Countersuit filed
GAZETTE THE CENTRE COUNTY
www.CentreCountyGazette.com
Penn State has filed a countersuit against former president Graham Spanier, claiming he breached his employment contract and fiduciary duties and misled the university about the extent of his knowledge of the child sexual abuse investigation of Jerry Sandusky. /Page 4
December 22-28, 2016
HELPING CREATE A COMMUNITY
Volume 8, Issue 51
FREE COPY
Slab Cabin Run gets funding boost Municipalities, authority OK $1.16M for conservation initiative By G. KERRY WEBSTER kerry.ccgazette@gmail.com
TIM WEIGHT/For the Gazette
KATIE NURMI, who was once homeless herself, is a volunteer and works part-time as assistant site manager for the Out of the Cold shelter program. Here, she is at the shelter at the State College Presbyterian Church.
Shelter thrives on ‘a lotta love’ By MARK BRACKENBURY
editor@centrecountygazette.com
STATE COLLEGE — Katie Nurmi knows what it’s like to be homeless. As a graduate student, Nurmi said she traveled to France for a teaching fellowship, but had not found a place to stay in advance. For six weeks, she was homeless. “It was rough,” she said, noting that she stayed outside, crashed in people’s apartments and for a while lived in an unheated and unfurnished apartment. Now she volunteers and works part-time as
assistant site manager with Out of the Cold, a coalition of 14 Centre County faith congregations that take turns hosting a homeless shelter from mid-October through April. Thirteen of the congregations open their doors to help house and feed the county’s homeless overnight on two-week rotations, with a 14th church lending people to support the effort. Maintaining the program involves “a lotta love,” Nurmi said. “I stay with it basically because it’s the right thing to do.” Shelter, Page 6
COLLEGE TOWNSHIP — Several pieces of a conservation puzzle are now in place as ClearWater Conservancy gathered up municipal funding to not only protect one of Centre County’s most picturesque views, but also protect a crucial water source for the greater State College area. Four municipalities and the State College Borough Water Authority ponied up $1.16 million in contributions over the past week to assist with the $2.75 million project, which would effectively preserve the developmental rights on the Meyer Dairy property along South Atherton Street in College Township, allow the Meyer family to purchase the neighboring Everhart farm and protect a valuable drinking water source in the neighboring Harter-Thomas Wellfields, which provides the greater State College area with most of its drinking water. “Our goal was to raise $1.2 million from the municipalities and we’re going to do that,” said Deb Nardone, executive director of ClearWater Conservancy. She noted that College Township committed $125,000, Ferguson Township $150,000 and Harris Township $20,000. In addition, the State College Borough Water Authority committed $750,000 to the project,
and added an additional $50,000 as a challenge to other municipalities that commit more. She said State College Borough was asked to commit $100,000 to the project, but at a meeting Dec. 19 pledged $110,000, thus drawing an additional $10,000 from the SCBWA. “The commitment by the local municipalities for the Slab Cabin Run Initiative shows how important they feel protecting local water sources is,” said Nardone, noting the name of the project was given because of Slab Cabin Run, which flows through both the Meyer and Everhart properties. Nardone said funding from Patton, Benner and Halfmoon townships is pending; however, she believes these municipalities will commit the requested funds. Despite the commitment by the municipal organizations, Nardone said only about half of the necessary funds have been raised. “We’re still in need of about $865,000,” said Nardone. She said the group has raised a little more than $100,000 in private funds, but noted more fundraising is necessary. “We know there are people and companies in the local community that realize the importance of protecting local drinking water,” said Nardone. Slab Cabin Run, Page 8
Act of kindness inspires nationwide effort
15 years after first Jared Box in State College, project helping children across country By MARK BRACKENBURY editor@centrecountygazette.com
STATE COLLEGE — For Cindy Kolarik, joy means that “every day I get to see the kindness of people trying to do the right thing.” Kolarik is director of the Jared Box Project, which started in State College in 2001 as a “one time thing” to deliver small gift boxes of toys and other fun items to children at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville. Fifteen years later the project is in all 50 states, and more than 250,000 Jared Boxes — likely far more — have been delivered to children at hospitals across the nation. Police Blotter .................... 2 Opinion ............................ 9
“It’s just incredible how far and wide it is,” Kolarik said. All that thanks to the inspiration provided by a young Our Lady of Victory School pupil, the dedication of volunteers and the power of a web site and social media. Jared McMullen, a boy with an “outgoing, fun-loving personality,” was diagnosed with an incurable brainstem tumor at age 5 in 1999. Jared brought backpacks of toys and games to his appointments at Geisinger, shared them with other children and invited them to play games. Jared died in November 2000, but not before inspiring those who knew him. Jared Box, Page 3
Health & Wellness .......... 10 Education ....................... 12
Submitted photo
YOUTHS IN THE Our Lady of Victory religious education program recently made 108 Jared Boxes for the children at Mount Nittany Medical Center. Jared Boxes are filled with games, toys and activities for children in hospitals.
Community .................... 14 Holiday Greetings .......... 19
Sports .............................. 23 Women’s Corner ............ 30
Around & In Town ......... 33 What’s Happening ......... 35
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Puzzles ............................ 36 Business .......................... 37