GAZETTE THE CENTRE COUNTY
www.CentreCountyGazette.com
District Champions!
The State College Area High School football team captured the District 6-9 Class AAAA title with a lopsided win over DuBois at Hollidaysburg. The Little Lions will move on to the PIAA playoffs./Page 23
November 19-25, 2015
Volume 7, Issue 46
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Students hold vigil to honor victims of international violence By ALEXA LEWIS
news@centrecountygazette.com
UNIVERSITY PARK — The two flags on Old Main lawn flew halfmast on Nov. 17 as more than 1,000 students gathered for an evening candlelight vigil to show solidarity with France and other countries where recent violence has occurred. “They say that actions speak louder than words. This is the best action we can take to fight something like this,” said the vigil’s creator and main organizer, Brandon Sullivan, who is a freshman at Penn State. A friend sent Sullivan a text message about the attacks while he was working a shift late Nov. 13, unaware of what was happening in Paris. He said he was disgusted at “the fear, the pain and the terror” of the images that he looked up on Google to confirm his friend’s message.
Word of the vigil spread through a Facebook page that Sullivan created. He anticipated the event would only receive a couple hundred RSVPs. By the morning of the vigil, more than 1,500 people said they would attend. The event started with a 30-second moment of silence to honor not only the 129 people killed in the multiple attacks that took place on Nov. 13 in Paris, but also the 43 victims of suicide attacks in Beirut and 26 victims of the roadside bombings in Bagdad. “We must not forget that the French were not the only ones touched on that horrific night,” Sullivan said. “Attacks were made on a global scale. Friday night, the world was set on fire.” The event also honored the dozens of people killed the day of the vigil in a market bombing in Nigeria. People injured and displaced from
violence or natural disasters in recent history were also included. “Over the past week, we have seen an attack on our civil liberties, a terrorist ideology that wishes to change our fundamental values — life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; liberté, égalité et fraternité,” said Justin Rongier, the president of Penn State’s French Club, when he addressed the crowd. Rongier encouraged people to continue doing what they love to overcome these tragic events, including going to concerts, soccer matches and restaurants — a reference to the places in Paris where the series of coordinated terrorist attacks by ISIS took place. The president of Penn State’s Muslim Student Association, Mustafa Ali, and a member of the Vigil, Page 8
ALEXA LEWIS/For the Gazette
POWERFUL MOMENT: A student holds a Lebanese flag in front of Old Main during the vigil honoring victims of international violence on Nov. 17. Many students brought flags from countries around the world to show international solidarity.
Township approves development By ALEXA LEWIS news@centrecountygazette.com
STATE COLLEGE — The Ferguson Township board of supervisors unanimously approved the final planned residential development proposal for the Cottages at State College, after an hourlong public hearing on Nov. 16 where residents voiced opposition. The project will encompass 32 acres beyond the intersection of Blue Course Drive and Whitehall Road. Since developer Toll Brothers proposed the project more than two years ago, the bone of conTIM WEIGHT/Gazette file photo
BRAVING THE ELEMENTS: The 2014 Polar Bear Plunge was held at Bald Eagle State Park. This year, the event will move to Black Moshannon State Park.
Popular Polar Bear Plunge shifts venues By CHRIS MORELLI editor@centrecountygazette.com
BELLEFONTE — The Polar Bear Plunge, one of the YMCA of Centre County’s most popular fundraising events, will have a new look this year. Specifically, a new location. The 13th annual Polar Bear Plunge will shift venues from Bald Eagle State Park to Black Moshannon State Park. This year’s event will take place from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 5. Liz Toukonen, of the YMCA Opinion ............................ 9 Health & Wellness ..... 10, 11
of Centre County, explained the change in venue. “It just ended up working better with everyone’s schedule, to move it over to Black Moshannon,” Toukonen said. “It’s a beautiful park. It has a beach for us, so that’s really nice.” The plunge will begin at 11 a.m., but participants are asked to be there by 10 a.m. According to Toukonen, the YMCA is still looking for plungers. There are several different age Plunge, Page 7
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tention among residents has been the proximity of the proposed development’s stormwater basins to a water recharge area that supplies water to State College and surrounding townships. While the State College Water Authority said there is minimal risk from this development, residents at the public hearing said they are still concerned about the potential for water contamination from stormwater runoff. “That water, do you have any idea how much that water is worth?” township resident Joseph Cusumano asked the board. “The fact that we are Ferguson, Page 6
Small-town values guide Steve Brown’s life and career By HARRY ZIMBLER correspondent@centrecountygazette.com
STATE COLLEGE — The growth of the Mount Nittany Health system in the past few years has been astonishing. Leading the organization though much of that growth has been Steve Brown, president and CEO. It’s easy to see the results of Brown’s leadership and his approach to building and working closely with a comprehensive health care delivery team. This year, the Renaissance Fund will celebrate Brown’s achievements by naming him Honoree of the Year for 2015. This annual award is presented to an individ-
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CENTRE COUNTY SPOTLIGHT
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ual, or couple, who has made a significant contribution to the Penn State and Centre County communities. But what drives this jovial, gregarious man in his daily quest for excellence? What are his guiding principles, and how does he live them every day? It is clear, from the start, that Brown learned a great many lessons from his STEVE BROWN parents. “Dad worked as a farm inspector and served as a local councilman in the Mechanicsburg area,” Brown began. “My parents taught me the values I have now. I was raised in a household where I learned the Golden Rule. Helping others, giving back to life was imporant.” Brown, Page 6
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