Community Letters
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Letters: ‘Informed Awareness’ About Gambling; Casino’s Compelled Test Day Donations; GT vs. Planned Parenthood
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As State College prepares for the opening of the Happy Valley Casino, it’s worth understanding a simple but powerful truth about modern slot machines: they are not designed primarily to create winners. They are designed to keep people playing. Much of this comes down to how the human brain works. We tend to think gambling…
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Letters: Penn State Women’s Hockey Made Us Proud; Who Does Thompson Serve?; ‘Reshaping the Media’
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The narrative that Penn State women’s hockey lost in a “heartbreaker” in the Frozen Four semifinals misses the point and does our women athletes a disservice. Penn State women’s hockey didn’t lose. They went the distance. In their first-ever Frozen Four appearance, they fought the returning champions to a draw and took them into overtime. They proved…
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Letters: WPSU a Lifeline; Casino Success No Sure Bet; Thompson Doesn’t Deliver
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Right now, the world feels unsettled. Wars abroad. Political division at home. Misinformation spreading faster than facts. In moments like these, I turn to one place I’ve trusted for decades: WPSU. For years, WPSU has been part of my daily life — in my car, in my home, in my family’s conversations. It has guided…
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Letters: No Accountability for PFAS Contamination; SAVE Act Will Impact All Voters; Exacerbating Gambling Losses
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For more than five years, families in my neighborhood have lived with a reality no one should accept: Our water is contaminated with PFAS—“forever chemicals” linked to serious health risks—and the source has been traced to the Penn State University Airport. Penn State publicly presents itself as a “good neighbor” and responsible community steward. For…
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Letters: Casino Concerns; When Silence Is Complicity; Cold as ICE; the Moral Cause of Universal Health Care
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Sen. Dave McCormick’s response to the killings in Minneapolis is not just inadequate—it is indefensible. Two innocent people were killed by federal agents in broad daylight. They were not suspects, not aggressors, not threats. Video footage, viewed by millions, shows no imminent danger and no justification for lethal force. Yet instead of demanding accountability, Sen.…
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Letter: Local Faith Leaders Speak Against Conversion Therapy
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As the U.S. Supreme Court seems poised to rule against the ability for states to ban LGBTQ+ conversion therapy, we felt called as leaders and members of our local faith communities to speak out against this harmful practice. Conversion “therapy” is a misnomer. It is not therapy. It is widely discredited and has no basis…
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Letters: No to Casino Dealer School; Support Public Media; Abuse of Presidential Pardons
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To future applicants considering Happy Valley Casino jobs: If you’re thinking of signing up for the Dealer School or for roles as slot attendants, security or food and beverage staff at the proposed Happy Valley Casino, you may want to think again. Working at a casino may look like steady work on paper, but the…
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Letters: Penn State Cancer Institute’s Failed Leadership; Stand Up for Community by Supporting WPSU
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Vindication tastes bitter when it comes at such a cost, but the record must now show: every alarm I sounded was justified. On Thursday, Nov. 20, Spotlight PA exposed a damning internal review of the Penn State Cancer Institute: chemotherapy overdoses, treatment delays that let cancers spread unchecked, incomplete patient records, and a toxic workplace…
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Letters: State Budget Fails Direct Care Workers; Research ‘Dealer School’ Before Enrolling
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I am outraged that Gov. Shapiro and the legislature once again passed a state budget that ignores 94% of Pennsylvania’s direct care workforce. Only a small portion of home care workers, those in the participant-directed program, received funding. The rest—the caregivers employed by home care agencies serving older adults and people with disabilities across this…
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Letters: Candidates and Casino; Kepler Barn Legacy; Retain Judges and Justices; 20-Second Hug Club
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The upcoming elections for College Township Council will determine who will oversee College Township’s efforts to mitigate any harms caused by the soon-to-open Happy Valley Casino. Three candidates are running for two open seats. This is an off-year election, so voter turnout will likely be low. Your vote will make a difference! Candidate interviews discussing…