needs extra moisture and so it was particularly devastating,” said Roth. It was a long summer for JR Rossman in Penns Valley. Each day since early August he has been hauling 50 gallons of water on a tractor across his family’s dairy farm because the spring he typically uses stopped flowing. Luckily the farm has a well that serves the milking cows, and they are able to haul the water from that part of the farm to the other cattle. It is only the second time that Rossman can remember the spring drying Drought, Page 8
Weddings Showcase ...... 31 Around & In Town ......... 32
Puzzles ............................ 36 Business .......................... 37